Blog #10 Two Stepping our way through Texas Part 2

The second half of our Texas blog starts in San Antonio, we arrived here and our wishes came true, it is hot. The San Antonio River Walk is a relaxing stroll along the river with many sights and stops all along the way. The total walk  stretches for 15 miles but we decided to only do a small bit. We started by The Grotto - a cavelike art piece sculpted out of tons of concrete with fake stalagmites and stalactites and real waterfalls, created in 2009 by artist Carlos Cortés. The Floating Fish, further along the way, is another art installation. This is a school of 25 hand painted fibreglass 7 foot long-eared sunfish that are native to the river. Created by Donald Lipski, these hang in the air under an overpass above the walking path. Treme also enjoyed this walk and of course spotting a few squirrels along the way.

San Antonio River Walk

River Pathway, The Grotto, The Floating Fish

On our list for San Antonio was, of course, visiting the Alamo site. The Alamo was originally built in 1718 as a mission for Spanish missionaries to convert Indigenous peoples to the Catholic religion - and served as such for over 70 years. The original name was San Antoine de Valero. Between 1803 -1836 the mission was used as a fortress by each the Spanish, the Mexican, and the Texians (Anglo-American settlers in Mexican Texas armies). The famous Battle of the Alamo happened over 12 days in 1836 when the Mexican army overtook the fortress from the Texians. This is where the famous David (Davy) Crockett, along with many others Texians lost their lives. Women and children were spared - only one child died. One man was also spared by the Mexican so he could report what had happened. We were surprised how such an important iconic historical site in the downtown of San Antonio had been turned into a popular tourist attraction with gift shops and venders all around. Lots of the sites though have been maintained as authentic as can be with loads of information. We really did enjoy this stop.

Outside the Alamo

Inside the Alamo

Hanging with Davy Crockett, Cannon at The Alamo

Next on the list in San Antonio is a visit to the Buckhorn Saloon Museum and Texas Ranger Museum, both located in the same building. This place has it all: a cathedral made of 50,000 matchsticks, a replica Bonnie and Clyde Death Car, two leaning rooms, taxidermy, antlers art, antlers chairs, and mosaic art made from rattlesnake tails hanging on the walls, and much more. There is one part of the museum filled with weird and wonderful things like a stuffed albino rabbit, hare with horns, even a Figi Mermaid.

Buckhorn Saloon Museum

Antler Chairs, Horned Cone Head, Albino Hare

Cathedral Matchsticks, Rattlesnake Tail Art, Scuba Diver

Replica Bonnie&Clyde death car, Figi Mermaid, Rattlesnake Tail Art

The Texas Ranger Museum, the second museum, has loads of interesting artifacts, history, and personal stories of The Texas Rangers. The Texas Rangers’ beginning starts back in 1820 when Texas was still part of Mexico - Texas would not declare independence from Mexico until 1836. A man named Stephen F. Austin (best known as the father of Texas) asked the Mexican government to allow 300 families to enter the territory of Texas. By 1823 it became clear that these families and area would need some form of protection. Stephan F. Austin again asked the Mexican government for permission to hire 10 men from a group of volunteers to act as rangers to protect this new Texas frontier. The ranger’s wages would be $15 dollars a month payable in land. When there was no threat in the region, these men would return to their land and families.

Texas Ranger Museum

One very interesting story here was a display regarding John Wesley Hardin. You may recall that we visited his grave site in El Paso when we were there earlier. John B. Armstrong was a Texas Ranger and it is he who captured Hardin in 1877 and became famous as a result.

Texas Ranger John B. Armstrong, John Wesley Hardin

We visited the San Antonio Central Library which is home to many art displays including The Fiesta Tower - glass artist Dale Chihuly was commissioned to create this art piece in 2001. This tower stands 20 feet 8 inches tall of individually blown glass. It is vibrant and flows with movement and colours reaching upwards and outwards.

The Fiesta Tower

There is also a Lizard carved from books, magazines, and telephone books by artist Long-Bin Chen that looks like stonework until you really get a good look at it.

Lizard Statue

Another art exhibit here is by artist Kaldric Dow. There is a display of his beautiful and colourful art created with acrylic and collage on canvases.

Art exhibit

Now they say things are always bigger in Texas so what could be more Texan then a stop and photo-op at the Worlds Largest Cowboy Boots. Artist Bob “Daddy-O” Wade was commissioned to create a public art piece in Washington D.C. So in 1979, Wade built a pair of 40 foot-tall concrete and fibreglass cowboy boots that looked like ostrich-skin on a vacant lot three blocks from the White House. After six months at this vacant lot the boots were taken onto flatbed trucks to the North Star Mall in San Antonio, Texas. Wade even wrote a song “Too High Too Wide Too Long” for this journey. In the first few years at the mall, a DJ broadcasted live from the top of the boots during the San Antonio Rodeo and people would have tailgate parties just outside. One year, someone got over excited and kicked a hole in one of the heels, a homeless person took advantage of the opening and decided to stay for a while in the boot. He was discovered and booted (pun intended) after shoppers noticed smoke from a Sterno he was using inside the boot as a stove.

World’s Largest Cowboy Boots

Our next big city stop here in Texas will be Austin, with yet another few side trips along the way. After our departure from San Antonio, a few minutes drive down the road, is Converse Texas. In a residential community stands a magnificent 40 foot tall Stag Sculpture made from discarded metal scraps. This sculpture was created to symbolize passion and machismo, and to protect the 28-acre park in the neighborhood. When looking up close at this magnificent piece of art, one can feel its majestic power and strength.

