Beaumont, Texas

Today we are exploring Beaumont, an East Texas city of 120,000. It's only about an hour inland from High Island and will provide a base for us for a few days while we explore the areas around. We chose Beaumont for its good variety of hotels, restaurants, and night life possibilities. Little did we know that our travel experience would include the world's best oil gusher, the world's biggest fire hydrant, and the "world's best birding" (sic).

[The Latin adverb sic inserted after a quoted word or passage indicates that the quoted matter has been transcribed or translated exactly as found in the source text, complete with any erroneous, archaic, or otherwise nonstandard spelling. Wikipedia]

In other words, their convention and visitors bureau makes the claim about the world's best birding. We shall see.

We like this hotel - big rooms, wide hallways, a touch of faded elegance. It has a pleasant patio pool area with comfortable shaded sitting areas, and is pleasingly priced as well. 

MCM Elegante Hotel

Spindletop

Any tourist's first stop in Beaumont has to be Spindletop, famous for being the first place oil had been found in large quantities Texas. In its first ten days of production it produced 1,000,000 barrels, incredible amounts in 1901. Subsequent drilling established Texas and the United States as world leaders in oil production. Until that time oil was only used for lubrication and lighting, but with new quantities available it could now be burned as fuel. In a few years the world became dependent on this new power source. We know how this story ends 119 years later.

Oil is discovered in large quantities at Beaumont in 1901

World's Biggest Fire Hydrant

Who thought this was a good idea? Well, Walt Disney, actually. The 24' high, 4500 lb Dalmation Hydrant was donated to the city by Disney in 1999 on the re-release of "101 Dalmations". The hydrant is the front piece for the Fire Museum of Texas and is able to squirt 1500 gallons of water per minute from a fountain in its top. Sadly, we missed that sight.

Several other venues dispute the "World's Biggest" title nowadays, most notably Columbia, South Carolina (40' tall) and a Canadian entry in Elm Creek, Manitoba (29.5' tall). Clearly, when the conversion is done from American feet to Canadian metric feet, ours is bigger. I'm actually surprised that Canadians don't make more of this unnatural marvel. Must be our natural modesty.

Cattail Marsh Wetlands

This and other areas nearby like it are the reason we came to Beaumont. Access to a variety of habitats is quick, with the short walks and good footing which I still need. Check the link under the picture for more about Cattail Marsh.

Cattail Marsh Wetlands, Beaumont, Texas

Northern Shoveler seen today at Cattail Marsh

Tomorrow is looking like it will be rainy so we will be turning back the clock on steam and light bulbs. Stay tuned.

High Island

Today we are travelling to High Island, Texas, a slight hump of land sitting on the Gulf Coast about 35 miles north east of Galveston. To get there we will first take a ferry ride across the mouth of Galveston Bay to Port Bolivar. Here we are following the Borden truck onto the ferry. Coincidently we are looking for a crossword - clue: condensed milk pioneer Gail. The answer is “Borden”! When a day starts like that you just know it has great promise.

It only takes a few minutes to cross then we are off along the coastal road. Its a beautiful sunny day with only a few puffy clouds building in the north. The highway runs right along the ocean and we can see tanker traffic heading to and from the refineries at Galveston.

I can't remember if I've mentioned it before, but this part of Texas is FLAT. Really flat. If you had a had a three story house you could see Cuba from the roof (rhymes with woof).

We are headed for High Island, so named because it rises 11.6 metres above the surrounding land. It is a salt dome, an expression of a much deeper layer of salt and is the highest point of land on the coast from Mobile, Alabama to the Yucatan. I wasn't impressed by the rise in elevation (think a three story apartment building) until it was pointed out to me that 30 feet might just save your life in a hurricane storm surge. The island is covered in scrubby woods consisting largely of Live Oaks and is home to about 500 people. It is also the temporary home of 300,000,000 birds for a few weeks each year.

Wikipedia does a great job of describing it:

High Island, with its substantial wooded areas unlike elsewhere on the upper Texas coast, is a natural refuge for migrating birds making their perilous way across the Gulf of Mexico from the Yucatán Peninsula of Mexico into their northern summering grounds in the United States and Canada. During this spring migration, the birds must navigate the hundreds of miles of overwater flight to find refuge and food on their journey northward. During a normal spring migration, birders from around the world can find concentrated and high numbers of species of migratory birds in High Island that winter in southern Mexico, Central America, and South America, and make their summer breeding homes in the north.

