"Enter with an Open Mind, Or Closed Eyes" ~=:-)

That is my slogan. It matches My life, and gives you an opportunity to view what you may otherwise choose not to. (Sort-of like viewing with your hand over your eyes, yet peeking thru slitted fingers) Knowing you have a choice makes all the difference in the world. I do not do things the same as most. Given the chance to view my life with an open mind, or closed-eyes, most are quite accepting, and proceed at their own level of comfort. ~=:-)

Friday, October 5, 2012

Risking Seizure to Watch Trains in Vegas

Walking The Worst mile in Vegas…

…Risking seizure, risking dangerous drivers…

…With the hope of seeing a train, or two:

Enjoying Trains in Vegas is not always easy:

One of my life-long joys is to watch trains. Sure, there are plenty of train-tracks running through Vegas. It would seem all one needs to do is go to the tracks, and watch the trains. Well, in Vegas, it is a bit more complex than that. In Vegas, if you step onto the gravel surrounding the tracks, you Will be arrested and cited for criminal trespass. This is different than in most cities. Sure, it is considered trespassing all over The United States, but very few places actually enforce it, unless you are causing problems. The railroad police in Vegas have a zero-tolerance approach, and vigorously go after anyone they see even set foot on the railroad right of way.

In most places, you can walk the rails, enjoying the miles and miles of pure-escape from the surrounding world. While walking the rails, you will often see a different side of the city, find pure peace, find joy, and have a great way to see every train that comes along. The engineers and crew always wave, smile, and happily allow you to take photos as they go about doing their job. Everywhere, except in Vegas.

Since you cannot go even near the rails in Vegas, you must find the few places where an overpass allows an occasional glimpse of a train that might happen to come along while you are waiting.

I have found a few places where there are grade-level-crossings that I also can linger without actually stepping onto the Rail right-of-way. Sadly, those few crossings seem to not have many trains on a regular basis. I also have found a few places where I can dare to cross the tracks without being harassed (yet!) by the railroad police. But these are limited, and without any place to walk along the tracks, or linger, I seldom get any train-activity.

There is one spot I have found that is an overpass over the rails, and I often do see trains along those tracks. The problem is this overpass is The Noisiest, most-treacherous, non-pedestrian-friendly mile of road in All of Vegas! But I occasionally choose to go there, despite its down-sides.

Yesterday, I was craving a Five-Guys Burger, so I decided to make it an adventure, and walk across the Worst Mile in Vegas… Hoping I might see a train, or two.

Sure, I can take a bus that stops a block from the Five Guys Burgers. But to get that bus, I need to take another bus just to get to it, then wait almost an hour for it to arrive. If I am going to wait for an hour, I might as well be walking, finding something to enjoy along the way.

So, I take a bus that requires only one bus, comes every 20-minutes, and is only a block from my home to start the journey. This bus drops me off about two-miles from Five Guys. From here, I need to cross the horrible overpass. It is 8 to 10 lanes wide, has multiple freeway ramps, side-street ramps, many “No Pedestrian areas”, and where there is a supposed crosswalk, there is no light to stop the traffic heading for the freeway. Sure, there is a crosswalk, and every responsible driver knows they need to stop for a pedestrian at a crosswalk, right? Ha! Not here. Often I need to wait 5-10 minutes just to cross.

The sidewalks are barely 3-feet wide, not even allowing room for two people to safely pass on the sidewalk. Often the bicyclists will use the sidewalk here, adding to the extreme unsafe nature of it. (Every cyclist knows they must ride in the road, not on the sidewalk, but in Vegas, they seem to think they have right-of-way, and will run-down pedestrians. On many occasions, I will literally ‘knock a Cyclist out’ for not yielding to a pedestrian.) Also for some odd reason, every vehicle which uses this overpass seems to have very loud exhaust. Every vehicle here seems to have enhanced their exhaust sounds, or no muffler at all. It is an extreme test of my ability to not be sent into a seizure form the horrific sounds all around! There is no place else in Vegas where so many rude drivers all gather in one place. For some reason the people driving here also think they must drive radically, recklessly, and forget all the rules of the road. Add to this, that the overpass is crossing a major interstate, and many frontage roads. Often, the only thing preventing a seizure is the distraction in my headphones. I really need to work hard at blocking-out all the seizure-inducing sounds in this one-mile-stretch.

So, with all the horrific hazards, even life-threatening conditions, would I ever dare to cross this overpass? Simple: Trains… or the possibility of feeling, seeing and enjoying such a wonderful creation. If you have never allowed yourself the pure joy of feeling a train go by, then you would never understand. To me, the feel, the sound, the sight of a train is unmatched by any other of man’s creations. The Only thing that is better is Nature… God’s creations. So, That is why I risk my life on occasion.

When I left home yesterday, I knew without a doubt, that I would see trains this day. I knew I was in a great place mentally, so I could handle the idiots of the overpass. I knew I was in the right place to not have a seizure from the sounds. Let the adventure begin!