Next Stop North Carolina

   Hey gang. Last time we talked we were settling in for a cold week in Houston. Not what we expected when we went to Texas but nothing we could do about it. One night I'm sure it was the same temperature as what we left in Toronto. Just like our trip to Florida, great weather until the day we arrived then crap the whole time we were there, then great weather as soon as we left.

  Nevertheless, we were there and determined to take in as much of the local sights and culture as we could during our last few days. First, we headed off to Galveston and its Gulf Coast beaches. Beautiful they were but, with temps hovering around 3C, not terribly inviting.

  Galveston is a significant port for Texas and also the launch point for offshore oil drilling rigs. An older one has been retired and set up as a museum so we had a look.

  We learned all we wanted to know about offshore drilling and also received a lot of propaganda from the oil companies about how oil is intrinsic to every part of our lives, blah, blah, blah. I won't bore you with my views on all this but hearing it from their perspective is only fair. Anyway, the rigs themselves are pretty impressive technology and even this old one was worth a good look.

  After wandering back to Houston we managed some pretty decent barbecue for dinner and headed off back to the Natural Science Museum the next day to take in the Planetarium and Butterfly Conservatory. So, here are some beautiful butterflies.

... and these guys who are definitely not lepidoptera.

  Our last day in Houston, as usual, was devoted to cleaning up but we decided something different was called for so we took in a Tim Heidecker concert. I only recently heard about him as he keeps popping up in my Bluesky feed. He's an accomplished musician, writer, actor and comedian... kind of an entertainment Renaissance man. He had his buddy and SNL alumnus Fred Armisen along for a short stand-up set and a couple of songs and it ended up being a fairly entertaining evening. Except. No chairs. We had to stand for the entire thing, squeezed in amongst about three hundred of our closest friends. I'm pretty sure this setup contravened about a thousand fire codes. Even Tim and his band were surprised. If we'd known what we'd be in for we'd have skipped it as enduring two and a half hours standing in one place surrounded by taller strangers isn't at the top of either of our lists.

  Anyway, that was the end of the Texas leg of our trip. Houston is a pretty interesting place and I think we're both glad we went. Then it was off to North Carolina, Hillborough to be exact. We'd allocated two days for the twenty hour drive and the route took us through Birmingham, AL which, while not on our "must see" list did generate a few Atlas Obscura mentions which we planned to take in after a good night's sleep. It's worth mentioning that we grabbed breakfast at Buc-ees. If you were along for the ride at the end of 2023 when we headed to Mobile you remember how impressed we were with Buc-ees' brisket sandwich. Well, breakfast is right up there too. Not Michelin star material but, if you're on the road and tired of fast food this is the place to go.

  Now then, getting to the good night's sleep proved to be a bit of a challenge. I'd booked a place called the Greystone Inn and Suites in the general area of where we were driving. As we approached Birmingham I asked Google to take me there. As I followed the map I found it taking us away from the city and south, towards Montgomery. I thought it strange but had no idea where the place exactly was back when I'd booked it. Google always knows, right? So I obediently followed. After ten miles of twisty roads through an upscale housing subdivision it said we'd arrived. At someone's house. Google proudly displayed we'd arrived at "Greystone Inn and Suits". Suits? Def not a hotel.

  Now, with the car saying I only had enough gas for forty-three kilometers and getting Google to plot a course to the actual hotel I spent the next fifteen nerve-wracking minutes driving up and down hills hoping for a gas station before we ran out literally in the middle of nowhere. We made it with twenty km to spare but I was, to say the least, unhappy. I reported what I think was some kid's idea of a joke to Google and they removed the offending entry but that extra two hours of driving around Birmingham was not appreciated.

  After all that we managed a decent night's sleep and headed off to take in Birmingham's oddest sights, like the Thomas Jefferson Tower's zeppelin mast.

  Originally built back in the 1920's the building fell into disrepair and the mast was removed back in the 1950's. When it was restored and turned into condos recently the new owners decided to rebuild the mast and I salute them for it.

  Our next stop was the "Heaviest Corner in the World", in the heart of the city.

  Back around the turn of the last century, when Birmingham was the home of iron ore and steel production, they were busy building huge twenty storey buildings and the locals figured there couldn't be any place where so much weight rested on one intersection. I guess no one had been to New York. Anyway, they were very impressed with themselves and these reminders of the city's greatness have been placed on each of the corners, representing the buildings that still rest there.