The most spectacular bird viewing is during a spring northerly storm, which causes a "fall out" at High Island. During these storms, the migrating birds encounter strong head winds and a prolonged and energy-draining flight over the gulf. Every bird that comes off the Gulf near High Island is then exhausted, and immediately seeks a dry land perch. In such conditions, the beaches of the Bolivar Peninsula can be covered with tens of thousands of birds. With its wooded areas and more ample feeding opportunities, almost every tree and open space in High Island is covered with exhausted birds.

This short stretch of coast has the happy circumstance of being the first landfall for both the Central and Mississippi Flyways and the concentration and variety of birds is unmatched anywhere in North America. The beaches of the Bolivar Peninsula are thick with shore birds and the woods are teeming with Baltimore Orioles this morning. Birder heaven!

We spend the day in the four sanctuaries in High Island all owned and run by the Audubon Society. One of our favourite places is The Rookery, an easily viewed nesting site for Roseate Spoonbills, cormorants, herons, and egrets. This link provides a good overview:

Smith Oaks Rookery, High Island, Texas

Great White Egrets at The Rookery, Smith Oaks Sanctuary, High Island, Texas

We’ll spend two or three days in this area with the town of Beaumont as our base. It’s time to head there and find a place to eat and sleep. Tomorrow we’ll take a little tour of Beaumont before checking out more wildlife sanctuaries.

Galveston Because Its In The Way

As we leave Corpus Christi this morning it is 18 C. and sunny, but some rain is expected this afternoon so we are on the road early. We want to avoid congestion around Houston so are heading east on TX-181 across the strait between Neuces Bay and Corpus Christi Bay. We will hook up with TX-35 and head north east to the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge about an hour and a half away.

We are not sure where we will sleep tonight, but somewhere in the direction of Beaumont, where we anticipate staying several days. It will be a base from which to do day trips. Beaumont is in the top-right of this map and, as you see, Galveston is in the way. This clip will remind you what Galveston is famous for.

One of the ways Bonnie and I pass the hours driving is to do the Times crossword. As you can imagine, its a great concentration exercise for the driver. We are not often stumped but here's one for you readers:

Clue - Type of garden pests, caterpillars - L _ O_ _ RS

Email us if you have the answer, preferably before we reach our first destination today.

Our first stop is at the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge, winter home to one of N. America's rarest birds, the Whooping Crane. Although it is late in the season to see them we are fortunate in catching a glimpse of two tardy birds.

Whooping Crane populations had fallen as low as 22 birds by 1942, largely as result of human actions, such as over hunting and the development of shorelines and farmland that led to habitat loss. Vigorous efforts by the USGS at the Patuxent Wildlife Research Center have led to the reestablishment of this species in the wild with a population of more than 700 birds. The original program was started with 12 eggs from Canada where the flocks nest.

The technician in the photo is using a momma crane puppet to accustom the young cranes to an ultra-light which will used to teach them migration routes when they are older. The jobs some people have!

After some Tex-Mex for lunch at Palacios Mexican Restaurant we continue west passing two wildlife refuges in quick succession. There is just too much to see.

Clive Runnells Family Mad Island Marsh

Mad Island Preserve - A great siting of a Greater Yellowlegs

San Bernard National Wildlife Refuge

San Bernard NWR - beautiful walkways through the marsh and woodlands

Brazoria National Wildlife Refuge

Brazoria NWR - This flightless water fowl is found in abundance here

Galveston at last. We are really ready for supper so were looking for a restaurant on the way in. We ended up at Yaga's Cafe and Bar and had some excellently sensational awesome-ness for supper.

Mango Cajun Salad at Yaga's

We haven't got a pre-arranged hotel here so we chose the Hotel Galvaz and Spa. That's our ride out front.

Galvaz Hotel and Spa, Galveston, Texas

The hotel is across the road from the shore so after dinner we walked west toward that intriguing structure waaayyy down the beach.

It was quite a walk but here is what we found. The Galveston Island Historic Pleasure Pier, complete with shops, rides, and a Bubba Gump's.

Time to wrap this up for the day. Tomorrow we start with a ferry ride and go to the place we've been heading to all along, High Island, which is neither high nor an island, but may be one of the most amazing places on earth.

(Try to hear that last sentence as if David Attenborough had read it. : )

Corpus Christi Because We Can

Today we leave San Antonio and head south to Corpus Christi, a city of about 350,000 on the Gulf of Mexico. We hope to see four attractions before bending north-east towards the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge.

Texas State Aquarium

Just kidding. The Texas State Aquarium is a fairly big deal. It has extensive exhibits covering Caribbean waters and shores. It's much more than a shark tank. Have a look at the link above.

