THIS is what a train is supposed to look like!
VIA train 1 by Mike Danneman, on Flickr
Sometimes — everything is just perfect
Cheers, Ed
All our motels (eight of them) at the interchange are open, but they are having a terrible time getting enough cleaning staff.
York1 John
BigDaddy Are motels fully open these days? My barber in Maryland required in appointment back in August. Here in Virginia you can just walk in. Don't know if they are still wearing masks. My friend with MS was wearing a mask when she was alone, driving in a car, just a couple weeks ago on the theory that if she was badly hurt in an accident, she would not be able to put it on herself. She only last week walked into a store since the beginning of the pandemic. Like all of us, she discovered she has deconditioned and is exhausted after 1800 steps in a day.
Are motels fully open these days?
My barber in Maryland required in appointment back in August. Here in Virginia you can just walk in. Don't know if they are still wearing masks.
My friend with MS was wearing a mask when she was alone, driving in a car, just a couple weeks ago on the theory that if she was badly hurt in an accident, she would not be able to put it on herself.
She only last week walked into a store since the beginning of the pandemic. Like all of us, she discovered she has deconditioned and is exhausted after 1800 steps in a day.
Just anecdotal info here, but a few things.
We live in an area that has a lot of Delta Airlines employees, straight shot to the airport. They report the terminal is as busy as ever, with baggage handlers reporting same.
I noticed the Indy 500 had packed stands again. Looked normal from afar. May have had more elbow room than normal, but the reported 175,000 fans in attandance is pretty much official capacity, IIRC.
Couldn't find a hotel room withi a 60 mile radius of Indy for our annual memorial weekend trek back to see family. What we found had room prices 50% higher than normal.
Planning future vacations, motel booking looking more normal. The popular places need reservations well planned, the one night stop overs on the way to the destination have rooms.
Atlanta traffic is congested. Not as bad as normal as Kevin has reported, but there is probably a lot of permanent offsite working changes, due to COVID and the lingering crime/riot issue making commuting even more of an issue. I suspect we are close to achieving the new normal for traffic congestion in ATL.
About 25% of the people I see are wearing masks.
- Douglas
Things are pretty much back to normal here in Harford County MD. People are still wearing masts because they want to, no more state mandate.
We live near three I-95 interchanges with travel facilities and all the motels are open.
Thru this whole thing we were careful but not "phobic", got the shot, still being careful.
But Havre de Grace is having their every Friday street fairs as usual, all types of businesses are open, we have been going out to eat on a regular basis. BUT, the places we go, and the times we go are usually quiet.
We are not drinkers or big socializers.....
Sheldon
Henry
COB Potomac & Northern
Shenandoah Valley
Heartland Division CB&QKevin..... I'm enjoying your trip. Are you able to pack the stuff you buy into the car or do you ship some of it home?
We put all the stuff we buy in the trunk. The items we need in the hotel rooms are in the back seat. When we go to the hotel room we just grab the bags from the back seat and everything else stays in the trunk out of sight.
We limit ourselves to what will fit in the trunk, and we really do not buy very much. The trunk also has bottled water and dirty clothes.
-Kevin
Living the dream.
I've got a haircut appointment tomorrow. Wait, I need an appointment for a haircut now? I just got used to shaving again after wearing a stupid mask every time I went out.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
Good evening all. I had a good day playing Seniors' Cricket. All good fun. Another game tomorrow.
I still have a good head of hair that needs cutting regularly. My son, on the other hand, is losing his hair. He began his hair loss in his early 20s. (Not as good looking as me. )
I made Butternut Squash Curry. Strawberries and Cream to follow.
David
To the world you are someone. To someone you are the world
I cannot afford the luxury of a negative thought
York1 Last time I cut my hair wa December, 2019. I retired in February 2020, and I am groing back my 1980s hair!
"There are always alternatives, Captain" - Spock.
Howdy ...
It was very stormy here yesterday. We lost power at 6:00 pm just before we started to cook supper. WE had sandwiches instead. Power was restored at midnight, but we lost it again an hour later. It wa rstored a second time at 3:00 am. It rained again this morning, but now it is partly sunny and windy.
