Head for the hills, the beetles are coming!

At last I finally found the time for yet another one of our adventures in 2012.  Misfits were back in action at the end of August.  As one of my goals for the year, I wanted to go visit the 1880 Train in Hill City, South Dakota.  It just so happened that the rest of the crew (except for Reesa) could go with.  Now before I get on about the adventure, there's one tiny bit of information you should know.

About a week before we were supposed to leave, Carrie was in Durango working on the mountain.  (She worked with fishies in rivers and that's the extent of my knowledge of her work.  Most of it goes over my head and I just nod and smile.  Works every time.)  Anyway, she was climbing up a hill when she saw it.  A terrifyingly huge, giant man-eating beetle!  She got so scared that she ran away and slipped, tripped and down she went, smashing her ankle and ultimately breaking it.  (Alright, so maybe it wasn't a man eating beetle, but that's my story and I'm sticking to it.)  She had to be carried off the mountain and was taken to the nearest hospital.  They gave her crutches and a splint and sent her home.  For the next few days, we iced her ankle, elevated it and did everything in our power to reduce the swelling.  When she was finally able to get into the doctor, they informed her that it was broken and she would be in a cast.  We were to leave in two days, not exactly the type of news we wanted to hear.  There was a silver lining to this very dark cloud, it was a "nice break" (yeah cause any type of break is nice), but within a few days she should be able to walk on it.  They gave her a boot and off we went.  Despite the ankle break, Carrie still went.  (It was not because she wanted to ride a train or even see a train.  She wanted to get out of town and we were going to Mount Rushmore, something she had been wanting to go visit again.)
  
Flash forward it's Thursday and when my Mom got off, we packed up the car and headed to Fort Collins.  Carrie and I were stuck in the back and I had the pleasure of having a pillow and giant green cast on my lap (don't you worry, I had a sharpie and busied myself decorating it).

It's eight hours to our destination and we decided to break it up.  Carrie and I spent a sleepless night thanks to a very large bear sleeping in the room with us.  (This bear shall not be named, but he sure did make quite the racket!)  The next morning we met up with Ed, Milissa and Josh in Fort Collins.  We had to drive separately because there wasn't enough room for suit cases, gear, crutches, casts and cameras.  Anyway, we spent the next five hours driving through the riveting scenery of Wyoming and South Dakota.  Oh, did I forget to mention that the weekend we decided to go was also the ending weekend of Sturgis?  Oh yes, we saw bikers coming and going.  We were definitely out of place with our car.

We arrived in Custer, South Dakota after several potty breaks and stretches.  Now let me tell you a little about Custer.  Custer is a quaint little town that closes up in the winter.  When we arrived, we were at the end of their tourist season.  However, thanks to Sturgis Week most places were still open and managed to stay open past six.  Did you know that Custer also houses the Town of Bedrock?  I kid you not, our hotel was right across from Bedrock City Theme Park and Camping Resort.  Just the sight of the buildings took me back to my childhood.  Who doesn't love the Flintstones??

After settling in, we headed down main street and searched for a parking spot.  We're talking hundreds of motorcycles and no place for two cars.  I will say that Carrie's cast came in handy because when we did find a parking spot we had to cross four lanes of traffic.  A bright green cast gets people's attention and they let her and I cross, however, the rest of the crew wasn't as lucky.  Finding a place that can seat seven people without a huge wait was a challenge and after several attempts, we found one.  After lunch, we headed to Mount Rushmore.

It just so happened that when we were at Mount Rushmore, it decided to rain.  Casts and water are not a good mix and we had to hustle indoors.  I haven't been to Mount Rushmore since I was little, but every time I see it, it takes my breath away.  I can't imagine taking on a task that huge.  While we were there we had the pleasure of witnessing a very narrow-minded person.  There were two young guys with accents out enjoying the view.  They were taking pictures together and goofing around.  Nothing major of course, but they were standing on the cement blocks acting like they were holding up the heads.  Several others were doing the same.  Then this lovely older gentleman decided to harass them by telling them to go back to their own country.  He also asked if they would like it if he went to their country and desecrated their monuments.  The two young men shrugged him off and tried to ignore him, but the man wouldn't stop.  Finally, they explained that they were from this country and they were doing nothing wrong.  I was taken back by such rudeness, it made me sad to call myself an American.  These two guys were doing nothing wrong.  His son and wife tried to steer the man away, but he wouldn't drop it.  When he finally did leave, I realized it wasn't about the photos, the man had a problem with the fact that the two men were a couple.  It took a lot not to trip this man as he walked by.

Back to the weekend.  We drove around the mountainside taking in the beautiful views.  It is sad to know that the pine beetle is making a huge impact on the forest, leaving hundreds of trees dead.  They are trying to thin the forest to help, but it is a long process and they can only go so fast.  It doesn't have to be said that this causes a huge fire danger.  It was on our way back to Custer that I saw this sign and nearly died laughing.  I do believe we need one like this in Colorado.

We also stopped at a local winery and had a tasting.  Hey what can I say, we like our wine, beer and rum.  The rest of the night we spent eating pizza and preparing for the day ahead (what else are you gonna do?)  We woke early and headed to Hill City.  Now let me explain a little about the 1880 Train.  Although the name implies one train there are actually three different ones that will run on any given day.  They have a few more, but these do not run.  The first engine is quite magnificent: Steam Engine #7.

Now despite the way she is parked, she does run. She was built in 1919 and worked for the Ozan-Graysonia Lumber Company. I hope that one day I am lucky enough to see her run.  She is quite beautiful.

The engine that we did get to ride was Engine #104.

She pulled the train backwards from Hill City to Keystone and then back.  It just so happens that she crossed Old Hill City Highway several times.  Along the ride we made plans for where we were going to stop when our ride was over.  The ride was only a little over two hours which gave us plenty of time to chase.  It was a pleasant ride and the mountains were beautiful.  I wish that I could've been there when the colors were changing.  I guess that will be another trip.  Anyway, we got off the train and bolted to Keystone.  We wanted to catch the engine when it was in front of the train, which only happens when it's coming back from Keystone.  We quickly ate and got in position.

