Southgate The trucks on that UP caboose are different.
The trucks on that UP caboose are different.
Yes they are, they are based passenger cars trucks and that exactly how they road. I have heard from a few exWP employees who later worked for the UP that those cupola cabooses were a favorite for crews due to the smooth ride. At the same time UP had some bay window cabooses. These lacked passenger derived truck and where less liked by crews.
Regards, Isaac
I model my railroad and you model yours! I model my way and you model yours!
A few comments:
The Commonweatlh style caboose trucks on the UP Caboose were reasonably common place on cabooses. And they are the same as, or very similar to trucks used on many express reefers back in the day that commonly traveled in passenger trains.
Renting a car - well, I guess if you can rent what you are use to driving like Kevin was able to do......
But I drive a FORD FLEX LIMITED with the eccoboost turbo charged 360 HP engine and all wheel drive. My wife needs the roomy interior and the easy entry/exit of the FLEX with her rheumatoid arthritis. And I am spoiled by its 0 to 60 in 5 seconds performance, not to mention the back of the FLEX could hold a lot of model trains.
And for us, 8,000 miles plus or minus is no big deal. My 2015 F250 is already pushing close to 100,000 miles, and her 2015 FLEX is only a little behind the truck. Cars age just as bad by the factor of time as they do milage, so you might as well drive them in my view.
Rare steak, I have that three times a month at several great spots around here. But I must say I'm not a "foody", so the dining would not matter much to me.
Looks like you are having a great time.
Sheldon
SeeYou190 Day 6: Then I drove to Springfield, Nebraska, and visited a great train model shop that Douglas recommended. It was well worth the trip. I found two Mini-Metals vehicles I had been hunting. Thank you Douglas. . . . We drove off of the Interstate until 3:00 in the afternoon. We saw some really great sites in Nebraska. Driving off of the Interstate from Springfield, we drove 80 miles without finding a place to eat. We finally stumbled upon a local fast food chain called Runza. I had a loose meat sandwich. By this time we were so hungry we would have taken anything. This chain has about 50 locations. Almost all of them are in Nebraska. It was new to me. . . This is the best picture of the day, a lone tree in Nebraska. . . Tomorrow we will be into Utah. . -Kevin .
Day 6:
Then I drove to Springfield, Nebraska, and visited a great train model shop that Douglas recommended. It was well worth the trip. I found two Mini-Metals vehicles I had been hunting. Thank you Douglas.
.
We drove off of the Interstate until 3:00 in the afternoon. We saw some really great sites in Nebraska.
Driving off of the Interstate from Springfield, we drove 80 miles without finding a place to eat. We finally stumbled upon a local fast food chain called Runza. I had a loose meat sandwich. By this time we were so hungry we would have taken anything. This chain has about 50 locations. Almost all of them are in Nebraska. It was new to me.
This is the best picture of the day, a lone tree in Nebraska.
Tomorrow we will be into Utah.
-Kevin
Since you've visited my native state of NE, and few people live there to defend it, a few comments:
For the record, Spring Creek Model Trains is located in Deshler, not Springfield Nebraska.
I forgot about Runza Huts. Ground Beef, cabbage, onions, and cheese; stuffed inside a bread roll and baked to perfection. I believe it is a dish native to Poland. More of a franchise fast food atmosphere and not a local diner, but definitely a Nebraska pillar.
That tree pic certainly captures some common Nebraska scenery. As you head west across the state the amount of trees definitely dwindles. To be fair, I-80 travels the most boring scenery in the state and doesn't present its best side.
Just to the north is sandhill country. Think miles of rolling sahara desert sand dunes covered in lush green grass. High wide open vistas. Few trees. State hiway 2 runs right through it, along side BNSFs mainline to Wyoming's Powder River (low-sulpher coal) Basin. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but its scenery that is unique to the rest of the world.
The long transition from Eastern Nebraska/Kansa to the western side is a sign of things to come. Towns and eateries are much farther apart. Having lived in various parts, I've noticed that the expression of something being "just over there" means about 3 miles in the east. It means about 30 miles in the west. A person gets accustomed to the different perceptions of distance, IMO
Now back to Kevin's awesome adventure....
- Douglas
rrebell second bird is a type of finch.
second bird is a type of finch.
It is a House Sparrow.
JW
To most people, this picture illustrates boring Nebraska.
