Today’s post is 1700 words, 39 photos, an 8 minute read. Enjoy!
Hi everyone,
Today is New Year’s Eve, the last day of 2023. Tomorrow begins a new year, I can’t wait. This past year has had its high points (travel, family, the economy) and low points (injury, illness, politics). I’m looking forward to more travel, photography, and family time next summer in Door County. I also have my fingers crossed for a healthier new year, but I’ll take what is given to me.
In this week’s post, I take you back to my time in Texas in early November. I pick up the story where I left off last week, heading to the ferry landing in Galveston. If you missed that episode, click here.
The Ferry
It was mid-afternoon on the cool, windy day when I arrived at the Galveston Ferry Landing on the east end of the island. The ferry connects Galveston to the Bolivar Peninsula a distance of 2.7 miles across the Houston Shipping Channel. The ferry is free and takes about 20 minutes to make the crossing. It’s operated by the State of Texas Department of Transportation, it runs 24 hours per day. Apparently, ferry service began in the 1930s after building a bridge across the Channel was considered. It was determined that a ferry was a more cost effective option considering the number of large vessels that ply the Channel, about 7000 per year.
I waited in line for approximately 15 minutes until signaled to drive on to the ferry. The vessel that docked as our ferry was loading was the Ray Stoker, Jr. It’s named for a former Baylor alumni that once served as the Chair of the Texas Transportation Commission.
After departing the dock, we passed the Galveston Naval Museum located at the end of Pelican Island that is accessed by a bridge from downtown Galveston.
As we crossed the Channel, an ocean going vessel passed in front of us. A chemical/oil tanker, the Brilliant flies under the flag of Singapore. I learned from Vessel Finder that this ship was headed to Altamira, Mexico. It’s one of thousands of ships that arrive and depart from Houston every year.
As I mentioned the day was cool and windy, on the ferry it was even colder and windier. Once the ferry was underway, I got out of the car to take photos and enjoy the ride. The wind was blowing so hard, it was difficult to walk around the deck but I did manage to grab a few snaps.
I traveled on the Dewitt C. Greer ferry. Greer was civil engineer and later the chief administrator for the Texas Department of Transportation. Sounded like a bright, hard working fellow as he was said to have no hobbies other than work. 
Soon we were pulling into the ferry landing on the Bolivar Peninsula. I should mention that taking the ferry saves over an hour of driving from Galveston towards Houston before any roads and bridges cross the Shipping Channel. The ferry was way more pleasant than Houston traffic!
The Bolivar Peninsula
The Bolivar Peninsula is a 27-mile stretch of the Gulf Coast with beaches, parks, and resorts. Fishing, swimming, kayaking, bird watching, sun-tanning, and consuming fresh seafood are popular activities. This area is known for its clean beaches. Vehicles are allowed to drive on some parts of the beaches.
The name comes from the South American hero, Simon Bolivar. One of the early explorers of the Peninsula had a military commission from Bolivar.
In September 2008, Hurricane Ike caused severe damage when the winds on the strong side of the front tore through the Peninsula. About 60% of the structures were damaged or destroyed. Within a year, most of the residents had returned and were rebuilding.
I made a few stops at the beaches where there was public access. I can see why people are attracted to the area. The gulls were washing their feet and the fishing poles were waiting for a bite. 
Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge
My destination for the evening was Winnie, Texas. As I headed north on Route 124, I noticed signs for the Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge. This Refuge is one of several along the Gulf Coast that provides protection for migratory birds, water fowl, butterflies, and other wildlife. During my drive through the 37,000 acre Refuge, I saw a lot of birds and turtles but no alligators that are said to be present. Much of the area in the Refuge was at one time used for growing rice and grazing cattle.
It was late afternoon when I arrived at the Refuge. The visitor center was closed but the roads are open dawn to dusk everyday. During my time there, I didn’t see another person or vehicle.
Fishing is apparently a popular reason for visiting the Refuge. The recently built viewing and fishing platform offered good access to the bayou.
At Shoveler Pond there were lots of wading birds as I drove the perimeter of the pond. Since no one was around, I could stop in the middle of the one-way road to step out and shoot some photos. I am in no way a bird photographer, I leave that to the folks with long lenses. But I was able to capture a few decent photos along the route.