It had been cloudy most of the day and it became a challenge shooting in between bursts of sunlight.  During one of our stops the clouds opened up and dumped on us.  Again, how lucky can we get?  It stopped within five minutes of starting, but we had been standing by the side of the road for those five minutes.  You can see the rain in some of these shots.

Thankfully it only rained on us once, but it can make a person nervous considering our last run in with a storm.  We climbed hills, stood close to the engine and took lots of shots.  (Don't worry we were at a safe-ish distance.)  Josh and I were a little disappointed in the shots because of the clouds making the photos dark and dingy, so we made a plan to hit the first train on Sunday before returning home.

It was after the ride that I learned that their third engine would be running on Monday.  This engine was the whole reason I wanted to go to South Dakota.  If I would have had another way to get home, you could bet that I would've stayed.

The engine I wanted to see was Engine 110 pictured above.  I was lucky enough to get a shot from another perspective.  Although it was out the day we were there, it was not scheduled to run.  It is such a unique engine and here's why.  This is a 2-6-6-2T Articulated Mallet built in 1928.  Now for those of you who don't understand what I just said, here's the only thing you need to know.  It is the only one of it's kind operating in the WORLD.  Yes that's right, WORLD.  It is my hope that in 2013 I can see her in action.

We went back to the room, relaxed and waited for the evening.  While we were waiting, we perused the shops and ate ice cream.  Yay for ice cream.  We grabbed a quick bite and headed back to Mount Rushmore where we got some shots of when it was lit at night.

The next day, the sun was out and it looked like a better day than the previous.  It was also when most of the bikers had left and there wasn't as much traffic to deal with.  Things were looking good.  The only problem we had now was making sure we were on the right side of the engine for the sun.  This is what I ended up with.

It was during one of the last shots of the day that my Dad, Ed and I crossed the track.  We crossed early enough, but the engineer did not feel the same way.  He shouted from the engine "Don't do that again." We've chased a lot of trains and have had some close calls, but this was definitely not one of them.  To this day we are still stumped as to what could have caused him to get so cranky.

It was a great weekend and I am thankful that nothing too drastic happened.  On our way back we stopped at a gas station for potties and snacks.  Apparently this was a big stop for most of the bikers and it was so full that we had to park in a vacant lot behind it.  I have never seen so many people at a gas station.  It was a great weekend and a successful shoot.  Until next time.

Welcome to the Wild Wild West!

Not all of our train chasing adventures are as crazy as the one before.  In fact, after the last trip, we were very concerned that this upcoming trip would have similar problems and we would find ourselves stranded somewhere.  It was the annual Denver Post Cheyenne Frontier Days Run and the whole crew was getting ready for this trip.  However, there were some issues to take care of before we could leave.

As stated in the previous blog the "D" was having issues when we tried to go to Alamosa.  As it turned out, the computer died a few days after that trip.  Although the part was ordered, it would not be be delivered until after this trip.  We didn't have a big enough car to hold 8 and we felt that if we went in separate cars, it would make it complicated in trying to navigate though all the traffic.  It was decided that we should rent a car big enough to hold all of us plus our gear.  I was certain we were going to end up with a bus, or worse, another van.  As it turned out, we were able to get a suburban.

The day we were supposed to pick up the car, they told us to come by at 2:15.  When we arrived the car was not there, and they would call us when it was ready.  You can imagine that we were getting a tad bit on the nervous side because if we didn't receive this car, we would have to be split up and we weren't sure of the outcome.  Thankfully the car arrived an hour later and we picked up our new ride.  I decided that we should be dubbed "suburbanites" for the rest of the weekend.  Catchy isn't it?  I have never been in a vehicle so large as this car.  I felt like we were driving a tank.  Not only did we fit all 8 of us in the car (the way way back was a little snug) but we hauled all of our gear comfortably (tripods, backpacks, clothes, cameras etc etc.)

My dad, Carrie and I were supposed to pick up Ed and Milissa, then swing by to get Josh & Reesa, and then finally my mom at work.  However, I had ordered a clamp that would secure my GoPro to the top of the car.  It was to be delivered the day were were to leave.  Unfortunately, the time came to leave and the clamp was still not here.  You can imagine my frustration, I had paid for faster shipping so that I would have it in time. We drove around the neighborhood hoping to find the truck but with no luck.  By now were were late and hadn't picked up anyone yet.  So my dad, Carrie and I drove into town and picked up Reesa and my mom from work.  Then we went and collected Milissa, Ed and Josh.  We were spending the night in Denver so we wouldn't have to get up at 4 in the morning to chase the train to Cheyenne.  We had plenty of time to get to Denver so I was able to swing by my house before we left.  Thankfully the clamp arrived and we started our journey.

We ate dinner in Colorado Springs and then found our hotel in Denver.  The train was leaving at 7am from downtown Denver, where it would take it's passengers to Cheyenne's Frontier Days.  This event has occurred every year since the late 1800s.  Now normally the Union Pacific 844 doesn't run often during the year.  This is one of the few events that you can count on every year.  People from all over the United States come to ride this train, or in our case, chase it.  It was another reason why we wanted to ride in the same car.  Normally the engine runs next to double lane roads, but the tracks it followed ran parallel to a two lane highway.  This isn't a horrible thing, because at least it is next to a road, but when there are hundreds of cars chasing this beautiful engine it makes for a challenging day.  Part of our crew has chased this train several years running, but it was my first time as well as Carrie's, my mom and dad.  They knew several places to stop to get great shots.  We were following their lead.  So bright and early, we roused the troops and filled our tanks up as we headed to our first stop.

It was a bridge that was on the outskirts of Denver next to a natural gas plant.  We had to scramble up the side of the bridge that was entirely concrete (for runoff and such).  We did not allow my father to scramble up the side of the hill because he has a history of being off balance (more on that story later).  Ed, Milissa, Josh, Carrie and I found spots on the top we liked, while Reesa was lower on the bridge videoing the train.  This is probably my favorite photo I have ever taken.  I couldn't have asked for a clearer sky or better spot.