To me, it's beautiful, and I could look at it all day (which happens when you drive through Nebraska).
York1 John
I asked my doctor if I gave up delicious food and all alcohol, would I live longer? He said, "No, but it will seem longer."
Kevin .... How long are you planning to be on this trip?
You are going so fast .. ..... You will be too early for the celebration of the 150th anniversary of the Golden Spike in Utah on May 10th.
GARRY
HEARTLAND DIVISION, CB&Q RR
EVERYWHERE LOST; WE HUSTLE OUR CABOOSE FOR YOU
BATMANI am enjoying the trip Kevin, that barn pic is awesome, I might print it off and stick it to my backdrop. It almost looks like a painting.
Brent, if you PM me your email address, I will send you the high resolution original image.
DoughlessFor the record, Spring Creek Model Trains is located in Deshler, not Springfield Nebraska.
Sorry about that, and you are completely correct. I botched my notes and made the errors in my post yesterday.
SouthgateYou don't have robins in Florida? I thought they were about the world's most common bird. You have a great camera!
I live at the very bottom of the dangly part of Florida. We get very few migratory birds. One of them needs to get really lost to find itself at my house.
We see Blue Jays and Woodpeckers about once every three years or so. I never see Finches, Cardinals, Robins, or Red Winged Blackbirds.
One of my offices is in Tampa, there we see Loons, Mallard Ducks, Sand Hill Cranes, and several others, but they never make it the additional 150 miles to my house.
I am not a bird watcher, but a bird noticer. I love taking pictures of birds because they are a bit of a challenge.
My camera is a Canon Rebel EOS-T6. I invested in a really good EOS 50-300mm zoom lense with image stablilization. That really helps with the bird pictures.
Heartland Division CB&QHow long are you planning to be on this trip?
I will be back in Florida on May, 12th, and then I am spending five days on Daytona Beach to recover!
York1To most people, this picture illustrates boring Nebraska. To me, it's beautiful,
I wish that is what I would have seen in Nebraska yesterday. Harvesting time has past, and all the field were either full of stalk-stumps or freshly plowed.
I love to see harvesting operations. If you can get to Florida and watch Sugar Cane being harvested, it is quite an interesting process with some really bizarre looking equipment. Not to mention flaming bunnies.
ATLANTIC CENTRALRenting a car - well, I guess if you can rent what you are use to driving like Kevin was able to do...... But I drive a FORD FLEX LIMITED
I will have one problem when I return this Impala. It has all kinds of driver assistance and collision avoidance features that mine does not. I might become to used to them over the next three weeks, and then I will need to get used to using my own eyes to avoid collisions.
There are always Flexes for rent at National when I go to get my car. My five go-to cars for rentals these days are Challengers, Impalas, Explorers, Acadias, and Flexes.
I wanted a sedan for this trip so I can lock things in the truck fully out of site when I park the car to go to attractions and hotels.
I cannot believe I am driving a boring GRAY sedan!
I belong in a RED car!
Living the dream.
Day 7:
One week in, and I am finally in new scenery that I have never seen before. I am so glad I decided to hook north into Wyoming and Utah rather than drive across Texas to get to Los Angeles. This is really amazing up here.
The day started with a bit of a let-down. I visited the Railroad Museum in Laramie, Wyoming just to find out that it is closed. The depot looks to be in OK shape, but there is very little equipment on display.
A Union Pacific freight ran by while I was there.
This 2-8-0 steam locomotive is on display, but it is really sad. This side looks like it was just painted with a spray can. The other side is all rusty and has been attacked and tagged by vandals.
While taking these pictures I was harrassed by a couple of "bums". The area is very seedy, and I got the heck out of there.
The weather was very bad in Wyoming, and I never had good light to take pictures.
I stopped in a burger place called "Broadway Burgers" in Rock Springs, Wyoming and tried a burger made with Elk meat. It was wonderful. I am now a big fan of Elk Burgers!
There is something amazing about Wyoming that I have never experienced before. There are no trees to block your view, so you can see ENTIRE TRAINS as they roll through the countryside. In the South, we have so many trees that you can rarely see more than a few cars and the locomotives. In Wyoming you can see the entire 100 car train from end to end.
This made me really appreciate N scale. You can do this in N scale, you could never reproduce this view in HO.