  Our final stop in the city was the top of Red Mountain where a lot of the mining took place. It now houses a park dedicated to the Roman god of the fire and forge, Vulcan.

  No, not that Vulcan, although a statue of Leonard Nimoy would be neat and bookend our travels nicely after visiting the town of Vulcan in Alberta during our first trip almost two years ago. I'm sure you can find it in one of the early episodes if you're so inclined. It's a nice park sitting atop the hill and provides terrific views of an otherwise ordinary city. Good spot for a picnic too, if you're ever in that neck of the woods.

  And, with that done we headed off for Hillsborough. Of course, now we're in a bit of a hurry, having promised the homeowners we would be there before 8pm. And what happens when you're in a hurry? Why, of course, a road crew is dispatched to block both lanes of I-20 to pick up garbage for a half hour while you sit and fume in a miles-long lineup.

  Along the way we did manage to catch Gaffney, SC's giant peach.

  But wait, there's more. Like the crash that closed I-85 and forced us onto a ten mile detour through a jerkwater town with a thousand traffic lights. And Atlanta's crushing traffic. And rush hour in Charlotte. We made it on time, more or less, and the homeowners were both sympathetic and happy to see us so it all worked out but hardly a relaxing two days of driving for moi.

  We're in a beautiful spot with a hundred acres of woods behind us full of deer and possums and all the other little woodland creatures.

  Our charges for the next two weeks are a cute little guy named Max

... and his camera-shy feline friend Kaya. The house is super comfortable and quiet yet we're close enough to all the things that we need that it doesn't seem remote. I think we're gonna like this one.

Remember The Alamo

  Our two weeks in Houston will soon draw to a close. As when we arrived in Florida six weeks ago, our arrival here ushered in two weeks of crappy weather. It was 29C the day we arrived and, aside from one other day, it's been in the teens since with a forecast of 4-9C for the remainder of our stay. Of course, when we leave Sunday temps will return to normal with the forecast calling for 24-26 every day after our departure. Of course.

  That doesn't mean we've had an unpleasant time here. Houston is a vibrant city with a lot of similarities to Toronto. There aren't any striking physical attractions or famous landmarks but the culture, arts and restaurant scene is lively and varied. Also, unlike Dallas and west Texas, the Houston area has absorbed a lot of immigrants and migrants from other "blue" states so the political climate isn't MAGA but, rather, more "purplish".

  We started our time here seeking indoor activities because weather. Our first stop was the Houston Museum of Natural Science and the surrounding Hermann Park. There is a Museum District here and the HMNS is the centerpiece. It's an impressive space with a Butterly Conservatory, Planetarium, theater and terrific exhibits. The impressive fossil collection alone is worth the price of admission. We'll be back to take in the butterflies and Planetarium later this week.

  Our walk in the park brought us to this guy:

  Sam Houston, esteemed leader of Texas' independence from Mexico almost two hundred years ago and the guy they named the city after. Behind him is something that might look familiar:

  Yep. Obelisk with reflecting pool, a familiar and recurring theme we've seen in many places during our American travels. Remember the guy in Virginia last spring who was selling bargain basement versions of the Washington Monument? Same guy, I'm sure, except this one is much smaller. Things are supposed to be bigger in Texas, amirite? More about both these guys later.

  The next day we headed off to the Johnson Space Center. The exhibit space isn't as impressive as the Kennedy Space Center in Florida but they have completely refurbished the Mission Control used during the Apollo program and that is worth a visit.

  We sat through a half-hour presentation where they animated the screens with actual data and images displayed during the Apollo 11 moon landing, bringing the room back to life just as it appeared on July 20, 1969, right down to the empty paper coffee cups, dial phones and overflowing ashtrays. We were there as Neil Armstrong stepped onto the surface, sitting in the same chairs VIP's and family members occupied that Sunday evening.

  After Mission Control there was time to explore a mock-up of a Space Shuttle which was mounted atop the actual 747 that was used to transport shuttles back to Florida when they landed in California, early in the program.

  On a more modern note, there was a used SpaceX booster retired in 2019, similar to the one we saw returning to port the previous week in Florida.

  With my rockety requirements satisfied we headed off for more Texas history. This time it was the San Jacinto Battlefield Monument.

  The first thing you should know is, this obelisk is bigger that the Washington Monument so we know these guys paid full price. The obelisk guy even threw in a reflecting pool since, who wants an obelisk without one? An interesting additional detail here is that the four sides of the base are inscribed with the entire story of this famous battle, allowing you to absorb the entire history lesson in a fifteen minute walk. Cool idea.

