Viva la France!

Free French Air Force Corporal Louie LeBeau (Robert Clary) of Hogan's Heroes would always say "Viva la France" whenever Tiger or another French underground agent left the safety of Hogan's Stalag Luft 13 to pursue a dangerous mission against the Germans in WWII.  I used that line while in a small WWII museum in Normandy.  The owner smiled in response.  Either the meaning was understood or she smiled in kindness. 

  

I really enjoyed my week in France.  To be honest, as a non-French speaker I was expecting a cold reception from the "man on the street".  Growing up in the States, it was assumed that if you didn't speak French, you would be treated rudely during a trip to France. Especially in Paris. THIS WAS NOT THE CASE.  I was treated well.

Avenue de Champs Elysees

My direct flight from Minnepolis to Paris arrived at 7:30 Sunday morning. Soon I was in my Mini Cooper heading to Normandy (Port de Bessin) to sight see.  The autoban between Paris in Port de Bessin was well marked with a speed limit of 130 km/hr.  There were numerous tolls to pass but soon I was in the countryside enjoying the ride. GPS worked great and took me directly to the hotel, but too soon to check in.   Let the sightseeing begin!

Fun car and easy to park in Paris

The road signs were not detailed, but good enough to get me to the American Cemetery on the Normandy coast. It was truly an impressive place with more than 12,000 graves of American soldiers (there is also a British and a Canadian cemetery in the area).  The grounds were immaculate and the interpretive center well laid out with plenty of information available.  A must see.

The cemetery is located on the plateau above the beach, with trails leading to the beach.  Now a tranquil beach with people enjoying a casual walk, but 60 years ago this beach was utter mayhem.  As I stood looking out to the ocean I realized that 60 years ago I would have been instantly killed standing on a war torn beach.  There are a few German pillboxes on the plateau and a concrete slab in the water. What the slab was used for is anyone's guess.



Omaha Beach



The pillboxes were built of reinforced concrete and steel. It must have been horrific for the young German soldiers stuck in these bunkers with the Allied bombardment and death knocking at the door.  War is hell.

Omaha Beach Bunker

After a few hours of reflection and investigation, I drove along highway D514 enroute to my hotel and dinner.  The GPS equipped Cooper was the perfect car for this trip. No need wasting time looking at a map. I just punched in the coordinates and headed to the hotel.  

St. Pierre du Mont Chateau

Of course I went off track many times to investigate interests along the way.  Farm fields, old houses, old churches and many cool roads and buildings.  Cropland in this area does not look too productive as the soil appears to be very light.  However the crops (corn, wheat and others I couldn't identify) were sufficient to feed the local residents.

Beautiful countryside!



I came upon a very old church which had been rebuild after the war.  There was a large sign in front of the church with a photo of American GI's crossing the road with the bombed out church in the background.  If the sign wasn't there, and you weren't familiar with the area, you'd have no idea this church was nearly leveled during the war.  Amazing how things change.

Colleville sur Mer

I checked into my hotel and took a short nap, then I went out to find the big German guns located at Longues-Sur-Mer.  The woman at the hotel did not know exactly where the guns were located (didn't know how to get to Point de Hoc either - weird).  I continued to take narrow roads heading toward the coast. Finally in a very small village, I asked a gentleman, well I pointed at a photo and smiled alot, and he pointed and smiled too. He sent me in the correct direction and soon I was at Longues-Sur-Mer! It was definitely worth the hunt.

BIG GUNS

 

There were only a few cars in the parking lot and two people in sight.  I inspected the four huge guns and earthen enbankments. The concrete must have been 1 meter thick and full of rebar. The ceiling contained a steel and wooden structure and the guns were massive with about a 200 mm bore.  Rifling too!!  A cooridor passed out the back alongside two storage areas.  The shell casings were long gone. Between the guns and the beach was a 200 meter wide wheat fields.

Tranquility

At the edge of the beach, about 50 meters above the beach, was the observation lookout post.  This heavy concrete installation was strategically located to provide a commanding view of Omaha beach down to Point de Hoc.  The German officers directed fire from the big guns at the Allied ships at sea.  Incredible!



Spotter's view of the Atlanta (Big Guns behind)



The day I was at Longues-Sur-Mer was very peaceful with sunny skies and a breeze from the ocean.  There is another parking lot which overlooks the ocean where a few families were camping and enjoying the day without concern that an incoming Allied round would blow them to kingdom come.



