Looks like I needed a thread for sharing fun and enjoyment, not just work...

Here is the charming old town of Jefferson, TX, where I visited back on 5-31-2010. It is located in east TX, almost at Louisiana.
The Jefferson Hotel (below) where I stayed the night was once a cotton warehouse in the late 1800s, converted to hotel around 1920.


Looking down main street... Lots of bikers here for obvious reasons. I was supposed have ridden also but the bike battery was flat that morning. Better at home than way over here!!


General store with nice old pickup in front...


Parked at the riverboat dock...


Lady taking a rest under a pine tree. It was 99 out and rising!

 

BIG antique store!! Too bad it was closed that Sunday...


"Sorry, officer - I did not see that stop sign down there!"


The old bank and real estate buildings (have been vacated)...


Departing on the Caddo Lake swamp boat...


Cruising the bayou... We did spot a baby alligator but was unable to get a picture. I did eat fried alligator that evening though......

 

Cruising "Government Ditch", a channel dug by slaves in the 1800s to allow steamboats to transport cotton bails...


"Now THATs a BIG spider!!" (both my guide and I exclaimed that in unison when we saw it!)
It is most likely a wolf spider, about 4" leg to leg.



Reflections on Caddo Lake...


Taking a break at Lake 'O the Pines on the return home...


Lake 'O the Pines...

 

got this one full size ???

 

Looks like you had a great time Rob and BigJerr is looking for calender material

 

It looks like red brick stones were common for streets in that part of the country. Nice pictures of the swamps, were those taken in Texas or were you further East? Sorry, I don't know much about Texas That's a really cool stop sign John

 

Jefferson is in far east TX and Caddo lake (the swamp) is partially in TX and the rest in Louisiana.
It was a fun drive, despite the sweltering 100*+ heat.
I did bring back a very nice old Magnavox AM/FM radio from a antique store that was closing up, so there I was glad to have NOT had the bike.
Also it rained on my part of the way home...

Jerr, I have the big version - I will email it to you...
Here is another shot of Lady prancing through the buttercups...


And coming home, I found an abandoned old UFO from long ago.
Rednecks musta took care of them...... (Note the shot up street sign... )


Its amazing what you can find in TX...............................

 

Nice photos. My favorite car shows are those that are held in small towns.

 

Very Cool shots youve made, Rob!
I really like the "tree-lined-water-road"

Im sure you did enjoy your trip with the lady

Torsten

 

Hey Rob,
Great Pics.
Looks like lady needs some jewelry on those wheels, though. They off at the polishers or something?

 

Many thanks...
Yes, i did have a good time, despite the heat, sweat, and humidity.
That REALLY is called a 'road' - a boat road that is. Maps are even available so you do not get lost.

An interesting trivia bit - on the AVERAGE, Caddo Lake is only 8 feet deep.

They are on a shelf in the garage...
After I had the wheels powder coated, I kinda liked the look of the wheels without the rings. I figured i would leave them off and see if I wanted to put them back on or not.. So far, i am liking them off. Seems to make the wheels look bigger or something.
It is one of those things that once they are on, the scratches are made and they must be left on............

 

These pics are awesome, thanks Rob! Perfect for inspiration this time of year!

 

Rob, the wife and I went to Jefferson back in '98 when we were stationed at Barksdale. We saw the House of the Seasons B&B and one or two others. The old General Store is cool too. That was all pre-442 days, but there is a high probability we'll be back to Barksdale next year (sniff) in the heat and humidity, if so my 442 will make the trip from North Dakota where she's in warm storage. I just hate humidity.

 

Thanks - I wanted this to be a motivational thread. There's much more to the classic car hobby than restoring, fixing, and pampering...
Driving it on fun trips is the most fun, I think!

If yo do make it back out this way, holler at me and we can meet up in Jefferson! I would not mind returning there...

 

A great batch of pics

thanks for sharing

 

Very nice. I like that stop sign device whatever it is. Does it have more of a purpose or do something other than just say stop? It looks like it does something, is it wired to a stop signal and have a magnetic switch mechanism inside to trip it like the buried sensors do now? The plows would wipe that thing out here, or leave a big snow bump in the road when they go over it, looks like it has taken a few hits from something substantial.
Just about every older street in Cleveland has those red paver brick underneath it, the WPA paved a lot of dirt roads with them during the depression.



The driving it on fun trips to go look for more cars to restore, fix and pamper is the most fun, I think!

I would be worrying about my car every minute when I was sightseeing away from it or sitting in a restaraunt and it would spoil any fun I could have.
I rent cars to go on trips so I don't have to worry about a car at all.
I do understand your plight though Rob, being married I don't have to throw caution to the wind to impress any ladies and with my cars I have a lot more to lose than you do too.

 

Awesome pics and great "portraits" of lady. Makes me want to haul out the dslr and the Olds and hit the road. Of course I have to wait for the 6 feet of snow to melt first!

Wayne

 

I agree Rob! We haven't had much good weather for cruising these past 2 months so I definitely have the itch for a good drive. Great pics, thanks for passing them along.

 

The sign just sits there and guides traffic. Being patented in 1926, magnetic switches were not even though of for use in traffic indicators. NOTE the grooves in the letters to allow for water drainage - these were meant to last. According to this ad, they once were painted for better visibility. Note the placement guide.....

They do not look like much in a modern car - i am amazed people could see them back then in the cars of the time.
Of course, nowdays, people cannot even see 24" read and white signs and red lights flashing at them.

