Research on the Internet vs Being There

This past weekend was Memorial Day Weekend and my husband had three days off in a row. I’m working on a book that takes place in the oil fields of East Texas and wanted to visit the site, the museums, and take the scenic drives. But, as the cost of gas was $3.85 a gallon, I hedged. I’d obtained good information off the internet but seeing dioramas of the town during the oil boom would be priceless in actually experiencing what times were like back then. It’s only 170 miles away and my car gets 29 to 30 miles per gallon on the road. Plus the drive is a beautiful one. So I ask myself, “why not go?” Well, I had to figure out what to do with the dog. She’s not a great traveler and my son’s apartment complex has big dogs that would eat her like a snack. He could spend the night here, but I didn't want to impose. I had this summer cold, allergies, or something where I hacked all the time. Of course, I thought the pollen might be better there and I could get some relief.


As it turned out, our son volunteered to stay here with the dog. Sunday morning we set out and arrived in Kilgore in time for lunch, checked into our motel and were at the museum when it opened at 2:00. It was a step back in time and well worth the trip. The movie with footage taken back in the 1930's was informative as was the elevator ride down into a well. Here are a few pictures.



Thought I'd learned a lot on the Internet, I'm glad we made the drive. The Indian blankets and other wild flowers were in bloom. The pollen was as bad or worse but that's to be expected. We had a nice relaxing time.


Linda