Stag Sculpture

Gruene Texas. In the mid 1940’s German farmers were the first to arrive here in what is now known as Gruene, another one of our small town historic stops. There are many beautiful historic building to admire here. We were here on a Saturday so it was very busy with a weekend Christmas Market full of shoppers and tourists. They even had an outside skating rink set up for skating in 20 degree C weather. Not sure how they managed to keep the ice from melting because it was warm and even Guy was walking around without a jacket. The ice looked bumpy and watery. Gruene is also home to the “Oldest Dance Hall in Texas”. This hall was built in 1878 and many a famous artist have stoped here to perform from Willie Nelson, Arlo Guthrie, John Prine, George Strait, and the list goes on. There are tons of autographed photos of famous performers throughout the hall. Gruene Hall is where they filmed part of the movie Micheal with John Travolta.

Gruene Hall, John Travolta dance moves, Inside the Gruene Hall

Some of the famous people who have performed at the Gruene Hall

Historic Gruene they even have a Pizza Vending Machine

Sequin is the “Pecan Capital of Texas” so of course we have to make the stop. We also discovered a lovely little shop here called Father Christmas which has an assortment of beautiful Christmas decorations and a couple of unique Christmas trees.

World’s Largest Pecan, Interesting Names in Sequin Texas

Christmas Trees in Father Christmas Shop

Next stop Cedar Creek to visit “Ms Pearl”, a 14 foot tall squirrel standing in front of the Bedroll Pecan Candy & Gift Shop. This shop is family owned and is famous for everything Pecan, they even have a Pecan Pie Vending Machine. We did purchase a “few” things pecan and every one of them turned out delicious.

Pecan Pie Vending Machine, Ms Pearl, Mini Pecan Pies

We decided to use our Harvest Host app and discovered a ranch nearby where we could spend the night. This ranch called the Landgraf Ranch was such a fun and amazing stay. They specialize in Waygu beef. Waygu in Japanese literally means Wa = Japanese and ygu = cow, Japanese Beef. We purchased a beef steak and will treat ourselves for Christmas dinner. The ranch is also home to 3 beautiful but extremely nosey and friendly llamas named Lilly, Lucy, and Oreo. Since we were camped within their enclosure, they came to greet us and stayed nearby throughout the night. We woke up in the morning and looked out the back window to see all three llamas lying on the ground behind our van. In the morning while we were eating breakfast, Oreo came so close, we were worried he would jump into the Roadtrek.

Beautiful Harvest Host Stop, Landgraf Ranch

Lilly, Lucy and Oreo our new buddies, Oreo looking for breakfast

In Austin, we had a peaceful visit to the Umlauf Sculpture Garden and Museum. Charles Umlauf was an artist who earned a scholarship at the Art Institute of Chicago. He met his wife Angeline who was also an artist there. They were married in 1937. In 1941 they moved to Austin as Charles was hired as the first Life Drawing and Sculpture Professor at the University of Texas. He taught at the university for 40 years. During the summers between 1959 until the early 1980s Charles would travel to Italy to make his sculptures in bronze. Angeline would stay behind in Austin managing the business end of things and raising the children. Many longing letters and postcards were sent between them. In 1956 Charles paid Angeline his highest compliment by making her his life-size muse with the cast stone sculpture the Poetess. They were married for 57 years. In 1985 Charles and Angeline Umlauf gifted their 2 acre garden, home, his studio and 168 sculptures to the city of Austin. Walking around here was a very serene and a peaceful enjoyment to start our day.

Umlauf Sculpture Garden & Museum

Charles & Angeline, The Poetess

Charles in Italy, Charles teaching University of Texas

Umlauf Sculpture Garden & Museum

We arrived in downtown Austin and we’re getting very nice vibes here. It is one of the nicer cities we have visited. Today is hot, there has been rain so the humidity is thick in the air. We will not complain because this could always be snow. We walked along the pathway and under the Congress Avenue Bridge. This bridge is famous for being the home of one of the largest urban bat colonies in North America. There is approximately 1.5 million Mexican free-tailed bats that come here between mid March to November. Each evening during these months the bats fly from under the bridge in search of food. It is suppose to be quite a spectacular event to witness. But unfortunately this did not happen when we were there, the bats had already gone south.

Congress Bridge

We did stroll around Austin and saw The Willie Nelson Statue and walked to the Texas State Capitol and witnessed a group of partly naked Santas jogging down the streets of Austin.  Everything is fun in Texas, so it seems.

Me& Willie, Texas State Capitol, Santa’s in Austin Texas ho!ho!ho!

Back in May when we first began our trip we had made a stop in Clear Lake Iowa to see a memorial where Buddy Holly’s plane had crashed in a field. While there, we started a conversation with a couple from Austin who told us about a place in Austin where you can play “Chicken Shit Bingo”. We wrote down the information and continued our travels. Well today is the day, we made our way to the Little Longhorn Saloon, purchased a couple beers and a couple of bingo tickets and waited. Now you might be wondering what is Chicken Shit Bingo? There is a board on the floor of a cage with 54 numbers. You can purchase numbered ticket for either $2, $5, or $10. (The more expensive the ticket the higher the winnings). Once all tickets are sold, everyone gathers around the cage where a chicken is gently placed in on the board. There is chicken feed spread around on the board so the chicken walks around eating and everybody waits for it to poop. Once the chicken poops on a number you guessed it BINGO!  Lucky for us on our second round Guy had the lucky number 54 and we won $114 on a $2 bet - this after having spent $20 dollars on tickets and $20 dollars on beers! So much fun. It’s definitely a party, there were tons of people, laughing, cheering, and some dancing to blaring live country music.

