Showing posts with label beach. Show all posts
Showing posts with label beach. Show all posts

Saturday, May 21, 2022

2020-11-01: Visiting Some History, Geocaching and a Pirate on Galveston Island, Texas

After our first week in West Columbia, Texas, we had gotten settled in at the Plantation Oaks Resort RV Park. And we had a week at the new jobsite up in Guy, Texas to begin our next solar construction project. Today, however, was a fun day! We drove over to Galveston Island for some history, some geocaching, and to find a pirate. So who's up for an adventure? Let's go see what we can find!


Our first stop down along the Gulf of Mexico coastline was in Freeport at the mouth of the Brazos River. There was a geocache there called Bryan Beach 4x4 (GCEA24). And when in the GeoJeep, it just calls out to go and find it! Well we did check out the beach but the geocache was nowhere to be found. First hidden way back it 2003 and I guess it frequently washed out to sea. It is now archived since the cache owner has gotten tired of replacing it.


We did spot something sticking up out of the water though. Looks to be a mast from a sailboat. I wonder what happened there. Hmmm, could be an interesting hiding spot for a geocache of the Difficulty 5 / Terrain 5 category!



From the northeast end of Galveston Island at the Fort San Jacinto Historic Point, you can see some of the many cargo ships that come and go through the port.



Also at the Fort San Jacinto Historical Point was our next geocache (GC8V700). There were a lot of muggles (non-cachers) walking by and huge rocks making for many hiding places. I didn't spend much time looking because of those things and ended up DNF'ing that one too.

This part of Galveston Island has had many forts since the early 1800's. Basic Spanish and French forts were established from 1816-1818. Those were replaced by small sand forts and batteries by the Republic of Texas from 1836 to 1844. After Texas statehood and the start of the Civil War, the Confederate Army built sandbag breastworks and an earthen battery named Fort Point in 1863. All traces of these early fortifications were destroyed by the strong winds and tides which regularly reshaped the sandy tip of the island.

A more substantial fortification called Fort San Jacinto was built here by the U.S. Army in 1897. After the fort was destroyed in the hurricane of 1900, the seawall was extended northward in 1921 to protect this area. The fort was rebuilt and new gun emplacements were added for the defense of Galveston during World War II. The fort was decommissioned in 1956 and only one concrete base of the 90-mm guns remains today.

Moving in a few blocks away from the coastline to find some of the historical buildings on Galveston Island, there's the Sacred Heart Church. The earliest Catholic services in the Galveston area were conducted in 1838. The Sacred Heart Church was established as the fourth church on the island in 1884. The original building was destroyed in 1900 Hurricane. This current building was constructed in 1903-04.



Next door to the church is the Bishop's Palace and a virtual geocache (GCH1CG). The Bishop's Palace matched the architecture of the original Sacred Heart Church which was swept away in the Great Storm. Construction lasted from 1886 to 1893 and was built as a private residence for Walter Gresham, a politician-turned-lobbyist during the mansion-building boom of the late-1800's. He had it made of Texas limestone accented with gray granite, pink granite, and red sandstone. This, combined with steel framing, helped it weather the Storm when so many thousands of other buildings were swept into the Gulf of Mexico.

In 1923 it was purchased by the Catholic Diocese of Galveston to become the official residence of the bishop. But only one ever lived there. Reverend Christopher Byrne stayed there until his death in 1950. In 1963, the Catholic Church opened it to the public, making it the first of the Galveston mansions to be turned into a museum.



The St Paul United Methodist Church was founded in the late 1860's and can trace it's history through two earlier Methodist congregations in Galveston. A second larger church building replaced the smaller first structure. This third and current sanctuary was constructed in 1902 to replace the previous which was also lost to the 1900 Hurricane.



The Isaac H. and Henrietta Kempner House. Isaac Herbert Kempner, at age 21 and the eldest of Harris Kempner's eight children, took over his fathers many businesses after his death in 1894. Isaac became an important businessman in his own right and after the 1900 Hurricane demonstrated exceptional civic leadership in his efforts to rebuilt Galveston's entire infrastructure. From 1917 to 1919 he served as Galveston city mayor.

