Fred & Bessie Embark On Learning the Oil Business...

After having recovered from their hangovers and jet lag, Fred & Bessie were ready for a new adventure. I decided to take them to the Petroleum Museum next, where they would learn all about oil & gas, from formation to transportation. Well, perhaps they didn't learn all that, but they did have fun. There are so many dimensions to the oil business that it would be an impossible task to learn every aspect of it. However, the exhibits at The Petroleum Museum do somewhat simplify it for the everyday museum goer, even though Fred, Bessie, and I are still totally clueless. In order to actually SEE Fred & Bessie, you must click on the pictures.

As we approached The Petroleum Museum the first thing we saw was a drilling rig from the early years of oil & gas. The Petroleum Museum has the world's largest collection of antique drilling equipment and modern machinery.

Upon entering the museum the first thing you see is the the Admissions Desk, where we met a lovely lady who volunteers her time there. She was most accommodating and very sweet, making Fred & Bessie feel quite at home. Yes, we're a friendly bunch out here in West Texas.

The first gallery we entered was The Petroleum Hall Of Fame, which is a perfect replica of an oilman's Conference Room. It displays pictures of the most famous men in the oil business, such as Robert O. Anderson, The Leidtke Brothers, Claude Aikman, Don Evans, The Hunt Brothers, and many others.

We then proceeded to the East Wing Gallery, where Fred & Bessie were aghast at the sheer size of a real dinosaur bone. They also attempt to educate the museum goer about the rock formations that the driller must go through before finding the pay dirt... Oil. Unfortunately, Fred, Bessie and I are still in the dark on this one.

Next, we saw an enormous dinosaur display that includes a real piece of rock that has dinosaur footprints. Fred & Bessie were a bit intimidated by its sheer size. Luckily, it was not Jurassic Park, just a display. Otherwise, we'd been running our tail ends off.

Then we entered the tunnel that takes you back to 230,000, 000 years ago, when Texas was underwater and the dead dinosaurs were forming into layers of oil and gas, trapped within the earth. The Marine Diorama replicates Permian Basin sea creatures of 230 million years ago.

The next display was of roughnecks working on an early drilling rig. One of the most dangerous aspects of drilling for oil is the Wild Well, which we call blowouts in these parts. If not gotten under immediate control, blowouts can rip apart a drilling rig within seconds, often taking lives of the roughnecks as well.

This picture shows how a drill bit can bore into solid rock. Think about the movie Armageddon with Bruce Willis & Ben Affleck. It's why they were hired to save the earth from destruction, which was quite feasible really. Drill Bits can penetrate most of the toughest surfaces in the world. Eventually.

A lot of the pictures I took did not come out, due to low lighting in the museum and me not really knowing how to utilize the features on my camera. I do feel that it was more than enough information to ingest, for one day anyway. Exhausted, the three of us retreated to my humble abode for sustenance and more rest. Tomorrow the fun begins...