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dolariSATURDAY
After a bumpy beginning to the day, and a two hour nap, it was time for a...
Now, the book said this was an approximately 170 mile trip. In actuality, it was 11 hours and 263 miles. FINALLY - a day to be alone! No kidlet, no anyone else - just me and the open road!
From...
WEBBERVILLE to COLTON. Not that there isn't much to Colton anymore - it's been absorbed into Austin, and I simply couldn't find anything that said "Colton" that didn't also say "Austin." There is a HUGE "Cowboy" store there, next to what looks like an old grain mill. Very cool looking, but other than that, it looks just like any other part of Austin.
...to PILOT KNOB. Pilot Knob is actually the remains of an underwater volcano. The actual volcano is on private property, and...well...I'm not sure I actually saw the volcano. I saw a hill, where several of my maps said the knob was, but that's not a place you could see for six miles in any direction....not like the Pilot Knob in Williamson County, which you can actually see for TEN miles around, and it's REALLY conspicuous.
...to ELROY. Also known as Dutch Water Hole because a Dutch (aka German) sheepherder drowned in the river at the site.
...to HIGH GROVE. While reading up on High Grove, I read that the huge white building (used for the High Grove homecoming picnic) was a "White's Only" school. which I thought was rather ironic, because the cemetery in front of it is taken care of, with GREAT care, by a black couple. However, the whole...segregationist...idea moved to nearby Red Rock. And we'll get to that in a minute. In much more easy-to-handle news, a nearby log cabin was restored for use in the movie Leadbelly in 1976.
...to RED ROCK Red Rock is a really cool town. The store is antique, the feed store next door has a very cool mural drawn by a passing hobo for his supper. The rusted gas pumps outside were last used when gas was 27.9 cents a gallon. The city cemetery has an iron wrought tombstone, with no inscription.
And this is really sad. You see, the segregationists from High Grove were settlers from the Deep South of the US. The fact that people were soldiers in the Confederate Army is proudly marked on the tombstones. Not a problem there - they were soldiers after all.
The book I used as a tour guide mentioned the area had long running feuds. Like the Hatfields and McCoys, except in this case it was the Unionists and the Rebels. Signs coming into town in the early 1900s said "Negroes/Troublemakers don't let the sun set on you in Red Rock." To this day, no blacks live in Red Rock.
I didn't take this as anything till I actually got there. But I think these were words of "Caution" from the author. I got into Red Rock, and did my customary "wave to the locals" as I drove in. A few waved back, but very few did. Once I got to the store, the counter person was very short with me. I did talk to a local for a short time, but he was from San Antonio, who had moved to Red Rock just recently, and didn't know the history. Locals who got a good look at the Long Haired Mexican from Austin weren't looking on in novelty. I got VERY uncomfortable and left Red Rock. And on my way out, I saw a Confederate Battle Flag hanging in the window of a house.
I got out of town.
...to BATEMAN, to TAYLORSVILLE, to MCMAHAN. MCMAHAN is lesson on a community wide scale of getting a tattoo at 18 and regretting it at 50. But in a good way. :)
You see...years ago, this town was named Wild Cat. However, one day, a local drunk got just a BIT too rowdy and his neighbors set their dogs after him. The horse, in full panic, ran into a saloon, right through the parlor and out the other side. Two of the patrons of the saloon commented on the horse. "That guy sure was in a whiz." "Well, this is Whizzzerville."
And the name stuck.
Now, when they applied for a Post Office, the Post Office (in a rare tasteful moment) rejected the name "Whizzerville." So they named it McMahan after a notable local. However, the post office is the ONLY thing that is called McMahan. Every thing else in the town, including the county road that gets you there is marked Whizzerville Road.
Whizzerville. ::snicker::
Still, it's a mighty cool little town, who is proud of their unofficial name.
...to DELHI (who got it's name from the only form of entertainment in the area - a traveling medicine show) to JEDDO to BROWN HILL. Brown Hill isn't in my guide book, and I found it while looking for Hopkinsville. There isn't much to the settlement, and it doesn't really look EXTREMELY old. There's an old church here (or perhaps a school), whose doors have warped into the building, so that you can look in. Inside are rows of movie seats, with a piano in the left top corner (which has suffered because the roof has blown off directly above it), and more of a bar than a altar or teacher's desk. A yellowed withering set of plastic flowers is on top of the decaying piano.
