Central Pennsylvania Railroad Monochrome

The day began with a heavy fog that barely lifted for part of the day, and only in some places. The temperatures were somewhat mild and in the afternoon, my husband and I went to visit a little wetland along Bald Eagle Creek. To get to its parking lot, you have to cross these railroad tracks. And so I hopped out and snapped a few pictures.

This scene may look familiar. In October, I stood in this exact spot and shot a photo in the opposite direction. As I've mentioned before, these tracks are famous. They've appeared in the movie Unstoppable. A few miles away is a gliderport where parts of the remake of The Thomas Crown Affair were filmed.

My husband and I once took a ride on a local historic railroad in the autumn, and the trip was supposed to go from Bellefonte to Tyrone, over these very tracks. Unfortunately, there was a fire nearby, and the firemen had their hoses strewn over the tracks. Our train was not allowed to pass; the engineer put it in reverse and went back the way we came. We did not make it this far before reaching the end of the line.

I am from a railroad family, my father having been a railroad brakeman at the Enola yards for many years. I love trains and railroad tracks. There is a little railroad depot in Tyrone and I hope to explore what my options for travel may be. From these rails, how far can I go? Can I go and see the world? Can I have some grand adventures? We shall see. I hope so.

Switching gears a bit . . . among the significant news of this day was the women's march on Washington, DC, as well as many sister marches that took place all around the world. The turnout was huge, and I watched the reports gleefully all day. For the first time in a long time, I felt . . . hope.

I am pleased and proud to report that the Crittergators donned pink hats and marched around our bathroom to stand in solidarity for women's rights. It was a peaceful march, with an enthusiastic group participating. You may see that photo in the extras.

The hats are supposed to look like cat heads, with ears, but I'm sorry to report that they didn't turn out quite that way, but more like knots. The Crittergators wore them proudly, though. I suspect that I may lay claim to having created the smallest pussyhats for the women's march. Change starts small, or so they say. Sometimes . . . very, very small.

There are two songs for this day. The first is for the railroad scene above, which our train did not make it to that one time we rode these rails: the Traveling Wilburys with End of the Line. (Pay attention and you will see Roy Orbison's guitar rocking in the chair in the video; the man himself had passed shortly before the video was made.)

The second is for those brave Crittergators, and for the people all around the world who marched for women's rights, for human rights. Alone, we may feel powerless, but we are stronger together. When we put our minds and hearts to it, we can become unstoppable. The song is Pat Benatar's Invincible.