In 1904, the Kempner's purchased three lots and in 1906 their two-story neoclassical style home was completed. In 1924 additional lots became available and a concrete and stucco wing was added. The house remained in the Kempner family until 1970.



The Carl and Hilda Biehl House. Carl Christian Biehl immigrated from Germany in 1905 and founded a shipping company on Galveston. In 1915, Biehl purchased one of the damaged homes and cleared the site to build a new structure for his family. Designed by Anton F. Korn Jr and completed in 1916. The construction consisted of brick and concrete to stand up to the hurricanes and strong winds common to Galveston. The house remained in the Biehl family until 2008.



The William and Adele Skinner House. In 1895, local banker William Skinner and his wife Adele bought this parcel for a home for their young family. The two-story Queen Anne style house was completed in 1896 and remains as one of the more ornate residential designs. This structure was one of the few survivors of the 1900 Hurricane.



This next house didn't have a historical marker and I couldn't find any history other than it was built in 1965. But it does fit in well with the other homes.



The last house I want to share with you is of the notorious pirate Jean Lafitte who settled here in 1817 with his buccaneers and ships, under Mexican flags, continued his assault against Spanish shipping in the Gulf.

Here he built his home, Maison Rouge (Red House), which was part of his fort, and upper story was pierced for cannon. It was luxuriously furnished with booty from captured ships. Leaving Galveston in 1821, upon demand of the United States, he burned his home, fort, and whole village, then sailed to Yucatan.

The walls that remain were built in 1870 over the old cellars and foundations of Maison Rouge. I'm curious as to what remains below the foundations and in the cellar. It would be cool to go down there and have a look around. This is also a virtual geocache.



That was it for our quick little return trip to Galveston Island. We visited here a few years ago in November of 2015 when it was a winter ghost town and most everything was closed.

Back on the mainland and headed to the RV Park in West Columbia, we made a short detour for another historical virtual geocache (GC2E13) in the town of Hitchcock, Texas. In an effort to defend U. S. coasts and shipping lanes against German submarine activity during World War II, the U. S. Navy established bases to house huge lighter-than-air (LTA) craft, also known as blimps were uniquely qualified for coastal defense and observation.

Because of its site on the flat Texas coastal plain, Hitchcock was chosen as the location for one of the nine new blimp bases. Construction began in 1942, and the facility was commissioned on May 22, 1943. The resulting military personnel build-up caused an economic boom in the community.

The Hitchcock base consisted of forty-seven buildings, including a massive hangar to house six blimps, administration buildings, warehouses, living quarters, and recreational facilities. Aircraft from the base, in addition to their regular patrolling duties, were also used to assist with hurricane relief efforts and war bond drives.

In 1944, after the blimps were no longer needed, the Hitchcock base was redesignated for other purposes. Following the war some of the buildings were used by private interests, and after hurricane damage in 1961 the blimp hangar was razed. All that remain are the towering hanger door supports.



Thanks for riding along today. Remember if you happen to find yourself on Galveston Island, there's more to see than the boardwalk on the beach.

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Sunday, October 25, 2020

2018-12-25: Christmas 2018 Road Trip from Texas to Florida and Back Again

Hello and welcome back to another entry of AwayWeGo's Geocaching Adventures. One of these days I might actually catch up in my writing to the present time. I'm starting to gain some ground. In this blog I take you back to our Christmas roadtrip in 2018. This year we decided to drive from Central Texas to Central Florida to spend Christmas with the family.

It's a 1200 mile drive to get there and since we're leaving out on the 22nd, we'll be spending way too much time on the boring I-10. We do make some detours in Louisiana to go geocaching and pick up some new counties. But the return trip however is when we stick to the backroads the majority of the time! So here's some of the highlights:

Our county first stop was in Vermilion Parish, Louisiana at the Old Mason Cemetery (GC1NR88) in a town called Abbeville. From the historical marker: "On this site was the first of our town's Masonic cemeteries and served Masons and Protestants alike. It has been virtually unused since 1905, although the latest tombstone reads 1954. The earliest recorded death was in 1868. A. G. Maxwell donated this land to Abbeville Lodge in 1869. The first master of the lodge, Dr. W. D. White was buried here as was several of his children. Restoration of the cemetery began in 1997 by dedicated volunteers under the auspices of the City of Abbeville, current owner of this sacred soil."


