Yep, another entry

Wed, 30 Jul 2008 11:32:13 GMT

Ok, so it's been awhile since my last entry... I've been busy on the road and doing things in the past month. Once of those thing is no longer bring a ASPL in my scout troop. Now I don't get to do anything!

..............

I wonder, does anybody even read my stuff? Probably not.

Some recent photos

Sun, 11 May 2008 01:16:19 GMT

Pictures from May 2, 2008. Of trains of course.

Wait... he posted something???

Sat, 10 May 2008 23:55:35 GMT

Yep, I'm back after a fairly long (or call it whatever) hiatus, due in part to a few different things. But I'm back and hopefully I'll post some more stuff.... probably stuff no one will even read.

(*thinks to himself* Hmm... I haven't posted since December, so I may be a bit rusty. */end thinking*)

So today, as a matter of fact, is National Train Day. Why? Well, the Transcontinental Railroad was completed 139 years ago, and I guess somebody wanted to celebrate the occasion. Thus, National Train Day. So you're thinking: Mike likes trains, he probably went out and saw alot! Actually, I didn't, but I DID see one, it being a short Wheeling & Lake Erie steel train (2 cars long, whoopee!). But a train is a train, and that'll do for me.

Oh yeah, and a 15 mile bike ride to boot. Now I got that done... now for 2, 25 milers... greeaat...

2007: Year in Review (so far)

Sat, 15 Dec 2007 16:13:41 GMT

Before I type the rest of this, I'd like to put a disclaimer out there, this is all subject to change and will likely be reposted prior to 2008 barnstorming in.

Well, I can't believe it, but 2007 is two weeks from this coming Monday from leaving the building. What a year this has been. I mean seriously, alot of things happened; I turned 16, spent a week in West Virginia at a Rail Camp, became Assistant Senior Patrol Leader of Communications for Scout Troop 228 (for that, went to Twin Arrow for a week, which was the week before Rail Camp. Boy was that hectic...), planned my Eagle Project, skipped summer camp (WOO HOO!!!), met a helluva lot new friends, and a weeks vacation in North Carolina. There were a few good railfan trips, including the Rail Camp over the summer. Plus in July, the PRR E8s came to town as part of Altoona Railfest, seeing those brutes up close and personal downtown was just purely awesome. And who knew in October while biking 50 miles on the former Pittsburgh & Lake Erie Railroad, I'd see 39 CSX and Amtrak trains over the course of 48 hours??

Wow. That sums up the year. So I'll name a few days that were noteworthy to me.

January 1: obviously "Day One '07".

February 27: I turned 16.

April 9: Railfanning at Station Square. Two trains within 10-15 minutes of each other.

May 18th-20th: Our troop took our annual Spring Trip, this year to Philadelphia. Some highlights included seeing the Liberty Bell, Independence Hall, Franklin Institute, (in nearby West Chester) American Helicopter Museum, (in Harrisburg) and the State Capitol Building.

June 6: The worst day of the year was this day, when I found out my grandfather, known to me as Pap-Pap, passed away due to heart failure. The following day "mandated" an urgent trip to central PA to attend to family matters, and the funeral.

June 16th: After all the stuff happening with the family, Dad and I returned to Pittsburgh on a positive note, and we went to the Wings Over Pittsburgh airshow. The USAF Thunderbirds were performing and did a great job at it.

June 17-23: I spent the week at Twin Arrow to be trained to be ASPL of Troop 228.

June 24-29: After Twin Arrow, I went to Petersburg, West Virginia for WV Operation Lifesaver Rail Camp. The best week so far. I met some new friends and reacquainted with an old one and enjoyed a week of fellowship and trains.

July 7: Another day of railfanning, but this time the PRR E8s came to Pittsburgh for Altoona Railfest.

August 2: Teen Madness Carnival Night at the church. Launching tomatoes hundreds of yards away, racing my brother, how fun is that? It also yielded two new friends, Becky and Megan. They're awesome.

September 16-22: Ah yes, kicking back and doing (almost) nothing all week, because I was in North Carolina for the week. Vacation is a wonderful thing, ain't it?

October 12-14: Bike-o-ree at Cedar Creek Park. I made personal history, having put myself to the test and biked 50 miles (25 miles each way). After getting back, I did some railfanning by the river (we camped under 100 yards away from CSX's McKeesport to Cumberland, MD mainline)

That's all for the noteworthy stuff, of course there's all those scout meetings, road trips, and hanging out with friends.

miketherailfan

Yep, another entry

Some recent photos

Wait... he posted something???

2007: Year in Review (so far)