  The second thing you need to know, if you don't know Texas history, is that Sam Houston was the commander of the Texas forces during this battle which ultimately secured Texas' independence by massacring Santa Anna's army here in 1836. Upon entering the battle he urged his troops on with the famous slogan, "Remember the Alamo!" I suspect you've heard it. Anyway, Santa Anna wasn't killed or captured during the battle so no official surrender was possible.

  As we left the area we happened upon a sign pointing us to the spot where Santa Anna was captured after the Battle of San Jacinto.

  Quite the inspirational leader that Santa Anna. He escapes on horseback dressed as a private. This spot was located around the corner from a donut shop in behind an oil refinery. I'm surprised no one recognized him, riding up to the drive-thru on a horse.

  One of the neat things my research pointed us to in Houston was the old Cistern in Buffalo Bayou Park. It was used to contain a significant portion of the city's drinking water supply until it was decommissioned in 2007.

  Now, it's open to the public and the trust that operates it uses it for concerts periodically. There is a seventeen second echo in there and the musicians actually use it like another instrument. We won't be around here for the next one event but it sounds like a cool thing to experience if you're planning to be in town.

  Our last Houston-y thing that day was a drive by the Beer Can House. I'm sure the neighbours love it.

  The house is covered in thousands of crushed beer cans, installed like siding. We were going to go inside as the sign said it was open until 4 pm and it was only 3:30. Except the sign lied and it was already closed. Our loss.

  The next day I woke up with a cold so further exploring was put on hold for a couple of days  due to the miserable weather. By yesterday morning, though, I was feeling better and we decided to head off to San Antonio for the day to visit The Alamo itself and complete our Texas history lesson.

  Now then, it's important to note ol' San Antone is a three hour drive from Houston and what do we do on long drives? Yep, time to break out the Atlas once again. Our first stop was a place called Luling, home of a bunch of watermelon farmers, as you can tell from their water tower.

  Since we were back to "things on sticks" mode, this guy across the street seemed worth capturing:

 I'm sure there's other fascinating stuff to see there... or not. We didn't stay to find out as we had bigger fish to fry. Like the World's Largest Pecan in Seguin. There's a story here and, like it or not, you're getting it.

  You see, a while back one of the residents decided to honour the local pecan farmers by creating a large sculpture of a pecan nut. Like all things Texan, it had to be the biggest. He made it six feet long and placed it in front of the City Hall so townsfolk could proclaim it as the World's Largest Pecan.

  Remember our drive through Missouri at the beginning of our odyssey? Remember Uranus? The biggest fork? The biggest elbow macaroni? Missourians have quite the sense of humour, based on our experiences. Therefore, we weren't surprised to learn that someone in Missouri built a bigger pecan sculpture, declared it to be the World's Largest and, get this, started regularly sending postcards to the Mayor of Seguin to rub it in. I love these guys. Well, it didn't take long for Seguin to respond and another concerned citizen decided to blow those guys from Missouri out of the water by building a new one, fifteen feet long.

  And there it is, the World's Biggest Pecan! Aren't you glad you read this now?

  Finally, just before entering San Antonio we stopped to snap this giant, forty foot sculpture of a stag in the midst of a housing subdivision.

  In order to see it we had to drive through a neighbourhood along the World's Bumpiest Road. Methinks the developer should have redirected the deer sculpture funds into the "Stable Roadbed" account. Just sayin'.

  Finally, we arrived at Alamo Plaza in the old part of San Antonio. It's a pretty spot surrounded with nineteenth century buildings and lots of history, centred on the old church itself.

  The Alamo is central to the story of Texas independence as some of the state's greatest heroes died here on that fateful day in 1836. Well known names like Jim Bowie and Davy (call me "David") Crockett

were all killed by the Mexican Army in a desperate stand for freedom from the repressive regime.

  Like a lot of Texans, these men originated in Tennessee and Kentucky and had headed west to seek their fortunes as the US expanded west of the Appalachians. Bowie was an expert knife fighter back home who inspired many boys to learn such skills but soon after arriving in Texas contracted tuberculosis and died by bayonet in the battle never having unsheathed his famous knife.

  Crockett was known back home as an expert hunter and marksman but gained fame as an entertainer who captivated his audiences with tales of the backwoods. He was elected to Congress twice but, after losing his last election told everyone to "go to hell" and headed off to Texas. Although he was killed at the Alamo people claimed to spot him years later in California. I guess he was sort of like Elvis.

