La Grange...i know that song

about 1 hour south-west of Lake Somerville, we found ourselves in the tiny town of La Grange...and here i thought it was just a kickin tune by ZZ Top, circa 1973.  more about the town in a minute, but first some savory tidbits on the song:

1.  the song "La Grange" (lyrics) refers to a brothel just on the outskirts of town.  as brothel's go, it's kinda famous - a.k.a. the Chicken Ranch; you may remember the cinematic classic "The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas" starring Burt Reynolds and Dolly Parton.
2.  ZZ Top has played the song "La Grange" (youtube video)  at every concert they have played since it's release in 1973...extended live versions of the tune have been clocked up to 10 minutes!
3.  Rolling Stone and Billboard  magazines consider "La Grange" to be one of the top 100 guitar songs of all time.

the brothel trivia was really just a bonus, as the real purpose of the trip to La Grange was to visit 2 super-significant state historical sites...Monument Hill & the Kreische Brewery.

the story behind Monument Hill is an epic tale in Texas History of it's struggle for independence from Mexico.  it takes place in the 1840's and the players include Santa Anna, his army and 300 Texas Rangers (not the baseball team).  the now infamous and legendary "Black Bean Death Lottery", was Santa Anna's version of russian roulette.  The story is important and the monument was beautiful, peaceful and wet...it rained all day. maybe that's why it was so peaceful?

the cherry on top of this historical sundae was the Kreische Brewery ruins, it shares the state park with Monument Hill...it's like a double-shot of historical significance!  it's another cool story, so make sure to check it out!

today marks the end of our stay in the Prairies and Lakes Region of Texas; we are headed to the Gulf Coast Region and our last 2 stops in Texas.  Louisiana here we come...this wiener's going to Mardi Gras!