Nice clean bore, good rifling, usable barrel



From the RV campsite parking lot I drove down to the beach where a father and his three sons were checking their lobster or crab traps. The tide was out and the beach was fantastic - not for building sand castles but for exploring tide pools.  I collected a pocketful of rocks from the Atlantic coast and headed back to the hotel for dinner.

Beach below big guns

 

My hotel was situated in the countryside of Port de Bessin.  A comfortable hotel with a nice golf course, good restaurant and nice people. On Monday morning I enjoyed a good breakfast and talk with a young waitress from the town of Bayeux.  She spoke English and was very kind.

Omaha Beach Hotel

After breakfast I drove to Pointe Du Hoc where the Army Ranger team scaled the 30 meter tall cliffs and attacked the German troops during operation overload.  Before arriving at the point, I passed huge bomb craters and bombed out German gun emplacements.  65 years ago this place was under heavy bombardment.

What is left of a big gun

Now a group of French students on a field trip talked and laughed as all teenagers should do on a field trip. At that age, they have no comprehension of how terrible this place was years ago.  Hopefully in the future they will never experience anything like it.

Pointe du Hoc

Wow, what a place.  There is much more to see along the Omaha beach, but my time was brief.  As the vacation portion of my trip was ending, I began my drive to Rouen along the scenic route.  

Toasted Rolls Royce Merlin V-12 from a P-51 Mustang

Soon I stopped at Vierville museum seeing a P-51 Mustang engine laying in the parking lot. Now this is my type of museum!!! Also in the lot was a German observation post, a few larger German guns, a P-47 Jug engine and a bunch of other cool WWII stuff.  The museum was an old quonset hut, FULL of highly collectable items.

Tommy Gun!

A Thompson Machine Gun, another P-47 engine, various French resistance fighter stuff (bombs, knives, pistols), helmets, cable layers, etc, etc.  Well worth the 5 Euro entry fee.

Begrudgingly I left the museum and headed toward Rouen.  On the outskirts of a little town, I picked up a hitchhiker named Kenny Moulin McCloud. Mr. Moulin was surprised to be given a ride by an American, but we soon began to talk about Kenny's favorite musician - Bob Dylan.  We had a wonderful conversation and I was sad to see him off at the train station in Bayeux.  All the best to you Mr. McCloud.  There is a huge cathedral in Bayeux but time didn't allow me to stop and see it. Too bad, I only tasted a very thin slice of the Normandy coast. Lord willing I hope to return.



Bayeux



From Bayeux, I entered the expressway and on to Rouen.  The GPS did an excellent job of taking me downtown Rouen, across the Seine but we had some difficulty finding the Mercure in Rouen.

The roads in this part of town were very very narrow.  However I did see a small sign for the hotel and I eventually entered the hotel's underground parking. What a huge relief.  Dinner that night with two of my customers. 

Rouen city street

We enjoyed a wonderful meal in an outdoor cafe then a pleasant walk in old town.  There was a section of an old building with many large pockmarks in the walls. We surmised this as a likely gun battle site between the Resistance and the German troops stationed in Rouen.  Many lives must have been lost there.

La Couronne

After conclusion of a few days of meetings, me and one of my customers went to the town of Etretat on the coast.  What a beautiful coastline!!! The town has a huge tourist trap area but the coast is great!!!

Etretat Beach with fishing boats

The beach is pebbly with quaint fishing boats.  Archways of limestone jut into the ocean offer a spectacular view.  We walked along the pathways with beautiful vistas of the ocean, limestone arches and a golf course. Liam couldn't keep his eyes off the golf course and would soon be golfing in Ireland. Keep your eyes on the ball Liem.

Etretat France

We met for breakfast on Thursday, then I checked out and drove to Paris.  I stopped at my hotel near the airport, dumped off my luggage and drove in rush hour traffic towards the Arc de Triomphe.  Soon I was at a stop light with a Ferrai in the next lane and the Arc straight ahead!!!! Drag race?! 

Ferrarri vs. Cooper!

Wow, what a site - the Arc de Triomphe!!!  I entered the crazy roundabout to take a few photos then drove around the Arc a few times before heading down a street looking for a parking place.

About 1 km away, I found a spot for the little Cooper.  How to pay for parking?  The pay box didn't accept my Visa card so I took a chance and walked to the Arc.

Arc de Triomphe

It is a fantastic historical landmark.  After crossing a few roads I entered the underground walkway below the roundabout and soon I was at the Arc.  Very impressive!!!! I walked around the Arc and admired the architecture and statues.  Then I climbed the stairs inside the Arc and emerged on top.  The view from above was wonderful.  From the top you can see all twelve roads that meet in this central roundabout.  I looked at the skyline and soon the Eiffel Tower came into view!!  My next destination. 

