Hotel rooms usually sell out long in advance for SxSW. This year is not an exception. But that doesn’t deter anybody. Some people crash with friends or acquaintances. Others depend on their vehicles.

Along the course of the early-morning walk, for the past three mornings there have been quite a few vans and pickups with camper shells parked along the way. Some of these are overflow from temporary household encampments; some are just free-lancing. Inside them can often be discerned the forms of the deeply asleep.

Today, though, some of the recent regulars were gone, no doubt on their way to a free feed at the cowboy breakfast.

The overlap of SxSW and the rodeo produces some visual contrasts. In case there’s any confusion, the distinguishing characteristics are that the people dressed too warmly and in black are not in town for the rodeo.