A year ago this month I was in Washington state to take in the scenery and learn some history at the 2015 Milwaukee Road Historical Association convention. It was the railroading trip of a lifetime for me for many reasons, foremost of which was that I was able to hear some MILW history from the people who actually lived it. As written about already, I have a personal connection with the area since my great and great great grandfather both worked for the railroad in this area. I may never take another pilgrimage quite like it again, but thankfully while I was there I shot plenty of video and photos to help keep my lousy memory fresh on what I saw while I was there.
Possibly the coolest part about traveling, to me, is the moods or unusual feelings it creates. Those vibes from the pine forests of western Washington stuck with me over the next month and crept into my music at a special time. 6/27 and 6/28 were the final recording session for 100% Juice, which still reigns as my longest-running and most prolific musical endeavor here in Houston. All of the jams from those sessions were named after places I saw while traveling, matched with the feelings they had given me.
On my Flickr page I posted a large number of photos from the trip, ending just recently with the pictures I shot in Tacoma of the Milwaukee Road S-Turn Trestle, which is scheduled to be demolished. These shots are geared towards model railroaders or people who are interested in things like bridge construction… but here is another album of shots I took while driving past Mount Rainier though an area literally named “Paradise, Washington” that should appeal to anyone.
Click on the image below to see the slideshow, then click on any image twice to see it full-size:
It was a trip to remember, and I’m glad I have these photos to help with that.
