Part Four

"Abundant Sunshine"

Day 4 begins with a description by the late meteorologist and fellow railfan Dr. Mel Goldstein, who worked for many years at News 8. Mel used this phrase to pretty much describe any really beautiful sunshiny day. Although I got here after going to KRVN, they had to be posted first for Dr. Mel. And as you can tell from these panoramic shots due east of Darr, Nebraska, you can't ask for better weather. 

Well, maybe about 10 degrees warmer as it is 54 degrees as I write this. Still, despite the sometimes colder and sometimes snowy weather I have endured in trips past, today is just one of those great days.

Thanks, Dr. Mel. May and your lovely wife Arlene always have good weather.

It is safe to say that today is a slow news day. The first Tuesday of my previous journeys usually is. After a short trip down to Holdrege, Nebraska to see the transmitter site of AM 880 KRVN out of Lexington, Nebraska, it was time to have lunch with Chief of Engineering, fellow broadcaster and ham radio operator Rod Zeigler, who in addition to KRVN, takes care of sister stations KRVN-FM and AM 1580 KAMI which is licensed to Cozad, Nebraska.  

We got caught us on the last three years of our broadcast careers and I was delighted to hear that his wife is a 5 year cancer free survivor. 

After bidding farewell, it was time to stop my mobile office in Darr:

And try out my telephoto lens a couple of trains that just happened to meet each other just west of my location. Coal empties going west:

Coal loads going east. 

I moved the mobile office a few miles west of Darr to DR (Dirt Road) 758:

Near the site of an old meat packing plant to the west of Darr, put the regular lens on the T6 and watch the action and get caught up on some reading.

To wit, double stacks rolling East:

General merchandise rolling West:

Coal loads rolling East:

Coal empties rolling West:

Wednesday, we continue west with stops in Brady, Maxwell and our destination for the night, North Platte.  Places to visit and things to see.

And I end today with a shout-out to my friend and executive producer Stacey Pattberg of News 8. Stacey owns this nice sedan and the reason I thought of her is that her car has a built-in sunroof. I have never had a rental car with a sun roof before. 

It is a very nice option to have considering the nice weather out here. And on the leading edge of the window opening is a two inch high pop-up bug catcher. Isn't that special??!!

 And it flips open on the back side for flow-thru ventilation.:

This Volvo is quite the car. Am I spoiled?? No. Check that. Yes.

Hope all is well, Stacey, and that the pictures are still flying thru the air.…with matching sound, of course.

I'm Philip J Zocco. On The Road. In Cozad, Nebraska.