Growing Up in the Middle of Nowhere Has Its Good Points
by Rick McLaughlin, News Editor of Winkler County NewsFor Sarah Jones and Roy Lindsay, growing up in Loving County and riding 90 miles to and from school in Wink each day isn't banishment to God's brown nowhere as some big city folks might believe.
The two seniors at Wink High School see growing up in suburban Mentone as a positive thing.
"Growing up in Loving County has developed my character," said the 18-year-old Jones. "I don't take for granted the things I receive like my friends and the places I travel to."
Jones does a lot of traveling. Even her nearest neighbor, an aunt, is two miles away from the ranch. Until she took up residence in Wink two years ago, she commuted for years to school from the family ranch five miles north of Mentone.
She is the daughter of Loving County Judge Skeet Jones.
That drive or bus ride to school in Wink is 45 miles -- one way.
Despite the seemingly unending miles of sagebrush and mesquite, Lindsay agrees the remote living is a positive thing.
"I love it. You never have to worry about offending the neighbors," Lindsay said. "I love the freedom you can't find anywhere else."
That includes the freedom to ride his motorcycle across pastures whenever he wants. "It's wonderful," he said.
Lindsay lives 12 miles north of Mentone and his nearest neighbor just happens to be Sarah and the other Joneses.
Despite the love of the wide open spaces in a county with less than 100 people, Jones does regret being so far from the mall, Wal-mart and other amenities of urban life and she said she enjoys going to Odessa and Midland from time to time.
Lindsay also misses some city offerings, like a paint ball field, but he takes a different tack. "I don't miss the malls," he said. "There's too many people."
In the meantime, Lindsay gets up at 6 a.m. and sleeps a lot on the bus. He is home by 4:30 p.m.
But for both seniors, Lindsay and Jones, growing up in the quite country-side is coming to an end.
Jones said the experience in rural West Texas is positive, but she doesn't mind leaving. She is going to Texas A&M to study bio-medical science.
Lindsay isn't straying as far, keeping his roots nearby. He plans to attend Odessa College, major in diesel technology and work in the Odessa area.