Also, having "God's Eye View" on trains was a new experience. I always view models like this, but I have never seem real trains from this vantage.
Before we left Wyoming, I was able to get this good picture of a truss bridge.
Then we cruised the back roads into Utah, and happily the sky cleared up and light was good for taking pictures.
The scenery in Utah is just stunning.
We went up to an altitude of over 8,000 feet, and the ground is still covered with snow and this mountain lake was still iced over. It was only 34 degrees up this high.
For dinner we stopped at a place called The Hideout that was recommended by a local we met further up the road. This place serves aged prime steaks, but you need to cook them yourself! They bring you out a marble slab heated up to several hundred degrees, and you cook the steak at your table!
I have no experience cooking steaks on a marble stone, and I did not want to ruin a $40.00 steak, so I opted for the Chicken Fried Steak instead, and it was very good. The red potatoes and vegetables were perfect. This turned out to be a great meal.
This was the best picture of the day.
Beautiful scenery pictures and train shots. You are covering some ground! Are you feeling the effects of jet-lag? (Impala-lag?) Time zone changes!
I grew up on the soggy side of the Cascade mountains in Oregon (that's ORY-gun) and had lotsa lush green and trees, rhodies, flowers, fern, moss (ugh)... banana slugs... Moved to the east side of the mountains 30 years ago yesterday, and still prefer the more arid, open scenery of the high desert, much of which is similar to pix you post.
DoughlessHaving lived in various parts, I've noticed that the expression of something being "just over there" means about 3 miles in the east. It means about 30 miles in the west. A person gets accustomed to the different perceptions of distance, IMO
"One difference between pessimists and optimists is that while pessimists are more often right, optimists have far more fun."
Kevin,
So jealous! This trip looks like a blast! I don't think I could convince my wife to take such an endeavour with me, and I know I couldn't if it involved stops at hobby shops along the way. I love NW Wyoming. In my opinion, it's truly God's country. Other locals are beautiful in their own way too (Desert Southwest, Maine coast, northern California, etc.), but not the same for me. While I'm not sure I would do it, I totally get renting a car for the trip. If something mechanically happens, you aren't stuck waiting for repairs to happen. You swap out rides and continue.
Keep having fun. I'm sure you will.
Mike
Doughless...I've noticed that the expression of something being "just over there" means about 3 miles in the east. It means about 30 miles in the west. A person gets accustomed to the different perceptions of distance....
You're certainly right about that, Douglas. Many years ago, driving back to Ontario after a trip to British Columbia, we took a detour to see the Badlands in Alberta. Rather than return south to the Trans Canada Highway, we continued east on a secondary highway, and finally came to another road heading south. While it was gravel, it was in good condition, and I was able to do an easy 60mph. We saw nothing but fields of grain, stretching as far as the eye could see, but after about 20 minutes, reached the end of the road: a farmhouse and associated outbuildings...with a 20 MILE LONG DRIVEWAY!
After backtracking, we continued east until we found another southbound route, this time paved and with traffic.
Fortunately, Kevin seems to be having a good time, and is following his well-planned itinerary.
Wayne
I don't get the food pictures. Reminds of looking in on the wife's Facebook. Everybody has to post what they're eating.
Mike.
My You Tube
mbinsewi I don't get the food pictures. Reminds of looking in on the wife's Facebook. Everybody has to post what they're eating. Mike.
I enjoy them, since food is a big part of traveling, IMO. Bad food can make for a real crappy vacation. In more ways than one......
SeeYou190There is something amazing about Wyoming that I have never experienced before. There are no trees to block your view, so you can see ENTIRE TRAINS as they roll through the countryside. In the South, we have so many trees
My father-in-law who lived in Atlanta, GA, said the same thing when he visited in Nebraska. He had not seen an actual sunset in years because of all the trees in the southeast U.S.
What a great trip! Hope you continue to have a good time.
Doughless Bad food can make for a real crappy vacation. In more ways than one......
Well put, been there.
Never mind then, just wondering why that is such a topic. His scenic pics and railroad related stuff is great, and we know he's there, as he gets himself involved with most of them.
Travel on Kevin.
Like the food pic's, food makes a region different.