CHEERS!!! To the Little Longhorn Saloon

Chicken Shit Bingo begins, Follow the Rules, The star Attraction

Chicken poop on 54 BINGO!!, Lucky Number 54, Guy Collecting his winnings

The next day we headed towards Dallas still laughing about our winnings from the previous day. We have discovered Texas is a very big state, and as a result, reluctantly, we had to cross a few things off our list of things to see and do here. Some of our deleted choices were based on being off season and closed and some just being time management. I think if we wanted to do and see everything we started with on our list, our allowed 5 months here in the USA would be spent in Texas alone.

Hutto Texas. How, you might ask, does a town in the middle of the state of Texas known for their Longhorn Steer, cowboys, cotton fields, pecans, oil fields, and cacti become the Hippopotamus Capital of Texas? Well Hutto Texas holds this title. As the story goes, back in 1915 a circus train stopped in Hutto at the train depot to pick up passengers and to pick up and deliver mail. During this stop a hippopotamus got out of the rail car and made its way to the nearby Cottonwood Creek, which is next to the train station. The Depot Agent sent a telegraph to the nearby towns of Taylor and Round Rock that said, “Stop trains! Hippo loose in Hutto.” Eventually the hippo was coaxed from the mud and water that resembled its natural habitat and loaded back on the train. Not long afterwards, the Hutto school adopted the hippopotamus as its mascot. Today as you walk around Hutto you will find Hippo statues everywhere, all sizes, designs, and shapes. The fire hall has a spotted Dalmatian hippo.

Hutto Texas Hippos

Not far from Hutto is Round Rock, and Round Rock Donuts famous for their Texan size donuts. These donuts are 2 pounds each and cost $11.98 usd. We went but did not buy the Texan a little too much donut for us but we did try their famous Glazed and Lemon filled ones. Delicious but we are still Timmy’s fans.

2 lb donut quite the comparison

A quick stop at the Hanna Springs Sculpture Garden in Lampasas. Mainly to see the “Been Fish’en” sculpture which is a rusty old pickup truck with a giant Catfish Sculpture on it. There were many more wonderful sculpture in the park to admire as well. It was a nice break to stretch our legs after driving down the road all day.

Hanna Springs Sculpture Garden

“Been Fish’en”

So lots of these small detours we make along the way take us away from the chaos of the main highways and traffic, and away from the hustle and bustle of the big cities. We often get to drive down scenic country roads and into small towns we may never have taken the chance to visit otherwise. On these detours we often find uniqueness, friendliness, treasures, surprises or sometimes nothing at all. But there is no such thing as “nothing at all” is there?? These side trips do add a flare of interest to our trip. For example Some interesting road signs along the way; “Hitchhikers may be escaping inmates”, “Don’t mess with Texas (no littering)”, “Crossing Tarantula”, “Crossing Hippo”, “When flooding, Look around, Don’t frown”. We have no idea what the last sign meant but we were in some kind of flood zone at the time.

Interesting signs we come across

We want to say here that we know how Americans are very patriotic to their flag, which is a good thing. While travelling in the USA we see many American Flags, some larger than others flapping proudly on tall flagpoles. But here in Texas, the Texans are just as patriotic to their own state flag. Almost every time we see an American Flag there in a Texas Flag standing proud and tall right beside it, in museums and sometimes even more unique places.

We decided to stay in Comanche for the night. Here we found a city park on iOverlander App that said we could stay for the night, with free hookup. And what a wonderful find it was, we ended up staying two nights. When we arrived at the park we were immediately greeted by a local deer herd - about 30 of them of all sizes. Adding more to our delight, there was also a Christmas Light display in the park with Christmas music playing. It’s starting to feel a lot like Christmas. Guy spoke with the park attendant and as it turns out he feeds the deer corn twice daily, once in the morning and once in the evening. There are apparently 3 separate herds in the park: one of 27, one of 30, and another of about 50. Each deer has its own distinct  personality, he said. When we arrived at about 5 pm, the deer thought we were him and ran toward our van thinking we would feed them. Shortly after when the attendant arrived, the deer totally changed their direction and headed towards him. People from the town also come down and feed them corn. So for the duration of our stay there, we were surrounded with deer and Christmas carols playing in the distance. Treme’s hunting instinct came into play but luckily she was on a leash. I think she just wanted to play with the deer more than anything.

Comanche Texas welcoming committee

Merry Christmas

Our first big stop on our way to Fort Worth / Dallas was Cisco Texas. This place had two interesting visits for us. First is the Old Zoo Nature Trails. This trail gives the opportunity to walk in an abandoned zoo, we must emphasize the word abandoned, as that is what it was. The Cisco Zoo opened in the 1920’s. They had flamingos, monkeys and the star attraction were bears. People came from miles to visit. After a few years there was a murder at the zoo, one of the bears was poisoned and died, and then a deer died under unusual circumstances. By the 1930’s the zoo was closed and abandoned for almost 100 years. Recently it has been repurposed as a hiking trail and the opportunity to walk among the old cages. Everything here is quite depleted but it was interesting to look out from the cages with the perspective these animals would have had so many years ago.

Abandoned Zoo & Old Zoo Nature Trail

Along Main Street in Cisco is the site of the famous Santa Clause Bank Robbery. This is an interesting story but also a tragic one. Back in December of 1927 around four banks were being robbed daily in Texas. There was a reward of $5,000 offered to anyone who shot a bank robber. On December 23, 1927, career criminal Marshall Ratliff along with his two accomplices walked into the First National Bank in Cisco, he was dressed as Santa Claus. A group of children had followed Ratliff into the bank believing that he really was Santa Claus. The robbers  announced this was a bank robbery and took over $12,000 (today worth about $173,000). A witness escaped through a side door and yelled that there was a bank robbery. The police opened fire, the robbers shot back and chaos ensued. The townspeople, hoping for that $5,000 reward, started shooting at the bank, which ended up having over 200 bullet holes in the facade. The thieves escaped through an alley with two children hostages. Somehow, six people including two police officers died from all the shooting. After three days of manhunt, the children and money were recovered. Ratliff was caught and later hung. There is a plaque on the building of the original bank, and in the new bank is a painting of the robbery.

