Friday, August 18, 2006
Soot, Part 2
When buying the train tickets, I had noticed that one could also pay to go on a tour of the train yard there in Durango. Feeling Mike really needed this extra dose of crack, we went back the next morning.
The highlight for Mike was getting to manually work a lever that changes the switch, the section where the track gets moved to let trains go different directions. I think he would have been perfectly happy to stand there all day switching it back and forth. Thank goodness they are usually kept locked--now that he knows the secret!
I had been a little hesitant to sign up for the tour, since walking for long stretches of time is not something I am currently adept at. But it was supposed to only be an hour, and I figured I could manage that.
Unfortunately, there was a hardcore railfan along on the tour--a guy who has his own foundry and does heaven knows what with it. The kind of guy who tried to show off being able to recognize different WEIGHTS of track steel rails. Who asked questions thinly disguised as a way to show off what he already knew.
OK, a serious fan, and I wasn't into his fandom, so I was annoyed and off-put. Also he was totally lacking a sense of humor.
It WAS very informative, though. I always enjoy behind the scenes peeks at things. And of course there were photo ops. Mike got a big charge out of seeing a roundhouse and turntable up close, and stroking the drivers of an engine. So it was worth it.
The leg cramps from walking and then driving up and down over a couple of fairly heavy duty passes, plus a threatening thunderstorm (which DID end up moving on east) is what made me stick and stay in Silverton that night. It was a very pretty park, and we were right across from a little waterfall coming down the mountain opposite us.
The hot tub was also not smelly, although it could have been fuller. Still, when it comes to the classic question, I am the type who sees the hot tub as half-full, and that was good enough for me!
The highlight for Mike was getting to manually work a lever that changes the switch, the section where the track gets moved to let trains go different directions. I think he would have been perfectly happy to stand there all day switching it back and forth. Thank goodness they are usually kept locked--now that he knows the secret!
I had been a little hesitant to sign up for the tour, since walking for long stretches of time is not something I am currently adept at. But it was supposed to only be an hour, and I figured I could manage that.
Unfortunately, there was a hardcore railfan along on the tour--a guy who has his own foundry and does heaven knows what with it. The kind of guy who tried to show off being able to recognize different WEIGHTS of track steel rails. Who asked questions thinly disguised as a way to show off what he already knew.
OK, a serious fan, and I wasn't into his fandom, so I was annoyed and off-put. Also he was totally lacking a sense of humor.
It WAS very informative, though. I always enjoy behind the scenes peeks at things. And of course there were photo ops. Mike got a big charge out of seeing a roundhouse and turntable up close, and stroking the drivers of an engine. So it was worth it.
The leg cramps from walking and then driving up and down over a couple of fairly heavy duty passes, plus a threatening thunderstorm (which DID end up moving on east) is what made me stick and stay in Silverton that night. It was a very pretty park, and we were right across from a little waterfall coming down the mountain opposite us.
The hot tub was also not smelly, although it could have been fuller. Still, when it comes to the classic question, I am the type who sees the hot tub as half-full, and that was good enough for me!
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