Manifest Destiny: America from the Bottom Up - Day 25 - Lancaster, PA to Crafton, PA - Train of Thoughts

I woke up excited to be moving on. I needed to get to the Lancaster train station and buy my ticket. But first I really wanted some breakfast. This day's Inn had a continental breakfast. I went to the dining room and was quite happy to see they actually had eggs!

That's when I met Omy Garcia and Luz Perez--the kitchen staff. They were very friendly and when I complimented Luz on having "the best continental breakfast in the world!" she melted all over the place. I told them my story and took their pictures and info. They were all excited to meet someone crossing the country at the street level. Luz told me that she walks also; 40 minutes from home to the hotel and then 40 minutes home again after work each day, no matter what the weather is. She wrote down her number in case I ever needed anything if I visit Lancaster again, along with this message: "Glad to meet you. Days Inn Staff. Amen." Very sweet ladies who deserve the best. The rest of the staff there was kind as well...

Omy Garcia and Luz Perez.

Once I'd filled up on eggs, cereal, yogurt and anything else I could munch down, I said goodbye to my new friends. The day was cold, but not too bad as I crossed the city in search of the train station. I'd checked out the location at the hotel before heading out, and for once did not get lost along the way...

It wasn't very busy. I waited for a  little while at the window for the attendant to show up, but bought my ticket to Pittsburgh without much trouble...

The Amtrak Station in Lancaster, PA.

The train arrived at about noon. I boarded and had the pair of seats to myself. As soon as we were heading out of the station, I pulled out my laptop and got online. It felt like a good time to touch base with my friends on Facebook and I wrote the following...

I'm on the Amtrak to Pittsburgh from Lancaster. 

Two great days in Lancaster. Took a bath and two showers--ha! I'm a clean machine now. Did laundry in my bathtub (worked great! pics to follow). Bought a long sleeve T. Consolidated the pack even more, getting rid of some things. 

The incredible generosity of three donors who I wish I could thank by name publicly (but won't--hopefully someday I will get their permission) got me through what could have been a bad situation Thursday night. I cannot even come close to expressing just how much I adore these people--and all of you who have supported me and given me the confidence to continue on with this "whatever it is." 

The schedule I laid out a few posts back as a note to myself is pretty much right on track (ha! get it?). This will be a six hour trip across the Appalachian mountains. I will arrive in Pittsburgh sometime after 8:00 pm. LOTS of writing that I haven't gotten a chance to do should be in the works. 

I'm about to be done with 1/5 of the distance to the Golden State. What I have already experienced is nearly equal to all that I've seen and been to up to October 22 (when I left Portland, ME). I can't see around corners, but I can see both the coming shadows and the Light that casts them. They must always be partners in whatever destiny I'm wallking toward. 

Deb, made an astute observation early on, when she said (and I am paraphrasing) that my "mistakes" - getting lost and ending up in places I hadn't planned to visit (i.e. I never planned to go to Rhode Island, but it was one of the most rewarding experiences so far) - were like part of the higher plan; the part that is not of my original choosing. This was really confirmed for me here in PA. For example, going down the wrong road to sleep and then having to walk back to Gap two days ago allowed me to meet even more great people. 

Still, I admit that when I'm in those situations - in their midst - I have a difficult time seeing the good that will always result from the confusion of the moment. However, I am gaining a kind of forethought that is very slowly replacing the hindsight-realizations that it was always meant to be. I suspect that in the next few months this instinct will grow.

View from the train as we sped toward western PA.

I still get angry with myself. It would be humorous for you to be a fly on my back pack and see the typical reactions I have--the pattern of behavior I go through. There must be a list of stages some struggling grad student could manage to compile. In nearly every case I am put through an extreme, the very most that I can handle both psychologically and physically, THEN comes relief. 

This was not how things went for me before embarking on this adventure. Usually things just got worse and worse, with occasional points of positivity. Or, they simply stagnated. It is nice to now be relying on some other Force to keep the pluses and minuses canceling each other out. If I were bold enough I would say that the pluses actually are more dominant. Oh, to be bolder! 

I've received counsel about bypassing Ohio, and I'm seriously considering it. The view from Google Maps and Satellite is not encouraging. That same thing might be said for Indiana. So, if I have the ways and means, I may do exactly that (take a bus or train right across them). My main goal is to reach my friend RhonnaLeigh in Missouri, where I hope to spend a few days relaxing and talking with her, maybe doing some car touring.
So, that catches us up to the near-future plans. 

