In Which I Ride the Rails Again!

I forgot to mention that I would be away for a few days. Earlier this summer, I arranged two little mini-vacations with my oldest sister. The first was a truly awesome trip to the beach in Atlantic City that really couldn't possibly have gone any better.

The second would be a trip to Annapolis on August 7, National Lighthouse Day, to do a boat tour of Annapolis that would include visiting THREE lighthouses, spending time shopping in the quaint little stores along the city dock, and eating as much seafood as we could possibly stand.

I took the train to and from Harrisburg for the first trip, and I enjoyed it so much that I decided to do it again for my second trip. And so it was that on Sunday morning, my husband dropped me off at the railroad depot in Tyrone, PA, about 15 minutes from where we live (and the site of our marriage ceremony in October 2008).

Above is a view of the charming little railroad depot in Tyrone, on the left, and the railroad tracks that would take me to the Transportation Center in Harrisburg, where my sister and a friend would meet me. The trip was flawless. The train was right on time, and - in spite of the fact that there was a Senators (baseball) game on City Island - we did not encounter any problems with traffic or access.

My sister and I planned to take another ride on the Pride of the Susquehanna riverboat, which leaves at 1, 2, and 3 p.m. on Sunday afternoons for 45-minute excursions out onto the Susquehanna River. Alas, we arrived just THREE minutes late for the first cruise, so we had nearly an hour to kill before our boat ride.

So we took the opportunity to walk around City Island and see the sights. My sister, the original Barefoot Girl, was tempted into wading barefoot right into the river. She reported that the water temperature was fine and the bottom wasn't slippery at all. We visited the bathhouses, and watched a cute little train go around the island.

In the extras, you may see one of the lovely views we had from City Island of the Harrisburg Skyline, including the capitol dome. The last time I visited, my sister and I had time for a tour inside the gorgeous capitol building, and I provided a pretty view of one of the many stained glass windows inside it. (I highly recommend the tour, BTW.)

We enjoyed a very nice boat ride, and then snarfed down some tasty, hot, golden french fries at a little snack shop along the shore before catching our ride back to the house, where we would later enjoy a monster sub, and then visit with a bunch of kitties.

My sister and the friends she is staying with are certified Crazy Cat People (the best kind of people, in my humble opinion), so I got to visit many kitties, including Dexter's mom and his one brother, all of whom are in excellent health and full of beans.

I also got to spend some quality time with my sister's current best little companion: Grayhound, a slim little gray kitty, not even a year old, who is full of mischief and a most excellent furry friend. He is not one to let a person go anywhere unattended, even to the Closet of Comfort in the Necessary Room (aka, the bathroom!). What fine company I kept indeed!

For the soundtrack to the first day of my adventure, I've decided to pick something by Journey (since it turned out to be quite a journey indeed). Here is Journey, with one of their best tunes, Faith in the Heartland. This particular version features Steve Augeri as the main singer.

Steve Augeri was the lead singer for Journey between Steve Perry and Arnel Pineda, and many fans believe his version is the best one of this song. (Here's the Arnel Pineda version too, so you may compare if you wish.) My husband and I saw Journey perform live at the Clearfield County Fair a number of years back, and when we saw them, Steve Augeri was indeed the lead singer.

It was a hot August night, and I remember him dancing around on-stage in bare feet, wearing very tight pants with a loud pattern on them (very Mick Jaggerish indeed). I do not have access to a playlist from that performance, but I do wonder in retrospect whether I saw them perform this song live.