Eiffel Tower

I returned to street level and sat below the Arc near the eternal flame of the unknown solider.  I imagined Napoleon posthumously brought through the Arc on a wagon. Unfortunately he did not live long enough to see his creation.  Then I imagined a photo I saw of the German army marching through the Arc in WWII and of a French man's tear filled face as the occupying army passed through the Arc.  Stunning.

 

View from top of Arc

I finally ran out of time and went to see the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre. A month is required to get a taste of Paris. I hurried back to my car expecting to see a huge ticket on the windshield but found none.  Now, what should I do?  Take a chance that my car will be unticketed or towed in the next 5 hours or move it to somewhere else, but where?  I took a chance.

Siene, Bridge and Effiel Tower

Soon the Eiffel Tower came into view.  It was quite impressive but nowhere near the magnitude of the Arc de  Triomphe.    I asked an attendant if there was parking at the Eiffel and she just looked at me like I was nuts.  We are lucky in the States because there are many parking lots. I didn't have time to go up into the Tower, but got a good view of the Eiffel Tower.  

Siene

Back across the Seine I walked toward the Louvre. I walked and walked and walked.  I stopped a few times to admire the buildings and scenery along the Seine.  While looking over a bridge a woman approached me and tried the old "I found this ring do you want it sir scan".  She basically forced it on me and then asked for some money for coffee.  At this time I was ticked off and gave her the ring back and told her to take a hike.  I walked away hearing her say " but mister.............". Soon she will approach another victim. Don't give in!! Now I say this to add a little drama to the story. This is not a slight on Paris as this type of thing happens world wide.  I definitely want to return to Paris.

Paris

Finally after asking for confirming directions I made it to the Louvre.  However it was closing in 10 minutes!!! Argh!!!!!!!  I ate a quick lunch/dinner in the gift shop then went back outside and admired the building.  If the outside of the building is that nice, I can't imagine how nice the inside must be. Hopefully I will see the inside some day (check the hours before you go).

Louvre!

Time to find my car.  I began my walk down the famous Avenue de Champs Elysees from the Louvre to the Arc de Triomphe.  It was a wonderful night for a walk and I enjoyed every step.  Soon the Arc came into view and eventually my car. On the way, I saw a Renault with a large clamp on the rear wheel!  Would this be the fate of my little Cooper?  My pace quickened and finally my Mini - without a ticket and without a wheel clamp!!  I hopped into the car, set the GPS to hotel and took off before the cops arrived.  Soon I was driving through Paris and eventually the expressway to the hotel.

Early Friday morning I dropped the Copper off at the Airport and flew home for my daughter's 19th birthday.  A great trip with a perfect ending.

San Diego California

Thanks to the gracious reception of relatives, most of my family enjoyed a week of sun and relaxation in San Diego!!!  My college aged daughter stayed in school and prepped for finals :(

On Saturday we boarded a 9:30 pm flight in snowy Minneapolis.  Due to major delays at the rental car counter, we finally landed in bed at 2:00 am (west coast time).  Apparently everyone arrived at Dollar at once and overloaded the staff.  Guess you get what you pay for.  We ended up with a Mercury Marquis land yacht which we traded in the next day for a Dodge Charger.  A V-6 not a V-8 Hemi RT!!!


When I was a teenager my buddy had a '69 Charger with a 383 V-8 and Torqueflight tranny.  It would burn rubber very nicely.  He was ready for another car and offered to sell it me for $200.  I told him I didn't want any Mopar junk.  What an idiot I was!  Today that car is worth about $30,000.  Should have, could have, didn't.  Guess we all have these types of stories.  The trick is to identify what those items are today.  OK, back to San Diego.

We slept in on Sunday morning and after a fantastic brunch we headed to Coronado Island to hang out on the beach and visit the Del Coronado hotel.  The hotel is a must see if you're in the San Diego area. The hotel was build in 1888 and visited by the wealthy of that era.  Frank Sinatra, Marilyn Monroe, Jack Lemon, Ronald Reagan, etc. Go on line and checkout the hotel.  The buildings and grounds are wonderful and definitely worth a visit.  During the week I toured the town of Coronado often to admire the beautiful houses, neighborhoods, streets and beaches. 



