Tuesday, August 28, 2007

Dumas to Denver

The question is: How do the people of Dumas pronounce the name of their town? If it is named after the French author, is it pronounced, more or less, doo-MAH? Or is it, as I have assumed, DOO-muss?

Anybody know?

From Dumas one heads up Highway 87 toward Dalhart and then into New Mexico. Raton is the only sizeable stop; it's at the intersection of 87 and Interstate 25. It's got an old town center, but there doesn't seem to be a lot going on. Maybe it's more of a hopping place during the ski season. Going north on I-25 toward Denver, one gets up above 6000 feet in elevation and stays up that high most of the way. Mountains to the left (west); a little more plainsy to the east.

Here's another question: since West Texas is a major oil producing area, why does gas out here (and in New Mexico, another oil producing region) cost 45 or 50 cents more a gallon than in Dallas? Why is the gasoline price ABOVE the national average by 15 cents or more? I don't get it.

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