An Introduction to "Train Chasing"

Yesterday, my husband decided that today was the perfect opportunity to enjoy a "vacation" day, and he asked me if I'd be interested in traveling north to witness the debut of a steam engine train.  I didn't hesitate to agree, especially when an invitation to lunch at a unique restaurant was mentioned as part of the deal.  After all, would you pass on that type of an offer?

My husband has always enjoyed watching trains, but seems to have developed a keen interest as of late, after he met someone who has a passion for heading out in search of steam trains and photographing them.  So, when he learned of today's debut train,  leaving Port Clinton  and traveling to Tamaqua, pulling no less than 100 cars (I know...I counted them), he couldn't resist making the trip to witness the event.  And, of course, he needed someone to share that excitement with him. I can't say that I was the best choice in regards to exhilaration involving trains, but I did try to at least muster up some oohs and ahhs along the way.  

We could see the smoke from the train as we drove through Port Clinton, where we witnessed dozens of people who had pulled their vehicles onto the side of the road and set up tripods in anticipation of the event. 

Marty decided to mark our "spot" on a road in New Ringold that runs parallel to the tracks. And we soon found ourselves joined by others who were there for the same reason. 

As we sat in the car, waiting for the special event, I took in the surroundings.

As you can see, not much happening here,  unless you are a fan of watching trucks repeatedly attempt to maneuver a tight curve, over and over again.

The highlight of the intersection was this entertaining sign:

Marty was eager to take our photo in front of it.

As we continued to wait, he began chatting with a young man, who looked to be in his early 20's, who had left his home near Morristown, NJ at 5:00 am, to travel to New Ringold to stake out his spot.   This is when I learned that there are quite a number of people out there who call themselves "Train Chasers", who apparently do this regularly as a past time.  I don't know about you, but I can assure you that the call of a steam train would NOT be enough incentive to get me out of bed at that hour of the morning!  Although we did head out at 8:45 am, at the request of my husband, because we wouldn't want to miss anything. And, guess what?  We had plenty of time to enjoy the surroundings while we waited, as I have highlighted for you already. 

Finally, the big moment arrived and we could hear the chug chug of the engine and the screaming of the whistle before it rounded the bend in our direction.  And, then it came into view:

As I mentioned, it was a VERY LONG train, and it took some time to pass by.

And then, what would be a steam engine train without a little red caboose to complete the excitement?

I watched the Train Chasers jump in there cars and zoom out on the road, in an attempt to get to the next crossing before the train, so that they could do it all over again.  Luckily for me, my husband wasn't one of them.  Whew!

We headed to Tamaqua, to a restaurant that had been the original train station, located right along the track.

We sat outside and enjoyed a fabulous lunch!

Marty had supposed that the train would be coming by as part of the journey, but the steam engine had been replaced with a standard engine that pulled the 100 cars by, minus the caboose. 

 It then backed up in the direction from whence it came, more than likely to attach the cars to the steam engine and the caboose for the return trip to Port Clinton.  There had been quite a number of people hanging around the station, in anticipation of seeing the steam engine, only to be disappointed that it never traveled that far. 

But, no worries....I've been told that the Reading and Northern Steam Crew repeats the testing journey next weekend, so those who missed it this time, can travel just a bit further down the road to enjoy the experience.  

Sorry, I don't have any of the details should you be interested. You'll have to find one of those "Train Chasers" if you are interested in the details.  Or comment on the blog, and I'm certain that someone whom I live with knows just how to get that information.

Until next time.....

Destination: Radio City Music Hall!

I realize that there has been a distinct gallivanting draught as of late, but things are looking brighter on the horizon.  And this last 24 hours certainly didn't disappoint in excitement as I headed out on a venture with these three lovely ladies yesterday morning. 

The day began early, (which might explain some or our "tired" faces), as we headed out the door towards our destination:  New York City!  The event had been planned months prior by these lovely woman, as a Christmas gift for me:  tickets to Josh Groban's Great BIG Radio City Show, which was to be held at Radio City Music Hall.  How lucky am I?

If you've been a follower of my blog over the years, then you might recall that I am a fan of this enormously talented singer, having seen him in concert numerous times when the opportunity has availed. He is certainly a gifted entertainer who is a pro at keeping his audience engaged, whether he is belting out a ballad, poking fun at himself during the performance, or engaging his audience in laughter.  So, you can certainly relate to my excitement when I opened my Christmas gift from them.

So, yesterday morning, we headed out with Stacey behind the wheel, driving through a persistent, heavy rainfall that plagued us until we nearly reached the city, where the skies began to clear a bit upon our welcome to Broadway. 