I did not have problems going up the bridge, but I sure had problems going down.  I did not like that I had my camera hanging around my neck as I went down a very steep hill with only asphalt to greet me at the bottom.  So I went down on all fours like a crab.  Yup, I'm such a stunning gymnast! I ended up with little pebbles embedded in my hands that bruised my palms.  I didn't have much time to think about it because we raced to the car and we were off.  Unfortunately, we encountered a car accident and several lights that put us at the back of the pack pacing the train.  No big surprise, but the leader of the pack was none other than Yackass himself.  We expected to see him, but we were hoping that we would be lucky and he would be out of town.  Wrong.  He drove like a lunatic like normal, and passed cars on the wrong side of the road, blew through stop signs and almost collided with several cars head on.  Things were off to an exciting start.

We were not able to get ahead of the engine until after it's whistle stop in Greeley.  There were just so many people on the road, we couldn't get through the traffic.  I decided that we needed a motto: We are kind and courteous, now get the hell out of our way!  Everyone in the car agreed, but the other cars didn't seem to care.  The whistle stop in Greeley helped us get ahead and we were thankful.  Between the road construction and crazy people it was a miracle we made it.  Just outside of Greeley we stopped and set up for the second shot of the day.  While we all scrambled to find a spot without standing in each other's way, Josh decided to leap onto a concrete block, which he slipped on and ended up scraping his shin.  Don't worry, he wasn't bleeding like crazy, but he sure did hurt.  He was very lucky that we didn't witness this because we would have gotten proof and plastered it all over the net.  We settled into our spots and waited.  It was here that they decided to "highball" her which means let her fly down the tracks at 70+ mph.  She came screaming past us and at that speed I was lucky to get a few shots of before she was gone.  I hadn't seen her move like that in quite some time.  It was amazing and I was lucky enough to capture it on video (I put together a few of the clips I took during our trip, I am by no means a videographer.  I just like to play with the equipment, Josh and Reesa are the videographers.  If you want to see the real deal click this link: Notch Eight Production.)

Once again we were back on the road trying to chase her down.  We caught up to her and the people on the train had started to notice us.  I decided to try and have a conversation with a gentleman on board.  He was drinking a beer and tipped it to me.  I simply wanted to know where mine was.  He didn't have an answer.  We passed her and headed for our next stop, thankfully the traffic seemed to taper off for a few miles and we were able to make great time.  However, by the time we got to one of the other spots it was filling up fast.  I was not thrilled at how some of my photos came out at this particular location, but that was mainly bc I wasn't sure where I wanted to go and before I could decide the train was upon us.

Cheyenne was right after this stop and we knew that we were pretty much done chasing the train until it left later that night.  For those of you who don't know, Frontier days runs during the month of July in Cheyenne, where they have concerts and, most importantly, a rodeo.  The train runs the first weekend of the event and takes people from Denver to Cheyenne to watch the rodeo than back to Denver in the evening.  We now had several hours to kill and it was time to explore Cheyenne.

Upon arriving in Cheyenne we parked in a vacant lot just outside of the station.  We managed to get a few photos of the engine pulling in to the station, but there were several people standing there waiting and it was impossible to get a shot without someone else in it.  We started making our way to the Depot where my dad stepped in a hole and almost biffed it. Now normal people, when they slip, they don't make that much noise, but my dad tends to make lots of noise.  He happened to be in front of us and the concrete dipped a bit.  My dads one leg slid out from under him and he pitched forward.  He managed to save himself, but we saw the whole thing and we weren't gonna let him get away without teasing him a bit.  See, what you don't know is that my dad has a history of slipping and sliding all over the place.  In order for you to understand the humor in this, I am going to tell you a story.  

Several years ago, we were in Washington D.C. visiting some relatives of ours.  It was one of the last days in D.C. and we were trying to see as many sights as possible.  We went to this old torpedo factory that had been turned into a shopping complex.  I don't remember much about the factory, but I do remember what happened as we were leaving the factory.  My father was behind us as we climbed down some steps to reach the street.  Next thing I know, I hear this noise coming from behind me and as I turn to my right I see my father stretched out full length (like superman) flying past me.  He literally shot out of the factory like a torpedo.  He hit the cement at the bottom of the stairs and bounced a couple of inches barely missing hitting his head on the side of a truck parked on the street.  I think we were in shock for a couple of seconds, but we managed to get our bearings to help my father.  My dad sits himself up and grabs his chest and says "oh my chi chi."  I don't know about you but how are you supposed to keep a straight face when someone says that? I busted out laughing as the rest of the family helped him to his feet. Now this was quite some time ago when it was normal to carry rolls of film in your pocket; my father landed so hard on the ground that he flattened the roll of film.  He had a bruise on the side of his leg the size of a large grapefruit.  To this day we will not let him live this down.  Now you understand why he isn't allowed up steep cliffs or any uneven ground.

Back to Cheyenne, we had eaten early and were starting to get hungry.  We wandered downtown hauling our gear as we went.  The day started to heat up and it was approaching 90+.  We took shelter in a place called 2 Doors Down.  If you want an awesome burger this is the place to go.  You would be amazed at how many different types they had; plus unlimited fries.  It was fantastic!  Reesa, Josh and Carrie had shakes.  They were just as good.  I had the lucky job of removing whip cream from Carrie's and Reesa's shakes.  Apparently I'm a great vacuum, I wish I had recorded it.  It was one of my finer moments. ;)  Shamelessly some of us fell asleep at this establishment.  It was hot and we didn't have any place else to go.  We killed several hours there before we took off to visit the Governor's Mansion.  Although this place didn't have air conditioning and it was terribly hot, the history behind this place was amazing.  If you get a chance when you're in Cheyenne, I highly recommend it.  For more information in regards to it, click this link: Governor's Mansion

Shortly after our visit to the mansion we headed back to the Depot.  It was getting closer for the train to depart and we bummed around.  Some of the crew found ice cream and it helped cool our hot bodies.  There is a steam shop next to the Depot in Cheyenne where it houses it's other engine The Challenger.  This is a 4-6-6-4 engine.  I've never seen her in person and I'm dying to watch her run.  Every year they keep saying "next year", but the truth is it hasn't run since 2008.  I hope that one day I will get to see her run.  Anyways, Milissa thought she knew the way to the steam shop so we went out an "alarmed door" (don't worry it wasn't on at the moment) and we went into a restricted area.  Apparently, this wasn't the way to go and we back tracked it as fast as we could.  Funny enough, the door we came through was locked and we were trapped in the back of the depot.  There were several people sitting in the depot but they were afraid to open the "alarmed door" so we had to knock continuously until a "very pleasant" lady opened the door.  We tried to say thank you but she just glared and glared at us.  Oh well, can't win them all.

