All aboard!

Train travel has always fascinated me. There is something both sinister and sensuous about it - the steam and whistles, the changing landscape whizzing by your window, the strangers on a train. Railroads bring to mind hobos and industry, romance and mystery. And while this is not exactly the Orient Express...

..."The Curious Case of the Caboose in the Copse" is a mystery, nonetheless, and one worthy of Hercule Poirot's sleuthing skills.

An examination of clues reveal the tracks to extend only as far as the length of the car, so we can deduce it's not a runaway train or a loose caboose.

It's been sitting here for some time, as indicated by this rusty wheel, ladder and connecting hitch.

A few yards away, the rather suspicious and alarmed-looking cooktop of a wood-burning stove was found. He remained silent during my interrogation.

The only accessible windows for viewing the interior have been boarded up and the door has been padlocked. What secrets lie beyond? A table for two is the only indication of recent use...

...as well as a two-wheeled means of transport hidden beneath. Someone's been coming here. Do they own this old caboose? I would love to know who....and how they came about it.

The Oil Creek & Titusville line harkens back to 1862. In 1859, when oil was successfully drilled (for the first time in the world!) near Titusville, Pennsylvania, the closest railroad was 27 miles away. The OC&T line was completed to fill that transportation need. Under a series of mergers, it became part of the Pennsylvania Railroad by 1900, then eaten up by Conrail in the late 1960s. In 1986, The Oil Creek Railway Society formed and acquired the remaining original cars in order to preserve the line. 

Today, the 17 mile long Oil Creek & Titusville line operates as a seasonal tourist venue, complete with scenic train trips through the historic Oil Creek Valley, murder/mystery dinner excursions and overnight lodging in refitted stationary cabooses. But that still doesn't answer the question of how one of those cabooses ended up in the Catskills! Hercule? Miss Marple? Anyone?

Mamma's Head

Drive down any road in the Catskills, and you are likely to spy with your little eye an abandoned, rotting abode hidden in the overgrowth. I always find them eerily beautiful, beckoning me to visit.

So why don't you spritz on some bugspray and come a little closer with me?

And closer still...

Don't be afraid. Let's cross the threshold together...

In the midst of it all, nature has come to reclaim her domain.

There's plenty of time to explore...

...and to read!

But what's this, I wonder? Let's have a look-see...

OHMYGODIT'SAGIANTFREAKINGSKULL!!!!

Alrighty then...I think that's enough exploring for the day.

Ghost Station

One of the charms and a major draw of the Catskills is the unchanged landscape, affording one a sense of place in the world. Up here, you're not passing by an endless stream of sameness with Dunkin Donuts, Taco Bells and 7-11s replicating themselves every 10 miles. Which is why, when I see something like this, I have to stop and pay my respects.

I almost expected Gomer Pyle to come ambling out to assist me. However, there was nary a Gomer nor Goober in site. Everything seemed frozen in time, including the price of gas.

The vehicles surrounding the joint also reflected the 30 year time warp...and the awesome, transformative power of oxidation.

Somebody really likes Scouts. And what groovy little workhorses they were! The International Scout Harvester was introduced as a commercial utility pickup in 1960 as a competitor to the Jeep. It set the stage for future 4-wheel drive recreational vehicles of the 70s, 80s and 90s. But something tells me these vehicles were not used for recreation.

I'm sure that one day this service station will be razed to make way for a modernized facility, but for now let us be thankful for this particular suspension of progress and revel in the cool clean lines of the Mobil font.

Happy 4th of July!

Why the sad face, Uncle Sam? Don't you know it's your birthday today? Here's a little poem to turn that frown upside down:

I've got a rocket
in my pocket;
I cannot stop to play.
Away it goes!
I've burned my toes.
It's Independence Day!

I hope everyone has a marvelous day with their picnics and pyrotechnics!

Tree Huggers

I'm forever amazed by the tenacity of trees. They'll shove through any barrier that prevents their upward climb to the sun.

Even their roots manage to muscle through the rocky earth in search of nutrients. Check out any upended tree...

...and the roots will reveal what happens to obstacles in their path - total assimilation!

 

Indeed, trees are marvelous beings, ancient and mighty....and quite suitable for hugging.

 

Even in the cold, they are exceedingly hot.

Mostly though, I think that trees are relentlessly ravenous.