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."
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.
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.
-Kevin
Living the dream.
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!
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
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."
rrebell second bird is a type of finch.
second bird is a type of finch.
It is a House Sparrow.
JW
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.
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
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
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!
You don't have robins in Florida? I thought they were about the world's most common bird. You have a great camera!
I'm trying to imagine a travel trip where getting to "the destination" ASAP is not the priority. You're smiling an awful lot!
The trucks on that UP caboose are different. That lone tree is cool. Sometimes I wish I just had one tree on my place.
Keep 'em coming!
Take it lightly, I am may have been bored. I'm kind of a night owl. You'll be alright. Cheers to you Kevin
Track Fiddler
Track fiddlerWell,.... heck with you Kevin.... you can't approve of me telling my story.... goodnight, I'm hitting the rack, maybe next time then
Sorry, it takes some time to put all these responses together.
Sleep well.
Well,.... heck with you Kevin.... you can't approve of me telling my story.... goodnight, I'm hitting the rack, maybe next time then
Just kidding I was tired anyway...... I need another vacation.
TF
We managed to have a fantastically fun day in spite of driving all the way across Nebraska.
We left St. Joseph, Missouri this morning and drove in Kansas. In the town of Fairview I stumbled into this really neat place. It is Van's Trains. He has a yard full of treasures.
There was a barn that had a layout on the inside, a MASSIVE layout. I could see just part of it through the window. There was a note that said to knock on the house door to see the layout. I knocked, but no one answered.
There was a 7 1/2" gauge live steam track outside, but it looks like it is becoming overgrown. A full size caboose, speeder, and about a dozen signals were also there.
We got stopped by this train at a crossing for a few minutes.
In Marysville, Kansas, I saw this Union Pacific caboose on display.
I am seeing some birds I have never seen before. I took a couple pictures on a break.
We finally made it to Wyoming, and while the sun was still up. The sceenery so far is beautiful.
We ate dinner at a steakhouse near Wyoming University. I had a rare steak that was a great treat.
rrebellWord of warning, model trains and cars do not always mix, have seen a few warped cars because car was in the sun with no AC on.
We Floridians know this fact all too well.
Thank you for the warning.
riogrande5761I wouldn't be at all surprised if when Kevin gets back, he'll be so impressed as to scrap the Gillette east coast theme and get sucked into western model railroading.
I don't think I ever said the STRATTON AND GILLETTE was in the Eastern United States.
DoughlessKevin, you'll be heading into Kansas/Nebraska soon. Please try to stay awake as you drive across the state(s). I grew up there, and staying awake on the road can be tough.
I made it safely today. It was one heck of a trek.
ATLANTIC CENTRALI do have a question, earlier you said you rented a car? Why? I have done a fair amount of travel by car, and the last thing I would want to do is drive a "strange" car.
I did not want to put 8,000 miles on my car, and I had 16 free days earned! I did not rent a strange car, I rented an Impala just like mine. I love my car, and there is no vehicle I would rather make this trip with. The rental is gray though, so not really my style. At least it has a Florida plate.
gmpullmanKeep in mind, Kevin, that there are UPS Stores just about everywhere.
Roger that. I plan to ship things back home a few times. I don't have a lot of extra room in the trunk, and I want to keep all my belongings out of sight.
Track fiddlerI heard a grinding sound before and when I returned the car. Better their car than mine. Believe you me, I heated those breaks up bad, really bad
One more great reason not to buy a used rental car. I have messed up a few myself. Always better to be theirs than mine.
??? Elaborate
Thanks TF
Oh (I rent a car) It's a new car
I get you
Knock knock
Track fiddler...It's a new car, why wouldn't you?...
The first four words, quoted above, would be my reason.
Wayne
I rent a car on all my travels, if I'm driving my travel. It's a new car, why wouldn't you?
When I darn near got lost in the Ozark Mountains on Christmas day, with no gas stations open. That got scary. I think I wore the breaks out on that rental car. All those hair pins and Hills. It was fun for about the first two hours. I heard a grinding sound before and when I returned the car.