Next to it is either a house, or rectory. It was literally just one room, very long, with a fireplace and the remnants of a upholstered sofa. There was also a table made from two saw horses and very thin plywood.
...to HOPKINSVILLE. A true ghost town - NOTHING remains of this Chisolm Trail town...I actually missed it and went back for it.
...to WAELDER. I need to find the address to the people who wrote this book, since a lot on this trail no longer applies. The old R.L. Miller store in Waelder is now part of a HUGE diesel truck parking lot/loading bay for J Bar B meats. You can see the BUILDING that used to be the store, but the tin awning with bullet holes is gone, the historical medallion is busted, and I actually had to ask a local where the building was. Even the historical marker is hanging on one nail.
...to OLD MOULTON to MOULTON. The first town of any real size (Waelder has more people, but there is no real "Downtown") I parked and went up and down the 1950s era strip center...which were all closed. Towns this size close up shop when people stop coming in...no set hours in places like this.
Sitting in the middle of this place is Wagner's Department Store. When I was in State College, we made a joke about Hill's Plaza Store as a store where NOTHING was thrown away. In 1998, we found a Jem and the Hologram's wristwatch in a clearance bin, marked down to a nickle. Wagner's makes Hill's look like an irresponsible marketplace. There is NOTHING in this store that is EVER thrown out. Everything here, wether it's from 2002 or from 1942, has NEVER left it's box, is still available for sale. The philosophy of the store? "It'll sell sooner or later." I saw some "Bloopers" thermal underwear in the window, and a television set that looks like it was a dropped here from the 1960s via a time travel accident.
Especially since they had a Pearl Brewery sign immaculate and untouched. Pearl hasn't been made since the late 70s!
I also did something I haven't done in a while. Before I transitioned, I used to go into small towns, go to a local meeting place (a bar, a tavern, or a park) and talk with the locals about their history. I hadn't done that since I transitioned because so many people tell me I shouldn't be doing that. So today, I did it any ways. In Moulton, I went into Pavla's bar to buy a soda and use their restroom...and stuck around for a while and talked with the extremely old and hard of hearing bartender. Pavla's was built in 1922, and very little has changed, the bar itself is an big thick slab of Oak, and is kept immaculately clean.
I didn't talk much history because they were preparing for a birthday party later in the evening, so I took off.
I was supposed to go to Henkhaus'es Sulphur Park...but I didn't realize it was OFF the highway, and I passed it
...to SHINER. Home of Shiner Bock beer from the Spoetzl Brewery, and Kaspar Wire Works, were most of your hangers and news racks come from.
At the local Methodist church, and having little money, I decided t take one of my many soda bottles, clean it out and get some water. I've made a habit of stopping at churches for water, since they usually have spigots outside and don't say nothing about taking their water (unlike some houses which I used to do, too :) ). The power of the Methodist God was behind this spigot, though, and when I turned the handle, the force of the water blasted the cup out of my hand and under my truck. Amen. :) Actually, it was really cool, cause it cleaned out my cup real good.
...to the Sam Houston Oak. The Sam Houston oak is a HUGE sprawling oak on private property, but visible from a small county road between Gonzales and Shiner. After the battle of the Alamo, Sam Houston and his Texan army gathered here to plan their next strategy. That evening, news got to them that the Alamo had fallen and the Mexican troops were moving on Gonzales. Sam Houston gathered up as many troops as he could overnight, and retreated to San Jacinto to meet Santa Anna there. Many non-military citizens went with him, fearing MExican retribution. This is known as the "Runaway Scrape."