We headed back to the engine and took pictures of her before the crowds swarmed.  I should mention that for this trip we had shirts that said train chasers on the front and our logos and names on the back.  These were quite a hit and I can't tell you how many times we were stopped.  Apparently we made waves.  No one is ever going to forget us.

This photo up top you'll notice the red light.  Not many people get to see this light.  They were trying to signal us to get off the tracks.  They do not like people on their tracks.

Shortly after these shots, the 844 left Cheyenne and headed back to Denver.  We were lucky she left when she did for a huge storm grew on the horizon and the last thing we wanted was to get drenched (again). We planted ourselves on the previous bridge but were there early enough that we beat the crowds.  Chasing it back was just as crazy, but we hooked two cameras on the top of the suburban and caught footage as we paced the train.  I can't tell you how many people pointed to the cameras on the top of the roof.  Apparently, they had never seen this before.  As we made our way back to Denver, Reesa (notorious for falling asleep in the car) fell asleep in between two people.  This is not the smartest move because the entire car has camera upon camera.  We documented several photos of her sleeping, but because I am a nice person, I will not post them.  (Just remember that.)

She pulled into Denver just as the sun was going down, so we were able to capture some shots at dusk.  Unfortunately, there were tons of people swarming around so they weren't spectacular. By the time we were done, it was closing on 9pm and we still had to drive to Dillon. We were going to Leadville the next day to ride the train there.  What can I say? A whole weekend of trains!  We rode the train in Leadville and had a great afternoon.  That evening we had mouth watering barbecue at Rusty's in Colorado Springs.  Overall, the weekend was a success and it was nice not to have a million things go wrong.  Until next time! 

Train chasing day from hell...

When I write this story, I can say with absolute certainty that this is probably one of the most bizarre adventures that has ever happened to us.  To simplify it: you can't make this shit up.

Lets start out with an idea: my idea.  I wanted to go take photos of the Rio Grande Scenic Railroad in Alamosa, Colorado.  We hadn't been down since the first of the year in 2010.  I decided that we could all go together and just make a day trip out of it.  My parents struggled to get out of bed on Sunday and it put us behind by a few minutes.  We met Ed and Milissa at their house and got in the "D".  We had to pick up Josh and Reesa along the way.  They were running a few minutes behind as well.  Luckily they live at the south end of town and we got to the interstate quickly.  Ed's driving, Reesa's sleeping and the rest of us are making small talk.  Despite the late start, it's going to be a good day.

We're cruising along at 75+ mph when the "D"'s gauges just go down to zero.  The engine is still running and we're still moving, but the "D" isn't responding.  Of course everyone in the car freezes and all eyes are on Ed and the gauges.  He pulls off to the side of the interstate and turns the engine off.  He waits a few minutes, but the car won't turn over.  Now we're in a pickle.  There are seven of us crammed in the car, who could we call? Ed tries again and the "D" turns over.  We all breathe a sigh of relief as we pull back onto the interstate.  It seems to be running fine and we make our way towards Colorado City.  Then I had to open my big mouth: "At least it didn't happen to us when we were on the hill towards the exit at Colorado City." I don't think that sentence was out of my mouth before the gauges all went down to zero again.  We coasted to a stop and realized we weren't going to get any further south in this car.  We got the car started, exited, and headed back towards Pueblo.  Looks like we're going to have to ride in two separate cars.  The ride was pretty quiet heading back to Pueblo and my frustration was at an all time high.  This was the second time within weeks that something had gone wrong on a train chasing trip for me.  I wasn't mad at anyone in particular, but I really needed something to go right.  The "D" made it back to Pueblo without further incident, but by then we had used up an hour of our time to get to Alamosa.

Josh had an idea that maybe his grandmother would let us use her van, it conveniently seated seven people.  We pulled in the driveway and Josh bolted towards the door.  She said yes and we all piled out of the car and transferred our gear into the van.  Josh had forgotten his tripod when we left the first time and was able to get it when we came back.  We left the "D" in the driveway and got back on the road.  Me, Reesa and Milissa sat on the bench in the back, while my parents sat in the middle and Josh took the wheel and Ed assisted him.  Now, going back to a previous post, imagine a 26 year old driving a turquoise Dodge Chrysler Mini-van complete with stuffed frogs on the dashboard and a bright yellow smiley face air freshener.  For those of you who can't imagine here's a picture:

COMING SOON

We managed to make it past Colorado City and into Walsenburg where we were lucky enough to get stuck at a railroad crossing.  Imagine that, the one time we don't want to see a train we get stuck at a crossing.  Reesa fell asleep in between Milissa and I and her head just swayed back and forth.  It was pretty funny because at one time she swayed all the way onto Milissa's shoulder.  Because of our technical difficulty, we were not able to make it to Alamosa before the train left.  We decided to catch it in Blanca, CO and go on the hunt for a good spot.  There was more traffic than anticipated and we didn't have much time before the train caught up to us.  We decided on a dirt road and piled out.  I felt like we were a bunch of clowns climbing out of a clown car.  We prepared for the shot and Josh had to go to the bathroom (again).  He hides behind the van and as he so eloquently put it, "watch out for the lake by the left rear tire." Great huh? We prepare for the incoming train, film and snap the photos and we run back to the van.  Josh and I are first, and I just jumped in from the sliding back doors and we moved the car to pick up the rest of the crew.  It's time for the chase.

