Just thought I'd post a number of photos from the awesome, FREE, boat tour of the Houston Ship Channel run by the agency that controls it. It covers about 6 1/2 miles of the waterway, and affords people a rare opportunity to get very, very close to some very interesting ships, tankers, refineries, and other industrial sites!
Thanks for showing me that rusty bridge. It makes me feel better Texas has some of that rusty architecture too... lol
Nice job, I love getting up close to oceangoing vessels too. Great port Houston!
My dad used to work on a Shell oil tanker; the Paloma Hills in 1950 based in Montreal. He used to do the Venezuela Portland Maine and Montreal run and stopped in Galveston a couple of times. In those days the tankers were really small tonnage (16000). Thanks to you I found a picture and specs of my dad's old tanker here; http://www.helderline.nl/tanker/1617/paloma+hills/
Thanks for showing me that rusty bridge. It makes me feel better Texas has some of that rusty architecture too... lol
Nice job, I love getting up close to oceangoing vessels too. Great port Houston!
My dad used to work on a Shell oil tanker; the Paloma Hills in 1950 based in Montreal. He used to do the Venezuela Portland Maine and Montreal run and stopped in Galveston a couple of times. In those days the tankers were really small tonnage (16000). Thanks to you I found a picture and specs of my dad's old tanker here; http://www.helderline.nl/tanker/1617/paloma+hills/
Thanks for the kind words, montrealiste! Yeah, being close to big ships is always pretty cool, just like being in the railyards next to the huge locomotives and the like. As for rusty bridges, trust me, Houston's got plenty of them!
Aaron (Glowrock)
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"Deeply corrupt but still semi-functional - it's the Chicago way." -- Barrelfish
Nice pictures. Houston sure has a lot of ships from around the world: Liberia, Bahamas, China/Hong Kong, etc. It makes sense that many are places with oil.
Oil, petrochemicals, cars, and other such things most definitely. Houston is a major, major U.S. port city, it's just one that most people don't think of because the port is so well hidden from view!
Aaron (Glowrock)
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"Deeply corrupt but still semi-functional - it's the Chicago way." -- Barrelfish
Yes, a lot more than oil, although that's a big part of it. It's interesting to look at those photos and think about how all that stuff is supporting the American way of life, like it or not.
Just to head off the inevitable comment on "smoke stacks", those photos are of steam, not smoke. Many years ago, though, it was common to see thick smoke being emitted from American industries before EPA forced the states and cities to clean up.
I'm betting most Houstonians have never seen the port, and many don't venture to that side of the city at all. However, up and coming areas like Eastwoods are pretty close to the port, and the turning basin is only about 4 miles east of downtown.
Agreed, NewTex... If it weren't for such ports and industrial areas, our American way of life wouldn't be possible. I actually give a huge amount of credit to the Port Authority of Houston for not only having a tour of the Ship Channel, but above all, making it extremely easy (not to mention free!) to attend it! I agree, I don't believe many Houstonians have ever seen the ship channel up close and personal, yet alone understand the implications and economic advantages having such a huge port/industrial area the city reaps as a result!
If you havent done it, I highly recommend kayaking up the ship channel, its freakin awesome and offers some incredible views of hardcore industrial grit porn. Great photos too, I love the ship channel. It can stink something massive though at times.
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Nice, I really need to spend more time in Dooshton, oops, I mean Houston! I have always wanted to see more of this town, but I'm only there usually for the beach.
Thanks for the kind words, guys. If any of you happen to visit the Houston area, I highly recommend taking the free boat tour of the Ship Channel. If you're interested, I posted the link previously in this thread.
Aaron (Glowrock)
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"Deeply corrupt but still semi-functional - it's the Chicago way." -- Barrelfish
Great pictures, Aaron! I've always wanted to go on the ship channel tour, but was under the impression that cameras were prohibited on the tour...so I always put off going. Did you sneak these pics?
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I have always wanted to see more of this town, but I'm only there usually for the beach.
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