Better their car than mine. Believe you me, I heated those breaks up bad, really bad
I could tell you a story about that day by God, if anyone is curious enough to listen to it. Of course Kevin would have to approve of it, this is not my thread
ATLANTIC CENTRAL...I do have a question, earlier you said you rented a car? Why? I have done a fair amount of travel by car, and the last thing I would want to do is drive a "strange" car. Sheldon
While I'd certainly agree with your viewpoint, Sheldon, apparently he got a good deal on the car rental, too. I much prefer to drive my own car - it's comfortable for me, and I know its capabilities and its limitations - and I usually like to push both.
DoughlessYes. Keep the sun off of the styrene.
Keep in mind, Kevin, that there are UPS Stores just about everywhere. If you see something you "think" you don't have room for or if your cache of goodies is beginning to hury tour fuel mileage, you can always ship some packages back home or to someone nearby for safe-keeping.
I remember being in a neat, little resale shop in Sacramento one time. They had a beautiful, Seeburg juke-box "table-top" model, complete with all the sixties songs on the flip-cards. They were asking $50! I hemmed and I hawed, thought about dragging it back home on the train and decided to pass.
It looked just like this one:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/SEEBURG-JUKEBOX-WALLBOX-3WA-200-RESTORED-and-ORIGINAL-CHROME-STOCK-5719-/113568762311
Then! I could just send it home by UPS or FedEx! I was already a few blocks away. When I returned, the place was closed and I kick myself for not thinking through that ordeal.
Just a thought rather than risk keeping your treasure-trove at risk of theft or damage in the trunk of the car.
Good Luck, Ed
Kevin,
With any luck, when you come this way next year, maybe we could get togther and I will show you some of the train treasures of the Mid Atlantic.
I do have a question, earlier you said you rented a car? Why? I have done a fair amount of travel by car, and the last thing I would want to do is drive a "strange" car.
Kevin, you'll be heading into Kansas/Nebraska soon. Please try to stay awake as you drive across the state(s). I grew up there, and staying awake on the road can be tough.
rrebell Word of warning, model trains and cars do not always mix, have seen a few warped cars because car was in the sun with no AC on.
Word of warning, model trains and cars do not always mix, have seen a few warped cars because car was in the sun with no AC on.
Yes. Keep the sun off of the styrene.
Mountains!? I don't see any mountains! Just some rolling foothills at best.
I 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
"All of the world's problems are the result of the difference between how we think and how the world works."
SeeYou190 . So we hopped in the car and went to Trainland in Springfield, Missouri. This ws a fun stop with lots of old merchandise to dig through. . I found a treasure. He had a custom run MYAKKA VALLEY boxcar from the Sarasota Model Railrosd club in Florida. I have been wanting one of these for a long time. I never dreamed I would find it in Missouri! . . . -Kevin .
So we hopped in the car and went to Trainland in Springfield, Missouri. This ws a fun stop with lots of old merchandise to dig through.
I found a treasure. He had a custom run MYAKKA VALLEY boxcar from the Sarasota Model Railrosd club in Florida. I have been wanting one of these for a long time. I never dreamed I would find it in Missouri!
Glad you found Trainland, that was my old haunt when I was in Bible College in Springfield. They have always had a lot of neat used stuff. My other one back in the day was the Hobbydashery- gone for a long time. There have been two other hobby shops that have come and gone over the past 20 years but trainland remains. When I would go from Indiana to see my folks when they still lived in Oklahoma I would always stop in Trainland (and Bass Pro)
Southgate I would strongly persuade you to visit Sequoia National Park in California. It's a ways out of your way, maybe, but compared to how far you are coming from, and then how relatively close you will be to it, Kevin, I've been there, and there's no words. You could even surprise your wife. I mentioned the Redwoods earlier, farther north. They are absolutely awesome, yes. But Sequoia? There's nothing else quite like it on the planet. At least not on this continent. Please consider not letting the opportunity get away. At least one or the other of the "big trees" locations.
I would strongly persuade you to visit Sequoia National Park in California. It's a ways out of your way, maybe, but compared to how far you are coming from, and then how relatively close you will be to it, Kevin, I've been there, and there's no words. You could even surprise your wife. I mentioned the Redwoods earlier, farther north. They are absolutely awesome, yes. But Sequoia? There's nothing else quite like it on the planet. At least not on this continent. Please consider not letting the opportunity get away. At least one or the other of the "big trees" locations.
