Out of Steam

In 1994, when I was freed from the grip of Uncle Sam's Yacht Club at age 24, I road tripped home to Kansas City in my little red Nissan pickup. Along the way, I stopped at roadside attractions and just took it easy.This freedom from rushing, and from being owned by "the man" was quite a change for a kid who had been in the military for six years and it was an odd time full of new adjustments.

One of my planned stops was Williams, AZ. I picked this stop so that I could ride the steam locomotive up to the Grand Canyon and back. The trip was my first on this type of train and it was a joy. Little did I know that the owners of the train would later sell it out to people who would eventually shut it down. It's a sad day for the kids who might never get to ride the rails and watch the steam fly.