Captain’s Entry:
I’m sorry to
report that although I’m carefully nearing the “inner circle,” it is not yet complete! I promise there will be a photo of the “inner
circle” within the next day or so. Please stay alert for the reveal.
My First
Officer has requested a day’s leave, so I’ve sent him to one of the outer
planets to “chill.” Today we registered and received our Feather River Rally
tee shirts, raffle tickets and rally book showing the activities planned for
the week. The maps and details in the book are first rate, so we’ll have no
excuses for getting lost! Tomorrow, when
he returns from the outer planets, the First Officer will be driving Maxwell over to the Western Pacific Railroad
Museum (WPRM) located 75 miles south of Quincy.
Coincidentally, way back in
the late 50’s or early 60’s my dad rode the train from Chicago out to
California for a business conference. He often talked about the California
Zephyr and traveling on it through the Feather River Canyon. The engine and
several cars and artifacts from the Zephyr are now housed at the WPRM! I can
hardly wait to see it, and I wonder if they might have the domed observation
car my dad spoke about so often. It’s amazing the unexpected opportunities that
crop up on a trip like this one!
 |
| Notice the domed observation cars in the background (California Zephyr - Public Domain Photograph - Publisher: Lyman Cox-Photograph: Western Pacific Railroad) |
However, our trip
pales in excitement as we re-join Charles and Anne in flight on their way to
Nome, Alaska in the dark! They had been flying with the midnight sun, but
suddenly night returned (caught up with them!). Anne desperately tapped out
code on the radio and finally reached a way station that would relay
her message to Nome.
Finally, the
message got through and came back with the news that the crew at Nome would
light flares and a bonfire to guide the fliers to their landing. Unfortunately, our heroes encountered fog over the mountains, and Charles chose to land on an
uncharted lagoon rather than continue to Nome. Anne barely had time to relay
that message to Nome and reel in the antenna before they were safely floating
on the water after a rather harrowing landing. As night crept up on them while
they were still in the air, Anne explained she felt terror at the approaching
darkness as if she had never experienced night before.
As we’ve
learned lessons about traveling in the RV, one of our mantras borrowed from
Frank’s RV-enthusiast brother, Greg, has become “In the park before dark.” It’s truly
comforting to find “safe harbor” before the night makes travel and settling in
at a strange place such a chore.
Once Anne
and Charles were out of the sky and anchored near the coast of the Seward
Peninsula, they made their bed in the baggage compartment of their small
aircraft and settled in to sleep on “parachutes, flying suits, and sleeping
bags.” The next morning dawned clear, and they made their way safely to Nome.
. . . and
tomorrow, barring fog and the perils of highway travel, we’ll be returning
“home” to Quincy with stories and photos of engines, cabooses and “the most
talked about train in America.”
End
Captain’s Entry
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