Transcontinental Railroad: 150th Anniversary

Late April and early May saw a roadtrip to San Francisco to attend Westpex 2019 a national level stamp show held yearly. I use these trips to site-see along the way. I’m always looking for historical sites to take in.

Instead of taking a cross-country shortcut I elected to go south almost to Salt Lake City and go to the Golden Spike National Historic site.

The site is located thirty-two miles west of Brigham City, Utah just north of Salt Lake City. The interpretative center stands next to the original rail line and the actual location of the last spike. There are two exact replica locomotives at the site. They are both operational and depending on the time of year do run outs on the line. When not fired up they are in a shed where they can be viewed. Knowledgeable staff are available both in the main center and the locomotive shed.

Jupiter in the locomotive shed. To the left is No. 119

The two locomotives are the Central Pacific’s Jupiter and the Union Pacific’s No. 119. Central Pacific laid track from Sacramento, California through the Sierras to arrive at Promontory. Their locomotive the Jupiter is wood burning as is the replica. Union Pacific had track to Council Bluffs, Iowa but no bridge across the Missouri River so they started laying track from Omaha, Nebraska across the river from Council Bluffs and began building a rail bridge at the same time. Until the bride was completed they barged construction supplies across the river. Their locomotive, No. 119 burned coal as does the replica today.

If you’re interested in railroads and their history I highly recommend a visit. It’s a short drive off the Interstates either I-15 or I-84 depending on which direction you are driving from. Details can be found on the National Park website,

Golden Spike Historic Site

According to the website it is open year round 9 am to 5 pm except for major holidays. Locomotive demonstrations are only during the summer months. Unfortunately I was there in late April but did get to see them up close in their shed. Staff were very knowledgeable and helpful. The gift shop had lots of excellent books and souvenirs.

Note: All photos by the author.

The Davis’s Vacation: Apologies to the Griswold’s

A road-tripping we will go. This weekend our family leaves for a planned two weeks of enriching the gas stations of the United States and Canada. The plan is to make this family fun for all. How the heck do you do that? Traveling with three little ones that can be hard to manage, but here are some of the ways we hope to make it enjoyable for all,

1. Don’t drive long distances in one haul. The plan is to drive only 4 – 5 hours per day.

2. Stop early in the evening. This should allow for ease of getting campsites and a more laid-back set up of the motorhome. Kids will have time for burning off energy before bed.

3. Visit attractions that appeal to all of us, especially the kids. Flintstone park and waterparks here we come.

4. Always ensure shopping malls are on the agenda along the way. This keeps my wife happy. Happy wife = happy life.

5. Stop frequently at picnic sites along the way. This lets the kids burn off steam and gets some food into them other than the “fine fare” found at the roadside choke’n’pukes like McDonalds.

6. Load the motorhome with provisions: snacks, DVD player and movies, iPods, crafts, coloring books, markers, and Tylenol (for Mom and Dad).

By the way I do plan on taking my laptop along. Most of the KOA’s and other RV parks have WiFi now so I will try to post along the way.

We have done several weekend camping trips with the RV, but it is still relatively new to us so I’m sure we’ll have some adventures along the way. It’s wonderful to camp in relative luxury, power, water and air conditioning. Makes the outdoors much more enjoyable.

Note: For those who don’t know – the Griswold’s are the dysfunctional family who take a cross-country trip in the movie “Vacation” which was released in 1983 and became a cult favorite. It starred Chevy Chase.