...to GONZALES. Alongside Bastrop, Gonzales is one of the most historical cities in Texas. Bastrop is where Texas literally began and was colonized. Gonzales is where the Texas Revolutionary War started. In October 1835, the Mexican Army demanded a cannon, used for defense against Indians, be turned over for fear the townspeople would turn it on the MExicans. The town's response? "Come and take it." In the battle, one Mexican was killed, and no Texans were. The Mexican Army, now fearing an actual civil war, retreated back to San Antonio. And the war was begun. The site where the Mexican's asked for the cannon is just south of town, and marked out. It's a farming field now. The battle site is a good six miles from Gonzales (A huge monument is near the site, but a small spur road takes you to the actual battle site). Sitting there is a small granite monument, and a house of the property owner. A boat ramp, too. Not a very auspicious place for Texas Independence. The town had NUMEROUS Victorian houses, and even a movie house for sale. Very historic town.
...to OTTINE (Site of Palmetto State Park) to LULING. Luling Stinks. Really. To get to Luling, just follow your nose...because it's part of one of Texas's largest oil fields. The downtown area was a larger version of Moulton's strip center downtown...but by this time (9PM) everything was closed except for a religious concert in one of the parks. After this, I decided it would be best to just drive through the towns...but not before checking out Sarg Records.
The building itself is falling apart, but it looks like there's still a thriving business here. According to my book, this is one of the places that said "No" to Willie Nelson, because his music was too..."1-2-3."
...to STAIRTOWN to BURDETTE WELLS to LOCKHART to LYTTON SPRINGS. Lytton Springs isn't on my guide book - but I recently heard that the Old San Antonio Road went through the area. Just as I turned onto the possible San Antonio Road, I was greeted by a car on fire. Another car was in the area and I asked if they had called the police, and someone had.
Jenn is not an incredibly intelligent creature sometimes. Sometimes, her thirst for history overrides her own self-protection. I sat there and wondered if I could get around this car so I could continue on the road. I sat there or a while, talking with locals who had gathered around...and then decided that I should turn around and go back. I did kick myself in the pants for not going around the car when I had a chance - the gas tank didn't start burning until MUCH later.
...to MENDOZA...back home.
SUNDAY
A Chinese dinner, and an update to Closetspace. After Saturday, there just wasn't much to do. :)
MONDAY
I typed this up, from about 10 AM to 2PM. :)
After a bumpy beginning to the day, and a two hour nap, it was time for a...
ROAD TRIP!
Now, the book said this was an approximately 170 mile trip. In actuality, it was 11 hours and 263 miles. FINALLY - a day to be alone! No kidlet, no anyone else - just me and the open road!
From...
WEBBERVILLE to COLTON. Not that there isn't much to Colton anymore - it's been absorbed into Austin, and I simply couldn't find anything that said "Colton" that didn't also say "Austin." There is a HUGE "Cowboy" store there, next to what looks like an old grain mill. Very cool looking, but other than that, it looks just like any other part of Austin.
...to PILOT KNOB. Pilot Knob is actually the remains of an underwater volcano. The actual volcano is on private property, and...well...I'm not sure I actually saw the volcano. I saw a hill, where several of my maps said the knob was, but that's not a place you could see for six miles in any direction....not like the Pilot Knob in Williamson County, which you can actually see for TEN miles around, and it's REALLY conspicuous.
...to ELROY. Also known as Dutch Water Hole because a Dutch (aka German) sheepherder drowned in the river at the site.
...to HIGH GROVE. While reading up on High Grove, I read that the huge white building (used for the High Grove homecoming picnic) was a "White's Only" school. which I thought was rather ironic, because the cemetery in front of it is taken care of, with GREAT care, by a black couple. However, the whole...segregationist...idea moved to nearby Red Rock. And we'll get to that in a minute. In much more easy-to-handle news, a nearby log cabin was restored for use in the movie Leadbelly in 1976.
...to RED ROCK Red Rock is a really cool town. The store is antique, the feed store next door has a very cool mural drawn by a passing hobo for his supper. The rusted gas pumps outside were last used when gas was 27.9 cents a gallon. The city cemetery has an iron wrought tombstone, with no inscription.
And this is really sad. You see, the segregationists from High Grove were settlers from the Deep South of the US. The fact that people were soldiers in the Confederate Army is proudly marked on the tombstones. Not a problem there - they were soldiers after all.
