Street Signs & Flying Saucers

Standard Street Sign Installation

On the way home from work today, I noticed something at the intersection of Parker Road (Colorado 83) and Lincoln Avenue. Take a look at the picture above. Notice that the Town of Parker's backlit street signs are prominently displayed at this crossroads. This one is installed the way I have always seen them; hanging from the traffic signal arm. But then I looked diagonally across the street from this one and saw a sign mounted in a totally different manner (see next photo below).


An extra arm for the street sign.

I don't know if there was a problem and the street sign had to be remounted, or if it was just an alternate way of hanging it. Still, it is odd that there are two methods at the same intersection.

Now for you UFO nuts out there, here is one to get you going. I noticed in one of the photos that there was an object in the sky. Now I figure it is just a reflection on the lens or on the windshield of my car.


Look! Up in the sky!

But lets take a closer look at the mysterious object. It seems to have a glowing white dome with a saucer surrounding it. Could this be an alien spaceship? No, but it does show how such things can get started.


The UFO over Parker

I must add however that I am still sore from the alien probe! ;)

License Plate Triviality

I tend to notice trivial things. For example, below are two examples of Texas license plates currently in use. The top one is a newer version than the one below it, and has a few changes from the older style below. First notice the shape of Texas in the middle of the plate. On the older edition, the state is colored red. On the new one a piece of the Texas flag is superimposed on the map. Then notice the space shuttle in the upper left corner. On the new version, the shuttle sports a United States flag, and has seven distinct stars above it that are missing from the previous version. These represent the lost astronauts of the shuttle Challenger.

Also over the years, the format of the license number has been revised to insure enough unique numbers were available. I can remember formats that included two alphabetic characters and four numbers, three alphas and three numbers, three numbers and three alphas, and an alpha with two numbers followed by three alphas.

That last format is on the second plate below. But on the new plates, Texas has gone back to the three number/three alpha format.


The "new" Texas plate


Previous edition Texas plate

I remember a legislative and public relations brouhaha a few years back when I still lived in Texas. It involved a proposed and approved design for a new license plate. It was to be powder blue and carry the official state motto, "The Friendship State". Well what an uproar that caused! Powder blue and friendship? Too wussified for a state known for cowboys and manliness! The plan was quickly revised, and a plate that had just the state name and flag was adopted.

There is one more thing. The person who owns the second plate is at risk of being arrested. There is a new law in Texas that no attachment (such as a frame) may obscure the state name, motto, or other design elements on the tag. This frame from a dealership covers up part of the bottom design, including the phrase "The Lone Star State". In effect, this gives police a reason to stop and harrass a motorist who has committed no other infraction, even if the plates digits are clearly visible.

Here are two links about this insanity foisted upon Texans by Governor Rick Perry and the state legislature.

• A blogger talks about it
• Another news report about it
  

Speed Traps, or "Here's the 10-20 on the Smokeys"

In an earlier post, I mentioned the notorious speed trap known as Estelline, Texas. Well, it isn't just small towns that entrap motorists. The National Motorists Association has come out with its list of the top speed traps cities in the U.S. Here are the top ten worst places to speed:

1. Detroit & Suburbs
2. Colorado Springs
3. Houston
4. Orlando
5. Nashville
6. Ann Arbor
7. Albuquerque
8. Washington
9. Denver
10. Virginia Beach

The NMA gets reports of speedtraps on its web site, www.speedtrap.org. While these are the places that top the reports, they say that many other places have arbitrarily low limits and heavy enforcement, so motorists should beware. Obviously, public safety is not the primary reason for such traps; rather revenue and harrassment seem to be the motivating factors.

Just another reason to watch your speed. And while many cops are good citizens and public servants, too many others are in the business as a legal way to bully others. Who needs that hassle?