So here we are, flying down the dirt road back towards the highway.  Of course there is traffic and we have to wait.  Now normally back on the road we would floor it and get around the traffic.  But lucky us there's a state patrol behind us.  The train pulls ahead, can't we catch a break? We were supposed to beat it back to the outskirts of Fort Garland, but because of traffic and the threat of a ticket, we're out of luck.  We did beat it back to the "station" at Fort Garland and were able to snap a few photos before it came to a stop.  However, there were several people who were getting on at Fort Garland and decided it would be a good idea to stand close to the tracks and then cross in front of it while taking pictures.  Don't panic, no one was injured, the train had plenty of room to stop, but it made it increasingly hard to take photos of it without some lunatic in front of the train.  We hop back in the car and head for Forbes Park.  We weren't planning to stop before then, but we find a side road and decide to try it.  So we take the van on a washed out road with ruts.  Josh is driving slow and trying to ease us down the road but we still manage to scrape the bottom and the bushes next to the road, which made a screeching noise against the glass.  We still beat the train and managed to get a few shots.  Josh took the high road and I'm not really sure where Ed went, because he came out from the bushes as we scrambled back into the car.

By now the passengers are aware of us taking photos of the train and them, so they scream out and wave at each crossing.  We stopped at a few more crossings before the train went back into the mountains and left us.  There was a road that ran below the tracks back into the mountains, but we had to go back across La Veta Pass.  This wasn't really an issue, but the van doesn't stop too well so we had a lovely smell coming from the brakes as we made our way down the pass.  We managed to find the road and bumped along the mountain.  We were getting into really good territory now as we passed all the NO TRESPASSING signs that, ironically enough, had bullet holes throughout.  The one sign that sticks out the most was this one:

Doesn't this make you feel all fuzzy inside?

The road was pretty bumpy and we only had a few opportunities to shoot.  We tried to get back to La Veta before the train so that we could get some lunch without hitting the crowds from the train.  Since there was so many of us, we had to eat on the patio of the La Veta Inn.  There is nothing like walking through a restaurant past the tables and hearing the whispers about you "those are the people from the minivan!"  Yup that's right folks, we were famous!  Apparently we left our mark on the passengers that day.  It is here that a massive storm cell starts to move in.  The lightning was bright and the thunder was loud; we ate pretty fast.  The clouds were crazy and I swore they were swirling.  

We got back in the car and headed towards the end of town where we could catch the train as she left La Veta.  It started to sprinkle so most of the crew climbed back in the car.  Reesa and I were the only two that were hanging outside.  My back was starting to get drenched, but nothing prepared me for what happened next.  I forgot my gear to put over my camera to protect it from rain, so I used a grocery bag to house my very expensive camera.  (Not sure what I was thinking.)  The train blew it's whistle and Reesa, my dad and I all scrambled out of the van.  Then, as if the whistle triggered an avalanche, the skies opened up.  See for yourself:

  

My mom was yelling at us from the van to get our butts back there.  Reesa was wearing Josh's coat so she wasn't too drenched.  My father and I were dripping wet like we had just climbed out of the shower.  We weren't prepared for the rain and did not bring any type of jacket.  We try to fly down the road to catch up with the train, but the road has turned into a river.  Rocks, tree branches/stumps are floating in the middle of the road.  We don't stop and keep charging forward.  We missed a turn and back track towards the direction we need when a noise brings screams from everyone.  The windshield wipers have stopped in mid stroke.  Josh backs up out of another river and Ed asks him if he turned them off on purpose: "No."  This is when all hell breaks loose.  Josh starts ranting and raving at the windshield wipers and at mother nature.  It was so funny we all started to laugh.  But we faced a problem, the rain was still pouring and we couldn't see anything out of the front windshield.  

An idea occurred and I asked if we had any rope: "No."  So I had my big red neck moment.  I grabbed one of my shoe laces and we tied it to the windshield wiper.  It wasn't long enough so I used the other one.  Since Josh was driving, the person sitting behind him would be in charge of the blades.  This responsibility fell to my father.  Here we go down the road, my dad pulling the strings to make the blades slide across the windshield.  He looked like he was rowing a boat, which was fitting at the time.  The road had turned into a river and we weren't sure what we were driving on or if we would hit anything.  Yup, that's right, we're rednecks and we didn't let the rain stop us...that is for a few miles.  Then the wiper motor stopped completely.  It  made a horrible screeching sound and they refused to go down.  That was it.  We couldn't do anything else.  I got my shoelaces back and began putting myself back together.  The rain was relentless and we knew there was no way we were gonna make it back on this road.  We had to turn around.  Josh was pressed up against the steering wheel trying to see out and not hit any boulders.  (Ok so they weren't boulders, but they were big enough they could do some damage.) Ed was craning around trying to guide him if he got to close to the edge and we were all tense.  This was not how we planned the day to go.  We slowly made our way back when Josh hit the brakes.

"Oh my god! Is that an elk?" Josh hits the brakes and we come to a stop.  We all try and look out the window, but we can't see anything.  We have fogged up the windows and just our luck the defroster makes a shrill sound when you turn it on.  So it was best if we left it off.  So we're trying to figure out what Josh is seeing when he says, "Oh, it's a post."  Hence now we have Elk Posts.  We make it back to La Veta, although I don't know how we managed it.  At the gas station we try to get rain-x, but of course they don't have any.  It's decision time: head back to Pueblo or go to Alamosa.  When reviewing the radar, the storm that just hit La Veta was headed to Walsenburg and Pueblo; there was nothing storm wise towards Alamosa.  So we made the decision to go and catch the train one last time.  The storm was gone and La Veta Pass was just wet.  It seemed our troubles were over: that was until we got off the pass and deeper into the valley.  The clouds opened up again, we're on the highway and we can't see two feet in front of us.  Josh starts to scream and Ed guides him by saying left now right.  We turn the defroster on because we didn't have any other choice.  Luckily the rain doesn't last long and we're back to semi-blue skies.  We figured we had beat the train out of the mountains so we stopped at Forbes Park and tried to examine the problem with the windshield wipers.  Josh had on pink mechanic gloves, which I wish I would've gotten a picture of.  We weren't able to fix the wipers.  It was going to be an interesting night getting home.

