Not only is Willie Nelson an Austin legend and icon, he is also the owner of what used to be called Carl’s Corner, a truck stop in between Austin and Dallas located just south of Hillsboro on I-35. This legendary truckstop is re-opening soon as Willie’s flagship location to carry biodiesel fuel. For the past few years, he has been quietly negotiating with other truck stops to see Willie’s own brand of biodiesel (Pacific Biodiesel Texas) fuel all over Texas. And all of this before our current energy crisis was even a blip on our radar! By the way, he won the original Carl’s in a poker game with the owner, but according to Willie, “since Carl built the place and the town that surrounds it on I-35….and also knows everything about running it–the two of us are partners now” (from The Tao of Willie). Back when he wrote that, they had made considerable improvements to the old Carl’s (which in typical “Willie style”) were not things you find in a truck stop along the freeway….How about a music theater, an incredible stage atop the old swimming pool, healthy food, really good coffee, and great Texas bands and even live gospel music on Sundays? Now in 2008, even more changes have taken place. There are 2 stages now and 2 restaurants coming (one smoking, one non-smoking) and the “newly remade place is called “Willie’s Place at Carl’s Corner” and it will carry the biodiesel fuel that also carries his name.

Just what is biodiesel? It is simply diesel fuel made from farm products. This can be anything from special crops like the jatropha fruit which the University of Florida is currently working on to develop strains which produce more than the current 1 gallon of oil per plant or biodiesel can be made from recycled products like vegetable oil. Yes, french fries can actually be good for the planet! Just ask Willie who runs his personal cars and his tour buses on biodiesel when he can find it. This is one man who walks the walk. “As soon as you admit to yourself that everything good you do comes back to you twenty times over, then your life will change in incredible ways,” Willie Nelson in The Tao of Willie: A Guide to the Happiness in Your Heart (2006) by Willie Nelson with Turk Pipkin.

As Willie writes in The Tao of Willie, “we’re all going to the same place my friends–a place called the future—and we’re all going to get there at the same time. Only some of us are going to get there by having had a smile on our faces for much of our lives”….I am sure that Willie smiles most of the time and so does those fortunate foks who are lucky enough to get to hang out with him….or run into him at “Willie’s Place” on one of his visits to check out his favorite truck stop or to perform there as he did recently on July 3, 2008, along with a few of his buddies, like Ray Wylie Hubbard, Ray Price, and Merle Haggard. Talk about a way to spend the 4th!

And yes, if you are driving on I-35 in late November 2008, you just might be there for the Grand Re-opening of “Willie’s Place”. Expect incredible music, great healthy food, superb coffee and wonderful vibes from all the memorabilia on the walls….and if you drive a diesel, then try out Willie’s biodiesel. And do pick up a copy of his book…it is a wonderful read and you will feel as if you spent the day with the legend himself…For more on Willie, check out his site: www.willienelson.com For more on biodiesel, go to www.biodiesel.com

 

Tags: Biodiesel, Carl's Corner, Tx, Willie Nelson, Willie's Place at Carl's Corner

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