Galveston, oh Galveston

Rocky shoreline

Not much to say in this post; just sharing a few more pictures I took last Thursday in Galveston. The rocky shoreline above is on the eastern end of Galveston Island, near the site of the former Fort San Jacinto. Since this point of land is at the entrance and exit to Galveston Bay from the Gulf of Mexico, it was an important defense position. This is why the fort used to be here.

There is a large concrete base for large artillery remaining at this far eastern part of the island. This is where the unidentified woman in the picture below chose to relax for a few moments and watch the ships heading in and out of the Ports of Galveston and Houston.


A woman enjoys the sound of the surf and the view of the ships

Here are some more ships coming and going. This is how we get much of our petroleum, as well as all of the cheap junk made in China and sold at Wal-Mart.


Busy shipping lanes at the entrance to Galveston Bay

Further to the west, I saw this lone seashell resting on the sandy beach on the part of the island where there is no seawall. Shortly after I shot this, my sister-in-law laid claim to this former mollusk home.


She sells seashells down by the seashore

In town near the Opera House, I saw the side of a building painted with layers of old advertising. The Wrigley's Spearmint Gum ad still remains visible . . . "Buy it by the box. The flavor lasts."


Old advertising on a brick wall

You can also see the Uneeda Biscuit ad that once graced the wall. A painted ad for Coca-Cola is to the right, but has been repainted more recently. The rubble below indicates that perhaps an adjacent building was demolished, exposing these old advertising signs.

Historic Galveston

Bishop's Palace in Galveston, Texas

When people think about Galveston, many things come to mind. Seawall Boulevard, Stewart Beach, the Bolivar Ferry and the 1900 Hurricane are some of them. However, what many don't know is that Galveston is also home to many examples of Victorian architecture. The Strand district has many historic buildings that have been maintained over the years.

While driving down Broadway, there are also several examples of such architecture. The mansion in the picture above is named Bishop's Palace, and is open for tours. Unfortunately, time did not permit a tour of the interior this trip, but I managed to get a few pictures of the exterior of this fine building.

Across the street from the Bishop's Palace is Sacred Heart Catholic Church. While I am certainly no fan of religion, there is no doubt that some of the world's most beautiful buildings are houses of worship. What is striking about Sacred Heart is the gleaming white color and the detail of the architecture. On the roof of the tower portions, just above the top parapet, there are stone fleur-de-lis at each of the corners. Surrounded by palm trees, this outstanding structure cannot be missed.


Sacred Heart Catholic Church, Galveston

Over on Postoffice Street, The Grand 1894 Opera House is still in business. It hosts a variety of shows throughout the year, including Banjomania every Father's Day weekend, as well as its role as a venue for private events. Built six years before the Great Hurricane of 1900 at a cost of $100,000 dollars, this historic building has survived many storms and serves today as both a cultural attraction and a link to Galveston's past.


The Grand 1894 Opera House

The image below is the main entryway to the Opera House, showing the arch and the box office located just inside the arch.


Opera House entryway

Here is a detailed close up of the 1894 medallion at the peak of the archway. These pictures barely scratch the surface of the classic architecture that is pervasive over much of the city. It would be easy to spend a lot of time exploring Galveston's past and present. Someday I hope to do more of that.


Detail at top of arch, showing the year it was built

Even More Houston Road Geekiness

One messed up sign!

Okie dokie, here are some more Houston highway shots for you photo hungry road geeks out there. As always, you can click the pic for a bigger version.

The picture above is in a construction zone between Sugar Land and Richmond, Texas. The story here is that the old freeway bridge over the Brazos River is being demolished and rebuilt, so they have diverted traffic off onto the feeder streets. This was beside the feeder and is obviously a temporary sign, but you'd think they could at least take a little pride in their work! The SOUTH banner should be above the highway shield, not below it. Looks like they have more than enough room to do it, but NOOOOO!

Ultimately, this stretch of freeway is slated to become part of the new Interstate Highway 69!


