The OOIDA tour trailer winds up its Texas tour on a wintry note

Marty Ellis has been hauling the OOIDA tour trailer thither and yon across Texas for a month now, but the next stop is the last one for this tour of the Lone Star State.

Ellis and the Spirit of the American Trucker are scheduled to be at the Petro Stopping Center in Beaumont, Texas on Feb. 4-6. After the weekend, Ellis plans to head for Louisiana.

The Beaumont Petro is at the Walden Road exit from I-10, Exit 848.

The truck stop has parking for 275 tractor-trailers, and there is a Black Bear Diner there. It opened in 2019, according to a news release.

The Texas Department of Transportation promised on Twitter to have crews pretreating roadways on Thursday in preparation for anticipated freezing weather over the weekend.

Our crews will begin pretreating roadways tomorrow afternoon in preparation of freezing weather this weekend. If you happen to see our crews on the roadway, please make sure to give them plenty of room. For statewide road conditions, please visit https://t.co/KQNttC8GuB pic.twitter.com/fRFpgNZwWY

— TxDOT-Beaumont (@TxDOTBeaumont) February 2, 2022

The forecast for Friday from the National Weather Service for Beaumont called for freezing rain and widespread frost through the weekend. Kentucky’s governor has declared a state of emergency for his state.

Last winter may have left an impression on anyone who experienced it in Texas.

On Feb. 18-19, 2021, many truck stops in eastern Texas and Louisiana were closed because of winter conditions. Jon Osburn was skipper of the OOIDA tour trailer then and staying in San Antonio. He said then it was a mess, with no food, no fuel, no shower and no DEF.

Land Line last year reported widespread truck stop closings.

Beaumont, where Texas oil started

Beaumont is where in 1901 the Spindletop oil gusher told the world that there was a huge oil field beneath the ground surface in this region. On the campus of Lamar University in Beaumont, the Spindletop Gladys City Boomtown museum celebrates the historical era.

Because of Spindletop, Texaco and Gulf Oil were founded for developing oil production there. Those companies are now part of Chevron Corp.

Beaumont also is where the first commercially successful rice mill in the state was. It was founded by Joseph Eloi Broussard (1866–1956), according to the Texas State Historical Association’s Handbook of Texas. Texas ranks fifth in U.S. rice production, growing 12.4 million cwt., according to Statista.com.

New member

Vonjeston Diggs became a new member of OOIDA in Ganado, Texas.

Stop by when you see The Spirit

If you see OOIDA’s tour trailer, stop by and say hello. Ellis looks forward to visiting about the Association’s activities and current issues. There are copies of Land Line Magazine to pick up there. You can join or renew your membership for $10 off the regular price at The Spirit. Face masks are available at The Spirit for anyone with a commercial driver’s license.

After Beaumont, Ellis is scheduled to stop in Lafayette, La., and then Hammond, La.

Here is the schedule for The Spirit. LL