Painting of Robbery & Plaque on original Bank Building

We continued down the road to Eastland made famous by “Old Rip” the Miracle Horned Toad. Now Old Rip is the most famous Horned Toad in the World. On July 31, 1897, Old Rip was sealed inside the Eastland courthouse cornerstone (a stone that marks the beginning of a buildings construction, usually set in the outer wall). When the cornerstone was opened 30 years later, Old Rip was found alive! He became an instant celebrity, he even traveled to Washington to meet the President in the White House. Unfortunately fame was too much for Old Rip and he died less than a year after his revival. His body was embalmed, placed in a tiny open casket, and is still displayed in the Eastland courthouse.

Old Rip Coffin & Memorial

At last we have arrived in Fort Worth / Dallas. Our first stop is to witness the Cattle Drive through historic Forth Worth Stockyards. In this cattle drive there are horses, 12 Texan Longhorns, and real live cowboys dressed in the original chaps, boots, and hats. I even took the opportunity to take a seat and many photo ops, on Gunner a real and alive Longhorn Steer. The Stockyards, obviously a tourist attraction, are full of shops, bars, restaurants, and museums. Quite an array of activity. There is a John Wayne Museum here with a gift shop that sells pretty much anything John Wayne from wine, ties, to Christmas tree ornaments. If my mom was alive she would be in her glory here. She idolized John Wayne and watched all his movies over a 100 times each I am sure.

Fort Worth Stockyards & Cattle drive

Stockade Maze we did find our way out, Me & Gunner

Also high on our list to visit in Dallas was the Sixth Floor Museum and Delaney Plaza. This is where John F. Kennedy was assassinated. The museum goes into great details of JFK history and politics which we will not get too much into as it is too vast. We did leave the museum with much more knowledge then when we arrived. Here are a few a few interesting facts we learned: the Dallas police had brought in an additional 350 officers to assist the Secret Service during the motorcade. In 1963 security would usually only check the upper levels of buildings along a motorcade route if threats had been received, none had been received so these checks were not done; the Secret Service felt that Chicago and Miami would be more of a security risk to Kennedy than Dallas. Kennedy favoured motorcades that brought him closer to his supporters and he had asked to have the top removed from his limousine to give the crowds better views of himself and Jackie. The exact route of his motorcade had been published in the newspapers so everyone would know the route to be taken. Most Americans were aware of the shooting before JFK was pronounced dead. In 1963 if you assassinated a president is was not considered a federal crime, therefore the murder fell under local jurisdiction not federal. A Japanese family walked 18 miles to the American Embassy to pay their respects. 3000 Kenyans bowed their heads to mourn JFK death, and the unrecognized ruling military junta at the time in the Dominican Republic declared 9 days of mourning. In England Big Ben tolled every minute for an hour and flags in Britain were flown at half mast. In Berlin Germany 60,000 people held a torchlight parade. Four mountains were named after President Kennedy including Mount Kennedy in the Yukon. November 25th became the official day of mourning. When the funeral began in Washington salutes were fired by thousands of American Military bases around the world. The Panama Canal closed, Greek police in Greece stopped all traffic and in Manhattan cab drivers got out of their taxis and bowed their heads as Taps (a bugle call sounded to signal "lights out" at the end of a military day, and during patriotic memorial ceremonies and military funerals) was played throughout the streets of New York and for the first time in history the Associated Press stopped their teletype machines.

JFK & Jackie, Road where JFK was shot, Delaney Plaza

Window Oswald shot JFK from, Reenactment of Oswald shooting

Flags at half mast London England, Kenyans remembering JFK

There is of course an entire section to Lee Harvey Oswald and of Jack Ruby who assassinated Oswald, documents from the Warren report, articles, photographs and the countless number of conspiracy theories that began and many which are still around today. The museum is overwhelming with the amount of information, too much for our brains to absorb all at once, we needed to really take a step back to let it all in. The most striking and emotional moment was the realization that we actually stood in the exact spot where JFK was assassinated. We also stood in the exact spot, at the corner window where Oswald hid behind boxes from other library workers, aimed, and shot his rifle at JFK. I was born in 1962 and Guy was seven years old when JFK was assassinated, so that moment in history became our history and we have spent our entire lives watching and reading about it so it really was quite humbling to be there.

Oswald, Rifle used by Oswald, Jack Ruby

Jack Ruby’s hat, Letter Jack Ruby wrote to lawyer

Countless books & conspiracy theories, Camera that televised the assasination report

In Dallas at the Baylor University Medical Center is The Historic Hand Collection of Baylor. I found this to be quite intriguing. Guy did not want to come in, he patiently waited in the parking lot. As the collection is displayed in a hospital, I actually had to go through a screening, a metal detector, and then got checked in and given a visitor pass. Quite a bit of security which was a bit surprising. Dr. Adrian Flatt was an orthopaedic surgeon who specialized in hand surgery. He would take hand casts of his patients so he could plan their surgeries. In the 1950s, Flatt began making plaster molds of his fellow surgeons’ hands. From these plaster molds, he would create detailed casts as an exercise to prove that there was no such thing as “typical” surgeon’s hands. He began to expanded his collection during the 1960s, when he started collecting bronze models from people such as Walt Disney, Dwight Eisenhower, Mickey Mantle, and Doctor Seuss. The collection continued to grow as Flatt gathered castings from subjects from a mixture of professions such as composers, athletes to astronauts. There are casts of Margaret Thatcher, Ronald Reagan, Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, Walter Cronkite, Louis Armstrong, to Troy Aikan. It is interesting to do a hand comparison with some of the cast like Norman Rockwell - who had quite small hands compared to Dr. Seuss. There is one with Wilt Chamberlain and Willie Shoemaker such a difference in size. The details with some of these hands is quite intense showing every wrinkle, vein, and crease. Some hands like Chris Evert who had very small, dainty hands to Andre the Giant whose hands were so big and almost bulbous. The collection was finally put on display at the Baylor University Medical Center, where he also worked. There is now over 100 pairs of famous bronze casts on display there.

