Galveston, Oh Galveston...

That is the only Glen Campbell song I ever knew.  Every time I even think of Galveston, the song winds up stuck in my head for days.

When I made my first trip to Texas some 26 years ago, one of my biggest dilemmas was how to get across the Houston Shipping Channel.  Bridge, tunnel or ferry?  What a choice to have to make!  I solved it the only reasonable way possible.  I took the bridge.  I then drove back through the tunnel and caught the ferry.  Three crossings and I'm finally headed south to Galveston.

The walk has taken me across the Sabine River and through the Mcfaddin National Wildlife Refuge, just south of the Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge, across the Bolivar Peninsula and over the bay to Galveston.

Mottled Duck Family from Mcfaddin National Wildlife Refuge Website

The Bolivar Lighthouse, in addition to saving lives during the Galveston Hurricane, was the setting for one of my favorite early teen movies, My Sweet Charlie.  Not the typical favorite movie, but my oldest sister and I stayed up late, late one night to watch it and she explained to me what was going on in a way I have never forgotten. 

Photo by Patrick Feller, Flickr

I did take the ferry across to Galveston, but I promise I was walking the entire ride over! ;)

Photo by Patrick Feller, Flickr

Galveston is an intriguing mixture of old and new.  The architecture of the old neighborhoods is beautiful.  The Moody Mansion and Gardens, gets rave reviews

Photo by Texasexplorer98 Flickr

And then there is the Bishop's Palace or the Col. Walter Gresham Home.  What an amazing place!

Photo WikiMedia Commons

From there I'm headed inland.  Time for another jaunt to the Space Center!

Welcome to Texas!

Thanks to Michael Hodson of Go See Write, I have this wonderful visual of Why It Is Taking Me So Long To Get Through Texas.  For those of you who did not already know.

 

Hmm.  Yes.  So grab a copy of James Michener's Texas (at 1344 pages the size of the book is comparable to the size of the state.  They should take you about the same amount of time to get through), and let's get going.  And I'm serious about the book; it's a must-read if you haven't yet.

For the European equivalent, we'll be starting around Vienna and going through Munich, Stuttgart, Luxembourg, and then following the France-Belgium border up to around Lille.  Or if you prefer, Galveston, NASA, Sugar Land, Attwater Prairie Chicken National Wildlife Refuge (I could not resist!), La Grange, The Luecke Trees (more about that later), South Austin and McKinney Falls State Park, Enchanted Rock State Park, Menard and Mission San Saba, Monahans Sand Hills State Park, and Kermit (again, I could not resist!), before moving on to Carlsbad Caverns.  Whew!  Tired yet??

Here's a teaser from the Galveston area.

 

Flock of Seagulls at Galveston Beach Wikimedia

A Quick Look at the Bayous...

traveltips.usatoday.com

For those of you who are just joining us, a quick explanation.  My trip is a virtual trip.  In reality, I am still in Alabama.  I have not been to Texas since my brother's wedding almost 27 years ago, so I am dependent on the web to find my pictures.  All pictures featured here were found using Creative Commons and are available for use as long as I give credit.  That's why each picture has a caption with the place and the name, or pseudonym as the case may be.  I am impressed by the work of these photographers and am grateful for their generosity with their work!  So here are the pictures of my "trip" through the Lousiana Bayous.

Egret over Bayou: Alicia Lee 2007

Lowrider: JCWinkler

White Faced Ibis: Dan Pancamo 2011

Ancient Tree in Bayou: roycope219

Attwater's Prairie Chicken: USFWS

Beaver Dam In Cypress: finchlake2000 2011

Bayou Teche: jcwinkler

Bayou Home: Rennett Stowe

And finally, this one.  There's a story behind this one and why I have included it.  I'll tell you about it next time!

Washburn Tunnel Under the Houston Shipping Chanel