US 59 braided ramp

As TxDOT has been rebuilding freeways, they have also been eliminating a hazard. The ramps on and off of the freeway to the feeder streets (frontage roads) used to go onto the freeway and then the off ramp following immediately thereafter for the next intersection. People used to pull a maneuver called slingshotting, where they would run off of a congested rush hour freeway, race down the feeder and pop back on. Plus you would have a traffic weave on the highway or on the feeder, depending on ramp placement. These braided on/off ramp combos are being put into place, and should reduce slingshotting, as well as totally eliminate the dangerous weaves. These are more expensive, but hey, Texas does there freeways like everything else...BIG!

Speaking of big, I took my own shot of one of the Katy Freeway stars. Each intersection has the star painted a different color, and are quite striking.


You can drive your car, on a road that has a star!

And just for grins, here is another shot of the new signs on the Katy. This was taken from the westbound feeder. The BGS shows the exit to the new Grand Parkway, Texas 99, which will someday be a third major freeway loop around Houston. Notice the exit number . . . 743. That's right, 743 miles to where I-10 leaves Texas and crosses into New Mexico. This may be the only Interstate anywhere that has mile markers in the eight-hundreds! That occurs when you leave Louisiana and enter Texas on the eastern side.


Katy Freeway Feeder

Here are a couple of old I-45 markers on a cross street. Looks to me like the North signs had a bad run in with a truck at one time or another.


I-45 . . . No place but in Texas

Speaking of Interstate shields, all over town on various city streets are directional signs for the freeway HOV lanes. This one is on Westheimer Road at Wilcrest. It seems that all over Houston they have standardized new Interstate shields on the wide 3-digit format for all roads. Compare the picture below with the one directly above. This is pervasive on all new signs I saw.


Directions for a quick HOV trip into Downtown

Finally, let's wrap up this post with a nice skyline shot. This is on the North Freeway (I-45) southbound approaching Downtown. This freeway has the oldest HOV lane in town. Back in the 70s, Houston had a trial of something called contraflow lanes for car pools and busses. Holes were drilled on the inside lane dividers both directions. Then just before morning rush, a truck loaded with pylons and a man on the back would drive down the lane. The man would insert the pylons in the holes, so that the outbound left lane became an inbound, or contraflow, lane. Then after the rush, the truck would again make the trip and the man would collect the pylons. Then for the evening rush, the same procedure would turn the left-hand inbound lane was a contraflow outbound lane. Dangerous? Hell yes. For the man in the truck AND for the head on freeway traffic. But, it did prove the concept of HOV lanes, and the North Freeway got the first one in town.


Downtown in sight on the North Freeway

More From the Road

Stop signals embedded in the pavement

While in Houston last week, I came across a couple of examples of something I had never seen before. That is signal lights embedded in the pavement. The example in the photo above is under a skywalk near The Galleria, where red lights are embedded and facing the oncoming traffic. When the signal light is red, the ones in the pavement also light up. When the light changes to green, the pavement lights go out.

Even more striking were embedded lights in the Theater District downtown. Flashing amber-colored lights in the road surface marked the crosswalks, and made one very aware of pedestrians crossing, especially at night. Unfortunately, I didn't get a shot of one of those. Maybe next time.

The next photo shows a sample of the types of Big Green Signs being used in new freeway construction around Houston. Not only are these notable for the attractive gantry support and their use of the new Clearview font; they also do away with the directional exit number tabs. Instead, the exit numbers are contained within part of the BGS separated by a line. Instead of a left-aligned tab for exits to the left, and right aligned for exits to the right; direction for the exit is indicated only by the orientation of the text itself.


Interstate Highway 10 (Katy Freeway) westbound approaching Katy, Texas

For comparison, here is an example of the old style taken in the Denver area. Notice the left tab for left Exit 217B and the right tab for right Exit 217A. Also notice the sloppy sign hanging job, as the 217A sign is not installed parallel with the sign to its left.