We dropped off our luggage at the hotel and began our trek through the city to the Terrace room, where Amy had secured a lunch reservation.  The restaurant was quiet and peaceful and offered just what we needed to refuel our energy for a day in the Big Apple.

Heather had purchased a seat to see the Music Man, which happened to be showing in a theater directly across from our hotel, but the girls and I opted to do some touring instead.  So, as she headed to the performance, we made our way to Macy's to take a peek at the Spring Flower Festival which was coming to its end. 

Once inside, the strong scent of flowers greeted us along with the myriad of colors and arrangements.

Ok, so these aren't flowers, but I did wonder just how someone manages to walk in them.

Outside, in the front window, was this cute set up where Stacey managed to take a photo of us surrounded in florals!  How clever was that?

After our sinuses convinced us that we'd seen enough flowers, we began the mile walk to Rockefeller Center, as we had tickets to travel to the "Top of the Rock".  We were excited that the weather had cleared, as we were looking forward to seeing the awesome views from the 47th floor. 

As we began our walk along sixth street, it became very obvious that something special was happening, when we kept passing men dressed in full Scottish garb, many with a drum or bagpipe swung over his shoulder.  Little did we know that it was the annual Tartan Parade!

It was obvious that some of these groups were quite serious regarding their role in this parade. 

While others took a more care free approach.  (Photo credit to Amy for capturing this gem.)

The parade seemed like a delightful surprise.....until we realized after walking quite a distance, that we needed to be on the OTHER side of the street to get to Rockefeller center.  The parade traveled a very long route, and it was obvious that none of the police guards were willing to let pedestrians cross over to the other side while it was going on.  

We ended up extending our walk several more long blocks, where the parade dispersed and we could jaunt across to the other side,  Then, we headed back along the route until we came to the crossroads that would lead us to Rockefeller Center.  We managed, somehow, to make it with ten minutes to spare, and the guards at the door were adamant that we would not be permitted to enter until our reservation time.

Once through the door, we traveled along an information path, opted out on the touristy "photo memory", and headed to the elevator where we traveled to the 47th floor.   Once we stepped out of the doors, we were absolutely awed at the beauty of the city that surrounded us. 

I had taken my small camera and was able to zoom in on the Statue of Liberty that I had spotted in the distance. 

One of the out of town visitors on the observation deck offered to take our photo.

Didn't she capture a great image? 

We were offered the opportunity to travel up to the 67th and 70th floors for yet another view, but we declined and decided to head to our hotel where we could check in and recoup a bit prior to heading out to dinner and the show.

We passed some entertaining views along the way.

After a delicious dinner at Azalea's Italian Restaurant, we headed to Radio City Music Hall to get settled into our seats prior to the performance. 

We weren't sure how complicated the check in  process would be, but we streamed through the ID/Covid check, had our bags searched and were seated with 30 minutes to spare. 

The venue had chosen some entertaining "old time" piped in music to keep us entertained and the girls and I had a grand time bopping to the oldies. 

As I would have expected, Josh's performance did not disappoint.  The event had been originally scheduled for April of 2020, for just 3 nights, in this awesome venue.  Obviously, that plan was put to a halt, and now, two year later, Josh finally realized his dream of performing in the Radio City Music Hall.

The show was set up quite differently from other performances which I've attended.  There was an amazing backdrop with awesome special effects to enhance the mood.  Apparently there were several guests included in this special event, with a different set each of the three evenings.  He sang a duet with Rita Wilson (Tom Hanks's wife), had a sit down "chat" with Rachel Brosnahan of "Mrs. Maizel" fame, which was quite entertaining,

and he joined Cindy Lauper as she belted out her hit "Time After Time", sounding as incredible as the first day she sang it.  He also included some local musicians on stage, highlighting his support for the arts, for which he is well known.

He finished with his own version of two beautiful ballads:  The Impossible Dream, and Somewhere Over the Rainbow.

and after one last amazing piano performance, confetti seemingly dropped from the ceiling. 

An awesome finish to an amazing event. 

After a rested night at the Michelangelo Hotel, we treated ourselves to some morning delights from Angelina's Italian bakery,

then bid farewell to the city and headed home.

Honestly, I can't thank my daughters and daughter-in-law enough for gifting me with this very special gift.

Believe me, I know just how lucky I am.

We covered a LOT of ground in 24 hours.  My gallivanting adventures might be picking up again  in the near future, but I might have to consider a slower version for future travels!   Perhaps it might be more appropriate to call myself Gallivanting Geisgrandma!