Kevin, after stopping at Jim's Junction in Billings, it would be simple to drop straight south through Cheyenne Wyoming,(great railroad town.)and pick up all the goodies in the Denver, Greely ,Golden, et all, shops and museums and those famous ride tourist trains that they have in Colorado. Much better pickings that going straight through to the Twin Cities for the miles travelled.. picking up Dressler, Neb. after you leave Colorado.
Johnboy out............................Have a great tour.
from Saskatchewan, in the Great White North..
We have met the enemy, and he is us............ (Pogo)
I almost went to ready to roll last week when I was in miami. I gave up because I did not want to drive in the traffic for 45 min to opa loca. hopefully next time now that I know it is a good one. Get there often with work/.
alco's forever!!!!! Majoring in HO scale Minorig in O scale:)
last mountain & eastern hogger Kevin, after stopping at Jim's Junction in Billings, it would be simple to drop straight south through Cheyenne Wyoming,(great railroad town.)and pick up all the goodies in the Denver, Greely ,Golden, et all, shops and museums and those famous ride tourist trains that they have in Colorado. Much better pickings that going straight through to the Twin Cities for the miles travelled.. picking up Dressler, Neb. after you leave Colorado. Johnboy out............................Have a great tour.
There is a lot there just between Cheyenne and Denver. There is the Cheyenne depot Museum with Harry Brunks UC&N that was featured in the Gazette. Then in Denver there is Caboose and just outside is the Colorado Railroad Museum in Golden. Another hour takes yoy to the Georgetown Loop.
There is a lot there just between Cheyenne and Denver. There is the Cheyenne depot Museum with Harry Brunks UC&N that was featured in the Gazette. Then in Denver there is Caboose and just outside is the Colorado Railroad Museum in Golden. Another hour takes you to the Georgetown Loop.
SouthgateAre you feeling the effects of jet-lag? (Impala-lag?) Time zone changes!
Heading West I am gaining hours on the way.
Going back East in two weeks might be a much different story.
JaBearI have to agree,
Thanks for the Bear-Toon. I am having way too much fun.
Water Level RouteKeep having fun. I'm sure you will.
I am! I am going to do my best to keep the fun going for 15 more days!
doctorwaynefollowing his well-planned itinerary.
The only thing that is actually planned is the hotel stops. I am just sort of winging everything else along the way. I have found the best way to have fun on the road is to just go with the flow and allow plenty of extra time for the unexpected fun that comes along the way.
mbinsewiI don't get the food pictures.
I love food! I try to rarely eat at chains. Dining is an adventure for me. It is part of life that I really enjoy.
I especially love sharing meals with new friends and interesting people.
York1He had not seen an actual sunset in years because of all the trees in the southeast U.S.
That would be terrible. Where I live, I can watch the sun set over the Gulf Of Mexico any time I like. I love sunsets.
last mountain & eastern hoggerpick up all the goodies in the Denver, Greely ,Golden, et all, shops and museums and those famous ride tourist trains that they have in Colorado.
I did Colorado a few years ago, and we plan to go back in 2023. This trip will be a lot of new territory for us further north on the return trip.
Most of the driving days are 12+ hours on the return trip, so there won't be much time for serious sight seeing. I hope to get to Mount Rushmore. We will see.
rs2mikeI almost went to ready to roll last week when I was in miami. I gave up because I did not want to drive in the traffic for 45 min to opa loca.
Ready To Roll is very intimidating from the outside. You need to park in an alley and walk through razor-wired gates. If you can get past all that and the bad neighborhood, it is a great store.
A few thoughts:
Train stores in bad neighborhoods - MB Klein, known today on the web as ModelTrainStuff, before moving to the suburbs, was for many decades located in downtown Baltimore, in an area that interestingly contains City Hall, Fire Department HQ, Police HQ.......and the red light district.......one that for decades made Baltimore infamous......
Food while traveling - well I'm glad you are having fun with the food Kevin, but I'm not so adventureous. I don't eat anything remotely "spicey" (and maybe my body knows best, my father died at age 60 from a previously dormant stomach ulcer that was disturbed by heart surgery).
A lot of what you have pictured in the way of food, I would not eat on a bet. To each their own. I'll stick to my bland diet.
My wife and I have done a lot of impromptu travel, pack a bag and go, no fixed plan, no reservations, no schedule. My wife will sleep almost anywhere, she says your only going to sleep and bathe there, it only needs to be clean, not fancy.
