About halfway between Fort Stockton and Van Horn, in West Texas, dip down off Interstate 10 to a tract of the Trans-Pecos where desert meets mountain in spare and spectacular fashion. Sparsely populated, this remote and rugged country is nevertheless home to a quintessential Western town, a historic military installation, a desert research institute, and a world-class astronomical observatory. It’s an almost perfect locus from which to immerse oneself in the mysteries of the cosmos, the lore of the Old West, and the lavalike layers of geological history. And at its sunbaked heart lie destinations that for many are the main attraction: Davis Mountains State Park and its beloved Indian Lodge, a rustic inn whose pueblo-style architecture and canyon setting have made it an oasis for traveling Texans for 86 years.
Jan. 2, 2021 5:30 am ET
David Gibbs had just signed Yum Brands Inc.’s first restaurant acquisition in years and was planning a convention for nearly 1,000 of its fast-food franchisees world-wide when the pandemic crippled the global economy in March.
Suddenly the crisis threatened to wipe out much of the $17 billion the company and its franchisees generate in annual dine-in sales across KFC, Taco Bell and Pizza Hut restaurants in more than 150 countries. Mr. Gibbs, a 31-year Yum veteran who became chief executive officer a year ago, went from advancing the company’s expansion strategy to contending with thousands of closed restaurants.