East bound and down!

Strange title for a post unless you're familiar with the 1970's classic "Smokey and the Bandit".  Then you'll recognize these words from Jerry Reed's theme song.  Teenage boys and young men all wanted a black Pontiac Trans-am with the t-tops and hopped up V-8. Whenever I'm in the southern USA I think of that great movie.

On February 28th I left the frozen Minnesota tundra and headed south on a business trip.  Dallas, Texarkana, Magnolia Arkansas, Lake Charles Louisiana, Orange Texas, Galveston Texas and back to Dallas.  Many good customer visits and a chance to return to the southern US of A.  

Dollar rented me a Dodge Charger SXT and I Dallas bound for Texarkana  where I stayed at a new Holiday Inn Express amongst road construction.  After a good dinner of blackened Rainbow trout , I hit the sack for an early morning trip to Magnolia.

Dodge Charger SXT

The ride from Texarkana to Magnolia was very pleasant with forest views, cattle ranches, horse ranches and a few small oil pumps - the one arm bandit type.  After my meeting I had lunch consisting of pork barbecue with spicy beans and sweet tea from the Backyard BBQ in Magnolia.  Mmmmmm good!

Arkansas BBQ

After lunch, I drove south to Lake Charles LA using a Garmin GPS as my guide.  It was well worth the money once I accepted the directions from the female voice. I admitted that I was wrong, asked for forgiveness and the remainder of the trip all went well.  The ride south through Louisiana was mostly back roads..........the best kind of travel!!

I passed through numerous small towns full of good people working hard in this tough economy.  Expensive houses and small shacks. Lakes, rivers, swamps, junk yards and large tracts of pine forests.  The 3.5 liter Charger handled well on the country roads with plenty of power and a comfortable ride.  Room enough for four people, or one over weight guy who likes to stretch out and open up maps and junk food on the passenger seat.

Bass fishing in Louisiana!

I arrived in Natchitoches LA after crossing a very tall bridge over an unknown river. Sure would have been fun to fish that river. Large river Flatheads, bass and probably a few water moccasins.  In Natchitoches I arrived on highway 117/171 and cruised at 70 mph to I-10, then westbound to Lake Charles and the Holiday Inn on the bayou.  At the hotel I asked for a good local seafood restaurant. I needed a big plate of mudbugs!  Mudbugs, crawfish, crawdads and many other creative names for these wonderful little crustaceans.

Crawdads Louisiana Style!!!!!!!!

The hotel staff sent me to Steamboat Bills - the perfect place where I was greeted by Cajun ambiance - large tables covered with checkered tablecloths, Cajun seasonings on the table, huge rolls of paper towels and lots of laughter and joking from families gathered at their tables.  I asked the lady behind the counter what she recommended, she sized me up and suggested the 5 lb plate of mudbugs, I smiled and ordered the 3 lb plate along with a basket of fries :) A few folks stopped over to talk with me and wanted to know what I was doing down here.  Go to Steamboat Bill's if you've ever in Lake Charles during the spring crawfish season.

Chemical plant

On Wednesday I visited a few chemical plants and finished at 4 pm.  My next meeting was Thursday at 1:30 pm. Mmmmm, I decided to head to Galveston TX and enjoy the Gulf of Mexico before taking highway 45 north through Houston to Dallas.  The road from Orange to Galveston was wonderful.  Soon I was in Winnie TX and Highway 124 which heads due south to the coast.  Along124 were a few Texas Long Horns, plenty of brackish swampland and the coastal waterway for the chemical plant barge traffic.

Coastal Waterway

Soon I was on beach road which heads southwest along the Gulf with distant views of oil rigs  Beach houses mounted on tall poles waited for the coming spring hurricanes which will flood the area.  Soon fuel at a huge gas station which also sold groceries, clothes and tons of junk and souvenirs.  $3.24 a gallon.

High and dry......for now

I eventually ran out of road and entered the ferry which carried a load of cars and trucks across Galveston bay to Galveston island in approximately 15 minutes. The trip was smooth and professionally operated.  Soon I disembarked onto Galveston Island.

Riding the Ferry to Galveston

The ocean was perfect with a moderate surf, sea birds, and a handful of people walking and jogging along the beach.  I enjoyed the view and chatter with  fishermen catching Whitefish in the shallow surf.  Fishing was hot with fresh shrimp luring in the Whitefish. The guys catch a wide variety of fish from Whites to Sand Sharks.  Soon I will try my luck at ocean fishing off the piers in San Diego.

Surf fishing in Galveston TX

As the sun set I thought I'd better head north on the 300 mile ride to Dallas, but first one more meal of fresh mudbugs.  After dinner along the Galveston beach, I changed my hotel reservations in Dallas to Conroe TX which is north of Houston and south of Huntsville.  On the road by 8 am and to my appointment in Dallas.

After my Dallas meeting, I decided to go downtown to the corner of Houston and Elm street - 411 Elm street the location of the Texas School Book Depository and the location of the 1963 assassination of President John F. Kennedy.



Photo from Dealey Plaza of the Texas School Book Depository

I took many photos and video of the area; Elm Street, Houston Street, the buildings, Dealey Plaza, the Grassy Knoll and the X's in the center of Elm Street where the assassin's bullets took the life of J.F.K. Not too many people on Thursday night except a group of Russian tourists and two Japanese business men.  I spoke with a woman who had toured the museum located on the top floor of the old TSBD building  I didn't have time to take the tour, but she filled me in on the details and the correct window which Lee Harvey Oswald took the shot(s).  Houston and Elm streets are still used today. Be careful not to get run over as you inspect the area.

Grassy Knoll

I took my time and called a buddy from work who knew many of the details. I sat on the grassy knoll and Dealey Plaza and tried to imagine the scene as shots were fired, the police running around trying to determine where the shots came from, parents covering their children protecting them from stray bullets and the country in shock and mourning as our 35th president was gunned down in cold blood.

Location of the President's car when the bullet hit

Was Lee Harvey Oswald acting alone?  Was it a conspiracy?  Was it the Mafia?  Our cold war enemy the Russians?  Did Jack Ruby kill Lee to cover up the conspiracy? No one knows for sure, but if you are ever in Dallas, take a few hours and visit the area. It is well worth your time. Study before you visit.

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