Yeah, the writer just wraps Jacksboro up into Abilene....they ain't "near" each other in any respect.
You're right about being out in W/SW Texas desert... a true rancher does not turn down a $12k/yr windfall from a windmill or a oil well because it has "blinky red lights" at night. A true rancher knows that kinda side money might just be the difference between the amount of hay you can afford during an extended drought.
I did enjoy my time in the desert. Being an Easterner and just finishing three years in lush Hawaii I found it refreshingly different. I generally followed I-10, and swear I didn’t see more than small patches of green between the pepper fields around El Paso and when I came to Houston. If I saw an exit sign with an interesting name I went for it. One “town” consisted of a dinner/bar/gas station across from the post office/general store and one trailer. A 5,000 gallon water tanker supplied the towns water needs.
The immense size was different too. I parked the Harley in the middle of the highway for close to an hour and didn’t see a single vehicle, building or telephone pole. Not what I was used to.