Corpus Christi Museum of Science and History

I am particularly interested in the exhibit of La Salle's flagship "La Belle", sunk in 1686. As you can see they recovered large bits of it and many more artifacts. This ship and three others in the fleet brought great changes to this part of North America. 

Here's a little video of the recovery, restoration, and exhibit of La Belle.

After a couple of hours at the museum we are ready for lunch at Catfish Charlie's:

Now we are ready for some orchids.

South Texas Botanical Gardens and Nature Center

This features 180 acres of different ecological niches including an orchid house with 3,000 orchids, and 100 varieties of my favorite tropical flower, Plumeria. We are only here for a short visit as our fourth goal is the seashore.

Padre Island National Seashore

North Padre Island is a 65 mile long beach, the longest barrier island in the world. The park is primitive with limited access to the public. We are here for the shore birds.

Roseate Spoonbill and Great White Egret

Did I forget to mention that this trip is really all about birds? We are here in South East Texas to view the spring migration of pretty much all the birds of east and central North America. It's in this area that the Central and Mississippi Flyways intersect and birds wintering in South and Central America cross here on their way north. Over a six week period 300,000,000 birds pass over a fifty mile stretch of coast, and they are all in breeding plumage (and all flying 2 metres apart).

Here's a little video about the kind of stuff that gets me excited:

Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center

We have been happily surprised at the number of things to see and do in and around this area. I hope you enjoyed our little travelogue today. In a day or so we will move along to Aransas National Wildlife Refuge and Galveston.

Here's a more extensive list of things to see and do in Corpus Christi

[Editor's Note: I have sprinkled links throughout the text which will tell you more about the places we are (almost) visiting. Rather than call them rabbit holes to get lost in, I prefer to think of them as Easter Eggs - you might find a surprise]

Remember The A La Mode

Westjet passengers practicing Social Distancing

Yesterday was pretty ho-hum. We didn't even leave the country. Today will much more interesting as we fly from Calgary to Houston. Our room was comfortable and quiet and we were at the airport by 9:00 am for Westjet flight 1572 in a much bigger and more comfortable plane, this time with real engines that go whoosh. Our seats are just to the attendant's left. One of the unexpected perks about my illness has been discovering how much more comfortable it is to board the plane before the crowd. I have felt quite justified in lining up with the parents with tots and people in wheelchairs in order to get a head start on my hobble down the jetway. So much so that, as I have recovered, I find I develop a limp whenever entering an airport. It must be one of the side effects they didn't warn me about. No worries this time though as we have seats at the front of the plane to make this trip as comfortable as possible.

George Bush Intercontinental Airport, Houston, Texas

In about 5 hours we are circling George Bush Intercontinental Airport north of Houston. Our plan originally was to overnight in Houston then head east the next day. Time constraints are now removed and, when you think about it, how could we go to Texas and not see the Alamo? My brothers would never forgive me. So we hang a right out of George Bush Intercontinental Airport and head west to San Antonio.
We will take the Tollway as it will save us half an hour and we're probably less likely to get lost. I didn't know about America's toll roads until enlightened by a birder friend. They are quite a bit faster if that matters to you. Your rental vehicle comes with a transponder that is turned on when you rent. If you stay off the toll roads there is no charge, but the cost is pretty minimal. We will try to stay on secondary routes after this and be a little more connected to the place.

What impresses us first is how small the Alamo is. I guess things grow in the imagination.

The Alamo National Monument, San Antonio, Texas

For all that, I am impressed with the weight of history about the building, and I must say that history got it right in "Remember The Alamo!". If I kind of squint I can see Davy Crockett and George Russell, out of powder and shot, desperately swinging their Tennessee squirrel rifles as Santa Ana's soldiers swarmed over the battlements right here in front of me!

         

These pics give a little more perspective. Stepping back from the Mission we can see the city around. And hear it - Interstate 37 roars by only two blocks away. I try to picture it as it was on the 6th of March, 1836 when the Mision San Antonio de Valero was the biggest building for hundreds of miles in any direction, and the Mexican and American armies fought over the border territories. Now it looks like this.

Here are a couple of 3 minute videos with a little background about the building and the historical issues. Enjoy. Tomorrow we head south to Corpus Christi on the Caribbean Coast.

Deconstructing History: Alamo

Deconstruct the myth shrouding the Battle of the Alamo during the Texas Revolution

We’ve Almost Been To Texas - Day 1

This is an experiment. Bonnie and I had planned a trip to the Gulf Coast of the United States to begin in early April. Events, as they say, have overtaken that plan but, having had a LOT of time on my hands this winter, I had researched extensively. I propose to share that with you in the form of a travel journal following the day by day events of our trip as they might have unfolded. 

