Double Railroad Delight

It was another fine day of railroad tracks, bridges, and foliage! :-)

Two weeks ago, we took a Friday off and spent an absolutely awesome day along the Little Juniata River. Our day had so many things to recommend it, and especially thrilling to me - the daughter of a railroad brakeman - was the time spent along the railroad tracks and bridges.

On this Friday, we took another vacation day, and we headed back to the Little Juniata. But this time we went downstream four or five miles to the Little Juniata Natural Area. And guess what! More awesome railroad tracks, bridges, and foliage!

The last time we were at the Little Juniata, the weather was warm and sunny. It was a day stolen from summer's playbook. I wished for my swimsuit at one point for a quick dip along the river. Didn't have it, so alas, no dip on that day.

This day was very different from that one. You would not have mistaken this one for a summer's day. It started out overcast, and so we lingered indoors. But the sky started to turn blue around 11 am, when we were on our way to the woods. It was cool and breezy after that, with a mixture of clouds and sun. Mostly sunny by the afternoon's end.

We parked our car in the parking lot at the trail head, grabbed our daysacks, our tiny cooler (which turned out to be full of unexpected delights, thanks to my husband), and our chairs, and headed for a good sitting spot down along the Little Juniata.

On our way there, we passed through stands of mostly yellow foliage, which almost seemed to glow as the mid-day sun hit it. And dark, rocky outcrops above us on the hillside. Above that, still more yellow trees. It was an easy hike of maybe two miles to the furthest spot we would go from the car, which wasn't that far at all: a nice area to sit down by the river, where we had a tiny picnic.

Suddenly starving, we set out our chairs, put down our daysacks, and unpacked the cooler, from which emerged the following: cold fried chicken (!!!), tiny chunks of sharp white cheddar cheese, little packets of fresh peanuts, and an ice-cold Diet Pepsi for me. We ate every bite of those snacks and then explored the area further.

I walked out to the river to enjoy the foliage reflections on water. A fisherman walking up the creek in hip-waders became part of the colors and the reflections. The yellows and oranges shimmered on the water, became golden in the afternoon sun, changing as the clouds moved, the colors never staying the same. The foliage alters the very color of the light. These fine October days, it feels like living inside a cathedral, with stained glass windows made of leaves.

We sat there for a few hours, then began our journey back out. And some of the best was yet to come, for back the way we had come were the railroad tracks and bridges! In my usual madcap fashion, I hiked down the hillside along the water to get some photos: a golden tree above the river shining like a light, the arches of a railroad bridge behind it - gray and black against the gold - reflecting on the water. And then I tried to get back up the hill to the railroad bridge above: my true destination, to get a much-coveted eye-level shot of those rails.

And that's where I nearly got trapped for the rest of my life, stuck in a tangle of briars and poison ivy so thick, I feared I might never emerge. Seldom do I wish for a machete while hiking in Pennsylvania, but this was one of those times. The briars scraped me in a hundred places, drawing blood on my hands as I fought back, tried to move. My husband's voice drifted down from somewhere on the trail far above me, advising me to backtrack, backtrack . . .

And so I did. I finally managed to extricate myself from the briars and found what passes for a path. I followed it over to the railroad tracks, where I cut around the edge of the bridge and stepped up onto the rails. FINALLY! And this was my view: not just one but TWO railroad tracks. Double railroad delight!

I sit here telling this tale while nursing a few scrapes and scratches a day later (and yes, I took off those poison-ivy clothes and took a hot shower as soon as we got home - no sense being foolish about it). And I would still have to say it was well worth it, briars and all. But be ye warned: if you want this shot, you will have to work hard and earn it to get it.

We made a few quick stops along the trail for more railroad photos before we concluded our hike and headed home. Oh, and did I mention yet there were lots of TRAINS!? Yes, trains, several per hour. First the sound of a lonesome whistle in the distance, then an ominous quiet as the train passed through the tunnel, then thunder on the rails as the train appeared, suddenly too close, too fast. Did I say THUNDER on the rails!? And maybe even some lightning too!

Rock and roll, baby! There is no sound exactly like a train, but I have to tell you that Johnny Cash can make a harmonica sing and wail like one. The song to accompany this blip is one of my favorite train songs, Johnny Cash's Orange Blossom Special, from his performance in San Quentin, in February 1969. Enjoy!