The
eastbound train was running late, thus arrival in Pittsburgh was after
sunrise. These pix are views I seldom get to see eastbound, and never
get Westbound due to the scheduled Pittsburgh arrival, always near
midnight. Being on the train gives a wonderful view of The Bridges of
Pittsburgh (which is surrounded by water on two sides, thus the need for
many bridges...)
Of particular interest are the three bridges shown in the following picture. Per Wikipedia,
The Three Sisters are three very similar self-anchored suspension bridges spanning the Allegheny River in downtown Pittsburgh,
at 6th, 7th, and 9th streets, generally running north/south. The
bridges have been given formal names to honor important Pittsburgh
residents:6th St: for Roberto Clemente
7th St: for Andy Warhol
9th St: for Rachel Carson
Designed by the Allegheny County Department of Public Works, they were all built in a four-year period, from 1924 to 1928, by the American Bridge Company, replacing earlier bridges of various designs at the same sites. Their construction was mandated by the War Department, citing navigable river clearance concerns. They are constructed of steel, and use steel eyebars in lieu of cables.
The Three Sisters are historically significant because they are the only trio of nearly identical bridges, as well as the first self-anchored suspension spans, built in the United States. They are among the only surviving examples of large eyebar chain suspension bridges in America, and furthermore, unusual for having been erected using cantilever methods.
Their color is aztek gold/yellow, chosen by city residents. Painted alike, they make a beautiful sight from the train....if it passes eastbound very late, and in sunlight!
Harpers
Ferry, WV: a very historic place in our nation's history. From the
train, this abandoned house just looks like any other dilapidated old
house. However, this place is special...it's the former lock-keeper's
house for lock 33 on the remains of the C & O canal, which is the
ditch in front of it and on the other side of the road. I will now add
"driving on the road in front of it" to my list of things to do...
Finally
- AT LAST - I could remove my coat AND my sweater. Since I was on the
way home, no skirt that day... :-( The temperature on the mainland
side of the bay was near 60 degrees F. Warm again, the way it should
be! Too bad my trip had to occur during the massive cold snap...oh,
well - it is what it is!
I
leave you with this beautiful sunset from my trip....yes, there was
some sunny weather - cold but sunny. And I actually got to see a little
of it!
Happy Trails!
Mandy
Great photos. I like the one of the Three Sisters bridges (on the 16th hole of the course I play at there are three trees that we call the Three Sisters. if you drive is too close to these trees you can not get to the green in regulation). I like the gold paint on the bridges since that is the primary team color of the Steelers, Pirates, Penguins, etc.
ReplyDeleteWe made it home OK. The Auto Train ride was smooth and quick and it got to Lorton over an hour early so we had to sit and wait for the car staff to get to the station before they could start to unload the cars.
After the train left Sanford I left my wife in the lounge car and went back to our room (a deluxe) to change. First I went with the blue jean skirt and blue tank top...then the purple tank top with the black flower print skirt and finally ditched them both in favor of a brown and white print sheath dress with nude pantyhose, nude patent pumps my wig and modest daytime makeup.
My wife does complain that my 'auto train' bag is too big and heavy but with my shoes, makeup, forms and an assortment of outfits it does get a bit much. She did like the white and brown dress. I had also added earrings and a gold chain. She said that the chain should have been silver and commented that perhaps silver jewelry would be a better color for me that gold (it was a $4 imitation chain). Since this is a dress she likes on me I may wear it more often.
Soon it was getting near our 7 PM dinner and I had to ditch the shoes, wig, dress, etc. I did leave my bra on along with my hose under my jeans.
All in all it was a nice trip after a really nice few weeks in the Florida warmth.
Pat
Oops...didn't hit reply for the answer below...again!
DeleteThanks on the pix...as you can tell, I enjoy taking them!
ReplyDeleteGlad the Auto Train made it safely back to Lorton. For some reason, hurry-up-and-wait is the order of the day there. But if the occasion occurs to go south, we'd consider doing it again!
Wow, you do travel with a lot of girl stuff. Of course, so do I - but that's all I wear. Just not skirts or dresses...unless it's a solo trip.
That brown and white dress sounds nice...but then, so do the other outfits. It's a good sign that she gives you timely hints about things you wear. I suspect that means she's OK with them.
Too bad some of the warmth didn't make it to Memphis... But glad you got to enjoy it!
Be safe,
Mandy