All Railroad Tracks Go To Vermont
Lots and many and loads of years ago, I remember seeing railroad tracks somewhere. Having taken a train to Vermont when I was four (accompanied only by my brother, age eight), I was fascinated by the possibility that all rails led to the Green Mountain State.
“Do these tracks go to Vermont?” I asked my long-suffering father. I asked a lot of questions in those days, and those days have not ended. My father is long gone, but the questions remain.
He explained that, yes, those train tracks did, indeed, eventually end up in Vermont. They connected to other tracks and, one way or another, I would find myself in Brattleboro, home of a cousin.
I once knew a girl who lived in an un-numbered house on an unpaved, un-named street in a small town in Vermont. Her road lead to the main North-South highway, Interstate 5, in California, the same way as all railroad tracks go to Vermont. Go out her driveway, down the road, find the paved road, to a larger road, and increasingly larger roads until you end up on U.S. 5 South to an East-West Interstate. Take a right until you get to I-5 and there you are. All roads will take you to California.
That’s the beauty of an interconnected system. You can go anywhere the road (rail or highway) goes without interruption. All you need is a map, if you want the best route possible, or –if you are like my brother— just sort of follow your nose.
“Do these tracks go to Vermont?” I asked my long-suffering father. I asked a lot of questions in those days, and those days have not ended. My father is long gone, but the questions remain.
He explained that, yes, those train tracks did, indeed, eventually end up in Vermont. They connected to other tracks and, one way or another, I would find myself in Brattleboro, home of a cousin.
I once knew a girl who lived in an un-numbered house on an unpaved, un-named street in a small town in Vermont. Her road lead to the main North-South highway, Interstate 5, in California, the same way as all railroad tracks go to Vermont. Go out her driveway, down the road, find the paved road, to a larger road, and increasingly larger roads until you end up on U.S. 5 South to an East-West Interstate. Take a right until you get to I-5 and there you are. All roads will take you to California.
That’s the beauty of an interconnected system. You can go anywhere the road (rail or highway) goes without interruption. All you need is a map, if you want the best route possible, or –if you are like my brother— just sort of follow your nose.
posted by Tom Carten at 3:22 PM
1 Comments:
Reminds me of a conversation I had with your brother some years ago. He said that he was going down to visit with you and he noted that he knew his destination, but had no idea on which roads he would be taking. ''Nose travel'' in a nice definition.
One time they decided to leave. At the light down on the corner, they still had not decided where they were going. A week later they came home, ...from Prince Edward Island!
He told me this past week that in the last eleven years he has not gone the entire length of Vermont without getting off and finding a back road someplace.
I'd like to travel like that.
CJV
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