Der John ... I'm glad you are back in the Diner. Your current layout is looking good. I would like it if we ever go back to Nova Scotia because it is beautiful and the people are wonderful.
TF ..... It is good to see photos from your trip. Glad the hotel is affordable to you. I like that region. I recall the Deadwood Branch of the Burlington. It used old, small 2-6-6-2 locomotives from about 1910 until the 1950's when EMD SD7's took over.
Kevin..... I'm enjoying your trip. Are you able to pack the stuff you buy into the car or do you ship some of it home? That is a lot of hair. To each his own. I still need a harcut every 6 weeks, and I think I will have a full head of hair as long as I live.
Everybody ..... Have a nice afternoon.
GARRY
HEARTLAND DIVISION, CB&Q RR
EVERYWHERE LOST; WE HUSTLE OUR CABOOSE FOR YOU
SeeYou190I am groing back my 1980s hair!
Mike
SeeYou190 Water Level Route Oh, and look at the hair in that pic! Last picture I remember of you it was really really short. Must have been time for a change. -Kevin
Water Level Route Oh, and look at the hair in that pic! Last picture I remember of you it was really really short. Must have been time for a change.
I wish I could go back to my 1970s hair. Unfortunately, I don't worry about getting my haircut anymore. I saved a lot of money by having my hair go away permanently.
Water Level RouteOh, and look at the hair in that pic! Last picture I remember of you it was really really short. Must have been time for a change.
Last time I cut my hair was December, 2019. I retired in February 2020, and I am groing back my 1980s hair!
Kevin and TF, thanks for the pictures.
Good morning, diners. I can't eat anything yet -- I have an early physical therapy appointment.
I'm a little different than some of you when traveling. On all my road trips the past five years, when we checked in to our hotels, if we hadn't had reservations we wouldn't have gotten a room. We usually got in after 6:00 p.m., and the hotels were completely booked up. Several times we saw people in the lobby asking the hotel clerk if there were any open hotels within miles, and the answer was usually "no".
It might be that we just hit it at a time when everyone was traveling. If I'm by myself, I can stay just about anywhere. But with my wife, we usually stay in higher-end places. It costs a lot more to travel with her!
Off to get beat up by the therapist. Have a good day today.
Good afternoon Diners. A coffee and a blueberry muffin please, Janie.
Great pictures by Kevin & TF.
Ed Good news to hear about Ken. I hope he will be around here soon, (as well as others that are missing). Thanks for keeping us informed.
Playing Seniors' Cricket today and tomorrow. All good fun and meeting people.
Thoughts & Peace to All Who Require
TF, thanks for the postcard worthy pics! I've never been to the Dakotas, but they're on my bucket list now. Sorry to hear of your troubles with your wireless carrier. Thats always frustrating.
Kevin, neat train store! Pretty unique find. Oh, and look at the hair in that pic! Last picture I remember of you it was really really short. Must have been time for a change.
Another busy day of training people today, plus a pile of work that got dumped on me yesterday afternoon due tomorrow morning, and a soccer game tonight about an hour and a half from home. It's going to be a long day. Flo, can I get my thermos filled with coffee to go please?
Later fellas!
Thanks for hosting the Diner while on your travels, Kevin! Great Stuff!
Are those bullet holes in the Great Pumpkin? Maybe not such a great place to hide-out
I have to stay out of the Re-Store! We have an excellent one near us and every time I go I wind up dragging something else home because it is just too good to let it go.
Quite often they will have complete suites of kitchen cabinets. Top-end stuff. There was a beautiful sixteen-piece set the last time we were there (pre-covid) and we hemmed a bit too long and somebody else grabbed it. $350!
I heard from KEN last night. He really sounded great. He got a new car, a 2010 DTS Cadillac but he is still in need of a roof and with the prices of lumber he's over a barrel since the contractors won't pin down a price. Cost of lumber "might" be $2K OR it might be $5K!
I encouraged him to stop in and told him we were all hoping to hear from him. He said he was planning to run some trains so maybe that will get him in the mood.