The Historic Hand Collection, Andre the Giant, Dr. Adrian Flatt

Wilt Chamberlain & Willi Shoemaker, Louis Armstrong, Norman Rockwell & Dr Seuss

The Barney Smith museum is, I would say the exact opposite to the hand museum. Barney Smith was born in Eastland Texas in 1921 to a family of plumbers. He was actually living in Eastland when “Old Rip” the famous horned toad was unearthed. Barney was a gifted artist  but he ended up in the family business of plumbing. One day Barney was picking up plumbing parts for a job. "I went to a plumbing supply house one time, and they had about 50 toilet seats out on the dock that they were going to throw away. And I said [to the guy] 'what are you going to do with those toilet seats. I would like to have some of these toilet seats to do some art on.' 'well, you can't have 'em unless you take the hinge off, and throw away half of 'em while you're here.' I threw the rim away and kept the lid”.  And just like that Barney Smith’s Toilet Seat Art was born. Now you ask, what exactly, is his toilet seat art? It’s a combination of collage, everyday found objects, drawings, a whole lot of creativity and of course toilet seats (lids). Originally Barney started out in his garage and he promised his wife that once he had created 500 toilet seats of art he would stop. Well that didn’t happen. None of his art is for sale as almost each toilet seat is personal to Barney. Barney and his wife, Louise, who passed away in 2013 traveled around the world to celebrate wedding anniversaries and there are quite a few toilet seats of the destinations they had travelled to. There are seats of historic and news events like the NASA’s 1986 space shuttle explosion, the eruption of Mount Ste Helen, and even a collection of different Canadian Provincial licence plates. Barney died on July 23, 2019 in San Antonio at the age of 98. His collection of over 1,400 toilet seats are now on display at the Truck Yard beer garden, just outside Dallas. We enjoyed a couple of craft beers there as we admired Barneys collection. We even stayed the night in the back parking lot listening to coyotes yelping all night long - in the morning we saw them wondering around the parking lot.

Barney Smith Toilet Seat Art

Truck yard Beer Gardens

There is a town in Texas called Paris. As we seek out these unique and sometimes obscure places on our travels this town has beckoned us as well. Paris has the Texas Eiffel Tower which is the replica of the one in Paris France. This replica was being presented as the second tallest Eiffel Tower standing at 60 feet tall, the  problem is that another Eiffel Tower had also just been built in Tennessee which was 5 feet taller. So in order to stay true to their claim Texas put a bright red cowboy hat on top, what could be more Texan.  Now all this no longer matters as Las Vegas built their Eiffel Tour at 541 feet.

This is not the only draw here in Paris there is a cemetery here, Evergreen Cemetery. This cemetery has well over 40,000 gravesites, it is huge. When we arrived at the cemetery a   gentleman drove over and handed me a tourist map of the graveyard. I guess we are not the only ones who came here to see the famed “Jesus in Cowboy Boots”. Willet Babcock served as a lieutenant during the Civil War. He wasn’t from Texas, he was from Ithaca New York but ended up in Paris Texas as a furniture and casket maker. He was known for his sense of humour and having fun. Before he died in 1881, he ordered himself a memorial headstone from a master-stonecutter, Gustave Klein. Now there has been much debate over his headstone as to whether it really is Jesus. Some say the face is too feminine (there is no beard) and he/she appears to be leaning on the cross rather than carrying it. Either way, the memorial has long since become known as “Jesus in Cowboy Boots”. I personally am leaning more towards Jesus but Guy thinks the statue is a bit too feminine. Check the pictures below, you decide.

Eiffel Tower, Jesus in Cowboy Boots

Throughout our travels we have come across a few interesting and unique bathrooms. Well Sulphur Springs is now on the list. There are 2 public bathrooms in the Celebration Plaza in the middle of town here. These were built in 2012 to compete for the title of “America’s Best Restroom,”. They seem quite normal until you step inside and you realize they are made of two-way mirror glass. You can sit on the toilet and look out onto the Plaza and watch the people stroll by, they of course can not see you. These are the first bathrooms in the United States to be made entirely of two-way glass and probably the last. And of course, we had to try them.

