Diversions on the way to/from Corpus...

Not a long post today. Just some meanderings on my way to and from Corpus Christi last week. Speaking of Corpus, Tropical Storm/Hurricane Dolly passed through today. I'm about 2-1/2 hours north of Corpus, so we got a little of it around 6:30 tonight. Just a nice rain and a little wind. But the best part was the nice smell that comes from a rain...especially if you haven't had one for awhile. There's a name for that smell...it's called "petrichor." There's a scientific reasoning behind it, but who cares about that. Everyone loves that smell...and as as far as I know, no laundry detergent company has been able to authentically duplicate it in their dryer sheets or fabric softener. I guess Mother Nature has one up on them.

I love the nostalgia that American highways still have to offer, so I always try to catch the little bits of history that are disappearing across the country. Considering how much history the rest of the world has to offer with ruins and ancient cities, America is considerably lacking. And we keep tearing down the remains we still have. I think it's important that we capture what little is still there because it all tells a story. I've changed some to black & white because...well, if you have to ask, then you don't understand.

So here was my first stop off the highway on my way to Corpus. That's about all there was on this side of the highway for Oakville. There was more on the way back, but that's later in the report. The gas tanks aren't working anymore in Oakville, so they took off the "& GAS" letters on the sign, but you can still see the silhouette. Oh, well...as least they still have "FOOD."

This was right next door. There was nothing left of the "DRIVE THRU" other than this sign.

Just thought this was an interesting name for a town. There has to be a story behind the name. Turns out it's a Texas ghost town and I found this about Swinney Switch...in addition to the Bake & Rummage Sale raising $2,390 for the fire department.

So that was about all the interesting shots going IN to Corpus. Played around with the camera while I was there and got a couple interesting shots.

There was almost no downtown life at all, but got this kind of neat pic while I was walking by a bar. By the way, neither one of these lame, experimental camera shots will ever make me want to go back to get more. I think I've seen all I care to see of Corpus Christi.

Now I'm on my way back to San Antonio. I had to stop for this one. While still newer than the Route 66 versions, it was still picture-worthy. I'm surprised it hasn't been torn down.

So now I'm back at Oakville, going the other way. As I'm on the way to take a picture of an old gas station, I pass by this place and had to turn around to take another look. The "Historic Oakville Jail." I park and get out to look around. This place has been lovingly restored and is beautiful on the outside. I tried going inside, but it was locked. There was a little pamphlet on the door, so I grabbed one...turns out it's been restored into a B&B. In the middle of nowhere...literally.


This is the little courtyard outside. I read the pamphlet and there is absolutely nothing close by. So if you want total seclusion in the middle of nowhere, with no views of streams, rivers, hills, mountains or anything other than trees, shrubs and brush, the Oakville Jail is the place to come. According to the pamphlet, "antiquing" is in the town of Three Rivers which is seven miles away. The nearest museum is 13 miles away. Fishing is ten miles away. San Antonio is one hour away and Corpus is 1-1/2 hours away.

Here is a "fixer-upper" located across the road. A little paint and some curtains would do wonders. (You can actually see this in the court yard picture above.)

BUT...the pamphlet boasts about having TWO restaurants just five minutes away. Here's one of them.

Good thing they have the "EAT" sign so that we know what to do at Van's Bar-B-Q.

And the other place was at the beginning of this post at the Oakville FOOD & GAS, which doesn't have gas anymore. So you have two choices of cuilinary delights at Oakville, but you better come with a tank full of gas.

This place was also next to Van's Bar-B-Q. And that's all you get with the Oakville Jail B&B. Now, mind you, the lowest price for a one-night stay for 1-2 people at the Oakville Jail B&B is $245.00...which can go up to $585.00 for 8 people. Oh, yeah. Sign me up. Oh, and no pets allowed. So I'll have to leave the kitties at home while I experience a relaxing and excrutiatingly boring night(s) in the middle of Nowhere, Texas.

I was getting nervous about running low on gas (gas stations are few and far between on this run), so I got off at the next gas sign at "Mike's Gas Stop." Keep in mind that I'm a female driving alone in Texas getting visions of "Texas Chainsaw Massacre," but I try to see past that. So I get some gas at Mike's (also in the middle of nowhere)...who tells me that the pumps pump at half the price, so if I want $20, just pump $10. So I give Mike $20 and pump $10. Am I going to argue with Mike out in the freaking middle of nowhere in Texas??? Hell, no! I'd happily give Mike $20 for $5 worth of gas just to get the f*** out of there!

And across the street, I see this!!

Now I know "Horney" usually brings up connotations of "other" things, but the only thing I could think of was of all the poor deer who lost their lives to this stupid-ass building...AGAIN in the middle of nowhere.

Signs that haven't been torn down yet...probably because they're still on private property.

And I found this for sale, if anyone is interested! A streamlined gas station from the past just asking for the taking.

And the sign is still there. You just have to buy a "b" and change your name to "Bubba."

Last, but not least. This is an interesting sight which I have seen quite a few times since I've been here. These are the fins/blades/whatever you call them from windmills.


I took this picture outside of San Francisco, but these are what they're from. I think they must be manufactured in the San Antonio area, because I've seen them being transported quite a few times. They're a few truck-lengths long, which isn't that interesting in itself, but when you seen them maneuvering in town, that's a sight. When they get to an intersection, they have to block off traffic in all directions for a half block so they can make a VERY wide turn. Kind of neat to watch.

So that's my "adventure" to Corpus. Hopefully, my next one will be a bit more exciting.