Continuing east on US-90, we stopped for a quick roadside geocache (GC1NKPH) in New Iberia to get the county of Iberia Parish. Then another cache (GC2KNG5) in the town of Franklin to claim a find in St Mary Parish. Also in St Mary Parish, I stopped for another geocache (GC2HH84) in the town of Amelia near this overpass which had all these vines growing up the columns.


Next on the list was a geocache for Terrebonne Parish in the town of Schriever, Louisiana. The Ducros Plantation (GC28MJ2) is a 12,600 square foot home dating back to 1802. Supposedly the Ducros House is haunted. It is not certain, but there is said to have been a young child who accidentally drowned in the adjacent well nearby as well as the house being home to the natural deaths of many of the previous occupants. The most common activity reported are unexplainable sounds. Foot steps heard in the main hall by the carpenters restoring the plantation and Richard himself has heard a strange dragging noise on the upper gallery. All reports have been during the day. No one has spent a night at Ducros since the early to mid 70's. From the vantage point of the public street I couldn't get a very good photo of the house.

The last geocache for this day in Louisiana was for the Lafourche Parish at the St Joseph Cemetery (GC2V8NJ). The first burial here is that of Marie Madeleine Gaudet (1732-1801). After a half-dozen burials, this cemetery was established in 1817 on the site of the original St Joseph Church, a mission of Assumption. The Calvary-Grotto Shrine to Our Lady of Lourdes, erected in 1883, still stands near the Menard Street entrance. Several historic graves are located here.



We drove all the way to Lake City, Florida the first day. Then on Christmas Eve down to Umatilla, just in time for a family get together. Later that night we checked into our hotel on Cocoa Beach, Florida. Christmas Day we awake to a beautiful view of the Atlantic Ocean. After another day with family in Merritt Island, Florida, it was time to hit the road westbound and return to Texas.


We had more time to get back to Texas so we spent more time on the backroads geocaching and picking up new counties. A couple of stops on Wednesday the 26th in Alabama with one being this huge Live Oak tree (GC7BA7T). It can be found listed on the Alabama Forestry's list of Alabama's Famous & Historic Trees. This publication states this tree was a recognized meeting place when the town of Geneva was first settled. People gathered under this tree for meetings and information of the development of the area.  The Big Oak was measured by the Eastern Native Tree Society in 2009. Measurements recorded were, CBH-22'9", Height-69' and Spread-163.5' x 154.5' making it #94 on the listing. We arrived here after sunset and it was already getting dark. That made it difficult for us to get any decent pictures. Though you can see plenty of photos on the cache page.

Thursday the 27th found us in Mississippi. We picked up several new counties in Stone Co (GC7JGP7), Amite Co (GC311DZ), and Wilkinson Co (GCP29Z). The most interesting geocache of the day was found in Centreville, MS. A virtual cache called "One For The Road" (GCJA19), it is of an old Colt .38 Revolver imbedded into the road from the days of the Works Progress Administration was constructing the original road in the 1930's. Nobody knows the real story behind the gun but there are many tales told. The most common is of a man who found his wife with another man, shot them both, and tossed the evidence into the newly poured concrete. Then there's the bank robber, another a moonshiner, and even a war protester. But we'll probably never know the true story of the revolver in the road.


We ended the night at a hotel in Alexandria, Louisiana. After getting settled in the hotel I made a run for pizza to bring back for dinner. I passed by this place and saw the shapes in the darkness and knew we had to come back in the morning for a better look.

That begins Friday the 28th. On England Drive in Alexandria is this Memorial Park (GC3XCW6). The England Airpark was once England Airforce Base until is was closed during the Clinton administration. The A-10 Warthog was the primary fighter stationed at England, and it is prominently displayed in this awesome real life airplane display area. There are 5 aircraft here on display. This geocache also gets us the Rapides Parish as a new county.


