I'm back!

[richard]

A day early but that was because we hit Pecos,TX at 2pm - a ridiculous time to check in at the motel and we had nothing planned in the area. So shared driving got us home late last night (just in time to witness the bad driving in Irving).

I wasn't aware Marcy was going to do this otherwise I owuld have posted a link, but she kept a blog as/when we had internet access:

http://biomarcy.blogspot.com/

I'll have some photos later.
No railway pictures. We did go through Chama but the Cumbres & Toltec was closed for winter. I also found a neat 2 mile hiking trail in the mountains above Alamogordo. We nearly tried it but it turned out the snow would have been too much (it is a ski resort!) - perhaps if we returned. The trail follows an old lumber route, includes lots of steep curves, two wooden trestles,etc.

Out on the mainline, the main E-W routes BNSF (through Gallup and Amarillo) and UP (the old SP/T&P route through Las Cruces, El Paso, Pecos, etc) were mainly carrying containers. Lots of hard-slog heavy coal trains heading south from Wyoming when we were driving up from Fort Worth towards Amarillo. I think we passed half a dozen on that one day - keeping Texas' electricity going! BNSF were top&tailing them with a pair of locos each end. Reminded me of how the Class 20s have been used in recent years - I'm wondering if they're operating a push-pull type operation.

Richard

[richard]

Got most of the images sorted out and created a flickr account for them:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/9448935@N0 ... 992903339/

They cover a big round trip from Palo Duro Canyon (Texas Panhandle) anti-clockwise, through Capulin Volcano, across the Rio Grande, Four Corners, Aztec Ruins, Shiprock, Radiator Springs, Gila Wilderness, City of Rocks, and White Sands,etc.


Richard