A Corpus Christi Day Trip

I took a little day trip to Corpus Christi on Friday. I had been there once with the kids almost four years ago, and with a friend during the snowstorm of Christmas of 2004, but decided to do some exploring on my own this time. I was going to include photos I took on the way there and back, but decided to make that a separate post since my posts can get a little overwhelming with WAY too much information/photos for one sitting. I need to learn not to put all my eggs into one basket. So here I am on the way to Corpus. It's about a 2-1/2 hour drive from New Braunfels...and not the most interesting one I might add. This is the view you get the whole way. It would have been nice to have auto-pilot, but I had to be satisfied with cruise control.

This is what you see when you get into Corpus. There are LOTS of refineries on the outskirts of the city. I took these as I was speeding by at 70 mph.

When I got to Corpus I just drove around a bit to refamiliarize myself with the city. This is a shot of the shoreline.

They have some VERY nice homes on the shoreline...many of which have a Spanish flavor. This one backs up to the shore. (By the way, MANY of these homes had "For Sale" signs in the front yards, so if you're in the market for shorefront property in South Texas, this is the place to come.)

While this one is across the street from the shoreline.

Just a little sidebar here...is it just me, or could they possibly find a more aesthetic way to hide the underground electrical connections/wires/whatever than that cylindrical "thing" across the street?? They can design beautiful buildings and houses, but can't think of anything more attractive than that, excuse me very much??? Just my humble opinion.

Here's part of the big marina which is right across from the downtown area.

This is the USS Lexington aircraft carrier, which is a museum now. My sons and I went "aboard" when we were here four years ago...kind of interesting, but not worth a second visit.

Okay, so then I got into the Isla Mujeres "comparisons." I know, I know...every place is different and you can't compare everything with Isla. But I couldn't help it on this trip. Now I love the east coast and the towns along the shoreline there. Bar Harbor, Maine, is a wonderful spot (as are most of the towns along there). And my aunt lives in Niantic, Connecticut, which is another great New England area. And I would never compare those places with Isla. So why Corpus? Because it was boring. There was no personality to Corpus...no feeling of, "Wow, what a great place to visit!" After I was there for a couple hours, I was bored. Photo opportunities were minimal, so bear with me on this visit.

After driving around for awhile, I parked and walked. First stop...the beach. I went down to the shore and was immediately disappointed by this.

Dirty brown water with "stuff" in it. I put my feet in just to see what the temperature was. The water was comfortable, but I didn't have any desire to go swimming.

And the sand. Brown and coarse.

Compared to this.

This is a relatively nice shot along the main swimming beach there.

As opposed to this much nicer shot of THIS swimming beach on Isla.

Umbrella shot on Corpus.

Umbrella shot on Isla.

Now we get to the gift shops...which there are VERY few of from what I could see. They have the obnoxious ones with all the really cheap "crap." This is the only one that looked like it was individually owned.

Hmmm...what would I rather have? Cheaply framed cowboy corrogated steal "artwork," or pretty colorful plates from Mexico?

I kept thinking there should be some cute restaurants or shops, but there just weren't. This was one of them...I didn't go in.

This one had a recording of everything it had to offer...the flavors and prices blasting from a speaker as you walked by. Very unappealing.

This was one of the few restaurants along the beach. I walked inside thinking I might have a beer, but there was a high fence along the outdoor dining area, so that you couldn't even see the beach!! It's like, "Why even have a restaurant along the beach if you can't see it?!?!"

Which reminded me of Picus on Isla. They have the right idea.

This was one of the more "picturesque" souvenir shops.

And, you have to admit, Isla now has one of its own.

They have their own "malecon." It's "nice."

And the view of the sailboats is "nice."

But ya' know what? They all look the same. There's just not the color that Isla has to offer.

I was getting hungry, and since I couldn't find anything unusual or interesting, I opted for Joe's Crab Shack, only because it was out at the end of a pier...closer to the water than anything else.

Walking out to the restaurant, I passed by the shrimp boats.

Which have nothing on the fishing boats on Isla.

Another sidebar... This sailboat had a "For Sale" sign on it for $9,850. Now I know absolutely nothing about boats or how much they're worth, so I didn't think much about this.

Then a few boats down the pier, I see this one. $160,000!! Like I said, I know nothing about boats, but does air conditioning and a generator make this one worth $150,000 more than the sailboat?? Geez, you can get a pretty nice new house for $160,000 in the San Antonio area (which I know is much cheaper than most areas of the country). But it doesn't seem like it's very new...or attractive. Well, just my opinion.

A shot of some gulls while having dinner.

I was able to sit outside when I had dinner and got some more interesting shots. No "toes in the sand" kind of deal here at Joe's Crab Shack. Most people were seated inside with the blaring music. I sat outside with my camera and laptop enjoying what I could of the view and the sunset.

(I like my sailboat shot on Isla better.)




I had breakfast at this place the next morning. I'll have to admit, this was a cool little place. Definitely not huevos motulenos, but a BIG breakfast of eggs, bacon, hash browns and toast. I do like that diner atomosphere. Didn't get a picture of the food, but I'm sure everyone knows what that looks like. Total bill, with tip, $14.00. That would have bought two breakfasts on Isla.

And not once did I see these guys.

I'm thinkin' they're smart and have decided to stay in Mexico.

So that's my little trip to Corpus. Hotels are VERY expensive there. If you're on the beach, they're between $150 to $300. And some of them aren't very well maintained. One of the reasons I compared this to Isla is because you can stay on Isla for less and get more. Between the hotels and the great restaurants, I would go to Mexico before I would ever go back to Corpus. My dos centavos.

My distractions along the way and back will be my next report.