  In front of the church lies a commemoration of Travis' historic "line in the sand" he dared the Mexicans to cross while his small band lay in wait behind the doors.

  It wasn't much of a battle but it did ignite passions amongst the Texans and, as we saw earlier in the week at the scene of the final battle, provided the famous rallying cry that ultimately led to victory.

  With history done for the day we headed off to the River Walk for a stroll, some lunch and a search for more obscure things, like a pig house.

  I won't even begin to wonder why someone would build such a thing but, if their sole purpose was to attract people like us to make it famous then they succeeded.

  And that was it for San Antonio. Except for the giant cowboy boots.

  I mean, why not? What could anyone do that's more "Texas" than that? A three hour return drive awaited us and there were no more oddities to uncover.

  Today, the weather is closing in with lots of real cold on the way. Nighttime temps will be Toronto-like starting with tonight's -3C. No snow on the way as Toronto kept it all for themselves but it won't be golf weather anytime soon. We'll be searching for more inside-y things to do during our remaining few days here then, Sunday, it's off to North Carolina. The weather there is supposed to be around 20 but I expect we'll drag this crap with us and they, too, will experience a couple of weeks of below normals. Bet on it.

Houston, We've Had A Party

  Phew. Time to catch our breath. We just arrived in Houston after three days of driving from Florida. Mind you, we didn't drive for three days. It just took us three days to get here. Like all good stories I'll start this one from the beginning.

  We left Boynton Beach Thursday afternoon and made our way up to St. Augustine Beach, encountering this along the way.

I feel like I should add a comment here but I think the picture speaks for itself.

  We stopped in a shady motel where Penny was concerned about bedbugs. There weren't any but I still feel the urge to scratch just thinking about it. Interestingly, during our first trip to Florida, in 1982, we also stopped in St. Augustine and sat down in a restaurant to get dinner when a cockroach ran across our table. St. Augustine and bugs seems to be a thing for us.

  The next day we hung around to do some sightseeing now that we were back in Atlas Obscura mode. Our first stop was an old marker for Mile 0 of the Spanish Trail from San Diego to St. Augustine, one of the first attempts at a transcontinental motor highway. Of course, you wouldn't know it unless you actually spent a few seconds to read the attached plaque. A woman nearby didn't and spent the next few minutes discussing how it was a rather oddly-shaped cannonball. She might have been wearing a MAGA hat.

  From there we attempted to check out a fountain that was supposed to represent Ponce de Leon's Fountain of Youth. Of course, in order to view the spectacle we would have to fork out $25 each. We declined. I'm sure the cannonball lady would have paid.

  With the tourist kitsch behind us we headed west to New Orleans. On the way we took a couple of Atlas detours. The first brought us to the shores of the St. Johns River south of Jacksonville, FL where we found a Space Shuttle rocket booster.

  Yes. Big. It used to be at the Kennedy Space Center but they wanted to move it out to make way for a new display. A local entrepreneur thought it would make a nice attraction for a museum he was planning to build. Unfortunately, after managing to transport all two hundred feet of it to this spot he ran out of money and abandoned it where it still lies, rusting away on a trailer by the side of an industrial park road.

  After that it was time to meet up with Johnny Donutseed.

  Well, he was originally Johnny Appleseed but the restaurant that commissioned this masterpiece went bust and a Florida gas station bought Johnny and had the apple modified to look like a donut. His other hand had a take-out coffee cup but I think it got stuck in the drive-thru window, because it's gone.

  Moving right along, our next stop was Greenville, FL, home of Ray Charles. Yes, Florida. I guess ol' Ray figured "Florida On My Mind" wouldn't sell many records.

  Finishing off our morning jaunt through Weirdsville we found an interesting school.

  I would have figured, for the money they must charge for this place, the least they could do was provide bed linens of a higher quality. Of course, around the corner was a yard full of whales, so the holy comforters didn't sound so weird any more.

  You have to work hard to find this stuff. It doesn't just happen. Anyway, after that it was time to make tracks with another four hours driving to complete Friday.
 

  When we originally planned this trip I thought this would be a regular Saturday in the Big Easy. It wasn't until I tried to book a hotel room that I clued into the fact we were going on Super Bowl weekend, the eleventh time it has been held there. No rooms available so we ended up staying in shady motel number two in Pascagoula, MS.

