Just got back from a camping trip over to the Erie run. So we call it, anyway. This would be loosely defined as interstate 90, routes 5 and 20, anywhere between Buffalo, and Cleveland.
Just about every Columbus day weekend, since we first got a camper, we’ve been doing a last gasp type of run. It’s usually cold, and when we get back we’re usually worn out, stuffed to the gills with food cooked on the grill or over the open fire, and gamed out, (Uno is a favortite) smelling of wood smoke… loaded with photos of the trip, and thoroughly delighted.
This time out, we went to one of our favorite haunts…. Lake Erie state park.I’ve written about this park often enough previously, so I won’t get into here. … but I did want to pass along a few photographs my older boy took.
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Me, of course, in front of the rig, just as we were setting up.
The boys decided they wanted to do some railfanning… Big shock, since we’re less than a mile away from one of the most heavily trafficked rail lines in the entire world. Of course on the first attempt, we saw nothing but empty skyline.
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We decided, after about an hour of this, to run into town to pick up a few things, and managed to catch a little action while enroute:
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As you can see, this is a picture taken from over the train as it passes. Essentially, you stand on the bridge over the tracks until the train passes underneath you. It’s quite safe, but still, you get to feel the power of this monster as it goes by you. It’s something akin to sticking a garden hose in your mouth, and holding it there until such time as the water starts pouring out your ears. Just to give you some scope of the kind of power were dealing with, this train had three engines on that point, each providing 4400 or so horsepower. The train was a little over 100 cars long, and carried close on 250 truckloads of things.
A show of power and grace and sound and fury.. and it’s all free. And the kids love it.
If you look closely, you will notice that there is an old fashioned railway station to the right of the shot. If I’m not much mistaken, this station was built on the site where president elect Abraham Lincoln, met eleven year old Grace Biddell, on his way to Washington. I’ve written of this event in the past as well.
We got our things and headed back to camp… where we went walking on the beach, and caught a really fine sunset:
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After which, we got the campsire going, and a couple hours later, turned in for the night. Got down to the middle 30’s supposedly, but we were just fine in our little home away from home.
For number of reasons we weren’t able to get out as much as we would have liked to this year, And so this particular last run of the season, was a little harder taken than some. Still, there is the promise of next season. So, I will patiently pack and store and weatherproof and I will tow the rig over to the storage space for the winter within the next week or so.
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But the memories…. well, those, I’ll keep.