After discussion the previous night, Mrs. Ulcer agreed to seeing a few places on our way back home but didnt want to get back too late as she had work the next morning. I agreed and picked out 1 place with a possibility of another 3 if she was interested and it all worked out. She agreed.
After packing up we headed off for breakfast at Whataburger (they got her order wrong - as usual...) and a lifetime of regret. After being on the road and passing on a mansion and an old horse farm we were getting close to an old textile mill turned aircraft parts manufacturing plant that I tried to get into on our way up (see Road Trip Day 1). As we began to get closer to our exit but still about 10 miles out we noticed a huge dark cloud in the distance on a completely cloudless day. A few minutes later the cloud was pitch black and I told Mrs. Ulcer to pull over and lets go see it. She said fine but she had to pee.
We made our way through a sleepy Central Texas town as the entire place came alive with onlookers. We managed to get past the cops who had just arrived to block off the roads to the site and we parked close. Mrs. Ulcer and BeauBeau The Dog stayed in the car while I grabbed my camera and made my way through a graveyard to get close to the action.
I managed to get right up to the fence and could feel the heat. It smelled funny so I backed off and talked to a guy in a parked truck. I told him I was a reporter returning from vacation, saw the smoke and decided to check it out, what could he tell me. He said that the fire was the office of a fracking company that made chemicals and that their office trailer was on fire but it was spreading rapidly. His office was directly behind theirs and they all got out. So far nobody was hurt.
At that time there were still no fire trucks on site. I was there for about 15 minutes and didnt even hear sirens until 10 minutes after we left! Here's what I was able to capture:
MCG_9403 by
John Galt, on Flickr
MCG_9416 by
John Galt, on Flickr
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John Galt, on Flickr
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John Galt, on Flickr
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John Galt, on Flickr
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John Galt, on Flickr
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John Galt, on Flickr
After that bit of excitement we made our way to the textile mill. I had tried to get in on Saturday and was told I was trespassing, asked to leave and a cop showed up. After talking with him he suggested that I speak with the Mayor on Monday (who didnt return my call) so I decided to show up to city hall and see if I could get in. I spoke with an older lady named Barbara who recognized me by reputation - she had heard all about my attempts to get in on Saturday and refused flat out. I changed the subject to the fire in the nearby town and she immediately began conveying the information to any coworkers within earshot. I asked about her family and she had relatives in the town so I reassured her that nobody was injured so she shouldnt worry. I then got back on topic and asked when the mayor would be in. She said not for at least another hour but she would give him a call at home.
After some discussion, I kept hearing over and over again, "No I wont let him inside the building. Only outside photos" "Yes I understand the dangers there." She hangs up and say I should talk to some guy who's name I now forget and I wasnt allowed inside, only outside shots allowed. I figured I would take what I could get and see if I could sneak in for a few shots.
When I got in the car my wife told me that I was the talk of the town! Several people stopped by the car while I was in city hall and said hello, asked what brought her to the small town and when they found out they had already heard of my being there a few days earlier! Jesus these people have no life!
When I arrived the guy I needed to see wasnt there so a girl named Cat called Barbara and again the message was repeated several times that I wasnt to take any shots inside. Cat got off the phone and then introduced me to her cat named Steve. With that we were off - to see the entire inside of the building! I had Cat the escort and Steve the Cat as companions!
MCG_9447 by
John Galt, on Flickr
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John Galt, on Flickr
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John Galt, on Flickr
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John Galt, on Flickr
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John Galt, on Flickr
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John Galt, on Flickr
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John Galt, on Flickr
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John Galt, on Flickr
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John Galt, on Flickr
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John Galt, on Flickr
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John Galt, on Flickr
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John Galt, on Flickr
With that out of the way we were headed home. Well we were until I mentioned another location that was just 20 minutes away and something she could look at as it was built as a tourist attraction - The Starship Pegasus!
When I got there I got a few exterior shots while Mrs. Ulcer and BeauBeau The Dog walked around. I decided to see if I could get in and lo and behold I found a POE!
MCG_9470 by
John Galt, on Flickr
MCG_9480 by
John Galt, on Flickr
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John Galt, on Flickr
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John Galt, on Flickr
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John Galt, on Flickr
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John Galt, on Flickr
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John Galt, on Flickr
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John Galt, on Flickr
After this little adventure, Mrs. Ulcer is now talking about taking the rest of the week off and just seeing cool shit. "What else is close by?" I check my map and told her that about 45 minutes away was a school in a small town that I would probably never see, so off we went, getting off the freeway and onto the back roads!
When I arrived at the place I was shocked. This great old school had been turned into a castle! The "ramparts" on the roof were cinder blocks and the entire place had been painted gray with what looked like spray paint. The gorgeous tall windows were now half covered with plywood to make it look like they were arched - a great place ruined. There was a woman outside and I struck up a conversation with her. The school is being turned into apartments by the owner (this lady was a resident) and she wanted a medieval theme. The rent us super cheap and then I got this old woman's life story which I will not torture you with. There was a nearby cotton mill but she said that there wasn't much left as far as equipment went (she lived there for a couple of years before moving into the castle...).
A bust. At this point we were faced with a decision. Head home, stay another couple of nights or take the back roads and take the next day off. Mrs. Ulcer opted for the latter. By this time we were both ready to gnaw our arm off we were so hungry so after passing through several small towns who's only source of nourishment seemed to come from either gas stations or liquor stores we found a place with a McDonalds. I'm not bragging, we were desperate. Luckily we were right in the middle of two locations both schools so we were going to eat then flip a coin to decide which one we would try.
While the Mrs. was peeing (again) I gave BeauBeau The Dog some exercise and let him stretch his legs. He did what dogs do and squatted right by the drive through line and POW! Exploding diarrhea. When Mrs. Ulcer got back I told her the situation, we switched drivers and it was my job to get us back home as fast as possible, thus ending our road trip with a bang!