Day One - Prince George to Calgary

Saab 340-B

We have begun our trip with a short flight to Calgary where we will overnight and hook up with Bonnie's brother, Ian. For this bit we will take the tiny airplane which flies direct. A unique travel experience reserved for those who live in ex-urban Canada, the Saab 340-B is a turbo prop (remember propellers?) seating 34 passengers who crouch down and duck-walk their way on board. Happily, they receive complimentary ear plugs as they board. Unhappily, they need them. We enjoy a beautiful flight over the Rockies and land shortly before 5:00 pm at YYC.

We have a room reserved at the Best Western Premier Airport Inn, just a few minutes shuttle ride from the airport. 

Best Western Premier Airport Inn - Calgary

We have time to freshen up before Ian arrives to take us into town for supper at one of his favorite spots, The Blues Can, a food and music venue on 9th Avenue. We are surprised to see that the menu leans heavily toward Louisiana so we enjoy Seafood Gumbo (Bonnie) and Cajun Ribs (Rob and Ian). The real treat is an 8:00 pm performance by my all-time favorite guitar picker, Tim Williams. 

Tim Williams

We are back to the hotel for a solid night's sleep before boarding our (much bigger) plane to Houston tomorrow. This has been an easy travel day and a good start to our trip. Now I think I’ll click the Tim Williams link in the text and listen to a Calgary icon.

Plague Stalks The Land

"It was about the beginning of September, 1664, that I, among the rest of my neighbors, heard in ordinary discourse that the plague was returned again in Holland . . . "

So begins Daniel Defoe's first hand account of the London plague of 1665 which carried off 68,596 of his neighbors of a population estimated at 460,000. They had no antibiotics, no effective hospitalization, no real understanding of the disease or the effectiveness of quarantine. As usual, the poor bore the brunt of it, but no class was untouched.

It makes interesting reading and keeps me from feeling sorry for myself in self-isolation. We know enough about our current outbreak to stem it if people will listen to and heed good advice.

Bonnie and I are well, as are Dan, Sarah, Thompson, and Madeleine. We have provisions and no current need to venture out, other than daily exercise. We are even doing Yoga from videos our instructors are posting online. On Wednesday we all went up to Forests For The World for a walk  and hot dog roast. There were lots of people out walking and keeping a respectful distance from others. Many businesses in town are closing their doors for now and restaurants are advertising carry out only. The grocery store delivers online orders and school, in the way we know it, is probably over for the year. Who would have dreamed this even a few weeks ago. Time to give thanks for living in a benevolent democracy with competent leadership and a clear sense of urgency.
We will all feel more comfortable when Doug, Jan, and Donald are back in the land of socialized health care.

We had planned to use this blog format to report on a trip to Texas and Louisiana. We had enjoyed Jan's cheerful,newsy letters from their trips and wanted to do something similar. We even purchased an ipad with keyboard to facilitate said reporting. The blog format would let us insert photos and maps easily and would automatically go to those who clicked the "Follow" button at the bottom of the left column. (hint, hint).

Maddy is coming over soon to bake cookies with Bonnie. Maddy says it falls under "essential contact" and who am I to argue when I will benefit in a culinary way. I will go for a walk while the ladies bake, then I'll practice my guitar a bit and perhaps read a bit.

I have an idea for tomorrow's blog entry. You'll have to join the list to see what it is.

Maddy Breaks Out

So, here is our granddaughter Madeleine on the stage at Busker’s. She has a lovely voice and good judgement in choosing her pieces. She has begun writing her own songs too.

A Walk In The Park

What a beautiful day for a walk in the park! We went to Cottonwood Island for my daily today. The river is opening up with some ice flows floating down with the current. The sun was brilliant and the temperature about 2 degrees C above.

The first pussywillows are out!

A Morning With Thompson

Every good morning begins with coffee, so we had a special brew of Ethiopian beans from Barista Dan's Millenium Falcon Espresso machine. Yum!



Then out to the driveway to do a refurb on Thompson's battery posts.

Thompson's car is a 1996 Toyota he purchased with his own earnings.

I stood around and held things while he pulled the battery and cleaned the posts and connecting cables. Next job will be to get a trickle charger to restore battery health.

As you can see it is a beautiful March day here in the frozen north: a bit below zero but sunny, sunny, sunny. The snow is starting to recede and spring can't be far away.




Afterwords, Thompson came on a walk with me on my out-and-back route. As part of my Refurbing Rob program I walk a set distance each day, gradually increasing the distance over time. A month ago I could only manage a few blocks. Now I am up to 2.5 km daily so, Tada!