My birding friends are welcome to correct me if I’m wrong, but I believe the photo below shows a “congregation” of White Ibis, distinct with their long, curved beaks. They didn’t scare off very easily, I watched them for several minutes before moving on.
This photo is probably my best of the day of this elegant Great Blue Heron. He/she didn’t stick around very long, I was lucky to get one click before it took off.
I enjoyed my time at Anahuac, my guess early morning or later in the evening would be even more exciting with birds coming to spend the night.
Winnie
I had not been feeling well all day and a nights sleep in Winnie didn’t help. I had many of the classic symptoms of Covid; fatigue, headache, a slight sore throat, a mild cough, and stuffed up sinuses. The first thing the next morning, I retrieved a Covid test from the car and within a very short time, the test came up positive. I was to meet up with my photography friends that evening in Dayton. From there we would go to Caddo Lake for a couple of days of photography. But that wouldn’t happen after driving over 1000 miles from Wisconsin.
There is a small community hospital and clinic in Winnie (population about 2600) where I was able to get an appointment and medication. But I would have to isolate for the next few days before going back to Houston to pick up my Traveling Partner for the drive home.
Since I had a room reservation in Dayton, I made my way there where I would spend my isolation time.
Dayton
Dayton, Texas, population 8,777, was founded as West Liberty in 1831. In 1911, the town separated from Liberty about three miles to the east on the other side of the Trinity River. The new town took the name Dayton that came from the rail conductors that referred to the stop as Days Station, Days Town, or Dayton Station.
Dayton is located about 40 miles northeast of Houston. The town has grown by 1500 residents between the 2010 and 2020 census. Highway U.S. 90, a major east-west highway that begins in Jacksonville, Florida and ends in west Texan near El Paso. Dayton is also at the intersection of two railroads, the north/south Union Pacific and the east/west BNSF. There are a number of small manufacturing facilities and north of the city are three Texas State correctional facilities. Oil was discovered in the area in the 1920s and still provides jobs and revenue.
My Covid symptoms were quite mild so I was able to leave Room 17 in the Best Western for a few hours to shoot a few photos since I was missing out the excursion with my photography friends. One day, I drove into Dayton where there is a town square. It looks to me that it’s trying hard to draw attention from the considerable traffic that flows by on U.S. 90.
In front of Dayton City Hall was a veterans memorial to those that perished during in WWII.
Cotton, rice, and cattle farming were a big part of Dayton’s early history. After the conclusion of the Civil War, many freed slaves settled in Dayton and their ancestors still constitute about 15% of the population.
I was intrigued by the now abandoned grain elevator along the railroad tracks near downtown Dayton. It was the American Rice Growers Co-op Rice Mill that was built in the 1940s and operated until it closed in 2017. There were no trespassing signs so my photography was from a distance. I like the 3rd photo below with the daytime moon to the left of the rusting machinery.
Dayton is proud of its murals. Here’s one that I came across.
Trinity River National Wildlife Refuge
On another day during my isolation stay in Dayton, I traveled south of town to Champion Lake, part of the Trinity River National Wildlife Refuge. This is a popular place for kayaking, canoeing, boating, fishing, and bird watching. The water level was lower than normal due to the droughty conditions in northern Texas where the Trinity River begins. As I walked along the levee and sat on the observation deck, here are a few photos that I took during my stay.
A Final Look
I was ecstatic when my isolation time was complete. Every time I walked out of my room at the Best Western, this is what I saw across the road and railroad tracks. The business name is Agribiofuels, they produce upwards of 12 million gallons of biodiesel every year. They also transport chemicals by truck or rail.
On my last day, I noticed there were many (more than 25) Union Pacific locomotives sitting on the siding. Dayton is a service center for the Union Pacific so either those locomotives are waiting be put back into action or waiting to be sent to the scrap yard for recycling. I’ll never know!
Before wrapping up this post, I’d like to give a shout out to Terri Austin of the Dayton Brookshire Brothers grocery store. I did an online order for supplies during my isolation period. Terri filled and delivered my order when I went for pickup. Thanks Terri, I’m grateful for your kindness.
Until next week, Happy New Year and happy travels!
Tom