I am a bit paranoid at leaving my car, but she is insured, has a good alarm, and wears a club when alone. In Dallas i am very paranoid, but in little towns like this, not near as much. She gets plenty of curious, interested individuals looking at her, like this guy...


She likes being driven and I like driving and we both like showing off, so off we go!

Sounds like a plan - even a point and shoot will work. Use the snowy days to find and research a place to go and hit the road when the ground thaws...

Glad I can give the motivation. I want to get out again since it is still in the 70s and 80s here. Makes me hate to tear the front suspension down to rebuild it, which will make the car immobile for a few weeks...

 

There's much more to the classic car hobby than restoring, fixing, and pampering...
Driving it on fun trips is the most fun, I think!

Got to agree with that, I like to get to as many shows as I can and for me the fun starts when I've loaded up the car and turn the key to start the trip, I know I won't be coming home with trophies and don't care, but I will have been underneath the car with a grease gun and checked all the fluid levels and tires, the cars I have taken all made it there & back with no worries.
Not many people have seen an '87 Olds in England and I have to keep an eye out for cars slowing down to have a closer look. When I went to a show with a friend in his '59 Cadillac and we stopped for gas it took ages to get going again because crowds would gather round asking questions about it (most frequently asked - how much petrol does it use?), in that instance the car show started almost as soon as we pulled off his driveway!.

 

That's how a car and a road trip should go. Thank for posting. Keep it up.

I like the rims the way you have them.......sharp

 

Looks like you had fun driving and that's what this is all about. Also, did you just get a new camera? Looks like you're shooting a DX lens on a full frame camera.

 

Those were taken with a Canon S5 camera, which was a bit new to me at the time, but similar to the S2 that died a few months earlier.
Some of the shots were made with a wide angle lens, having a circular polarizer and UV filter attached as well, resulting in vignetting in the corners. If I lose the filters, vignetting is gone at full wide but the sun glare is annoying. Kind of a tradeoff I guess...

 

I love the shots, Rob.....

Great job!

--Don

 

I would love to explore that part of the country. Those bayou shots bring to mind Credence. Do you have that for your 8-track?

 

No, no Credence, nor even an 8-track unit in the car...

 

Really nice pics. It's great to take an old car on a trip. Can't do that with mine 'till I fix a few things! Thanks for posting!

 

I put a battery disconnect on my car that I got at Wal-Mart for about $6.00. It goes on the positive battery cable and has a big plastic nut that you can take off and put in your pocket, battery is disconnected without the nut. Of course, nothing is fool-proof but I figure it would stop 90% of thieves.
Higgins

 

And here are some on-the-track pictures from TX Motor Speedway on May 7 2011

https://classicoldsmobile.com/forums/announcements/34442-cff-car-show-tx-motor-speedway-may-7-2011-a.html#post284845

Carl (HAMM36) invited me out to this one. Not really a travelling adventure, but more than just a car show.

 

he is wonderring how drunk you were when installing those 442 numbers on your fender lol

 

Don't be mean to the Lady, she looks perty.

 

Rob, great trip!!! A great series of pics, tells the story well. There are many more trips up here in Oregon just waiting for you to get moved up here. Dave E

 

Oh and great pics of an awesome road trip Rob.

 

When I am drunk, the numbers look fine.

Through research, me and the previous owner came to an educated conclusion that the car was cloned about 20 years ago, so I had nothing to to with the addition of the numbers.
I am not too happy with their alignment but do not really know how to fix 'em without massive body work. The new holes would be right on the old ones. So I ignore them and go on.

Personally, I would have never put the 442 emblems on it...

 

Since I have tomorrow off, we will leave on another short vacation in the early afternoon...
I will spend two nights at a cabin at Cedar Creek Lake, do some relaxing, boating, and plenty of tops-down cruising! Will also explore Richland Chambers Lake. I found some neat cafes along the way so hopefully I will enjoy lots of yummy country cooking. Lady needs some leg exercising, so 250 miles should do her well. Temps should be 58 at night and 78 during the day - just right!
This should be a very good Good Friday if all goes well! Will post pictures when I get back...

 

Have a great vacation Rob! Look forward to your new brand of inspiration when you get back.

 

Hey Rob, if you don't mind email me some of your trip information (Route, cafe's, motels) for your Caddo Lake - Jefferson trip...I'm thinking about taking the convertible up there when it gets here in a few weeks. I have an ORIGINAL letter written by Robert Potter in 1842 to a Texas Ranger Captain 2 days before he was shot and killed in Caddo lake.

I'm trying to make a fun trip out of visiting the courthouse to research the rest of the records...I also have original arrest warrants and court documents. I want to see they have on file to know whether I've got copies of documents or originals.

 

Sounds like you are hot on a paper trail! Cool to research that kind of history...
I can look up the routes when I get back. If you have any dates planned let me know. There could be a chance I go out there again this month or next. If you are a little flexible in dates, there could be a chance we could meet on the way and caravan together...

I do know I stayed at the historic Jefferson Hotel. It was okay but would like to try a different place next time.
I ate dinner at the Uncertain General Store (restaurant inside). This was next to the marina at Caddo lake where I took the swamp boat tour. I had fried gator...


There is the Jefferson Hamburger Store and bakery - I did not eat there but sure want to try it.


Here is the courthouse...

On Sunday the prisoners were out back washing police cars...

 

Oh that would be awesome! If I don't have the convertible yet we'll be taking the Honda. I can't afford premium gas AND 6 MPG in the Silver Bullet...lol! Keep me informed! And have fun on this trip!

 

It will only be fun in the vert - trust me...