Sometimes talk about how real trains compare to models as far as wheels, track and weights go. At least when WE have derailments they don't rip up a quater-mile of rail!
This is on the Cumberland Mine Railroad.
Have a great day, everyone!
A photo taken five minutes ago shortly after 1 a.m.
The Hampton Inn is owned by the Hilton which my Judy works for.
We get these hotel rooms for $35 a night
The one in Deadwood was sold out at $275 a night but we skated in with our $35
TF
Today I started driving to the first Antique store, and we passed a Habitat For Humanity ReStore. We have one of these in Fort Myers, but it is like a Goodwill. This place looked different.
It was amazing! They had all kinds of used and vintage home fixtures. Stuff like this is impossible to find in Florida, we don't have many old houses to salvage old fixtures from. This place turned out to be a gold mine for me.
I found a great light fixture for $12.00! I spent almost $200.00 on all the neat stuff they had.
Then we went to a couple antique stores, and then to the Model Trains Station in Taylors, South Carolina.
This place was mind-blowing. They are located in an anciernt industrial building, and have at least six operating layouts in scales from N to G!
My friendly host showed me around, and I took dozens of pictures of the layouts on display. You can expect to see a lot of these pictures showing up in the "Show Me Something" thread in the future.
This is a good sample of what they have on display:
There is also a large children's play area:
If you are anywhere near Taylors, SC, this place is 100% worth the effort to visit.
Everyone there is a volunteer, and they rely on donations for everything. It is amazing what they have accomplished. My host told me they have only been there three years.
I am sending them a link to this post. Maybe they will reply with more details about this project.
I found this nifty church today.
I also ran across this old railroad bridge that is being eaten by the kudzu!
Then we went to several more antique stores. One of them in South Carolina had a Lindy's location in it! I dropped about $100.00 on some old kits and some neat 3D printed detail packs.
As we drove around, my wife saw signs for a city named Pumpkintown. We had to drive there and look for the pumpkin! After about 30 minutes of looking around we found it!
The weather was terrible all day. It was overcast and the light was terrible. We drove through lots of gorgeous scenery, but good pictures were impossible with these conditions.
At 4:00 we realized we had only gone 40 miles, and we still has 430 more to go. We left South Carolina and drove through North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and into West Virginia. Five states in one day.
We did not get to the hotel until 1:00 AM!
OK, I am off to bed... see you all tomorrow.
DoughlessOr just heading up the east coast I presume.
I only have two more trips planned.
One up the East Coast to Maine on I-95, and the other to Louisiana and Texas, on I-10.
Track fiddlerKevin will very well get one,
That is the way to my wife's good side! She loves neat rocks!
hon30critterWhat time do you start in the morning? By 'start' I mean when do you actually start driving to your next destination?
We usually leave the hotel about 9:00 AM. Sometimes our first target is in the same town, sometimes we need to drive to get to it.
hon30crittero you have a set itinerary or can you do whatever you want?
This trip we have nine days with scheduled events. That leaves 18 days of looking for fun stuff as we go. We have some ideas and some targets, but no set agendas that cannot be changed.
hon30critterHave you made hotel reservations or are you just finding accomodations as you go?
We have made all the hotel reservations in advance, because I have accumulated hundreds of thousands of Hilton Honors points. These need to be used on reservations. We are only paying for four hotel nights this trip out of pocket.
A warm hello from the Ju-Ju Bear and the Fiddler from South Dakota
Isn't She Sweet? I think I like her and my hunt for the perfect female was over 25 years ago
Post Hog! Post Card!
With rocks like this, who needs agates? They look like fine crafted pottery.
I'm going to kype a half a dozen of these things out of the landscaping and send them to friends and family. I can't wait to cut a couple of them in half with my diamond saw
Kevin will very well get one, maybe Ed or John and Brent so he can park it right next to one of his prized hockey pucks he caught
The shipping weight will be way more postage than the effort of picking the rock up
Do you suppose I should protect them with some of those styrofoam popcorn balls as a protective measure so they don't get damaged during shipping
That was the goat I seen John! Either that or it was the brother, the father or the son of that goat
The Needles Highway was the most beautiful part of our trip so far.
