Random Travels – Jim and April's Roadtrips

Mini-Trips

August 28, 2023 April Pearson Comments 0 Comment

This past weekend, I went with two of my daughters to a Guns and Roses Concert in Nashville TN. We left at 1pm on Saturday. Had a meal at The Cheesecake Factory, then checked into our hotel. We left the hotel around 5:30 to go to the concert. Traffic was so bad that we were about 30 minutes late.

That didn’t bother us too much because the opening act was Carrie Underwood. She puts on a good show, but she sings mostly country, not rock. I personally don’t care much for country music anymore. I used to like it, but it just doesn’t appeal lately. She finished up around 7:45 and Guns and Roses didn’t get started until nearly nine. That didn’t seem very efficient to me, but they did put on a good show. They played until 10:30 or so. They left all their biggest hits until the last hour. We enjoyed it, but it was so noisy, we couldn’t even hear ourselves sing along. It was my first Rock Concert. Probably my last.

It was nearly midnight by the time we got back to the hotel. After a good night’s sleep, we headed home around eleven a.m. and stopped for food at the Clarksville Bojangles. It was an enjoyable weekend, not just because of the concert, but because of spending time with my daughters. Family time without all the chaotic goings on of eight young ones between four and twelve years old. Just us grown up girls talking and enjoying each other’s company.

Kentucky Travels

August 7, 2023 April Pearson Comments 0 Comment

I find it somewhat strange that we’ve now visited all 48 contiguous states, but we haven’t seen all of Kentucky yet. We’ve been many places in our state: Mammoth Cave, Cumberland Falls, Louisville, Bowling Green, Paducah, Red River Gorge, etc. But there are still places we’ve missed.

This past weekend, we went to one of those places. We visited Kingdom Come State Park and The Big South Fork Railway. Along the way, we stayed overnight at Benham Schoolhouse Inn. Kingdom Come State Park is named after the popular Civil War novel, “The Little Shepherd of Kingdom Come,” by Kentucky author John Fox Jr.

The park is beautiful, the railway featured a coal mine tour that was very interesting and the Inn was comfortable and nicely furnished with friendly, helpful personnel.

Getting Ready to Travel

May 8, 2023 April Pearson Comments 0 Comment

We are preparing to make a trip to Washington State in June. Working on visiting all 48 contiguous states. This trip will take us through several states we’ve already visited, of course, and add Idaho, Oregon, and Washington.

We’ve planned our route, set the days, and made hotel reservations. I’ve started a packing list. It’s amazing how much stuff you need to be comfortable and healthy for two weeks. If I don’t make a packing list ahead of time, I’ll find I’ve forgotten small things (Or even large things, one year I forgot to bring pajamas.). For practical purposes, the list is broken down into categories: Clothing, Toiletries, Electronics, Books, etc. So far, I’ve added items in several categories after thinking about it a few days. I’m pretty sure I’ll think of more as the days go on.

I’m really looking forward to this trip. I’ve always wanted to see the northwest. I just need to get myself into better physical shape before we leave. I’ve started an exercise routine and I’ll be adding to it as school is out soon and I won’t have kid duty anymore until the fall.

I’ve just about stopped taking pictures over the past couple of years what with Covid and not traveling. To encourage getting back into it, I’ve ordered a new telephoto lens for my camera. It should arrive before the weekend. I’m excited about the whole thing.

A 2020 COVID-19 Roadtrip Update

December 30, 2020 Jim Pearson Comments 0 Comment

Well, just like with most folks during this year of COVID-19 for the most part we haven’t made much in the way of trips and none that required spending the night anywhere. It has been a strange and different time for us, as with many other folks that like to travel and see this great country of ours.

Chrystal and April in Chicago waiting for the YoYo Ma concert to begin. (Photo by Chrystal Brantley)

We did individually get in trips, me in February to visit my niece and Aprils daughter Chrystal who lives in Chicago and my sister April went up to attend a YoYo Ma concert at with her, both events were before the COVID hit the states and disrupted mostly everyone’s lives.

Also, since it’s pretty much a socially distant endeavor I have continued to make day trips around the tri-state area chasing and photographing trains, so at least that part of my photographic life has continued to some degree.

I have kept all my trips to where I get home every night as I’m still not ready to stay overnight anywhere where I can’t control my environment. Most of the trips are solitary for the most part, although a few times good friends and fellow railfans Ryan Scott and Cooper Smith have joined me individually on occasion. I have been limiting folks joining me on my railfan outings to one at a time as with COVID it’s much safer.

Departing Carbondale, IL on Amtrak to Chicago.