(We were worried about what would happen if we didn't have any wipers for the rest of the night.  Ed said that if push came to shove, he would hang out the window and manually move them.  All I could think of was seeing this man with coke bottle goggles, and a trash bag over his head as he hung out the window.  Then I pictured all of us in the car sitting in the car with the goggles and trash bags to keep us from getting wet as we drove down the road.  Hey it was funny, and you can't put anything past us.)

The train was over an hour and a half late.  But we waited and were able to snap a few shots.  We were back on the chase and hoping we wouldn't run into anymore rain.  There were only a few more opportunities left for photos and Josh wanted to pace the train.  Reesa sat in the front and rolled down the window as we flew down the dirt road (slowing down for stop signs).  I wanted pictures but didn't have a window to roll down so I just opened the door.  Yup, you heard me right.  You might be a red neck if you use shoe laces as rope AND you hang out the side of a moving van while chasing a train.  The train is moving west and this lady is facing east.  We're coming up on the front of the engine and this lady is just staring out into the open plains.  I decide to wave and she gave me the funniest look.  Apparently, she had never seen a turquoise minivan with frogs pacing a train while a girl hung out to take photos.  I'm sure I'm famous in her inner circle of friends.           

We ended the day on a bridge just outside of the Alamosa station.  It was a beautiful bridge, but we had to cross it to get the front of the engine.  So once again Reesa, Milissa, my dad and I make our way across this really long bridge.  Reesa is afraid of heights, my dad can't swim, and here we are crossing this wooden bridge over the river.  The walkway on the side of the bridge was rotted and depending on the board you stepped on, your foot sunk.  Oh and I forgot to mention that the train is making it's way towards the bridge so we didn't have a lot of time to loligag.  Don't worry, no one was hurt and then we managed to get several photos before she slipped into the station.

I bet you're wondering when this day is ever gonna end.  Well soon my friends, soon.  We went to Walmart and purchased rope (why we chose camaflouge rope, I'll never know), rain-x, a knife and socks for me.  If you remember from a previous post, my feet got soaked from a trip before.  I now carry an extra pair of socks in my camera bag.  We also have decided to create more of a survival kit for the car (can't imagine why?)  We head back to Pueblo after dinner and all I can think about is how it would be just our luck that the headlights would go out.  I kept my mouth shut, I wasn't going to jinx us.  Luckily it didn't rain except for when we got back to Pueblo.  However, Ed used the rope to rig a system to move the wipers.  We are exhausted and dirty from a day of hell and Ed is manually using the rope to move the wipers as we drive down Pueblo Boulevard.  Yup, that's how we roll.

This event will go down in the history books for our crew.  Never in my life have I seen so many things go wrong at once.  Like I said before: you can't make this shit up.  You would think that we would have given up train chasing after that.  But heck, what's the fun in that? In fact, two weeks later we went up to Denver to chase another train, but that's a story you'll just have to wait for.

There's bugs in them there woods...

I wanted to focus more on my photography and began hunting for steam engines across the United States.  There are many beautiful engines across the country, but being a starving artist has it's limits.  I was lucky to find a railfest in Texas, where they were going to be doing a night shoot.  I can't tell you how excited I was when I bought the ticket for this event.  I had never been to a night shoot before and it was something I had longed to do for quite some time.  I hijacked Carrie and made her drive down to Texas with me.  Since it was a 14hr+ drive, I didn't want to fall asleep at the wheel.  May couldn't get here fast enough for me and the day I left, reality finally sunk in.  I was going to partake in a night shoot with steam engines! How cool is this? 

I had been to the Texas State Railroad once before and had a little background information on where the tracks were and how accessible they were from the road.  We were staying about an hour away, so the day was going to be a long one.  Little did I know how long it actually would be.  We drove down to Rusk and picked out some areas that I felt were suitable for shots.  Of course the day we decide to chase the train, it was close to 90 degrees and about 90% humidity.  It was hot!  You got out of your car and within five seconds you were already soaked.  We got to the station and I positioned myself to get pictures before it left.  I was really excited because they were running a different engine than the one I had seen before.  The train was ready to leave and Carrie and I raced to the next stop (which I almost missed because there are so many trees and it's just a dirt road).

I was surprised to see as many people as I did chasing this train.  When we rode the train last year I don't recall anybody at the crossings except for maybe one area.  That day however, was a different story.  Although, there weren't hundreds of people like when I chased the 844, there were close to 30 people.  It was pretty insane.  We're trying to beat each other to the next crossing on a windy two lane highway.  I think I left some skid marks on the road because we'd be going along and I'd see a road I wanted to turn and we'd somehow make it.  Carrie held on for dear life, but we survived without any problems.

They make a stop in between Rusk and Palestine (the two depots) where they pick up a band of robbers.  It's great fun for the kids and it allows people like me to get another shot of it as she pulls into a station.  While I was running to get to the platform, I didn't pay attention to how far I was leaning over and how close the engine gets.  Luckily I pulled back fast enough or the engine was going to have part of my face on it.  

There wasn't a lot of down time waiting for the train, which made the day go faster, but when she pulled into Palestine Station we had plenty of down time.  I didn't feel like sitting with the rest of the passengers as they ate their lunch at the station.  So instead, we went back to Rusk to get the tickets for the night shoot and to scout places to eat in Rusk.  Let me tell you, there wasn't much.  You blinked your eye and you missed the whole town.  Carrie didn't have a ticket to the night shoot and I planned to just have her relax at a coffee shop or some place until the shoot was over.  I didn't want her sitting in the car for a few hours in that kind of heat, but there wasn't very many options.  Then I found out that the shoot was from 8pm-midnight.  I had to figure something out and fast.  Thankfully we managed to convince the railroad to let us purchase a "day pass" that allowed her to stay with me during the shoot.  

By the time we got that all sorted out it was time to head back to Palestine and chase the engine back to Rusk.  It's harder to find the engine when you don't know where it is than just chasing it.  Somehow we managed to find it, even though we had to wait in the car for what seemed like an hour.  Even though we were under a tree and there was shade it was still very hot and it only seemed to be getting hotter.  We caught up with when it dropped off the "robbers."  Very thoughtful of them don't you think?