  Now, before I get into our day in Nawlins you might remember there was a terrorist incident there New Years Day. A vehicle was driven into the Bourbon Street crowd killing fourteen people. With the Super Bowl and Mardi Gras coming up, ensuring there wouldn't be a repeat incident was of primary importance. When we got to the French Quarter we found it locked down with hundreds of police officers, soldiers and security guards. No vehicles. Checkpoints staffed by soldiers with automatic weapons.

  It was weird but it didn't seem to dampen the mood. We scoped out the area which was dead at 9 am then headed down near the waterfront to check out the Super Bowl parade. Along the way we ran across this group trying to engage the Homeland Security guys in front of their armored car.

  Kind of goes with the whole "anything goes" spirit of the place. We also passed the Cabildo, where the Loui/siana Purchase was signed in 1803.

I wonder if they have one of those in Greenland?

  Then it was time for the parade. What a hoot! Lots of marching bands, Mardi Gras-like floats, drill teams, etc. New Orleans knows how to put on a parade.

  One of the really cool things about New Orleans parades is the bead necklaces. As each float goes by all the people riding it toss these coloured bead necklaces at the spectators. They throw other stuff too, like beer cozies, plastic cups emblazoned with promotional slogans, Cheetos and bags to carry, wait for it, the tons of bead necklaces you collect while standing there watching the parade. We now have one of these bags in the trunk of the car. Inside it is about thirty pounds of necklaces and I'm already anticipating the future. Like, when we cross the border back into Canada and we have to declare about two hundred of these things. Or, in ten years when we uncover them in a box marked "DO NOT THROW AWAY". I feel like I've been here before.

  With the parade done we grabbed a couple of beignets to tide us over until dinner.

  Then it was off to the paddlewheeler Natchez for a two hour cruise on the Mississippi. But not before encountering this group.

  Words fail me here. Combine that with the booming voices of crazies preaching that Jesus loves me and God's gonna get me and you have NOLA in a nutshell.

  The river tour itself wasn't terribly interesting but the steamboat itself certainly was. With steam generated by burning diesel fuel instead of coal the twin steam engines powered us up and down the river like it was 1870 once again.

  The engine room is open for the passengers to get a close look at the old tech that drives this thing and it's all pretty impressive.

  With the tour done it was time to head back to the Quarter for some dinner... and some music.

  By the time we were done eating darkness was settling in and with it came the mess that is Bourbon Street after dark.

  It's worth noting at this point that we saw a lot of weed being smoked. A lot. The state of Louisiana has not decriminalized marijuana. However, New Orleans itself allows people to toke up for medicinal purposes only. Therefore, I can only assume the Quarter was akin to a giant hospital ward, what with all those poor, sick people smokin' that ol' medicinal grass.

  And that brought our day to an end. Another night in a crappy motel, this time near Baton Rouge, LA, and we headed off to Houston Sunday morning. But first we needed to make a stop. You see, the ol' Atlas told us about the "Wrong Way Cemetery" and, well, you know. We just had to go.

  If you know your Christian cemetery protocol you'll be aware people are buried east to west, that is, feet to the east, head to the west. Something about being able to see the rising sun or Jesus rising or the House of The Rising Sun which, by the way, is a great song. Anyway, the town of Rayne, LA was moved so it would be on a new railway line in the late 1800's and they took their cemetery with them. Trouble was, when it was time to unload all the "residents" there was a misunderstanding and the workmen laid everyone north to south, thus the Wrong Way Cemetery.

  You'll note all the tombs are above ground. That's because, in this part of the world, much of the real estate is below sea level so digging down six feet gets you a swimming pool, not a grave.

  Anyway, the cemetery wasn't our only reason to visit Layne. You see, the town actually has another claim to fame. Frogs.

  Yes. Frogs. Everywhere. It turns out this town supplies a lot of frog legs. Really. In fact, the town has a festival every year to celebrate that fact. The townspeople have embraced it and have planted frogs everywhere throughout the town.

  It's a thing. They painted a mural too.

  But the thing that struck us the most was this.

  Yes. Poupeville. Remember when they moved the town to get closer to the tracks? Well, they moved Poupeville and renamed it Layne. Can't understand why. I mean, if they had just left well enough alone they could have made millions by patenting this:

  Opportunity lost. With that sad story we departed Louisiana for the Lone Star State. Like when we arrived in Florida weeks ago, the day we arrived in Houston was hot and sweaty, only to be followed by a forecasted week of cool temps and rain. It won't be bad though as there's lot to keep us busy here. Houston has museums and parks and the Johnson Space Center and it's only an hour to Galveston's beaches. It should be a fun stay.