About half way the train stops in a place that has four permanent residents; …

… at least that is the number the conductor gives us with … is that pride? … in his voice. While the train is refueled and the water tanks are refilled, we are free to explore, boosting the town’s population.

The road in …

… and out …

… seems unnecessary wide. The story goes: before the trains put them out of work, camel caravans did most of the transportation work. The town was designed to allow them to turn around on the spot. There is another road, but …

Some buildings seem in use …

… with signs of recent activity, …

… but most of the buildings are deserted, …

… most of the structures seem abandoned …

… even the local basket ball court.

A truck grows from a dot on the horizon to an apparition that rumbles through town without bothering to stop.

I am told, there has been a lot of rain lately, …

… so the plain blooms, …

… but mostly looks like this:

Later on we pass through another town. Two permanent residents, the conductor says. A couple. We do not stop. I wonder what keeps them on their outpost?