We took the plunge!

Yes! We blasted out of town a few days ago and headed for the great outdoors. But not before we stopped at the Southeastern Railway Museum in Duluth, Georgia. And boy what an interesting(?) first leg of the trip. We left Leeds(AL) at a little after 7:00 a.m. We wanted to get fuel in east Oxford in case Georgia gas prices were higher. We did so and tried to get on the freeway. There were locations where fog was somewhat heavy everywhere on the road. Omscaler got gas went to the on ramp and noticed ten or more cars coming up the ramp. Still hazy with sleep I said to myself, “I did not notice this being a two lane road.” What my foggy brain did not realize was that cars had turned around on the ramp. The reason was that the freeway was now a parking lot. After a few moments of mental processing we decided to go to Hwy. 78 East. I guessed that super thick fog on Cheaha ridge had either stopped traffic or had resulted in an accident. After a few miles I was able to get back on the freeway. Smooth sailing all the way to Villa Rica and breakfast. Umm, umm, delicious! After this things got interesting. I had decided to try to go through downtown Atlanta to Get to Interstate 85 north. The last time I was on the 285, traffic was slow and heavy. This decision also turned out to let me experience traffic that was slow and heavy. I eventually got on 85N and drove on. After a few miles up I85, I looked over at the southbound side and noticed traffic was not moving. “How do people live like this?”, I wondered. Anyway, after trundling on for a while, I came to the Duluth exit that I wanted. I got info from the admission person and learned that the miniature train used to reside at the Jimmy Morgan Zoo in Birmingham. He said I could choose this train or the full size one that toured part of the grounds and shop. I told him I had already ridden the little train when I was a boy so I would take the big one. Sometimes things really do come full circle. What an interesting museum. Franklin D’s railcar, steam locomotives, an E8 streamliner and a lot more. I told the conductor I had accidentally climbed up the ladder to the E8. He said the door was locked. After the train ride, I showed the conductor and engineer my sample of an Omega Scale Railway boxcar that I carry around. They were appreciative and invited me to visit the inside of the locomotive that pulled the tour cars we had ridden. I am writing another thank you to these men for their courtesy and favor. Next, omscaler drove to Roswell for a visit to Blue Ox Model Trains. This store has an outstanding inventory! I have not seen this much model railroad inventory in years. After a brief chat and getting some directions (Don’t want to get lost. Do we?), I headed for I-575 north. And here omscaler experienced...wait for it...heavy traffic! After what was a long time, we were able to head to Ellijay for check-in and supper. Whew! The next day I visited and hiked at Fort Mountain State Park. My goal was to see the stone serpent effigy. This effigy is reported to be between 850 and 930 feet long. I only checked out a short section of the site. The identity of the builders remain a mystery to this day. Next I wanted to go to one of the apple orchards for fried apple pie. It was delicious. Then I made my way home. The week of this post should see more progress on the covered hopper project. Roofs are complete now and we will work on smaller parts next. Refreshed and diligent, omscaler