The book I used as a tour guide mentioned the area had long running feuds. Like the Hatfields and McCoys, except in this case it was the Unionists and the Rebels. Signs coming into town in the early 1900s said "Negroes/Troublemakers don't let the sun set on you in Red Rock." To this day, no blacks live in Red Rock.
I didn't take this as anything till I actually got there. But I think these were words of "Caution" from the author. I got into Red Rock, and did my customary "wave to the locals" as I drove in. A few waved back, but very few did. Once I got to the store, the counter person was very short with me. I did talk to a local for a short time, but he was from San Antonio, who had moved to Red Rock just recently, and didn't know the history. Locals who got a good look at the Long Haired Mexican from Austin weren't looking on in novelty. I got VERY uncomfortable and left Red Rock. And on my way out, I saw a Confederate Battle Flag hanging in the window of a house.
I got out of town.
...to BATEMAN, to TAYLORSVILLE, to MCMAHAN. MCMAHAN is lesson on a community wide scale of getting a tattoo at 18 and regretting it at 50. But in a good way. :)
You see...years ago, this town was named Wild Cat. However, one day, a local drunk got just a BIT too rowdy and his neighbors set their dogs after him. The horse, in full panic, ran into a saloon, right through the parlor and out the other side. Two of the patrons of the saloon commented on the horse. "That guy sure was in a whiz." "Well, this is Whizzzerville."
And the name stuck.
Now, when they applied for a Post Office, the Post Office (in a rare tasteful moment) rejected the name "Whizzerville." So they named it McMahan after a notable local. However, the post office is the ONLY thing that is called McMahan. Every thing else in the town, including the county road that gets you there is marked Whizzerville Road.
Whizzerville. ::snicker::
Still, it's a mighty cool little town, who is proud of their unofficial name.
...to DELHI (who got it's name from the only form of entertainment in the area - a traveling medicine show) to JEDDO to BROWN HILL. Brown Hill isn't in my guide book, and I found it while looking for Hopkinsville. There isn't much to the settlement, and it doesn't really look EXTREMELY old. There's an old church here (or perhaps a school), whose doors have warped into the building, so that you can look in. Inside are rows of movie seats, with a piano in the left top corner (which has suffered because the roof has blown off directly above it), and more of a bar than a altar or teacher's desk. A yellowed withering set of plastic flowers is on top of the decaying piano.
Next to it is either a house, or rectory. It was literally just one room, very long, with a fireplace and the remnants of a upholstered sofa. There was also a table made from two saw horses and very thin plywood.
...to HOPKINSVILLE. A true ghost town - NOTHING remains of this Chisolm Trail town...I actually missed it and went back for it.
...to WAELDER. I need to find the address to the people who wrote this book, since a lot on this trail no longer applies. The old R.L. Miller store in Waelder is now part of a HUGE diesel truck parking lot/loading bay for J Bar B meats. You can see the BUILDING that used to be the store, but the tin awning with bullet holes is gone, the historical medallion is busted, and I actually had to ask a local where the building was. Even the historical marker is hanging on one nail.
...to OLD MOULTON to MOULTON. The first town of any real size (Waelder has more people, but there is no real "Downtown") I parked and went up and down the 1950s era strip center...which were all closed. Towns this size close up shop when people stop coming in...no set hours in places like this.
Sitting in the middle of this place is Wagner's Department Store. When I was in State College, we made a joke about Hill's Plaza Store as a store where NOTHING was thrown away. In 1998, we found a Jem and the Hologram's wristwatch in a clearance bin, marked down to a nickle. Wagner's makes Hill's look like an irresponsible marketplace. There is NOTHING in this store that is EVER thrown out. Everything here, wether it's from 2002 or from 1942, has NEVER left it's box, is still available for sale. The philosophy of the store? "It'll sell sooner or later." I saw some "Bloopers" thermal underwear in the window, and a television set that looks like it was a dropped here from the 1960s via a time travel accident.
Especially since they had a Pearl Brewery sign immaculate and untouched. Pearl hasn't been made since the late 70s!