Del Coronado Hotel



From Coronado, head south along the Silver Strand bordered by the Pacific ocean on the west and San Diego Bay on the East.  Soon you arrive at Imperial Beach in Chula Vista.  I spent  six hours fishing off the Chula Vista pier and had a great time, talked with many people and got a chance to practice some Spanish.  The Imperial Beach pier is the furthest south pier in California USA.  On a clear day you can see Baja California and possibly Ensenada if your eyes are good and the sky is clear.  At night the lights of Tijuana Mexico are visable from the pier.

Imperial Beach Pier 

Fishing on the pier was quite fun.  I was hoping to catch some type of shark - Blue Fin, Nurse, Guitarfish but no such luck.  My newly acquired fishing buddies told me sharks and rays don't arrive in these waters until late spring early summer when the water warms.  Sure would like to come back and tie into a 30 lb ray!!  The pier deck is 20 ft (7 meters) from the ocean so a long handled gaf is needed to land your catch.  A fishing license is not required while pier fishing anywhere in California. At Imperial, the rod and reel setup cost me $10 for the whole day.  A great deal!!!  The setup comes with a fairly decent spinning real and 20 lb test line.  The rental included a goofy looking rig with 10 jigs on it. Totally illegal in Minnesota, but not off the pier in San Diego. 

I caught a pile of smelt and round shiny fish.  Sea perch I believe.  Normally I would have thrown these dinky fish back but I needed them as proof for my family that I was actually fishing and catching fish.

Surfers on Imperial Beach

I really enjoyed the people and the laid back atmosphere of Imperial Beach.  A little run down compared to La Jolla, but cool in its own way.  Has sort of a gulf coast, Caribbean ambiance. I found a great little fishing shop just east of the beach called Cox Bait and Tackle located at 996 Palm Avenue.  The proprietor's name is Mike and he's a wealth of knowledge and willingness to help me out.  He gave me a few copies of Pacific Coast Sportfishing Magazine.  Great place.

Recently I read some reviews about Cox.  People were complaining about the owner showing up whenever he felt like it, rude and not helpful. Exact opposite response from me.  I would definitely go back, but if the other reviews are correct, don't arrive too early.

Cox Bait and Tackle (photo courtesy of Info USA)

All the days are now a blur as I write this blog three months after our trip.  I got the itch on Wednesday to drive east to Joshua Tree National Park.  A few hundred miles give or take. Not a big deal when on vacation.......right?  We loaded the Charger with extra water (we're heading to the desert now) and took highway 8 towards El Centro. Soon we were passing University of San Diego and climbing the mountains on our way to highway 79 and Julian CA located at 5,000 ft.  Highway 79 is a windy road with many switch backs and beautiful scenery.  Cuyamaca Rancho State Park was a bummer as wild fires ravages the area about 5 years ago.  Hopefully in a few more years the place will be nice again.  It is a beautiful setting and a nice introduction to Julian.

5,000 ft elevation south of Julian CA

More about Julian later in this blog.  We quickly toured Julian then headed eastbound down the mountain towards Sonny Bono's Salton Sea a few hours out.  As we worked our way through the windy road we quickly dropped in elevation and soon were east of the mountain range.  The topography changed dramatically from the lush cool mountaintop in Julian to the high desert with a mix of greens and browns to the totally brown and sand filled desert halfway to the Salton Sea.  I stopped the car as everyone else slept.  I took a pee and looked for scorpions and rattlesnakes. Hey us Minnesota guys never get to see dangerous poisonous reptiles and critters.  Back in the car and looking for a place to rent dune buggies.  Too early in the season.  Bummer!  


Continue to Sonny's "lake" at 226 feet below sea level.  Finally we arrived at highway 86 and headed north to Mecca California.  As we drove north the San Jacinto mountains were on the left with a snow capped off in the far north.  Mecca appears to be mostly Hispanic as it is close to the Mexican boarder.  We drove around Mecca and marveled at how this arid place was full of orange groves, lemon groves and vineyards! Wow, Mecca is like a little Bakersfield.  Amazing what can be grown with a little irrigation.  Actually in this location a lot of irrigation.  Water is diverted from the Colorado river along concrete irrigation channels for many many miles.  If California was its own country, it would be the third largest food producing country in the world.  Amazing.  Check out the old movie called China Town with Jack Nicholson, John Huston and Faye Dunaway.  Excellant movie about water rights in CA.



Lemons in the desert



After topping off the gas tank, we headed north than east on Highway 10 through Indio and finally to the southern entrance of Joshua Tree National Park.  This place is phenomenal in the spring with the temperature around 70 F (21 C) and spring in the air.  The southern entrance of the park leads you through the Colorado desert plateau whereas the northern section is the Mohave desert plateau (I believe the Mohave is considered high desert).





