Would you consider west Texas to be a desert environment?

[hvacker]

I was in basic training for the air force in 1961, too hot for me in the summer.

I just missed you.

 

[hvacker]

I was taught a desert is defined on rainfall. I can't remember the exact numbers. Based on that, the Arctic and Antarctic are deserts.
I live on a high desert mesa and get, when lucky, about 8"/year. Usually all in 2 months.
Texas is a gradual transition from Louisiana swamp to NM desert. North prairies and the South seaside.

 

[Oddjob]

Yes I would consider it a desert for sure, once you get out of that hill country it get pretty baron in some spots. Land is crazy cheap, but worthless unless you can run a sizeable cattle operation, but even then you need plenty of acreage to make sure you can grow your own feed during rainy season, but it will still go belly up in time. Lots of decent size ranches have been selling off since the mid 90s into small lots from 200 acres to only 10 acres with some crazy jacked up prices line 200 bucks an acre, but city folks eat that up just to have a decent place to hunt.

but man if you want Indian artefacts or fossils then that is the place to go, blind folk can find it there.

Not sure if they still have rattle snake round ups or not, but back in the day we would head to west texas for a week and could easily file 4 large trash cans with rattlers, had one great year and got eight can full. Take them back to the ranch for two months before the round up started, threw them in small closed pits and feed them fat.

 

[tamrock]

Here's how you know when you're in an inhospitable harsh environment know as a real desert aka the Badlands. It's places you see the Creosote Larrea tridentata growing. Yes a good portion of west Texas is a desert. I had that region of Odessa to El Paso for a sales territory years ago. Had a belt tensioner bust on me in a 1996 Chevy Lumina out in that unforsaken country. Waited hours before someone came by to offer help. There a constant breeze that felt like I was in front of a giant hot air blow dryer. Be fully prepared for anything that can go on out in that country. Like a couple gallons of water.

 

[rginn]

If you got lost in the Llano Estacado and didn't know where the waterholes were you would think it was a desert. Llano Estacado is one of my favorite places. One time me and Maria camped in Palo Duro Canyon when it was runnin about a 110 every day, and she asked me if we could possibly go camp in hell so she could cool off a little, haha!

 

[GopherDaGold]

I’ve been to El Paso. It’s Desert.

Yep, El Paso. Desert.