Our next stop was in Grant Parish and a town called Colfax, Louisiana. Reading the historical markers around the courthouse, the first one of interest was about the fire water. The marker reads: "The Famous Burning Well of Colfax. Visitors to this spot were once greeted with a curious site, a burning well. In 1899 a driller named L.B. Hart completed an artesian well at 1103 feet. The water was salty, and it bubbled with gas. Hart struck a match near the flow and promptly got his beard singed when the bubbles ignited. During its lifetime the well ebbed or flowed in response to the levels of the nearby Red River. With the advent of each new eruption someone would light up this unusual landmark. Thousands of tourists remember Colfax by the image of its famous burning well. Ripley once featured it in his "Believe It Or Not" as a well that spewed both fire and water. During WWII visiting soldiers would write back home describing this local wonder. In 1959, a new courthouse displaced the towns old attraction. An artificial fountain with a gas flame was erected, but it could not possibly evoke the awe of visitors as the real one had once done."

Another marker describes a dark time in the towns history. "The Colfax Riot. On this site occurred the Colfax Riot in which three white men and 150 negroes were slain. This event on April 13, 1873 marked the end of carpetbag misrule in the south." At the cemetery, an obelisk there reads: "Erected to the memory of the heroes Stephen Decature Parish, James West Hadnot, Sidney Harris who fell in the Colfax Riot fighting for white supremacy April 13, 1873." I was actually surprised this was still standing considering the political climate of modern times (GC7962B).


After a few more stops we finally made it back home in Killeen, Texas. A weekend to rest up from the trip before heading back to work in South Texas. Thanks for stopping by and I hope you enjoyed the roadtrip! See you next time...

Monday, November 21, 2016

2016-10-11: A Crazy Week, a Hurricane Wedding and a Drive Back to Texas

Welcome back! Wow what a week! We're so glad to be back in West Texas. We had gone to Florida for a wedding... OURS. But so did Hurricane Matthew.

After changes in venues a couple of times, uncertainties, and eventually the vendors having to cancel due to storm damage, the only certainty was the officiant. He was still able to make it wherever we ended up.

So we decided to just meet up at THE Starbucks in Orlando near Disney where we had our first date. Most of our family and friends had to stay behind and attend to issues brought about by the storm. But we still had a great group of family and friends show up to support us.

After a simple and casual ceremony reciting our "I Do's" on the Starbucks patio, we headed down the street to Carrabba's where most of the group joined us for dinner. It was good being able to catch up with our Florida friends. 
We thank everyone for joining us and one day in the future we'll renew our vows in the formal ceremony we had originally planned. Just not during hurricane season!

Already into the evening, we drove only a few hours to the north only as far as Ocala, FL to find a hotel for the night. The first one was booked with power company workers in town for hurricane repairs. The next one had a room available and we checked in.

Getting a late start on Sunday morning, we drove down the road to Bob Evans for a hot and hearty breakfast. After breakfast and a nearby cache (GC2ZX7A), we drove onto I-75 northbound and began our journey back to Texas. A couple hours later, we stopped at the last rest area on I-75 before turning onto I-10 for a quick and another cache (GC6RDEQ).

Several more hours later and approaching Tallahassee, we exited the Interstate for another Geocaching break. There was a Virtual Cache (GCA632) there that I've had on my "watch list" for some time. It was about a road leading into a small housing development in an unincorporated part of the county. They residents got tired of getting the county to grade their street on a regular basis so they created their own solution. They used some recycled materials and no longer needed grading of their road. Now I can't tell you what they used or post a photo. If I did, that would give you the answer and you could just easily log a find of the cache without actually going there. A couple other caches on the way back to I-10 and we're good for another few hours.

It was Earthcache Day and we still needed to find one to receive our souvenir. This morning while eating breakfast, I was looking up easy earthcaches along the way that wouldn't take us too far from our route. The one I found was west of Tallahassee and to the south of I-10. The cache (GC1VABG) was located at the entrance to this dolomite mine and processing center. There was a large rock there that had impressions of fossils on it. So we stopped to check it out and got the required information needed to claim a find.