One of my favorite photos from my trip in February to visit Chrystal in Chicago.

I meet up with fellow railfan Robert Jitter while I was on this Chicago trip and he showed me some new spots!

Sis and I made a day trip to the Cheekwood Estate in Nashville, Tennessee to see and photograph the stunning glass works of Dale Chihuly that were and still are on display there. It was a beautiful day and we both enjoyed getting out and shooting pictures together!

Cheekwood visit… Click on photos for larger view!

Sis and I were planning to attend my Combat Camera Reunion at Ogden, Utah and it’s still on the books, although the dates have been pushed back twice already because of COVID. Right now we’re set for May 13th – 15th, but that will all depend on where things are at with COVID of course. I know several people, myself included are already discussing the possibility of moving it to October time frame which is when we normally have the reunions. Time will tell.

Well below is a sampling our lives this year along with a description of the locations and memories from the year! I hope you enjoy and here’s to more travel in 2021! (Click on photos for a large view.

I and six of the kids had a showing of our work at the Anne P. Baker gallery here in Madisonville, Ky before COVID hit. It shut down the exhibit about 2 weeks early, but it was a great event for the kids!

Damion gets fitted for his first Mask made by Sis.

The West Tennessee railroad, a trip with my friend Ryan Scott on New Years Day 2020.

Pastor Kara hams it up as she photo bombs Damion and Elaina at church.

A stop in for a photoshoot and visit with my niece and nephews Journey, Jeremiah, Jordan and Jayden after a few months of lockdown. I was wearing my mask!

My nieces Adrianna and Emily stopped by for a visit.

My niece Journey and nephews Jayden watch at their brother Jordan gives his youngest brother a sympathy cry as they all gather for a MASK photo! Not sure why he was so upset.

Clowning around with Damion and Elaina. They have been at our house a lot so their mom could work from their home without distractions.

My niece Tracy works on Home Schooling the kids. It’s been a different year for them all for sure!

Damion and Elaina have a Zoom moment with their Aunt Chrystal who lives in Chicago.

A COVID Thanksgiving photo with sis, Ashley, Eliana, Damion and I.

My great-great nephew Xavier captured this family photo as we gathered around the table for one of three of our Christmas dinners! We did individual groups and kept the small.

Since exercise outdoors in a socially distant COVID event I was still able to get my walking in and of course a few photos along the way!

I got started in the world of Drones this year which gives me a whole new view of the world!

A collection of some of my favorite train photos from 2020! Click on photo for a larger view!

February 7, 2020 – CSXT 754 pulls CSX Q503-06 up over the rise at the north end of Crofton, Ky as it works its way south through the early morning blowing snow on the Henderson Subdivision.

March 14, 2020 – CSXT 5205 leads empty ethanol train K442 through Earlington, Kentucky in the pouring rain as it heads north on the Henderson Subdivision at milepost 271.

June 2, 2020 – This is one of my favorite shots from a 5 state, 22hr railfan trip, with fellow railfan Ryan Scott! This is a Canadian Nation local running long hood forward as it passed the iconic Memphis Pyramid with Grand Trunk 4917 at the North Parkway crossing in downtown Memphis, Tennessee.

September 10, 2020 – Paducah and Louisville 4518 & 4522 lead PRX1, a loaded coal train, as they depart Warrior Coal at Nebo, Kentucky, headed southbound for the barge loading and blending facility at Calvert City, Ky.

September 15, 2020 – CSX Q513-15 sits at the south end of Howell Yard after making a pickup as it waits for CSX Q028, 648 and 512 to clear his location so it can continue its move south on the Henderson Subdivision, with United States Army 4607 and 1869 running dead in tow as its last two units. Both Army units have been refurbished and I found out that 4607 is heading to Hopkinsville, KY (Ft. Campbell) and 1869 is heading to Leland, NC. Tech Info: DJI Mavic Mini Drone, JPG, 4.5mm (24mm equivalent lens) f/2.8, 1/640, ISO 100.

Port Harbor RR at the A&K Railroad Materials Yard Port Harbor (PHRR) switcher 8166, PHRR America’s Central Port 2758, “Illini Terminal” No. 2301 and 2064 sit tied down on Saturday, November 7th, 2020 at the A&K Rail Yard in Granite City, Illinois, waiting for their next assignment.

The conductor on BNSF 7447 throws one of several switches as it prepares to take its power out of the yard track to work on building his train at the Terminal Railroad Association (TRRA) of St. Louis Madison yard at Venice, Illinois, with a rainbow of power sitting in the yard.

