Stopping in Beaumont

Running a little ahead of schedule on our way across the Gulf Coast, we decided to spend a couple of nights in the East Texas town of Beaumont.

On January 10, 1901, cattle were grazing on Spindletop Hill. Birds were singing, the sun was out and another easy winter’s day had started.

The rumble was barely perceptible deep in the earth. If it was noticed, it only seemed like a puzzling, unusual sound that had not been heard before. The rumble intensified, the sound becoming unmistakable, if not explainable. Spindletop Hill was giving birth to an entirely new era. Oil !

The Lucas gusher, as it would later be named, exploded with such force that a column of oil gushed hundreds of feet into the air of the calm winter’s morning. Nine days later the column was still gushing at a rate of 100,000 barrels per day, still shooting 200 feet into the air.

The population of Beaumont moved from 7,000 souls in January of 1901 to 30,000 in March of the same year. Over the next few short years, six major wells and dozens of newly chartered oil companies occupied Spindletop Hill. East Texas made America the richest oil resource in the world.

Today, Beaumont still shows it’s history with every facet of the oil industry evident.

Perhaps even more so, Beaumont shows evidence of cultural arts, outdoor playgrounds, and people who are said to be as spicy as the Beaumont restaurants.

And speaking of restaurants, whether you like spicy craw fish, tangy barbecue, or Tex-Mex cuisine, you will have no trouble finding it here. Cajun, Creole, Mexican, just name your spice and sit down and enjoy. And if spicy is not your choice, gulf seafood and Texas beef are equally good options.

We had a very pleasant afternoon ride around Beaumont, Nederland, and Port Arthur, viewing the refineries, the chemical facilities, and oil industry in action. And of course there’s the bayous, the bird habitats, and coastal beaches. Just a fine place to spend a couple of retirement days.

Port Arthur

When you talk of Port Arthur, the subject of oil companies, refineries, and oil rigs quickly comes to dominate the conversation. Oil related structures are everywhere. Somewhat depressed right now with the price of oil so low, many of the facilities are standing idle, awaiting the return of better oil prices.

Sitting along the east Texas coast of the Gulf of Mexico, Port Arthur is a city of contrasts.

Shipping terminals, beautiful scenic waterways, palm trees, and a rich history make up this area. Finding a bench along the intercoastal waterway and watching the ships going and coming is a fascinating way to spend an hour or so.

Setting a goal of finding the world’s best gumbo can keep you occupied for days. Cajun and Creole restaurants and dives dot the bayous offering the best and perhaps the worst imaginable cuisine.

We found a little spot called “Lucky’s” along a bayou and wondered which direction the name would take us. Would it be “Lucky” in that it was a fortunate find, or “Lucky” in that you might be

“Lucky” to leave alive. Turns out that “Lucky” is a robust, red-faced, jolly, friendly and welcoming Cajun, who serves up a steaming bowl of gumbo that is amazing. Today it was a shrimp, crab, oyster, chicken, andouille, concoction with just enough okra to make it interesting. There might have been some other indistinguishable ingredients as well. Lucky said he forgot whether he had put in the hot sauce, so he put in some more just to be sure. He hadn’t forgotten….!

A drive through Sea Rim State Park completed our visit to Port Arthur. Don’t expect the sand to be like Gulf Shores or the Florida panhandle. It is brown with lots of seaweed littered about. But you can’t have everything. At least there’s Lucky’s.

There’s also the Museum of the Gulf coast where you can see memorabilia from natives Janis Joplin, and the great football coach Jimmy Johnson. We are not sure, but you might also find something from the legendary Glen E. Miller, who claims Port Arthur as his childhood home.

Pictured Rocks

"The next line that forms will be for your boat", she said. We had arrived early to get a better seat. We had been told that the Starboard side of the top deck was the best viewing for the sunset cruise to Pictured Rocks. After forty five minutes of standing, we were settled into our seats, three rows from the front on the right side of the boat.

Our boat was parked in the inside corner of an "L",  formed by the two sides of the large dock. Our captain came on to tell us that the 1st Mate, a young woman, would be taking us away from the dock, and heading us out on the first leg of our cruise. As the bow swung to the right, we sensed the practiced feminine touch of a master, as our boat cruised around the open end of the dock, heading for the open waters of Lake Superior.