Two more caches later and we made our way down to Pensacola, FL for the night, just in time to enjoy a sunset at the marina.



This morning we awoke and headed over to the beach before getting back on the highway. We're not going to be seeing a beach in West Texas, so we needed to enjoy the moment. And of course, we needed to find a cache while here also. There were a lot to choose from, so I picked the one that had the most favorite points (GC316D0).



Leaving the beach and back to downtown Pensacola, we stopped at the Veterans Memorial Park for a Virtual Geocache (GC991D) and a Traditional Geocache (GC2ZYPM). There were a lot of statues and even a slightly smaller version of the Vietnam Wall.




We also took a walk through the old historic section of Pensacola looking at some of the historical houses and finding two more caches (GC32CKK, GC33PMH). There was much to see here, but we just didn't have the time. Pensacola is just gonna be another one of those places to add to the growing list of places to visit again.




We made our way back to I-10 westbound, but quickly got off at the next exit for gas, a quick McDonald's breakfast, and just one more Geocache. I wasn't planning on another cache, but saw this one on the phone just down the road from the gas station and knew we had to go for it. As much as Candy's loves animals, we drove a few blocks south of I-10 to this HUGE Pet Cemetery (GC2GZ7Y). I've seen a few pet cemeteries, but this one was the biggest!



OK, back on I-10 westbound and we've got to make up time! We spent all day Sunday and still in Florida. Now it's almost noon Monday and we're STILL in Florida! Candy has to be at work Wednesday morning and we still have over 1,000 miles to drive! So through Alabama, Mississippi, and into Louisiana. About halfway across Louisiana and halfway across the Atchafalaya Basin Bridge in the middle of the swamp, it was time for a break!
Although we've passed through here and stopped a few times before, this was actually the first time that the welcome center was open. Inside the welcome center we were able to find the answers to the Earthcache located here (GC26BZM). We looked around at the exhibits inside and the statues out back. I was even checking out this boat out back, but couldn't get it to float.


While inside the welcome center, I noticed this other guy wondering around looking at the displays as well. Maybe another cacher? Couldn't tell. As we were in the car getting ready to leave, I now see him heading for the cache out towards the picnic tables. Yep, he's a Geocacher. Heading towards the exit of the parking lot, I then noticed a parked motorhome with an H3 Hummer attached to the back. On the tailgate of the hummer I noticed the Geocaching logo with JMCz by the tracking number. Now I've seen that name of log sheets all over West Texas. This cacher has over 100,000 finds! I just had to stop and say hello. So I parked the car again and walked over to where he was looking for the cache. We introduced ourselves and spoke for a few minutes. Then he headed east and we continued west. It's always fun to meet a cacher on the hunt and this was the first time meeting one with that many caches!

We drove late into the evening finally reaching Texas. I wanted to at least get through Houston, so we would not have to worry about morning rush hour traffic. Finally we found a hotel and settled in Brookshire, TX. From here it was just 500 more miles to get home!

A quick breakfast at McDonald's and headed down the road for a few miles until this interesting stop and Geocache (GC3C5JR). Once long ago there used to be a small zoo and petting farm. Now it is overgrown, falling apart, and appears to be surrounded by oil wells and storage tanks. But this towering piece of the entry gate remains with a large gorilla up top.


Now back on I-10 westbound. We did manage an early start today, so we had plenty of time to get home. We also wanted to grab some more caches on the way in order to pickup finds in ten new Texas counties. This time I just looked up the quick, simple, easy, usually boring park and grab caches just to save time. Most were right off the exit ramps so we could quickly get back on the Interstate and keep moving. The only one of interest was this cache (GC1M4Y2) which gave you a good view of this bridge. And then during a fuel stop, we passed by this rather large Texan where GeoDog Max began barking and growling.


As soon as we got home, we ordered a pizza and crashed! It was so good to be home after such a crazy week dealing with the Hurricane. But we did get to see family and friends. And most of all, we got to express our love for each other saying our vows at our first Starbucks!