Large Scale Central

Retirement Travels

Other Hobbies
#114

Yesterday’s Adventure included a ride on the Mount Rainier Scenic Railroad. A 6 mile ride in very modern commuter style old Milwaukee Road passenger cars pulled by a 2-8-2T engine. Nice ride and pleasant surprise at destination of a great logging equipment museum. All kinds of rod and geared steam engine, plus lots of skid loaders, bunk houses and even 7.5 inch gauge, scale models of engines. Very well preserved, stored and displayed logging equipment.

Today, we move on to Kent, Washington, prepping for Alaska trip. All is well.

#115

Glad you enjoyed it

Dave M.

#116

Well, today I am sitting in a “Lodge” owned by the Princess Cruise Lines, Fairbanks, Alaska. Feels like a hotel and looks like a hotel, but its called a lodge. No reason to argue with the marketing department.

Yesterday, we got to experience all the joys of flying. Jan and I haven’t been on a plane, since 2003. Last time was to visit our son and wife when they were stationed in Hawaii with the USMC. The joys of flying haven’t improved and really don’t expect it to be in a our future plans. But its certainly a way to travel long distances in a short amount of time. Teleporting really needs to be advanced.

Who knew, Alaska has there own time zone. Woke up about 1 am to drain the bilge and got to see the Northern Lights. Impressive! One of those things on the “bucket list”. Riverboat cruised planned for the day, operating a stern wheeler is also on the “bucket list”, but if they won’t let me dock it, what’s the point. We’ll see.

#117

Oh boy, you just reminded me of my flight home from Nome. First we had to go north to Kotzebue to fill the plane. It was foggy and it took our plane 3 tries to find the runway. The airport was built on a spit of land in the cold ocean… we had a flight attendant on her first trip… her jump seat faced all of us. Dad was in a wheel chair so we were up front.

As often as I could I’d catch her attention and smile at her, she’d relax a tad and I could feel all the passengers behind me, sigh in relief.

Some how when a flight attendant looks worried, it affects the rest.

Enjoy your flight!

John

#118

Flew into Anchorage on my way to Nam, Sept, 1970. It was about 75 out. Saw nothing but the sides of mountains as we were descending. Landed at Elmendorf Air Force Base near there on my way home in Jan 1971 to refuel. It was -20. Glad I didn’t have to get out…(http://www.largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-wink.gif)(http://www.largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-laughing.gif)

My 2 and only visits to Alaska.

#119

Wow, all kinds of steam trains, incredible scenery, an eclipse, and northern lights too – totally awesome trip!!

#120

Ken Brunt said:

" Rooster " said:

Wait… Ric’s retired?

Not really. He’s just changed jobs, from running a marina to driving a bus…(http://www.largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-wink.gif)

Good stuff!

#121

Sitting outside Denali National Park watching train of Alaska Railroad go along shelf up on side of a mountain. Great modeling scene during the day and a single headlight along the side of the mountain in the dark. I think we ride it, tomorrow.

#122

Thanks for sharing your travels. Make me envious that I can not take that long of trips. Keep trip new coming. Later RJD

#123

We are back on “terra firma” in Seattle. Getting everything back to normal or at least to what it was be for our cruise. The cruise included a days travel on the Alaska Railroad in the Princess Cruises and Holland America private coaches. Nicely done. Each car is self-contained with domed seating upstairs and dining and galley down stairs. This is the way rail travel should be.

Our cruise also included a trip on the White Pass & Yukon Railroad. I know many of you have done this, but this was truly a bucket list item for me and it was as good as I hoped. Friends of ours did it almost 20 years ago and it was something I just had to do. Great scenery and a fun ride with steep grades along canyon walls. The stories of the Gold Rush provided a great narrative.

There was a young couple on board the WP&Y from Australia. Traveling by hiking or hitch hiking and tent and sleeping bag. No clue where they were going to sleep that night. Young love and adventure. I know some of you guys can remember that.

Our plans were to travel further west and along the coast, but the inner guilt says we need to spend some period of time with family before heading south in November. So the grill is getting pointed south and east tomorrow. The adventure isn’t over, but we are already making plans for next year.

