A DAY ON THE CUMBRES & TOLTEC
by Dennis Murphy
Once upon a time, in a land far, far away… Well, this story could start like that! Let me explain. Have you ever wanted to chase your dreams and throw caution to the wind? And just go traveling around the world riding trains and having the time of your life? It could happen…
I am a 50-something guy who is in the middle of some major changes in my life. Not exactly a mid-life crisis, but certainly a time of change. I have lived in the “Wilds of Alaska” for over 30 years and with the help of my wonderful wife have decided to move to a bit more civilized life style. Namely, the Pacific Northwest coast of the mainland of America.
Technically, Alaska is part of the U.S., but we do not think of ourselves that way. We are talking about a change of over 5,000 miles driving distance. I needed to get my truck and travel trailer down to the new house in Washington State. So I thought I might as well have a little adventure along the way.
The last few years I have been working seasonally for tourist railroads, and decided to see if I could land a job some place along my way south. As it turned out, I found a locomotive engineer position in a place called Leadville, Colorado.
Leadville is a small town of about 2,000 people at an altitude of 10,200 feet, high up in the Rocky Mountains. Not much air to breath at that altitude, but Leadville is situated almost exactly in the center of the “Mecca” of Colorado tourist railroads. There are eight major tourist railroads (and a few smaller ones) within a three or four hour drive from Leadville in different directions. What better place to spend a summer?...
The complete article can be found in the current issue of RV Journal, available at quality campgrounds, RV dealers, parts, and service suppliers. Subscriptions are also available for this quarterly publication.
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