Inside-looking out of glass bathroom

Grand Saline is home to The Salt Palace Museum - a fun place to visit. This building today is the fourth building here made of rock salt. The first building was built in 1936 and was designed after the Alamo. Its walls were made entirely of rock salt, which due to weather, eventually melted away. The second building was made of salt blocks, built in 1960 but only lasted a short time as well. The third, built in 1975 was built as the centrepiece of the annual Salt Festival. In 1993 it was replaced by the current Salt Palace and made to last. Constructed entirely of rock salt, this building is also starting to show some wear and tear, it is slowly melting. I guess a few years from now they will rebuild again. Grand Saline sits on a natural salt deposit 20,000 feet deep from top to bottom and spans far enough to reach Louisiana, over 500 kms away. It is estimated that this mine could supply the world with salt for the next 20,000 years - so no worry, we will not run out of salt today. The mine itself is now 850 feet deep and approximately 1.5 miles in diameter. The mine temperature is constant at 75 degree Fahrenheit. We were told that deeper mining, if need be, may have to be done by robot equipment as the elevated temperature may not be tolerable for miners. The salt mined here is 98.9% pure and when evaporated the purity is 99.8%. Morton Salt still mines the salt here today. If you turn over a container of salt and see a code that starts with GS (no, this is not Guy’s name initials) the salt comes from Grand Saline Texas. The Museum displayed some interesting photos from the salt mines, salt mining artifacts and salt crystals of all kinds. The lady at the museum was incredibly knowledgeable and passionate about the subject. She shared with us a vast amount of information on salt. She even gifted us a few rocks of salt crystals and also a few containers of salt and pepper shakers with the letters GS on the bottom.

Salt Palace, Varieties of salts, Melting Exterior Wall of Salt Palace

Salt Mine, Core Sample & Rock Salt

Abbott Texas is the birthplace of Willie Nelson. There is a beautiful mural of Willie Nelson here on the side of a building painted on the garage door. As we searched for this mural who knew that we would have another story other then the mural to tell. This is where we met Carter. Times like these are what keep us searching out these small towns and off the beaten path places - we never know when a new opportunity may present itself and we  meet up with wonderful people and Carter is one of them. Carter’s father was born in Abbott and grew up with Willie Nelson. Carter himself eventually moved to Fort Worth and spent 40 years working on the railroads. He said he was the one who blew the whistle on the trains at intersections. As a result, he said “I am so deaf, I can’t hear myself fart”. He really was quite the character. When we introduced ourselves Guy said his name and Carter said “Oh like Ghee, clarified butter”. Carter retired and bought an old building right beside the railroad tracks in Abbott. He invited us in to show us the renovations he has been doing for the last 6 years. His  plan is to have his shop in front for “tinkering” and his apartment at the back. So far what he has done is great. He had an artist friend of his do the Willie Nelson mural on the garage door. The portrait is black and white and painted in the technique “negative painting” which refers to the technique of painting the area of negative space around a subject. Because of exposure to the sun, parts of the mural keeps peeling off and Carter said that the original artist keeps coming by and fixes it. Carter also said “People don’t like me because when I’m in town, Willie is not. And when I’m not, Willie is.” Referring to the opening and closing of the garage door to his shop. Funny guy.

Me, Willie, Guy & Carter

Abbott Texas

In Ellis County just south of Dallas is where Waxahachie is located. We came here to attend a Sunday church service at the Cowboy Church of Ellis County. We wanted to see what a “cowboy church” was. This is the largest Cowboy Church in the world with over 1,700 members. We were allowed to stay overnight in the parking lot which was great so we wouldn’t be late for church the next morning. The church invites anyone and everybody to come as they are, dressed as they are - more or less, jump off your horse and come on in. Inside we were greeted with some of the friendliest Texans we’ve met to date. Some were dressed in old jeans, cowboys boots, and cowboy hats or dresses. They offered large cups of coffee and tasty donuts to eat and drink during the service as we pleased. There was an excellent live country band playing gospel and Christmas music at the front on stage. The sermon though, the second half of the service got a bit heavy, but the whole thing was well worth the experience. Good people are everywhere, we all just have different ways of going about things.

The first cowboy churches started around 1972, when Glenn Smith left life as a cowboy and rodeo clown to become a minister with his wife. He started following the rodeo circuit and preaching at rodeos where there were always a lot of people who were interested in the gospel. He preached in barns, arenas, and ranches but never in a church. Cowboy churches are often non-denominational, they embrace western culture and country music, there is no collection plate, and baptisms sometimes occur in a horse trough. Not all members are cowboys or cowgirls, and Cowboy churches are now in places like Canada, Australia, and even Russia. After church services there is usually a rodeo at the arena on the church grounds, unfortunately for us there was no rodeo this Sunday but riders and their horses did greet everyone as they entered the church parking lot before the service. After the service, in the parking lot, one man gave us small statuettes of Jesus. We named the Willie and Carter and afixed them to our dashboard.

Cowboys greeting church goers

Country Gospel Band, Rodeo after Church, Willie&Carter gifts

Waco is another stop we just have to make in Texas. But first we went to see the Silos and Magnolia Market that Chip and Joanna Gaines built (Home Renovation Celebrities from the HGTV network I watched). It was fun and interesting to stroll through the market and Silos as I had watched them build and design these, even Guy was impressed with what they had done. We also walked around Waco and visited the beautiful 1870 Suspension Bridge and an even more beautiful art sculpture display called the Cattle Drive. There are over two dozen bronze longhorns and three bronze cowboys approaching the bridge on a cattle drive.

Magnolia Silos, Famous Joanna Gaines Muffin

Suspension Bridge, Longhorn & Cowboys

We visited the Branch Davidian Massacre Site at Mount Carmel located about 20 minutes outside of Waco. We both remembered watching this unfold on television. One thing that surprised me is how small the road actually is. On TV there was so many people, TV crews, FBI agents, and police - I thought the road would be much bigger, but its literally a small and very bumpy two-lane country road.

