In two weeks, on October 20-21, SP 4449 will run from Portland, OR, to Bend, OR. Passengers will spend the night in motels in Bend, then return to Portland the following day. This is a beautiful trip, eastbound on BNSF tracks, Fallbridge Sub, through the Columbia River gorge to Wishram, WA, where the train will cross the Columbia and head south on the Oregon Trunk through the Deschutes River canyon, over bridges at Madras (Willow Creek) and the Crooked River. Lots of dome car space, but it's pretty pricey. I have a ticket to ride and wonder if any of our members are planning to make this trip. I would enjoy meeting you on the train, and may even be working in the concession car at times. If interested, check the Friends of 4449 site.
BUMP. I'll be leaving Friday to get to Portland to start this trip, and won't be back home till Monday late. Please keep an eye on the New York Central fallen flag forum, Hank, Roger, Mike and anyone else. I'll ask again, any of our members going on the trip? I would like to meet you. Looks like the weather will not be the best, rain predicted for the weekend, and snow in the passes. That could actually work out to make for some nice photos at Willow Creek. We shall see.
Dom, no, that is Mount Hood, in Oregon. The photo was taken from the Washington side of the Columbia River gorge, looking south. Here in the northwest when the sky is as clear as this, and you can actually see the mountains, we refer to this as "the mountain is OUT." And it was on this day in July 2011. This past weekend riding the 4449 trip from Portland to Bend, we never saw Mount Hood due to the cloud cover. :sad: On the other hand, we did run to Bend this past weekend and it was just fantastic. As soon as I get some photos uploaded to RailImages I will put a new thread together. :happy:
