US Route 385 is a long north-south route in America's High Plains. It stretches from the Black Hills of South Dakota south to Big Bend National Park, in southwestern Texas. US Route 85, the parent route of US Route 385, heads south through the west side of the Dakotas, but at Deadwood, South Dakota, US Route 85 starts deviating southwesterly toward Wyoming.  At Deadwood, US Route 385 appears to carry travelers who wish to continue straight south.  US Route 385 continues through the western side of South Dakota, and it heads south across Nebraska's western panhandle. After that, US Route 385 cuts across eastern Colorado. At Lamar, Colorado, US Route 385 joins US Route 287 southward, and this concurrency of routes follows the only numbered route to directly cross the state line dividing Colorado from Oklahoma.  US Route 385 goes south across the western end of the Oklahoma panhandle, soon crossing into the northern panhandle of Texas.  US Route 385 hugs the west side of Texas, never far from New Mexico's eastern border. Past the southeastern corner of New Mexico, US Route 385 continues through Odessa, Texas, to the Big Bend area of southwestern Texas. The southern end of US Route 385 is a gate to Big Bend National Park, where the pavement continues south as the main road through the park. US Route 385 is remarkably desolate, dry, and dusty, failing to reach any cities or towns larger than Odessa, Texas.  Its dedication to staying rural is hard to match.

My photo of US Route 385 signage comes from Brownfield, Texas, where the route is joined by US Route 82 for a short while. This photo was taken at the northern end of the concurrency, looking north.  I happened upon this scene in October 2024, during the southwestern trip to New Mexico, Texas, and Oklahoma.

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