It must be good karma but I always find clouds that duplicate the picture that I am taking.
Judy has the one-way tunnel pictures she will send to my phone. Those tunnels were fun!
I had to slow down and pay attention not to scrape my mirrors in the Ram.
P.S. T-Mobile has just lost my business as a customer. I should be able to use my phone when I'm out of town when I want. Their little lit up hot pink flags all over the country on their commercials is BS. T-Mobile sucks as far as I'm concerned. I will be switching mobile networks when I get home
SeeYou190Today we took off for Atlanta. This might be the last time I ever visit Atlanta. I don't see any reason I will be back this way again
Huh?
How do you plan to ever get out of Florida in the future? Always turn left at I-10?
Or just heading up the east coast I presume.
ATLANTIC CENTRALMy wife hates the feeling of being "controlled", she hated Disney World. We are not much for crowds, we try to do stuff at the slow times. She will sleep anywhere as long as it is clean, that all she wants out of a motel/hotel, clean bed, hot and cold running water......
While I prefer to have a planned destination, the above comments describe me very well.
OTOH, my wife loves to be entertained. Finding her own entertainment is a challenge. But she would give up all entertaiment to just sit on the beach, in shade, and read a book. Fine with me, as I can find something else to do
Like a train shop or go find some RR tracks and see what's happening.
I've spent 25 years of my life traveling nearly every week for the job, and have learned what's important to me in a hotel/motel. Been to every kind of hotel made. In the end, what is important is a comfortable mattress, hot water, good water pressure, a flushing toliet, proper temperature control, and floors above you made of concrete so they hide footstep noise. So try to say in a high-ish rise rather than a three story stick built HI Express or Hampton Inn, etc. IOW, they have to get the basics right. The high end features and services are just a waste, IMO.
hon30critter Hi Kevin, More great travel photos! My wife and I are looking for vacation ideas. We have one big problem in that I can't walk very far at all so most organized tours are not workable. We are considering a road trip. Can I ask a couple of questions about yours? - What time do you start in the morning? By 'start' I mean when do you actually start driving to your next destination? - Do you have a set itinerary or can you do whatever you want? - Have you made hotel reservations or are you just finding accomodations as you go? Thanks, Dave
Hi Kevin,
More great travel photos!
My wife and I are looking for vacation ideas. We have one big problem in that I can't walk very far at all so most organized tours are not workable. We are considering a road trip.
Can I ask a couple of questions about yours?
- What time do you start in the morning? By 'start' I mean when do you actually start driving to your next destination?
- Do you have a set itinerary or can you do whatever you want?
- Have you made hotel reservations or are you just finding accomodations as you go?
Thanks,
Dave
Obviously I won't answer for Kevin, but I can share what my wife and I have done.
When we travel, it is almost always "freelance", pack a bag, fill up the tank, and have a list of possible targets.
Seldom any reservations, never with any "groups".
Years ago we went to New England, after doing a few things in Boston, Salem, Plymouth and few other spots, we got to Newport. Being old house lovers, we spent the whole rest of the trip there. We did every mansion tour in the town.
More recently we went on a long weekend trip to Niagara Falls, she was bored after one day, would not go to the Canadian side. We left Niagara Falls and went to the Pierce Arrow museum in Buffalo, the Corning Glass Works in Corning and the National Warplane Museum in Geneseo NY. We had a blast.
Many similar trips, sometimes to ride trains and do other stuff along the way.
My wife hates the feeling of being "controlled", she hated Disney World. We are not much for crowds, we try to do stuff at the slow times.
She will sleep anywhere as long as it is clean, that all she wants out of a motel/hotel, clean bed, hot and cold running water.......
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!
Here ya go, TF. Taken on the Black Hills Needles highway in 2017. He stood there for a while allowing everyone to get a good shot (picture).
Post Card!
George and I were hanging out a few days ago
I seen a mountain goat climbing around but couldn't get the camera set up quick enough before he took off.
Much better reception in Sturgis but I'm running out of free roaming