Southern Entrance to Joshua Tree National Park

The main road winds through the park with many parking areas at interesting sites.  Strange cactus types, weird rock formations and well laid out hiking trails.  Signs with detailed descriptions and photos provide information for the curious traveler.  

 



Plenty of good signage

As we drove north through the park we noticed the change in ecosystem thoughout the park.  Cholla cactus disappeared and were replaced with other types of Cacti.  The vista changed too and allowed for long distance viewing of the park.  We then stumbled across these odd ball shaped rocks.  These things were huge and round and smooth.  Like rocks you might find along the ocean made smooth by the grinding and polishing action of the waves and sand.

Wierd Rocks

We only had about 4 hours to view the park - clearly not enough time to see much.  I recommend an overnight visit in March. There are plenty of places to camp and the weather is pleasant. Bring warm clothes and blankets at night as the temperature drops in a hurry.  Soon we entered the Mohave desert portion of the park where the Joshua trees stand.  The older of the Joshua trees had an outer covering almost like bark on a Red Pine. Cool trees.

Fat farmer next to a Joshua Tree

As we neared the northern exit of the park, we took a detour and went to a high point to view San Jacinto peak miles across a valley. It was well worth the detour!!!  The view was incrediable as you look across the valley and see snow crowned peak in the background. With the wind howling and threaten to blow us off our vantage point we decided to get back into the car and drive through the town of Joshua Tree.  I think they must have filmed much of the Flintstones cartoon series in Joshua Tree.  Mr. Slate still pushing Fred to increase production in the quarry.

Flintstone's house?

After Joshua Tree faded in the rear view mirror we took highway 62 down to highway 10 westbound to Beaumont and highway 60 to Riverside and highway 215 south to Escondito and eventually Chula Vista. I love taking road trips but my wife and daughter were thoroughly boarded after the first few hundred miles.  They were sleeping when we blew through Escondito as I hummed the Eric Clapton song "Road to Escondito"  :)  Highway 215 is a great ride on a wide highway with a good view.  The Charger cruised along at 75 mph (120 km/hr).

Thursday's adventure

I was on my own so I decided to return to Imperial Beach for a while then find the pier in San Diego.   I bought a book online called "California Pier Fishing". Not a catchy title but tells you what you need to know. The book is full of details on most of the piers along the Calfornia coast. Imperial Beach pier was constructed in 1963 and has survived the pounding surf and strong winds.  The rip tides really pull on the pier as I could feel it sway a little as I fished. 



Imperial Beach Pier



There wasn't enough time or money to go to Catalina Island, but hopefully in the future I can go there and deep sea fish for tuna!!! Tuna fishing is also supposed to be good off the Mexican coast near Ensenada. 

Thursday night my brother in law and my youngest went out for Filipino food. We enjoyed a good meal and the sound of Tagalog in the background.  My BIL is a great guy from Manila. 

Friday. Our last full day

Romel, Kayla and I took off for a day off adventure as the sisters stayed at home and talked. We drove back to Julian in the moutains and enjoyed a piece of their famous apple pie.  Good stuff!!!  I impressed a French tourist with my merci beaucoup. Always fun to spread good will.  We checked on real estate in Julian and were surprised at the high prices. After walking through the typical tourist traps we took off towards Escondido.  Escondido is west of Julian and the view of green grass was opposite the desert landscape of the eastern side of the "Julian" mountains. 

We bought fresh avocado for a startup avocado company owned by two brothers.  Avocados were on the small side but they made wonderful guacamole!  From Escondito we drove to Oceanside and enjoyed a long walk on the pier. This pier and surrounding area is newer and has more traffic that Imperial Beach. Each beach has its own flavor. I enjoyed both.

Oceanview Pier

Time was running out so we drove to La Jolla and enjoyed a walk along the beach.  La Jolla was nice too.  Can't really have a bad beach in southern CA.  As darkness began to fall, we drove south to San Diego as I promised Kayla dinner at Joe's Crab Shack. The meal was dissappointing - we should have eaten at a local mom and pop restuarant instead. 

Saturday morning we visited a Filipino grocery store. It reminded me of a grocery store in Manilla with a bit of extra sanitation imposed by the US Government. 

Fresh Fish!

Sorry for my lack of posts

Hello faithful readers!!

Sorry for my delay in writing, but work at home and at the office have been crazy.  Hopefully soon I will finish my March San Diego trip report and May trip to Normany, Rouen and Paris. France is a beautiful country with much to see, wonderful food and nice people.



Arc de Triomphe!





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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