The gate to the Parker Ranch was closed. On a different path, we passed deserted, dilapidated buildings and reached another ranch. Nobody showed up when I honked the horn. We continued on that path to its end. From there, I took off by foot across a bush-covered pasture and over a tiny stream to reach the site.
On the next hill, I observed a colossal thunder storm stretching into the blue cloudless sky. I first mistook the dark pillar for smoke from a fire, but after a few minutes the phenomenon had disappeared.