Don't get me wrong, there is beauty in many places between the east coast and the gate-way to the west, but having been all over the US on many road trips and to/through 45 of the 50 states, there is a order of magnitude grander scale difference driving through parts of the west.
I would somewhat arbitrarily draw a line from New Mexico up to North Dakota and say west of that line are the real treats! I grew up in the west so I suppose I am biased but the vista's are much more spectacular and the distances you can see much farther.
I agree, Sequia Nat Park is a great visit. Tons of geologic and geographic coolness in California from the vocanic tubes and ash in Owens Valley (north east corner) to Lassen National Park (up north) where you can hike up the cinder cone where every two steps up you slide back a step! I've sent many happy days back packing in the Desolation Wilderness near Lake Tahoe, a favorite location of mine.
In the foothhills of the Sierra Nevada, up from Sacrademento, there is the "gold rush" country and in Sacramento has Sutters Fort, both a bit of history from the early days. While in Sacramento don't forget to visit the Train Museum there where there is a Cab Forward and some history of the building of the trans con RR west across the Sierra's with the cooliers.
Back toward the coast, Santa Rosa has Corbell where you can tour the Champaign and Brandy making and nice parks to visit. The Pacific Coast highway Rte 1 if you are adventurous. Bodega Bay, Petaluma where Alfred Hitchcocks "Birds" was filmed. Down south the Sierras there is the Devils Post Pile and further south Devils Golf Course for geology fanatics.
Speaking of Geology, most University geology programs require a field camp near the end where you spend weeks out in the field learning to map via rock type and structure (including ignious, sedimentary and metamorphic & faults and folds). I transferred to IU to finish and they held a field camp at Indiana Univ Field Station in Montana just south of Rte 90 between Butte and Bozeman.
For the six week field camp course, students converged from all over the country and mostly from other universities, to attend and met at Rapid City SD. From there we caravaned to the Badlands of SD and Mt Rushmore, and all over Wyoming (including Devils Tower and Yellowstone) and then up over the Beartooth Mt's into Montana to the Field Station. Later in the six week field camp, we spent 4 days up through Glacier National Park around Flathead Lake and down through Missoula and back to Cardwell MT to finish out the camp class. In one instance we drove to a location where they had radiometrically dated rocks at 2.6 billion years old!
I still have my t-shirt from field camp, and the slogan was "It's not the end of the world, but you can see it from here" That's due to the fact you can see so far, it seems like you can see the ends of the earth. Thats why I say midwest and east kinda seems a bit-hum ho after you've spend time all over the west - it's kinda all down hill from there - no pun intended!
Now that is some spectacular scenery to see, and of course there is much more all over the west from Columbia River Gorge (RR action!) to the forests of the Cascades to the geothermal lands of east side of the Sierra's (Inyo national forest) and Yosemite Nat Park. Strange as it may seem, I really enjoyed, driving route 50 across Nevada and Utah (labeled the loneliest highway in the US).
There is so much to see in the west, that is why an ideal trip (for an east coaster) would be to fly to Denver and rent a car and spend all your time there. Heck, the mid-west and east coast (if you live on the east coast) is easier to get to by car and shorter trips.
You see, it's the grand scale of scenery out west which is why despite being stranded on the east coast, I find modeling western RR's to be absolutey most appealing due to the land scape they travel.
I wouldn't be at all surprised if when Kevin gets back, he'll be so impressed as to scrap the Gillette east coast theme and get sucked into western model railroading. It has a strong appeal and when you've spent some time there in person, seeing with your own eyes, you can't help but be deeply affected. Anyone taking bets?
Rio Grande. The Action Road - Focus 1977-1983
Sounds like you are having a GREAT time! The foods you show are making my eyes water.
OK. Now I gotta say, given the magnitude of your trip, and from the pictures you post and the things you are finding beauty in, I would strongly persuade you to visit Sequoia National Park in California. It's a ways out of your way, maybe, but compared to how far you are coming from, and then how relatively close you will be to it, Kevin, I've been there, and there's no words. You could even surprise your wife. I mentioned the Redwoods earlier, farther north. They are absolutely awesome, yes. But Sequoia? There's nothing else quite like it on the planet. At least not on this continent. Please consider not letting the opportunity get away. At least one or the other of the "big trees" locations.
By the way, I live in Oregon, plenty of beauty to see here too, but a lot of it of it is out of the way off I-5. Dan