Initial planning for Vacation 2014 began early in the winter, maybe earlier. I went through a number of out and back excursions for train watching. To that I added a few week or two extended railfan trips. All this was simply to keep my sanity on cold winter nights, alone. Most were merely project with no real intention of doing. I told how this evolved for this vacation. It started as a excursion across Tennessee. When it decided to take this trip this summer, I added Atlanta, GA because Google Maps put the fastest return trip from Memphis, as being through Atlanta. From there the evolution of the excursion developed. Even in the last several weeks, there was further refinements and changes made. I did add the Memphis stop to the Chicago out and back. And, soon, I will be packing the car and heading out.
These are the last minutes preparations for an unmarried railfan and his vacation. Remember that I have other interest in addition to railroads. In fact, this vacation is more railfan than I usually do. Being alone, I have certain things I do not like to do. Amusement parks are one. I might find their park train or monorail or streetcars interesting, but that is not enough for me to spend a day's admission to enter. If there is a way to see them without going in, I will. Remember my video of Tweetsie RR, last year. For that reason, I have not planned any side trips to Disney World, while in Orlando.
I use to love Civil War sites, in my younger days. I do have many slides of Appomattox, seeing that I went past there between my home (at the time) in Richmond VA and my Grandparent's in Lynchburg VA. There are other sites I would love to see. But, now I am a suffer from single white man's guilt, which makes Civil War Sites not so interesting. When I go by them, it is more an act of repentance than anything else. That is why it took me so long to decide to go to Stone Mountain. It being almost a shrine to that part of American Shame. I am not talking about the war but the main cause: the enslavement of humans in bondage, based on race.
(to be continued)
No comments:
Post a Comment