Entrance & roadway to the Branch Davidian Massacre Site

In 1993, there was a standoff between federal law enforcement and The Branch Davidian religious group led by David Koresh. The confrontation happened at the Davidian compound at Mount Carmel Center just outside of Waco Texas. The Branch Davidians were a breakaway group of the Seventh-Day Adventist Church, a reform movement founded by Victor Houteff in 1929. When Houteff died, Benjamin Roden formed the Branch Davidians in 1955. And when Roden passed, his wife Lois took over. David Koresh, who was then called Vernon Howell, joined the Branch Davidians in 1981 when he came to Waco. He supposedly had a sexual relationship with Lois who was 60 at the time claiming that God had chosen him to father a child by Lois who would then become “The Chosen One”. There was some controversy in the group especially with George, Lois’s son. When a fire destroyed a building on the compound causing $500,000 dollars in damage, George Roden accused David of starting the fire and forced him off the property at gunpoint stating he (George Roden) had the majority support of the group. Approximately 25 members followed Vernon Howell, who would later rename himself David Koresh. (David: to symbolize direct lineage to the biblical King David, and Koresh: the Biblical name of Cyrus the Great). They started a new camp in Palestine Texas and lived there for the next 2 years. Lois died in 1986 and in 1987 David Koresh filed a document claiming to be the president of the Branch Davidian Seventh Day Adventist Association. David won his argument in court. The Branch Davidian believed in an end-of-the-world prophecy and that they would die slowly when it came. They also believed that David Koresh was the last Messiah and could open the Seven Seals, which would lead to salvation and the apocalypse.

Later, David Koresh became subject to allegations of polygamy and child sexual abuse by former Branch Davidians - there were also allegations that he was stockpiling guns, ammunition, and explosives. These allegations are the basis on which the authorities stormed the compound on February 28, 1993. Things did not go as planned and the siege which lasted for 51 days ended in a deadly fire that resulted in the deaths of 76 Branch Davidians followers including David Koresh, many women and children, as well as four ATF agents (agents who work for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives). The Waco siege remains controversial as to whether the ATF and FBI used excessive force or not. There has been a lot of backlash against the government and finger pointing, blaming both the government and David Koresh himself. In the end nothing changes the fact that this story ended in a deadly tragedy. A very sad part of our history.

New Church

The original Swimming Pool, Bunker where the women & children died

The church is still active today and is now called The Branch. They do allow people to visit and walk around the site as long as the front gates are opened, which they were the day we arrived. This place is really quite somber. There are plaques just past the entrance with the names of each victim who died there. Each with their name, date of birth, and they all have the same date of death April 20, 1993. Along the roadway to the church are 80 trees planted, one for each victim. Beside the newly built church is a plaque showing the site where the mothers and children were gassed while hiding. There is nothing left of the original compound only a hole which use to be a swimming pool that was used as a bunker during the siege. Along the road between trees is a memorial to the ATF officers who were killed in the February 28, 1993 raid, which started off the 51 day siege and eventually the storming of the compound. There is also a plaque near the church as well in remembrance of the Oklahoma City bombing which happened 2 years to the day after the massacre here as some people believe that Oklahoma City happened because of Waco.

Memorials for ATF Agents & Oklahoma City Bombing victims

80 memorial trees planted, Memorial with names of the Davidians

Further down the road, just south of Houston is Galveston Island a place of endless beaches, sunshine, historic homes, houses on stilts, an abundance of fresh seafood, whooping cranes, pelicans, off shore oil rigs in the distance, and the constant breeze off the Gulf of Mexico. We have decided to stop here to spend Christmas and New Years. Guy is happy no snow shovelling for him this year. We are staying at the KOA campsite just outside of Jamaica Beach and it feels more like a resort than a campground. There is a swimming pool, hot tub, happy hour each evening with frozen daiquiris. The campsite is located across the road from the beach. Not only do we hear the constant crashing of the waves from our site, we also walk each morning along the beach, shores of the Gulf of Mexico. Treme is really enjoying her time here and her daily beach walks. The sea spray is constant and looks like a thin layer of fog. I have to continually wipe my glasses as they are constantly misted over. In the mornings everything is wet, as if it had rained during the night.

Welcome to Galveston Island

Signs around our campground

Christmas Celebrations

Christmas dinner cheer & delicious Waygu Texas beef

Galveston Beach time

More seagulls & Texan Snowman

Artist on the beach & Galveston houses on stilts

Galveston was Texas’ most advanced city and America’s top Cotton port in 1899. It had the first telephones, first African American Schools, first medical college, first public library, and the first electric lights in Texas. Galveston welcomed immigrants before Ellis Island. Galveston is a beautiful town filled with lots of history with goegeous historic homes, and the Seawall boulevard. This boulevard is a 10 mile stretch of beautiful beaches and numerous restaurants, bars, and the Pleasure Pier an Amusement Park stretched along the pier. Also along this boulevard is the 1900 Storm Memorial. This memorial is a 10 foot bronze statue of a man, woman and child clinging together against the storm. It was created in memory of the many victims of the “Great Storm”.  On September 8, 1900 a category 4 hurricane went through Galveston killing between 10,000 to 12,000 people and thousands more were left homeless. It is estimated that one in six Galveston residents were killed and two-thirds of the city was destroyed. This became known as “The Great Storm” and it is still the deadliest natural disaster in U.S. History. Because of this disaster the seawall was built to protect Galveston of any future tragedies. The seawall took over 6 years to build and was built entirely by hand. There is also an informative display with more information and pictures of the tragedy at the Rosenberg Public Library.

Seawall Blvd, Pleasure Pier & Memorial Statue

Galveston devastation after the “Great Storm”

In the historic district of Galveston we did the Self-Guided Tree Sculpture Tour. We went online and downloaded the map of the locations and descriptions of each of the Tree Sculptures. This really is a unique and interesting story. Back on September 13th, 2008, Hurricane Ike covered most of Galveston Island in a tidal surge. The combination of powerful wind and waves immediately uprooted many trees and destroyed thousands more. Months after the hurricane, Tree Sculpture artists along with some home owners got together and replaced some of the damaged oaks that once lined many neighborhood streets and inside yards with these creative sculptures. It was fun to wander through the historic district searching out these sculptures but also to admire the many beautiful historic homes.

