texaswillie

Touring the low country along the rivers in Louisiana can be a lot of fun and stopping at some of the “plantations” can be enlightened. We stopped at several “plantations” and this review is about our stop at the Laura Plantation close to Vacherie, Louisiana. This plantation was formally known as the Duparc Plantation. You will notice that prices to get into the various houses usually run around $20 and if you get a discount it will be small, perhaps a dollar. Even though I asked at the front desk we were not given a discount from the $18.00 admission fee. Some publications indicate there is an AAA discount. I found the man on the cash register not to be very congenial as he was apparently having an issue with the register or computer. Keep in ... read more

Victor Colorado is 48 miles from Colorado Springs and about a hour's drive. The scenery along the way is outstanding and there are many places to stop for a snack or coffee. Victor is a small basically tourist town now with a population of around 450 according to the census. This used to be the heart of the gold country however the old mines whcih one saw in the movies have long been closed and given way to modern gold mining. One such mine is on the highway in the Cripple Creek area. Many old mine shafts dot the country side in and around Victor and there are some paths where one can walk safely to viewing areas. The town itself has many old historical buildings with many having going business operations mainly for the tourist. ... read more

Gothenburg is located in the Interstate that runs east to west at the north end of the state.The town has a number of old historical houses and buildings, however it was the Pony Express Station that got us to leave the Interstate for a few minutes.Did you know the Pony Express operated for only 18 months and ran from Missouri to California. Riders as young as 11 years of age were paid $25 a week to carry the mail While the station has been moved from its original site to a Gothenburg park. Admission is FREE. The old Sun Theater was operated as an opera house from 1909 to 1926 and later became a movie theater where the cost to see a movie was 10 cents for children and 20 cents for adults.It is currently operated ... read more

Tucumcari is a “gold mine” for photographers as the small town of about 5000 population is filled with old motels from the 1930’s to 1950’s. Some are boarded up, some in disrepair and others currently operating. There are dozen of unique old motel signs still hanging from their post.The downtown area had a number of very interesting old buildings, especially the train station. The federal building which burned in 2007 is still standing and un-repaired. There are many murals on the outside walls of buildings throughout the town. Route 66 runs right through the middle of the town. On the western outskirts is a new community college that is a sharp contract from the 50 to 70 year old buildings that are in the same area. The long running TV series, Rawhide with Clint Eastwood was ... read more

Since I published a section on Paducah, Kentucky sometime ago I have acquired some additional photos and am updating the info. Paducah has just escaped the recent flooding along the Ohio and Mississippi due mainly to the flood wall which was built after the 1937 flood which took a toll on the city. The downtown are of Paducah has some retail including several restaurants however most of the old retail industry has moved to the mall area just off Interstate 24. Numerous attempts to resurrect downtown Paducah has been undertaken in past years. The addition of the Carson Performing Arts Center a few years go has certainly improved the area around second and Kentucky Avenue, an area that formally had old warehouses, etc. The Center brings in shows and other productions throughout the year thus if ... read more