The Amazing Journey Begins

It's been a whirlwind of a week, and I am just catching up. I did not have time to tell you all about it in advance, but I scheduled a grand adventure for this week. It would include travel by automobile, train, boat, and bus, and would take me from my home near State College to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and from there to the beach with my sister.

I rode the train four times last summer, and for the most part, had a wonderful experience. My sister and I like to visit the ocean in Atlantic City, and so we scheduled a one-day bus trip for June 20 to do just that. When our trip was finally confirmed about a week or two before the event, I decided I would take the train to see her; I bought a one-way ticket.

So my husband dropped me off at the train depot in Tyrone on Tuesday morning, and for the small sum of $30, I traveled from there to Harrisburg, a ride that was scheduled to last from 10:18 in the morning until 12:53 pm. Several trains rumbled by before mine arrived EXACTLY on time.

I believe in traveling in style and comfort, and that is what I did. There is just something very genteel and old-fashioned about train travel. When I got on, there were very few people on the train and lots of space for everybody. I put my stuff down at a pair of large seats with plenty of room.

Tiny Tiger and his cohorts traveled with me, and while they were a little bit worried, they did just fine. I also had the forethought to pack my own snacks: steak nachos and chips, which I polished off with great gusto somewhere around Lewistown.

We began traveling very slowly at a certain point, and then a voice came on over the loudspeaker, telling us that a train in front of us was having mechanical difficulties. There was another train, a freighter, that would be given precedence over ours.

My train (as I thought of it - "mine") would pull over on a side track, back up, and then go back on its original track. It was very exciting to see, but that delay added time to our trip. In the end, we arrived in Harrisburg about 40 minutes late.

The train usually stops for a significant period of time in Harrisburg and all the smokers get off and have a puff or two. But because of our delays, there wouldn't be time for all of that. The conductor told everybody who was continuing on the train to hurry back lest they be left behind.

The Harrisburg Transportation Center is where I got off to meet my sister. But of course, I lolly-gagged around, walking all around the trains and railroad tracks. I figured my $30 had bought me that much: I was allowed to take a good look at the trains, close-up!

I was standing there trying to get some nice shots of the transportation center without any people in them, when suddenly there was a commotion above me. And then a mass of people came down the steps heading right at me!

I heaved a sigh of disappointment, but in a second, my perspective changed. People of all colors, creeds, and nationalities (including the Amish, who are heavy users of the train) poured toward me. As I realized that maybe the people WERE the story, I switched to monochrome and kept shooting. The photo above was my favorite from that set.

I met my sister, who'd been waiting patiently for me, and the next thing we did was a cruise on the paddle-wheeler, The Pride of the Susquehanna. We almost didn't make it on, as two buses of people showed up and they were given precedence. At the last minute, they decided there was room enough for two more. So onto the river we went.

I took many pictures of the Harrisburg city skyline while we were on the boat, and I picked the best one to include in the extras. Does it look lovelier than you might expect? I thought so too! And lucky us - blue skies and sunshine arrived just in time for our trip to the beach. (Tune in again tomorrow as the adventure continues.)

I have decided that the song has to be one by Journey, and this is one I especially love: Faithfully, from 1983.