Monahans Sandhills State Park

       I-20 transects this 60-mile wide scene from July 20th, 2019, passing first through Midland on the east, then through Odessa. Both cities support petroleum development activities in the Permian Basin. Thousands of well sites dot the landscape where dozens of oil and gas fields produce nearly 40 percent of all oil production in the United States and nearly 15 percent of its natural gas production.  Midland is home to Midland College, the Sibley Nature Center, and the Petroleum Museum.  Odessa is home to the University of Texas Permian Basin and the Odessa Meteor Crater and Museum.

     Monahans Sandhills State Park is the bright patch north of I-20 on the west-center of the image. It lies within the Trans-Pecos ecoregion, in the Sand Hills subregion. It is home to sand dunes over 50 feet high, and is part of a larger dune field extending more than 200 miles through eastern New Mexico and West Texas. It hosts numerous desert species including kangaroo rats and javelinas. There are many active dunes, and many that are stabilized by a forest of miniature Shin Oak trees. The acorns from these trees, as well as mesquite beans and abundant shallow fresh water, attracted Native Americans to camp here seasonally.

The Park HQ is located at:
Latitude: 31.618795

Longitude: -102.812112Found in South Texas, The Sierra Diablo Mountain range extends from Houston to El Paso.