A PLT FAILED TO OBTAIN A STANDARD FSS WX BRIEFING PRIOR TO DEP. AFTER LNDG AT A DISTANT ARPT; PLT AND INSTRUCTOR PLT REALIZED RWY WAS CLOSED.

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AT APPROX XA30 PM SEP/WED/95 I DEPARTED LBB FOR AN INST COMPETENCY FLT; WITH A CFII MEI FLT INSTRUCTOR. WX WAS VFR. I DID NOT CALL FOR A WX BRIEFING OR NOTAMS. I NOTIFIED LUBBOCK CLRNC DELIVERY THAT WE WOULD FLY VFR TO CROSBYTON MUNI (8F3) FOR AN INST APCH; THEN RETURN TO LUBBOCK FOR FURTHER APCHS. WHEN WE ARRIVED NEAR 8F3; LUBBOCK DEP CHANGED US TO ADVISORY FREQ. I ANNOUNCED OUR POS AND INTENTIONS AND ULTIMATELY LANDED WITHOUT INCIDENT ON RWY 35. WHEN WE REACHED THE DEP END (THE BEGINNING OF RWY 17) WE SAW AN 'X' AT THE BEGINNING OF RWY 17. WE THEN TAXIED BACK TO RWY 35 AND DEPARTED. IT BECAME CLR THAT NEARLY ALL OF THE 'X' ON RWY 35 HAD EITHER BLOWN OFF THE RWY OR HAD BEEN REMOVED. IT WAS NOT VISIBLE FROM THE AIR; EVEN ON SHORT FINAL TO RWY 35. THE RWY APPARENTLY WAS BEING PAVED. THERE WAS FAIRLY FRESH ASPHALT; NO POT HOLES; AND AN ENTIRELY SMOOTH RWY; AND AN UNEVENTFUL LNDG AND TKOF. THERE WAS NO EQUIP OR PERSONNEL ON THE RWY. THIS INCIDENT OCCURRED BECAUSE I DID NOT CALL WX BRIEF PRIOR TO MY FLT TO OBTAIN NOTAMS. I ADDITION; THE ABSENCE OF A VISIBLE 'X' ON RWY 35 AT 8F3 ADDED TO THE PROB. FURTHER; NO RESPONSE ON CTAF/UNICOM 122.8; SO FROM THE AIR ON MY INST APCH; I DID NOT KNOW THE RWY WAS CLOSED. ON FUTURE FLTS; MY PLAN WILL BE TO OBTAIN BRIEFINGS TO ALL ARPTS OF INTENDED LNDG (EVEN IF VFR AND EVEN IF THE ARPT IS FAMILIAR). IF NO RESPONSE AT UNCTLED ARPTS ON CTAF/UNICOM; OVERFLY THE ARPT AND INSPECT ALL RWYS PRIOR TO LNDG.