We once took a trip to New England, she hated Boston, was bored with lots of stuff, she loved Salem with the witch lore, we got to Newport RI, and stayed a week........that was not even a thought when we started out.
My travels in the west are very limited, but I just don't really get the "beauty" in the scenery. I climbed to the summit of a 12,000 ft mountain on the front range of the Rockies in Colorado at age 18, I've seen Colorado Springs, Kansas City, and St Louis, Milwaukee, etc. I'll take the east any day, for the weather and the scenery.
I do think it is a great adventure you are on, glad you are having a good trip.
ATLANTIC CENTRALTrain stores in bad neighborhoods - MB Klein, known today on the web as ModelTrainStuff, before moving to the suburbs, was for many decades located in downtown Baltimore, in an area that interestingly contains City Hall, Fire Department HQ, Police HQ.......and the red light district.......one that for decades made Baltimore infamous......
One of the greatest hobby shops ever, Orange Blossom Hobbies in Miami, was probably in a great neighborhood when it was new. The decay in tha section in Miami was awful. By the 1990s I was afraid to go there, even with their armed security in the parking lot.
I think they went out of existance in the early 2000's.
Now that area of Miami is magnificent. The urban restoration has been completely successful. It would make me so happy if Ready To Roll would occupy the old space of Orange Blossom Hobbies.
Day 8:
This day started out dismal. The skies were dreary, and the sun was nowhere to be seen. This is not acceptable conditions for picture taking in magnificent scenic surroundings.
This was the view from my hotel window this morning in North Utah. Blah and yuck. I need better lighting than this.
We started today at the Utah Railroad Museum in Ogden, Utah. This is in an old railroad station. The interior is beautiful, but without my wide-angle lense, I could not get a good picture of it.
They had a lot of cool historical railroad equipment on the inside including this CTC panel that I just had to play with.
There is an HO scale layout inside the museum. It is divided into several seperate sections. It is very well executed and since it is behind glass, it is not dusty like the BNSF layout in the Chicago Museum of Science and Industry.
Of course, Promontory Point scenes were a major part of the exhibition.
Then I climbed into an 0-6-0 and moved a few freight cars about (only in my head).
The collection of locomotives here was pretty sparse. Unfortunataly that UP Northern in in pretty bad shape. It looks like it was cannabilized for parts to keep 8444 on the road.
The DDA40X was impressive, but it was too close to the other locomotives to really appreciate it.
There is a Gas Turbine there, but it was under a tent and out of sight.
The UNION PACIFIC executive train was there in preparation for the Golden Spike ceremony next month. Where did this blue sky come from in this picture? I did not even notice that when I took this picture.
Then I went to the Train Shoppe in Salt Lake City, Utah. This was a neat store that had an old west style fun room in the back for little kids. This store is gorgeous. That front entry looks great in person.
Then I headed South on Interstate 15 out of Salt Lake City. It was raining, and there was no chance of getting any pictures, so the Interstate was chosen for travel. I put 200 miles behind me in rain and poor conditions.
Something interesting happened around mile marker 100. Suddenly there were trees everywhere! The mountains began to look like what I see in Tennessee. It is amazing what a difference trees make.
The weather finally cleared, so I got off I-15 and headed into the mountains to the East. We quickly climbed to over 10,000 feet, and deep snow was everywhere!
To my shocking surprise, the road I was on suddenly ended when I reached the end of snow plow service. What? Why did they not clear the whole road? I had to turn around and find another route. This was crazy, it is 90 degrees back home, and here I was stopped in my tracks by 36 inches of snow.
I found a way down the mountain while still heading more or less Eastward. For a while we actually had nice bright blue skies!
I began to see Pine Trees that look nothing like the pines we have back in Florida.
I saw pine trees that look like Christmas Trees!
And then I saw this bizarre looking tree.
I had to climb down a hill and then climb back to the car for that third tree picture. I found out something weird, at 10,000 feet it takes a while to catch your breath. It really is harder to beathe up here.
The local wildlife came out to say hello as we drove by. They were not scared at all by the pasing car.
The sky became overcast and dismal again after we crossed the mountain, so no awesome blue backround in most of the pictures that were taken today.
As we drove down the Mountain, I passed by this sign. I think this must be a joke. How can the "DIXIE" National Forrest be in Utah? Did a survey crew get really lost?
