Battling the Heat in Manassas

cannons

Rick and I arrived by train at the “un-manned” station at 8am on a Thursday morning, surprised to see a man hanging around the depot.  He was dressed in a dark suit with some official looking pins on his shirt.  Not many people had disembarked from the Amtrak Crescent train, and the few that did, dispersed quickly.  As he approached us with a smile and outstretched hand, we asked him if he knew where the “Old Town Inn” was.  We already knew it was walking distance of the station.  He began telling us he was from New Jersey, and he knew the DC area very ... [Read More]

Riding the Iron Horse

In the 1860's it was called the "Iron Horse"; in the 1930's it's latest rave was the Pullman sleeper cars, and nowadays, it's a dying breed.  Nevertheless, passenger rail still remains a viable mode of transportation for many, and is always an adventure in itself.  In fact, traveling by train can be quite fun, and my latest trip was well worth the ride. My husband, Rick, is a Confederate re-enactor and signed up for the 150th Anniversary of the Battle of Manassas/Bull Run on the third weekend in July.  We opted to take Amtrak. We were departing from Brookwood Station in Atlanta, late Wednesday afternoon, July 20th, ... [Read More]

Southern Treats, Trains and Tombstones

Going on vacation is like trick or treating.  You get all “dressed up”, venture out to familiar haunts and/or some new places and hope you end up with lots of “candy” you like.  My recent vacation to Tennessee was full of treats – heartfelt stories, wisdom and even a few surprises here and there. My husband, Rick & I first stopped at the Dalton Georgia Freight Depot/Museum.  Besides carpet, Dalton, GA is famous for being one of the stops along the route of the 1862 Great Locomotive Chase – where Union spies known as “The Andrews Raiders” stole the Western & Atlantic train, “The ... [Read More]