I just got back from a trip around the world, and I'm exhausted! Well...a virtual trip...so I'm virtually exhausted.
It all started with a Google Earth trip to Europe to visit some old favorites of mine, then to my address, and then it somehow - BIG surprise here - morphed into a tour of ghost towns and old railroad routes throughout the Colorado Rockies.
Once I got the hang of it, it was relatively easy to follow old rail grades from a known point to the old town sites that they used to serve, and some spectacular scenery along the way1
The only problem I encountered was that many of the images were made during winter, and whole sections of rail grade simply vanish under the snow, leaving me to crawl up the valleys on my virtual hands and knees until I could pick it up again! It was hard finding the depot in Silverton, the snow was so deep!
From there, it was off to California to visit the Yreka Railroad in my home town, where I traced the tracks to Montague. This RR, BTW, is still in continuous operation on its own tracks and remains independent since it was founded in the late 1800's. Not too shabby.
Now I have touched down back home, by following the tracks to Palmer Lake, Co and thence to home. Whew! Exhausting - but exhilarating!
It all started with a Google Earth trip to Europe to visit some old favorites of mine, then to my address, and then it somehow - BIG surprise here - morphed into a tour of ghost towns and old railroad routes throughout the Colorado Rockies.
Once I got the hang of it, it was relatively easy to follow old rail grades from a known point to the old town sites that they used to serve, and some spectacular scenery along the way1
The only problem I encountered was that many of the images were made during winter, and whole sections of rail grade simply vanish under the snow, leaving me to crawl up the valleys on my virtual hands and knees until I could pick it up again! It was hard finding the depot in Silverton, the snow was so deep!
From there, it was off to California to visit the Yreka Railroad in my home town, where I traced the tracks to Montague. This RR, BTW, is still in continuous operation on its own tracks and remains independent since it was founded in the late 1800's. Not too shabby.
Now I have touched down back home, by following the tracks to Palmer Lake, Co and thence to home. Whew! Exhausting - but exhilarating!