A Three Hour Tour . . .
After a whirlwind visit with Jan’s sister and brother-in-law, Debbie and Jim, today we rested up by sleeping late and then just goofing off around the coach.
Then about 2:30 pm when we decided to head out for ‘lupper’ at Monterey’s Little Mexico for a bowl of their great Chicken Tortilla Soup and some Beef Fajita Nachos.
Then it was back to the rig for some more resting up.
A really nice day!
The Mysterious Bug-Eaten Blog Post Returns
Our son Chris had volunteered to take Jan, Debbie, and Jim on a boat tour of Clear Lake and a little of Galveston Bay.
I think he just wanted to show off his beautiful classic speedboat.
It’s a 1977 18 ft Century Arabian that had a tree growing out of the hull when he got. A friend gave it to him, probably just to get it out of his yard.
It took him two years, but he rebuilt it from the keel up, including rebuilding the 351 Windsor inboard drive engine, boring it out and adding a hotter cam.
Besides repairing the hull and completely repainting it, he also reupholstered the interior.
It’s a great ski-boat, but it’s also nice for just putt-putting around the lake. 
Not exactly sure where the name “Little Thunder” came from. Maybe “Big Thunder” was already taken?
So our intrepid crew set out on a “three-hour-tour” down Clear Creek and into Clear Lake. I was going to meet them for lunch at Outrigger’s at noon.
And they showed up right on time.
Here’s a view of Outrigger’s from the Clear Lake Channel.
It’s always convenient to be able to dock right at your restaurant.
Jan loves to watch the pelicans that are all around here.
Another shot of the motley crew.
The Kemah Boadwalk is a restaurant/amusement park area cornering on the Clear Lake Channel and Galveston Bay. This coaster is the Boardwalk Bullet, the Texas Gulf Coast’s only rollercoaster. 96 feet high, this wooden coaster reaches speeds of over 50 miles per hour with the track crossing over itself 42 times. This means, for its length, 3236 feet, it’s one of the most compact large coasters ever built. Nick would love it!
The tower on the left is Drop Zone. It takes you 140 feet and then drops you straight down and stops you right before the ground. The tower on the right is the Boardwalk Tower, a 200 foot observation tower that gives you a great view of the Kemah area.
Coming back to the Egret Bay boat ramp after lunch, the boat started taking on some water due to a leaking prop shaft seal. But it only added a little excitement to the trip. The bilge pump to care of it, as seen here.
After everyone cleaned up after the boat trip, we all headed down to Texas City to eat dinner at Ryan’s, our favorite buffet restaurant. We all love their great Fried Chicken.
Then, after dinner, we drove over to Alvin to take Jim and Debbie to the Alvin Opry, a local Country/Western venue. They have a great band, several of who have toured with major name performers.
And as usual, the show was excellent, with a number of new faces on stage,
including Leyla Fences, a new visitor to the Opry stage, and she was great!
About 10:30 pm we dropped Jim and Debbie off at their motel and said our goodbyes. They leave tomorrow on their two day trip back to Illinois. We had a great time showing them the sights, and we’re already planning a family reunion to get everyone in the family together.
More tomorrow…
Thought of the Day:
"The great object is, that every man be armed. Everyone who is able may have a gun." – Patrick Henry
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