A few of the many Galveston Tree Sculptures

Beautiful homes Galveston Historic District

Galveston Texas

Scenery on our drive to Galveston

Texas City is only a short drive from Galveston and it is here that another tragic event happened on April 16, 1947. It would become the worst industrial accident in America history. A fire started onboard the SS Grandcamp that was docked in the port of Texas City. Fires were not that uncommon here as there were many refineries and warehouse located in Texas City but, this fire had an unusual smoke. People saw the unusual smoke in the distance and came down to watch the firemen work which many had done in the past. The unusual smoke was caused by the ship’s cargo which was 2,300 tons of ammonium nitrate, a highly explosive compound. The entire Texas City Fire Department battled the blaze. It seemed like the fire was boiling the water around the ship and sending great amounts of steam into the air. People were watching from across the dock and thought they were at a safe distance. Next there was a catastrophic explosion that forced planes out of the sky and the people of Galveston, 10 miles away could feel the vibration. First, the ammonium nitrate detonated, and the SS Grandcamp which was also carrying small arms ammunition and large bales of twine as cargo, was completely obliterated, sending molten steel and flaming twine in all directions, destroying close to 1,000 structures, and sending a 15-foot wave crashing over the wharf. The Monsanto Chemical Company plant was completely destroyed, and its fires ignited several more fires spreading to refineries and the chemical tanks. The blast sent shrapnel into the air, cutting off the wings of two small planes, and the anchor of the Grandcamp flew deep into the city, creating a 10-foot crater when it landed. They say that the initial blast killed 581 people. Everyone on the docks and onboard the Grandcamp, including 27 of Texas City’s 28 firemen, died almost immediately. Texas City lost its entire fire department. On this particular day the phone operators were on strike in Texas City. Although the operators rushed back to work as soon as they could, precious time was lost in regard to calling in fire fighters and resources from outside of the city. Fifteen hours into the chaos, another ship, the High Flyer, that had been on fire for hours finally exploded. The High Flyer was carrying ammonium nitrate and sulphur and was docked near a warehouse full of fertilizer. When this ship exploded, the shrapnel demolished the nearby SS Wilson B. Keene. A propeller from the High Flyer flew 1.6 miles inland. The fires burned for weeks, 500 homes were destroyed, 5,000 injured, 2,000 homeless, 405 identified bodies, 63 never identified, and many victims never recovered. The official death toll was 581, but it is thought to be much higher, as hundreds more were travellers, seamen, and undocumented workers who had no one to report them missing. There is a memorial park here now with the anchor from the SS Grandcamp, as well as the burial place of the remains of 63 bodies that were never identified. The firemen have their own angel statue in the centre of a fountain. The cause of the fire was never officially determined, but there is a rumour that a single discarded cigarette may have started this whole disaster.

Texas City in the distance & Memorial Park

Texas City Memorial Park

Further west we travelled to Rockport Texas which is on the outskirts of Corpus Christi and our final stop in Texas before we travel East to Louisiana and onward. Rockport is another one of Texas’ beautiful beachside towns. Filled with scenic beaches and ports full of fishing and pleasure boats.

Bridge to Rockpoint Texas

In Rockport we checked out the Blue Crab (it looks more green but has blue claws) and considered to be the World’s Largest. This poor crab has sure had its history with hurricanes. It was originally on the Del Mar Grill. It was made of steel rebar, chicken wire mesh, and paper mache. It stood 18 feet tall and 22 feet long. It was here because the grill was famous for the owner Dorthy & Sal Silverman’s famous Crab Cakes. The crab survived both the Carla Hurricane in 1961 and the Beulah Hurricane in 1967. The Grill closed and the crab was moved to the Veterans Memorial Park by the harbour. The crab survived yet another hurricane in 1970, Hurricane Celia. In 2017, Hurricane Harvey hit the Texas Coast and it is this hurricane that finally took down the Blue Crab. The residents of Rockport raised funds and the beloved Blue Crab of Rockport has been rebuilt.

World’s Largest Blue Crab

Statues & Creative Bike Stand

Beach at Rockport Texas

Another visit for us at Rockport is The Big Tree. This is believed to be one of the largest live oak trees in the U.S. It is over 44 feet tall and nearly 90 feet wide and more than 1,000 years old. It is protected by a fence so people can not climb on it or walk around it as it is believed that walking near the Big Tree compacts the roots and makes it hard for the tree to get water. There are many other unique and interesting oak trees in the surrounding area. It’s as if these trees are moving and reaching this way and that way and intertwining with each other. None of them seem to be growing straight up, they all seem to reach sideways from the ground. A very peaceful place.

The Big Tree

Trees & Area around the Big Tree

Birds of Rockport Texas

Our Rockport KOA campsite

Trying S’mores for the first time

Well we think out time in Texas has finally come to an end. We have discovered that the saying “Everything in Texas is Bigger” is true. We have tried to reach each corner of this wonderful state. We have experienced winds that wanted to take us in different directions, rain, lightening shows, thunder storms, even a tornado warning, and of course the beautiful sunshine. We have walked along beaches, along boardwalks, hiked mountain trails, and descended into caves. We have seen cotton fields and rolling tumble weeds, some of the largest windmills, and cacti of all colours. We have spotted roadrunners, coyotes, an abundance of deer and antelopes, and even seen the javelina. We have gone to church, to bars, and even played Chicken Shit Bingo. Texans are all about chivalry. We have had more doors held opened, more smiles, more random waves, more howdies, and God bless you from strangers then anywhere else. Texas, thank you for your hospitality!