Campsite at Waxahachie Creek Park. First non-sunny morning.
We stopped outside of Waco.
Memorial for those who died April 19, 1993.
Phil's third cousin, Steven, his wife, Judith and two year old daughter, Maynah died here on April 19, 1993.
Texas State Capitol in Austin.
Beautiful Red Sunset granite.
Surrender of Santa Anna Painting
Davy Crockett Portrait.
The star atop the dome is 8 ft across.
Texas Senate Chambers.
Original Senate desks and chairs from when Capitol was built in 1888.
Painting of the Defeat of Alamo.
Chandelier lights in Senate Chamber.
House of Representatives Chamber.
Flag of the Revolution.
Moonlight Towers. 165-foot industrial lights were once popular in many U.S. cities during the late 1800s. Because of crime Austin people insisted on lighting for nighttime in the downtown.
The towers are 150 feet tall with a fifteen-foot foundation. They were shipped from the manufacturer in Indiana and assembled on site. When first installed, the towers were connected to their own electric generators at the Colorado River dam. The area lighted was a 1,500 foot radius and it was meant to provide enough light to read a watch by.
Over the years they were switched from their original carbon-arc lamps to incandescent lamps in the 20s to mercury-vapor lamps in the 1930s. When they were carbon-arc, the light was brighter, however, nightly inspections were required. Mercury-vapor lighting allowed the installation of a simple switch at the towers base. Wartime considerations required a central switch in case a blackout was necessary.
We camped two nights at Oak Forest RV Ranch, a very nice facility. We used the workout room in the mornings.
On the Road Again Wednesday Feb. 1 to Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum. The IMAX show gave us a good introduction to Texas history, the people and land.
The beautiful lobby floor tells the "Story of Texas." The people sat around the campfires and told their stories.
A docent was eager to share the stories of the early inhabitants of the land of Texas, the Indians, the people from Spain, France, Mexico and the Canary Islands. Also heard stories of the Buffalo soldiers (not buffalo hunters) and Texas Rangers.
On the second floor we learned of the industries of Texas:
Longhorns thrived in Texas.
Cotton....the white is the dress worn by the women as they picked cotton.
Citrus fruits of the Rio Grande Plain.
Timber.
Rice farming.
Wheat farming.
Salt domes.
And lastly......OIL industry changed Texas.
After lunch we toured the Lyndon Baines Johnson Library and Museum. It was very interesting.
A 7/8 replica of the Oval Office furnished at the time of LBJ's presidency.
One of the programs started by LBJ was Head Start. Ellie worked in Stevens Point for Head Start in the summer of 1965, the year the program began.
LBJ's archives.
Many gifts given to LBJ from other countries were on display. This is Persian glazed terra cotta bowl from the 9th or 10th century.
A carved Ivory Tusk for the President of Cameron.
Chinese Tomb Sculptures from the T'ang Dynasty (618-908 A.D.)
Porcelain Horse and Groom (18th century) from the Chancellor of the Federated German Republic.
Austin has been an opportunity to learn so many interesting things about Texas. Tomorrow onto San Antonio.
Location:Waco and Austin, TX.
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