Example of old-style exit tabs

Also, I noticed on the Katy Freeway photo there are no lighting booms. I am not sure how these signs are illuminated, but I don't believe they are backlit.

The next photo was taken through a dirty windshield, but you can get the idea. This is also the older, tabbed BGS style, but this one is significant as it marks the southern terminus of Interstate 45. This is in Galveston, where Broadway becomes a freeway headed north toward Houston and Dallas. A couple of interesting items here. One, the wrong, wider shield is used for the Interstate 45 indicator; and there is not a sign indicating the beginning or ending of I-45 on either side of the highway. The causeway connecting Galveston Island to the mainland is just a few miles down the road from here.


Beginning of I-45 Northbound. Mile 1 exits a mile or so ahead!

Keep checking in. Lots more to come.

Even More Signs Along the Road

The old school state line signs welcoming you to Texas

When I was a kid and we used to travel to Oklahoma City to my grandparents' homes, the trip home always had one of these style signs along the highway re-entering Texas. I came upon this one back in the summer of 1999 at Texline, Texas, entering the Lone Star State from New Mexico on US 87. Texline is near the far northwest corner of the panhandle, near the convergence of New Mexico, Texas, and Oklahoma. Had I been making my upcoming trip to Houston via the highway as originally planned, I would have passed by this spot. I am curious if this marker is still in place, although I imagine that it probably is. While this spot is only about 300 miles from where I live, you lose one hour passing this sign, as this is a point where you leave the Mountain time zone and enter the Central. Just a few miles to the west is Clayton, New Mexico, and about 50 miles west is the extinct Capulin volcano.

Since this post is another about signs along the road, lets show a few more. Here is a sign directing motorists to Houston's Westpark Tollway, curiously spelled as "West Park". This toll road is a new one that follows the corridor of the former Westpark Road, extending from the big bend in the Southwest Freeway (US 59) out to the west toward the town of Katy.

The Houston Toll Road Authority also operates the Sam Houston Tollway (Beltway 8), and the Hardy Toll Road that parallels I-45, the North Freeway from the 610 loop northward. These pentagonal blue signs are commonly used as county road markers in many states around the nation, but they are used in Houston in this fashion, designating toll roads. The Westpark Tollway has no toll collectors, as you must have an electronic toll transponder on your vehicle to use it. The HTRA calls their transponder EZ Tag.

Since I mentioned Beltway 8, a little known fact is that Beltway 8, a state highway, is technically only the feeder streets along the tollway wherever the main lanes are tolled. The main lanes are just the Sam Houston Tollway. This is because of a rule that state highways cannot be toll roads.

Just for grins, here is a signpost hosting a junction sign in downtown Tulsa, Oklahoma. This is where one of the city streets approaches an on ramp to the I-244 / US 412 freeway. Despite its 3-digit, even initial digit number, I-244 is not a loop, but instead connects I-44 on the west side of town to I-44 on the east side of town, paralleling I-44 a few miles to the north. The so-called Inner Dispersal Loop, or IDL, is a little loop around downtown comprised of I-244 and unsigned I-444, also not a full loop. Tulsa is also laid out a bit unusually, since downtown is not at the city's center, but is near the northwest corner of the city limits.

It Must be a Sign . . . Yep, It's a Sign Alright!

The merry, merry month of May already? Wow! Where is the year going?

Today, I am in the Dallas-Fort Worth area on business, and this morning on the news is a story that fits in with the theme of freeway signs that I have going. It seems an 18-wheeler has hit a sign support, destroying the sign gantry and bringing it down on top of a van. The truck that caused the problem has also been totaled. Looks like TxDOT has some work to do after the cleanup is finished.


Screen shot from Good Day on Fox 4 in Dallas

Well, it's off to some meetings, so this is a quick post. More to come!

Late afternoon update: Sadly, the news is reporting that the driver of the big rig fell asleep at the wheel, and that one person was killed. They didn't say if it was the truck driver or someone in the van.