We chased her back into Rusk and waited for her to go to the shed.  We had special tickets (along with half the train) to visit the shed where engine 201 was housed.  This particular engine was running when we last visited.  She is the oldest engine that they own.  We had to wait to get into the shed and the cars lined up on the side of the highway.  Many people passed wondering what was going on.  What can I say? We're crazy people ;)  The tour of the shed was fun, but it was boiling in there.  I didn't think it could get any hotter until I was under the shed.  We finished the tour a little before five and had three hours to kill before the night shoot.  We knew what there was to eat in Rusk (nothing) so we decided to go back to Palestine and try our luck in that town.  Although it was bigger than Rusk, there weren't a lot of options and we decided on a BBQ joint on the side of the road.  It was cool and the food was hot (and probably some of the best BBQ I've had in a long time).  We managed to kill more time, but I was antsy and Carrie told me we should just go.  We were about a half hour early, but everyone had the same idea.  When we parked, I noticed the license plate next to me said Colorado.  Well what a coincidence; come to find out the guy was from Colorado Springs.  Small world?  My only complaint for the night shoot was that they didn't limit the amount of people who could participate.  Let me tell you, cramming a bunch of people with camera bags, tripods, cameras and other gear, it gets pretty tight.  As the night wore on more people left making it more manageable, but there were still a lot of people.

The way they positioned the train at the station required us to stand along the tracks in the long Texas grass.  Since it was so hot, Carrie and I were in shorts, but there were a lot of people in pants.  This didn't really concern me because a lot of the photographers here were older and didn't seem the shorts type.  I felt bad for some because their shirts were soaked and you could see the sweat line.  Despite it being in the evening it was still hot, and the humidity just didn't want to let go.  This didn't stop us and we continued to jockey for position.  I was trying to keep up, but I was still learning my settings on the camera and the two guys running the show didn't seem to want to help.  I must say that I was a little upset about the two guys.  I was paying them to provide the lighting and special effects for the shot, but I was not pleased that they got first pick of where they wanted to set up.  This was the second time that they had done a night shoot with the railroad and I didn't think I should have to compete with the people I was paying.  They didn't care if they stood in front of you as you prepared for the shot, or messing with the lighting while the shutter was open.  Despite these set backs, I felt that I had success at the station.

After the station they took us back to the shed to take photos of the 201.  They wanted it completely dark in the shed so they shut all the doors and blocked the light from the emergency exit signs.  It was hot and stuffy and the sweat just poured off of you.  I think I lost close to five pounds that night just from sweating.  By now it was pushing 10pm and it still felt like a sauna.  It is here that I feel I got one of the best shots of the night.  You'll have to let me know what you think.

After the shed, they took us back outside for more photos of the 300.  It was cloudy that night and in some of the photos it looked like it was morning because of the full moon.  We took more photos but we still had an hour drive and I was getting tired.  We finally called it quits around midnight and headed back.  When we got back to our condo we had to wait 15 mins for the person at the security gate to stop talking to a cop.  Upon getting ready for bed, we discovered that our legs were covered in bug bites.  Mine seemed to disappear the next day, but Carrie's only got worse.  She looked like she had gigantic welts all over her legs.  When we came back from Texas mine came back with a vengeance.  Come to find out we had been eaten by chiggers.  Moral of the story: wear pants in Texas and don't wander through the grass in shorts.

Other than the chiggers and the really high humidity, Texas was a success.  It helped prepare me for night shots and I even got a few photos of lightning which I will leave you with.  The next train chase story is a doozy and probably the best one yet.  Until then...

Dreams Not Yet Achieved

The start of 2012 was going to be a new me, a new outlook on life and all around better life.  Now I know what you're thinking, how long did that last?  You also may be thinking that's what everyone says at the start of a new year.  Then they fall back into their old habits and life continues on the same path.  Well that wasn't the case this year.  I started out focusing on me.  What I wanted to achieve, how to get there and what mattered to me the most.  Like many people, I looked at my health and realized I needed to do something about it.  (Just for you neigh sayers out there, I managed to lose 30lbs and I'm still losing.)  The next step was to write out my goals that I felt were achievable in the span of 12 months.  I really wanted to take my photography serious and finally start pushing it instead of letting it slide.  I wanted to focus on my writing, another area I had let slip.  Both of these things are very important to me and I would like to establish myself in the world.  I put these goals on post-it notes on my closet door.  Every morning, I wake up and see them, reminding me what is important to me.  I bet you're wondering what this has to do with train chasing.  Well I'm getting there.

In pursuing my photography, I wanted to visit new trains.  I felt I was in a rut chasing the same trains over and over.  It became a goal of mine to visit one of the most renowned trains in Colorado: The Durango and Silverton.  I decided I wanted to visit this train in the winter and get shots of an old steamer in the snow.  Pretty awesome idea right?  There's a few problems, 1) I drive a Honda Civic, not the most compatible vehicle for driving in Colorado winters and 2) Durango is five hours away from where I live, which means I would have to stay for a few days (did I mention I'm a starving artist?).  Since my parents are supportive of my goals and aspirations, they managed to secure me a hotel for the weekend.  My dreams were going to come true and I was pumped.

The day arrived to leave and I managed to convince Carrie to go with me.  I wasn't keen on going alone.  Like most days in February and March there are chances for snow storms, but this is Pueblo, the donut of Colorado.  Everywhere else gets the snow, but we normally don't.  We planned on leaving a little later in the morning, because we would be catching the train the next day.  Surprisingly, it had started to snow when we were eating breakfast and by the time I got out of the shower, the deck was covered in snow.  We needed to get out of Pueblo and fast.  Remember that little tid bit of information about driving a Civic?  Well try driving one in a blizzard with old tires; it was a nightmare.  As we got into town the roads and visibility were getting worse.  Still we pressed on (yeah, I was insane).  We reached the outskirts of Pueblo and things got even worse.  I could barely see the front of my car as I gingerly made my way up the interstate.  Semi-trucks blared by me, forcing me closer to the edge of the road because they wouldn't get over all the way.  My windshield wipers froze up and were struggling to keep up with the snow and ice.  I had no idea where I was, all that I knew was that I was somewhere between Pueblo and Colorado City.  I hit this patch of ice and my car just start gliding off the road.  Hitting the breaks only made it worse and I was pretty sure we was going to end up in the ditch.  We had seen close to 10 cars in the median or side of the road.  It looked like a parking lot because people were going way too fast.  I don't know how I managed it, but I got the car back on the road and going straight.  Carrie suggested going back, but I just couldn't give up my dream even if it killed us.  My knuckles were white and I felt like Ed did back in November.

