"It's Never too late to be what you might have been" ~ George Elliot
Labor Day is usually a time of gathering and a joyful event to unofficially end the summer. Mine was spent alone trackside and while I do not want to go fully into the reasons it was that everyone needed a break from.....you guessed it ME!!!!!!! Early on that day I realized it and honestly I needed some alone time as well. (at the time I didn't realize it.) I packed up my water bottle with ice, topped off my coffee cup and threw my day bag in without the thought that I might wind up trackside. I got into the Jeep and drove and as I drove I noticed I was heading up towards one of the spots I used to railfan in a nearby town called Hudson. At that moment I figured why not? Most likely being a holiday no one would be up there so I could have my alone time and as I drove to my destination, I realized the rest of the day was set for me to spend trackside and I only had the minimum equipment and, things needed for a day trackside.
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| The first NS train rolling by |
As I pulled into the spot there was two gentlemen already watching trains and while I thought I would be alone it was opposite the case. Being in the mood I was in I didn't really feel like talking and the one railfan just stayed in his truck, ( my guess is he was like me and just wanted to be alone to) the other one really didn't talk either, however he did keep me abreast of the trains coming. I turned my Ham radio to 161.070 to listen for the trains and while I had my phone for recording, I had put it on DND, and I kept in contact with my buddy Dave who was fanning the same line almost 320 miles West of where I was.
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| My View from the Jeep |
As you can see from the picture above what my day mostly seemed like, reading the Bible, drinking coffee and watching trains. Weather wise you couldn't top it with mostly clear skies and temps in the mid 70's it was perfect, however there was a few things missing.........
My Family and Food.......
I turned the Jeep around and opened the tailgate and dropped the table down to set my coffee cup and water bottle down. Next pulled out one of our chairs (1of the 3) and sat down and began to think about how it used to be trackside, alone, nothing but my Bible, my thoughts, the trains and God. I poured over the past couple of years as I hadn't been able to do this in this capacity for about 5 years and my mind went back to the most recent trip we shared the Toledo Jeep Fest. As I sat there thinking about the trip and everything another Eastbound rolled by.
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| The Eastbound train and the set up for the day. |
The more I thought about it the more I wanted my family up there with me but I knew my solitude was for a reason, to get back to God and what I was meant to do.
Hours went by and the coffee was depleted and the water was slowly going empty and so was my stomach, I was trying to hold out when my older sibling called me and said come on home and get something to eat. I was hot and tired but I reluctantly made it back and grabbed some hot dogs and burgers. My other part of my family still needed a break but I did stop in and check in with them and made my way back home where I went to bed in preparation for my workday the next day.
Sometimes we all need a break and this provided a much needed rest for all of us and gave me a chance to get back into the rhythm of what I was meant to do and that was getting some trackside overlanding in.
I hope you enjoyed this blog and as always remember God is still in control
until next time stay healthy and stay blessed