CSXT 5412 leads hot intermodal north Q028-10 across the Gum Lick Trestle between Kelly and Crofton, Kentucky as the last rays of the fall sunset rakes through the valley on the Henderson Subdivision.

Canadian National (CN) locomotive 3233 (Support our Troops) heads north on the CN Centralia Subdivision leading CN M396 as it spits the old Illinois Central Coaling towers at Carbondale, Illinois on December 15th, 2020.

Norfolk Southern 4004, a AC/DC Conversion also called the “Blue Swoosh” makes its way across the Wabash River at Mt. Carmel, Illinois as it leads NS 224 westbound on the NS West District on December 12th, 2020 with a string of truck frames and load of intermodals.

Turn Around Trips/Rescheduling Shuttle Duties

February 10, 2019 April Pearson Comments 1 comment

A few weeks ago Jim and I made a quick trip to Charlotte, NC to visit my daughter Jamie, to see her brand new house, and to meet my fifteenth great-grandchild, Sophia Madeline Stinson. This beautiful little girl was born on December 31st, just in time to be claimed on her parents 2018 income taxes. I wanted to go see her immediately, but Jim and I both were fighting an upper respiratory infection and didn’t want to endanger her with our hacking coughs which took several weeks to subside.

Although this used to be a trip we made several times a year, we hadn’t been to Charlotte for quite a while. These days, any out of town trip that can’t start after 5pm on Friday and end by a reasonable bedtime Saturday night requires a shuffling of schedules and duties. We are committed to providing shuttle service for five of our “littles” for school and afternoon activities during the week.

I take one or the other of the two youngest to preschool in the morning, Jim picks them up afterwards and takes them home. We alternate picking their older brother up from first grade at one school and two of their cousins from a different school. In addition, three of them have karate classes on Monday and Friday, two of them have ballet on Thursday, and the four oldest ones have choir practice at the church on Wednesdays.

On Sunday, we take six of them to church and also have responsibilities to fulfill there. We are both deacons and Jim is the videographer while I have other intermittent duties. Saturday is the only day we have free and, even then, we need to be home by 9pm or so because two of those littles usually spend the night to make Sunday mornings a little easier. This is our current retirement schedule and it limits our ability to travel most of the time.

The karate studio that the three oldest ones attend provides an afterschool program as well as martial arts training. They have a van that shuttles to most of the schools in the area and brings the afterschool kids to the dojo. We arranged for our three to ride the van to class on Friday and their parents to pick them up when they were finished so that we could get started in the morning. Tracy, the mother of our preschoolers, volunteered to take her daughter, Journey, to school so that we could leave earlier.

Due to a lack of advance preparation, we didn’t make our planned 8am deadline. We finally got on the road around 10am. Jim prefers to do all the driving so I spent the trip reading, dozing, and occasionally playing navigator. When I’ve made this drive alone in the past, I filled up before leaving town, stocked up on snacks and a cooler of drinks, then drove straight through to Knoxville. I stop there for gas and a meal from someone’s drive thru. Then go straight through to Charlotte. As long as traffic kept moving, my normal routine was to leave town around 8am and arrive in Charlotte by 6pm (5pm our time).

That’s not Jim’s way. He waited to get gas at a truck stop on the way to Nashville where gas is a few cents cheaper. Then, since we got a late start, we stopped to eat just on the other side of Nashville. Jim usually doesn’t care to eat while driving, so we went in at an iHop. Jim doesn’t usually carry a cooler, so we stopped every few hours for drinks and snacks. Since we were running so late, we stopped to eat again at a Cracker Barrel near Asheville around 6pm. We finally arrived at our destination around 9pm. We all have preferences for traveling. Sometimes, it’s about arriving as soon as possible. Other times it’s about the trip itself. Normally, when we travel together, it’s mostly about the trip.

We always have a destination and a schedule, but it’s usually more relaxed and allows for stops or side trips. When I travel alone, it’s mostly about the destination. At least, we made it into the Smokies before dark which is always my goal because I love the mountains. We always take I40 from Nashville to I 77 in Statesville, NC. I love the stretch of road between Knoxville and Asheville. it’s like the earth rises up to wrap its arms around you and welcome you home. If we had more time, we would have stopped along the way to take photos. I took my camera with that in mind but, since we were running late, it stayed in the bag.

I’ve done turn around trips before when my grandchildren were younger and I’d go pick them up to come home with me for summer vacations. Drive for 8 hours, spend the night or may two, then drive home. I’ve done it alone, and with others. This was the first one in a long time. It felt rushed and didn’t allow us to spend the time we’d have liked to with them. I’d much rather have spent several days. But my current “job”, while I love it, doesn’t have much room for extended vacations.