The captain came on again to tell us we would be cruising for about thirty minutes before reaching the Pictured Rocks. The air moving across our faces was cool and refreshing, our sweatshirts feeling good against the late afternoon wind.

The captain pointed out a couple of bald eagles in tall trees, and an old lighthouse on the lake. There were clouds to the west, but they were broken with spots of blue showing in between. We started to anticipate a nice sunset.

As we started to see the great cliffs in the distance on our right , we began to forget about the sunset and started to marvel at the light on the approaching cliffs.

Edging closer to the bluffs we began to see the color starting to change in the evening light.  The captain was telling us how the different striations of color had developed over time.

We hardly heard his descriptions, as our eyes tried to absorb the bands and stripes of color on the face of the rocks.

After the initial views of the cliff faces, we began to notice the caves near the water line that had been formed by the continuous lapping of the water.

 Odd outcrops of trees growing from the faces of the rocks added to the scenes slowly passing by.

After what seemed to be miles and miles of this fascinating shoreline we began to feel the boat turn and our captain came on again to tell us we had reached the furthest point on our cruise and were turning towards port.

   

Forcing ourselves to look away from the Pictured Rocks and out over the open water to the setting sun, we noticed that most of the broken clouds were gone, having been absorbed by whatever it is that absorbs clouds just before sunset.

By now it was just plain cold. Jo's hoodie was cinched tight as the sun passed below the horizon.

Leaving the boat after a long freezing ride back, we were now anticipating the Hardy's a few blocks away and some hot coffee.

The coffee was great!  As we sat reflecting on our outing to Pictured Rocks, we began the slow process of warming up, with feeling beginning to return to our hands and feet.  The day had been an amazing "Retirement Day".....!

Buffalo Wings

BUFFALO WINGS

Over 60 years ago, a new menu item was added at the Anchor Bar and Grill. They called the item Buffalo Wings because, after all, this is Buffalo New York. Today they are copied all over the world. Most folks don't even know why they are called Buffalo Wings. Here at the Anchor, they are very proud of the name, as well as the wings. And from what we could tell the pride is justified.

These are the original "Buffalo Wings"..... and they are mighty good... We brought home a large portion of our "bucket" !

Kenora and Lake of the Woods

Situated on Lake of the Woods in Ontario, Canada, the town of Kenora is a beautiful, picturesque little town that is a favorite landing spot for fly-in vacationers.

Planes fitted with pontoons are parked at docks all around the city, intermingled with boats of all sizes.

Popular with golfers and fishermen, it is also a favorite vacation spot for the rich and famous and commoners as well.

We arrived in the late afternoon, settled into our rooms, then hurried to the boat for our dinner cruise on Lake of the Woods. A fantastic meal of Walleye, seemed to be the perfect dining choice for a leisurely cruise on such beautiful quiet lake. 

Cruising among the islands, viewing wildlife, fantasy vacation homes, and a slowly setting sun made for a relaxing, peaceful time. Enjoying it with Jo's sister and husband made it even more special.

Walking and driving around Kenora afterwards made this a perfect "Retirement Day".

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Headwaters of the Mississippi River

For most of us, thoughts of the Mississippi river bring up images of multiple barges linked together in front of a large tug boat chugging along at slow speeds. The boats wind back and forth seeking out the main channel, trying to avoid huge sand bars. Often muddy, often between 1/2 and 1 mile in width, it is indeed the "Mighty Mississippi".

A visit to the headwaters of this great river adds another image, that of a 20 to 30 foot wide stream that is only a foot or two deep.

In fact it is so docile here you can walk across the river on stepping stones, wade across if you want to cool your feet, or walk across on a foot log positioned a couple of feet above the water.

Originating in Lake Itaska in Minnesota's Itaska State Park, the actual headwaters is just a short walk from the visitors center for the park. Wading across, then wading downstream to a bridge that crosses the path to the headwaters is encouraged and recommended. It makes for a cool and refreshing experience to your adventure.

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