We finally made it to Kanab and the hotel a little after 9:00 this evening. The tourist trap called "Wigwam Denny's" across the road was open, so that was our only option for dinner.
I had the "Sinatra Burger", and while pricey, it was very good. I don't know if The Chairman Frankie Blue Eyes ever ate anything like this monster.
I did get a few good pictures today in spite of the poor lighting conditions. This was the best picture of the day.
I will keep the daily updates coming.
Howard ZaneMan, you are my kind of a guy. I have often dreamed of doing this, but Sandy my wife would have other ideas. How did you convince your significant other to go along?
I convinced her with promises of lots of antique stores, beautiful scenery, fun & adventure, and visiting the girls in Los Angeles & Seattle.
SeeYou190 The collection of locomotives here was pretty sparse. Unfortunataly that UP Northern in in pretty bad shape. It looks like it was cannabilized for parts to keep 8444 on the road. . The DDA40X was impressive, but it was too close to the other locomotives to really appreciate it. . There is a Gas Turbine there, but it was under a tent and out of sight. . The weather finally cleared, so I got off I-15 and headed into the mountains to the East. We quickly climbed to over 10,000 feet, and deep snow was everywhere! . To my shocking surprise, the road I was on suddenly ended when I reached the end of snow plow service. What? Why did they not clear the whole road? I had to turn around and find another route. This was crazy, it is 90 degrees back home, and here I was stopped in my tracks by 36 inches of snow. .
Are those two Tunnel Motors to the right to the DD40X?
The Rio Grande looks like and SD40T-2 while the SP looks to be an SD45T-2. Am I correct?
Also snow like you‘ve encountered is completely normal out west in May and June! I suspect you will see the same thing as you cross the Cascades in Washington!
York1 SeeYou190 There is something amazing about Wyoming that I have never experienced before. There are no trees to block your view, so you can see ENTIRE TRAINS as they roll through the countryside. In the South, we have so many trees Kevin, My father-in-law who lived in Atlanta, GA, said the same thing when he visited in Nebraska. He had not seen an actual sunset in years because of all the trees in the southeast U.S. What a great trip! Hope you continue to have a good time.
SeeYou190 There is something amazing about Wyoming that I have never experienced before. There are no trees to block your view, so you can see ENTIRE TRAINS as they roll through the countryside. In the South, we have so many trees
I live near ATL now (grew up in GI). Yes. The Piedmont. Hills, forests, tall pines, and lots of underbrush foliage. Often times I can't anything that's in front of me other than walls of leaves and bark. Shade keeps the sun off, which is nice, but it sometimes creates darn-near claustrophobic conditions.
Looks like Kevin is having a great time. I hope he gets a chance for some R&R in LA and Seattle with the kids. Lots of driving would take a toll on me.
Yes, out west, temperature and moisture is dictated by elevation. Us flatlanders think of temperature as strictly a north/south thing. Out west it can be more of an up/down thing.
ATLANTIC CENTRAL A few thoughts: Train stores in bad neighborhoods - MB Klein, known today on the web as ModelTrainStuff, before moving to the suburbs, was for many decades located in downtown Baltimore, in an area that interestingly contains City Hall, Fire Department HQ, Police HQ.......and the red light district.......one that for decades made Baltimore infamous...... Food while traveling - well I'm glad you are having fun with the food Kevin, but I'm not so adventureous. I don't eat anything remotely "spicey" (and maybe my body knows best, my father died at age 60 from a previously dormant stomach ulcer that was disturbed by heart surgery). A lot of what you have pictured in the way of food, I would not eat on a bet. To each their own. I'll stick to my bland diet. My wife and I have done a lot of impromptu travel, pack a bag and go, no fixed plan, no reservations, no schedule. My wife will sleep almost anywhere, she says your only going to sleep and bathe there, it only needs to be clean, not fancy. We once took a trip to New England, she hated Boston, was bored with lots of stuff, she loved Salem with the witch lore, we got to Newport RI, and stayed a week........that was not even a thought when we started out. My travels in the west are very limited, but I just don't really get the "beauty" in the scenery. I climbed to the summit of a 12,000 ft mountain on the front range of the Rockies in Colorado at age 18, I've seen Colorado Springs, Kansas City, and St Louis, Milwaukee, etc. I'll take the east any day, for the weather and the scenery. I do think it is a great adventure you are on, glad you are having a good trip. Sheldon