Our Permian Paradox

I had read about the Permian Basin but never thought I’d have the chance to go there. Fate, however, works in unexpected ways. Last May, my partner, Mark, and I found ourselves heading south of Roswell, NM, on US Route 285, bound for Fort Stockton, Texas. This wasn’t a route we had intended to take, but a sudden outbreak of fierce tornadoes along the Texas panhandle and northerly route of I-40 back East convinced me last minute to change course. Pumpjacks dotted the landscape on either side, their rhythm ceaseless against the setting sun, more and more as we sped south. We passed more tankers and semis; on the back of…