#124

Heading east and in Butte, Montana for a couple of days. Drove I-90 through Idaho and have to say that is some of the prettiest scenery we’ve scene.

There is snow on mountains, that 3 weeks ago were brown and green. I believe they want moisture out here anyway they can get it. Wanted to drive back I-84 past the Cascades Locks, because we understand the fire jumped the Columbia River there and wanted to see where that happened. I know kinda sick and like watching a NASCAR race for the wrecks. Just normal American tourists However, I-84 is still closed in that area.

#125

Double post, sorry! (http://largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-cool.gif)

#126

Looks like a great trip. I have been enjoying all the photos Jane is posting on FB. Thanks for sharing your travels.

#127

Overnighted in Sheridan, Wyoming after visiting the “Little Big Horn Battlefield”. A nice memorial showing the battle from both sides. It was truly the end of the Plains Indians way of Life and the expansion of the U.S. government over the entire lower 48. Drove past the “Powder River” coal basin, again. I tell you for a railroad buff, traveling these Interstates really shows how coal and west coast container ship imports travels the rail. The modern units with permanent power on both ends, plus helper service working to get back down for the next assistance up the big grades is all right along I-90 and other roads that follow the tracks, that followed the streams through these mountain passes. Great scenery and the only word is “vast”. Today, with GOD’s will and blessing, we head for Cheyenne.

#128

Made Cheyenne, although a high wind warning for high profile vehicles made it exceptionally enjoyable. Last night’s low temp was 47, but the windchill made it feel like 33. Nice! Plan to be here a couple of days and then chase the UP, east toward North Platte along I-80. The Union Pacific created Cheyenne as a supply depot and named it for the local Indians, that constantly made their lives miserable.

#129

Too bad you din’t make it to California! I would have cleaned up the layout!

#130

Always another trip, Doug.

Visited downtown Cheyenne, yesterday evening. Beautiful old depot with part of it bow being a small brewery. Right downtown, “The Plains Hotel” and all. From an overpass we could see the roundhouse and engine shops. Isn’t this where the UP Steam Engines are maintained? Nothing outside, except a number of tenders and water cars. Just more evidence there is good stuff in those buildings.

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Today, we visited the “Golden Spike Tower” of Bailey Yard in North Platte, Nebraska. 8 floors up over the 8 mile long and 2 mile wide Bailey Yard and Engine Facility. Almost too big to pick out detail. 2 hump yards, one westbound and one eastbound, both sending cars toward the east. I’m thinking this may have something to do with local wind. Huge engine facility, servicing over 300 engines a day and pumping 14 million gallons of fuel a month.

Well worth the time. I ended up working for the Union Pacific from 1982 to 1984, after the merger/take over of Missouri Pacific. Wow, that was 35 years ago…

Tomorrow is Omaha, Nebraska and Council Bluffs, Iowa. I’m thinking we should be back in Carlyle on Sunday or Monday.

#131

Isn’t Jerry Barnes near by ?

http://thescrr.com/

#132

Doug Arnold said:

Too bad you din’t make it to California! I would have cleaned up the layout!

laf… me to…

#133

California was visited a couple of times in our lives and one of our goals was to make it into all 50 States. With knocking out North and South Dakota, Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, Oregon, Washington and Alaska, we achieved this. We also visited British Columbia and the Yukon, so a couple more Provinces were accomplished. Places like Nebraska were explored further. Literally, our only visit to Nebraska before this trip was to the Cozad’s and Nebraska City, so we saw a whole lot more of it and many other States.

Now we are back home, still trying to get the old KVRwy layout removed from the old location and satisfying family obligations and things we want to do, like going to Andy and Jane’s October Ops, before we head for Florida, November 1st. It is depressing and a little frustrating to tear up over 20 years of enjoyment of the hobby, besides taking away time from working on the new layouts. However, we have been blessed to have a life of this much fun and have met so may great friends because of this hobby and the great people in it. Time marches on and we keep trying to keep pace.