I pulled off at Colorado City.  I needed to unfreeze the windshield wipers and clear my windows from all the gunk it had accumulated.  I also needed a quick break from being behind the wheel and the wind on my face was just the ticket.  Something weird happened at the top of the hill, the snow quieted down and roads were starting to melt.  The closer we got to Walsenburg, the easier the road became.  Soon the snow had stopped and the road was clear.  The worst is over....or so I thought.  It was clear until we got closer to La Veta.  Then we were hit with the same road conditions back in Pueblo, except this was a little worse because I was approaching La Veta Pass.  It was slow going, but we made it up the mountain without any accidents and were finally getting out of the storm.  It just had a few more surprises for me.  While coming off the pass the wind began to howl, creating a whiteout effect I've never experienced before.  Sometimes the wind would whip so fast I couldn't see anything but within a few seconds my vision would clear.  I figured it couldn't be as a bad as the drive but then the wind whipped up and wouldn't stop.  I couldn't see behind me nor in front of me.  I had no idea where the edge of the road was and was hoping with all my might that there was no one behind me.  I came to a complete stop near the side of the road (I doubt I was on the shoulder).  All we could do was wait and wait.  The wind died down and I was able to move on, but my nerves were shot.  I had been in the car way too long, but I knew we are almost done.  We reached Fort Garland and headed to Alamosa, there wasn't any snow on the ground but the wind was still howling.  Instead of a white-out, we hit a sand storm so thick and black, it was blowing my car to the side and causing horrible visibility.  I have no idea how we survived all that, but we did.  We stopped in Alamosa for a much needed break and this is what my car looked like after all that:

It was smooth sailing all the way from Alamosa to Durango and I couldn't wait to soak my bones in the hot tub.  Upon arriving at our hotel, we were shocked to find out that the pool and the hot tub were out of service.  Give me a break will you!  We wandered downtown Durango and went to bed early.  I was dead dog tired, but the realization that I was this close to achieving my dreams made it impossible to sleep.  I tossed and turned and got zero sleep, but the next morning I was ready to roll.  I planned on getting to the station early so that I could take photos without other people in my way.  I was loaded down with gear, but not enough clothing.  I had underarmor on, a long sleeve shirt, a fleece jacket, a pair of jeans, tennis shoes, regular socks, a hat and gloves.  (I road on the platform car from Durango to Cascade Canyon.  I never budged and I should probably get a medal because it was one of the coldest rides of my life.)

When we got to the station, they had the doors to the platform outside locked.  This is one of those things you just don't do to me.  They said that they would unlock the doors about half an hour before we were to depart.  I wasn't happy but figured I would still have half an hour to take photos of the train while the others boarded.  The time came and went and the crowds began to fill up the depot.  I felt like a caged animal and began to pace, this certainly wasn't the way my day was supposed to start out.  Finally they unlocked the door, but ushered everyone into the cars.  I was having none of that and went to the front of the train.  They had caged me enough.

I managed to take many photos before I had to get on the train; Carrie had boarded earlier.  It felt like eternity before the train pulled out of the station, but when we finally got underway, it was awesome.  The tracks go right through the middle of downtown and we got to see the sights via train.  I had never been on a coal burning train before and laughed when they said we should wear glasses while riding the train because the embers from the engine fly back into the open air cars.  I wasn't laughing ten minutes into the ride.  The embers burned and I ended up breaking down and buying some sunglasses they were selling on the train.  These have become my official train chasing goggles.

This train is probably one of the coolest you can ride in Colorado, if not the United States.  One of the reasons why I feel this way is when you go around this curve you can look straight down and see the water.  There is only a few inches between the track and the edge of the mountain.  For those of you who are afraid of heights this is probably not the ride for you.  The history of this railroad is pretty amazing too.  They started building this railroad (without dynamite) in the fall of 1881 and completed the railroad in July of 1882.  For those of you who know what Colorado winters are like in the mountains, you can appreciate what kind of feat this was.  Upon arriving in Cascade Canyon (the threat of an avalanche keeps the train from going all the way to Silverton), the passengers disembark and eat their lunches.  They back the train in when you first get there, much to my sadness because I wanted to take photos as it backed up.  I guess you can't have everything, so I decided to lay down in front of the train in the snow to get a shot (don't worry, it wasn't moving).

During the ride back, I was pretty cold and decided to stay in the car more than I did on the ride up.  On the ride back we were able to see bighorn sheep which made the ride even more amazing.  Back at the station, we were able to go visit the museum and get another sense of history.  The next day, we chased the train out of town before heading back to Pueblo.  Although the tracks follow the road for quite some time, it is challenging to get a clear shot of the train without a house or cars in your shot.  However, just as we were about to go home, I saw a pull off on the side of the highway.  It enabled me to see the curve of the track as it came underneath a bridge.  Probably the coolest place to take a shot between Durango and Cascade Canyon.

Going home was a lot easier than it was coming, there was no snow or icy conditions on the way back. The only problem that we encountered was that Carrie had to pee as we came back across Wolf Creek Pass and pointed out all the "pottys" she saw.  I should clarify here, the "pottys" that she saw had five feet of snow in front of them and were currently out of order.  We finally managed to find a potty and continued on our way.  The only other issue that we encountered was a dust storm but nothing like the drive to Durango had been.  

This was probably one of the best experiences I've had.  It allowed me to start on my journey to better myself and achieve goals that I had set.  Despite the rough start, this trip gave me the confidence I needed to continue.