Desert Road Trip: First in a series of articles about my recent West Texas photo journey
I made a recent sojourn to the desert and mountains of West Texas. This is the first report from that trip.
I traveled with a list of things to see and a defined itinerary, but this was my first of many unexpected stops. I was drawn from the interstate by a siren song . . . actually, as I drove by this small town, I spotted a tall brick building that had all the hallmarks of something interesting to shoot — so, I took the town’s exit to explore.
It’s an eerie feeling walking or driving through a town that’s so silent and abandoned that it feels like a place forgotten by time. Even though it seemed empty, I had the feeling of eyes on me. There was one man operating a big machine on his property, and a few occupied homes where I had the sensation that people were peeping through their windows to keep an eye on me.
![Black and white photograph of an abandoned high school in Toyah, Texas. The decaying structure was built in 1912.](https://icatchshadows.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/KD000986-Abandoned-High-School-Toyah-Texas-copy-960x640.jpg)
![Black and white photograph of an abandoned high school built 1912 in Toyah, Texas. I could hear the roof tin squeaking in the wind, and pigeons cooing in the rafters.](https://icatchshadows.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/KD000993-Abandoned-High-School-Toyah-Texas-40-x-60-copy-960x640.jpg)
![This friendly fella greeted me as I approached the old house. While he seemed OK with my presence, there were other dogs roaming around so I didn't go near the house.](https://icatchshadows.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/KD001028-German-Shepherd-and-Abandoned-House-40-x-60-960x1440.jpg)
![Dream home: This old house may have been someone's pride and joy, but now it's sagging, empty, neglected, and open to the elements.](https://icatchshadows.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/KD001047-Abandoned-House-in-a-Desert-Town-40-x-60-copy-960x640.jpg)
![An old stone house left abandoned on the edge of town with the wide desert visible in the distance.](https://icatchshadows.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/KD001049-Old-Stone-House-Toyah-Texas-40-x-60-copy-960x640.jpg)
![Black and white photograph of a desert fence post with rusty barbed wire.](https://icatchshadows.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/KD001062-Desert-Fence-Post-40-x-60-960x1440.jpg)
Behind-the-scenes photographs
For additional context, below are a few iPhone photographs taken on location.
![Photograph of a building with abandoned vehicles that has collapsed after a fire.](https://icatchshadows.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/KD000984-Toyah-Texas-960x640.jpg)
![Side view of the abandoned old high school in Toyah, Texas. The RV belongs to a neighboring house.](https://icatchshadows.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/IMG_0654-960x833.jpg)
If you enjoy photographs of abandoned places, check out my book available in print on Amazon, or as a digital download
![](https://icatchshadows.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/IMG_8835-iPad-Book-960x720.jpg)
![Close-up look at the front entrance of the abandoned high school in Toyah, Texas. A round window casing from above lies on the steps and mounds of dirt from dust storms are heaped on the steps and inside the open doors.](https://icatchshadows.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/KD001019-960x640.jpg)
![The dust of the ages on my hiking boots.](https://icatchshadows.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/IMG_0650-960x720.jpg)
![The remarkable stone gravestone of John L. Moore, one of the more elaborate markers in the old windswept cemetery in Toyah, Texas.](https://icatchshadows.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/IMG_0624-960x1280.jpg)
Thanks for reading.
Be sure to visit me on Facebook, Instagram or Pinterest, or on my website at keithdotson.com.
~ Keith