I also did something I haven't done in a while. Before I transitioned, I used to go into small towns, go to a local meeting place (a bar, a tavern, or a park) and talk with the locals about their history. I hadn't done that since I transitioned because so many people tell me I shouldn't be doing that. So today, I did it any ways. In Moulton, I went into Pavla's bar to buy a soda and use their restroom...and stuck around for a while and talked with the extremely old and hard of hearing bartender. Pavla's was built in 1922, and very little has changed, the bar itself is an big thick slab of Oak, and is kept immaculately clean.
I didn't talk much history because they were preparing for a birthday party later in the evening, so I took off.
I was supposed to go to Henkhaus'es Sulphur Park...but I didn't realize it was OFF the highway, and I passed it
...to SHINER. Home of Shiner Bock beer from the Spoetzl Brewery, and Kaspar Wire Works, were most of your hangers and news racks come from.
At the local Methodist church, and having little money, I decided t take one of my many soda bottles, clean it out and get some water. I've made a habit of stopping at churches for water, since they usually have spigots outside and don't say nothing about taking their water (unlike some houses which I used to do, too :) ). The power of the Methodist God was behind this spigot, though, and when I turned the handle, the force of the water blasted the cup out of my hand and under my truck. Amen. :) Actually, it was really cool, cause it cleaned out my cup real good.
...to the Sam Houston Oak. The Sam Houston oak is a HUGE sprawling oak on private property, but visible from a small county road between Gonzales and Shiner. After the battle of the Alamo, Sam Houston and his Texan army gathered here to plan their next strategy. That evening, news got to them that the Alamo had fallen and the Mexican troops were moving on Gonzales. Sam Houston gathered up as many troops as he could overnight, and retreated to San Jacinto to meet Santa Anna there. Many non-military citizens went with him, fearing MExican retribution. This is known as the "Runaway Scrape."
...to GONZALES. Alongside Bastrop, Gonzales is one of the most historical cities in Texas. Bastrop is where Texas literally began and was colonized. Gonzales is where the Texas Revolutionary War started. In October 1835, the Mexican Army demanded a cannon, used for defense against Indians, be turned over for fear the townspeople would turn it on the MExicans. The town's response? "Come and take it." In the battle, one Mexican was killed, and no Texans were. The Mexican Army, now fearing an actual civil war, retreated back to San Antonio. And the war was begun. The site where the Mexican's asked for the cannon is just south of town, and marked out. It's a farming field now. The battle site is a good six miles from Gonzales (A huge monument is near the site, but a small spur road takes you to the actual battle site). Sitting there is a small granite monument, and a house of the property owner. A boat ramp, too. Not a very auspicious place for Texas Independence. The town had NUMEROUS Victorian houses, and even a movie house for sale. Very historic town.
...to OTTINE (Site of Palmetto State Park) to LULING. Luling Stinks. Really. To get to Luling, just follow your nose...because it's part of one of Texas's largest oil fields. The downtown area was a larger version of Moulton's strip center downtown...but by this time (9PM) everything was closed except for a religious concert in one of the parks. After this, I decided it would be best to just drive through the towns...but not before checking out Sarg Records.
The building itself is falling apart, but it looks like there's still a thriving business here. According to my book, this is one of the places that said "No" to Willie Nelson, because his music was too..."1-2-3."
...to STAIRTOWN to BURDETTE WELLS to LOCKHART to LYTTON SPRINGS. Lytton Springs isn't on my guide book - but I recently heard that the Old San Antonio Road went through the area. Just as I turned onto the possible San Antonio Road, I was greeted by a car on fire. Another car was in the area and I asked if they had called the police, and someone had.
Jenn is not an incredibly intelligent creature sometimes. Sometimes, her thirst for history overrides her own self-protection. I sat there and wondered if I could get around this car so I could continue on the road. I sat there or a while, talking with locals who had gathered around...and then decided that I should turn around and go back. I did kick myself in the pants for not going around the car when I had a chance - the gas tank didn't start burning until MUCH later.
...to MENDOZA...back home.
SUNDAY
A Chinese dinner, and an update to Closetspace. After Saturday, there just wasn't much to do. :)
MONDAY
I typed this up, from about 10 AM to 2PM. :)