Love to ALL!

It was a long trip. I got quite a bit of writing done. I also transferred some pictures and video. Yet, for about half the trip I simply enjoyed looking out the window, watching the landscape go by until the sun went down, remembering all that I had been through already, and dreaming about all that I might yet face.

We we pulled into the Pittsburgh station I got that butterflies feeling I was getting used to now, whenever I was in a new place. It was night, and somehow I had to find my way across the city and to some less populated area where I could rough camp for the night. It was a good thing I got rest of the train (though I did not sleep), because I was about to face a long night.

The first thing I did was check my route while still at the station. It appeared that I would need to go south, across the Monongahela River, then northwestward up the riverbank along the South Shore until I reached where the Ohio and Allegheny Rivers met the Monongahela. Then, I needed to head sharply west through the West End of town, near Elliot, to only-God-knew-where.

Getting out of the center of the city was surprisingly simple, much easier than Boston, Providence, or Philadelphia. I needed to simply find Liberty Avenue which then turned into Grant Street south, negotiate the tangled roads near Penn Lincoln Parkway, and then get across the Smithfield Street Bridge. That all went very well and before too long I was walking on West Carson Street, along the South Shore...

 

Walking out of Pittsburgh, PA at night.
A look back across the rivers toward the highrises of downtown from West Carson Street.

I didn't know anything about this city. I'd grown up hearing about crime and poverty. But like the news from any American city, we usually only ever hear about things going wrong. I found this place to be quite benign. To my left (looking west) was a very steep hill that ran along the South Shore, abutting the Duquesne Heights neighborhood.

A very strange sight caught my attention as I peered up at the buildings far above me. It was a red line of lights that seemed to have an object - a cable car of some kind - moving slowly up them...

The Duquesne Incline.

I later learned that this odd structure was the Duquesne Incline. Here is some information about it from their official web site...

The Duquesne Incline

1197 WEST CARSON STREET

PITTSBURGH, PA. 15219

SINCE 1877

Wheelchair Accessibility at our Upper Station

Take a step back in time on a century-old cable car and see the best views of downtown Pittsburgh while riding one of the few remaining inclines in the country. Opened on May 20, 1877, the Duquesne Incline was rescued and restored by a group of local residents in 1963 and still delights residents and visitors with its original, elegant, wooden cable cars. Now you can visit the interior of the incline and watch the machinery while it operates. The Duquesne Incline's upper station houses a museum of Pittsburgh history, including photos and a storehouse of information on inclines from around the world. Unusual Pittsburgh souvenirs, maps and photos can be found at the gift shop.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Exact Fare\Change Machine 

The Duquesne Incline is part of the transportation system in Pittsburgh and therefore uses the same _CASH_ fare system as the buses and trolleys. A change machine is available for your convenience.  Having the exact fare in hand speeds up the payment process considerably.

Seniors, 65 and older ride free.

The Duquesne Incline is required to request either a Pennsylvania Senior Citizen ID card or Medicare card as proof of age, no exceptions, in order to be reimbursed by the Commonwealth of PA.

Sorry, no rest rooms.  A port-a-john is available outside of the lower station. The Duquesne Incline has been part of Pittsburgh's transportation system (not an amusement ride) since 1877 like a trolley or the cable cars of San Francisco.

Saturday's and Sunday's after noon are our busiest times.  Expect to wait in line for about 10 minutes in both directions.

Wheelchair accessibility is available at the upper station at 1220 Grandview Ave., Pittsburgh, 15211.  There are many steps to traverse from the lower station parking lot.

I also found out later that there is a second incline called the Monongahela Incline. I hadn't seen it, although it was right in front of me after crossing the Smithfield Street Bridge, because I had to take an immediate right onto West Carson Street and was too distracted by making sure I did that correctly.

Eventually, I made it to the confusing road system surrounding Steuben Street. I had no idea waht to do. But all of the roads basically ran parallel to each other. I tried to chose the least busy one--which was Steuben. But it was a winding road. Every time I checked out my compass, I was heading in a different direction. I didn't really care at that point as long as I was headed out of the densest parts of the metro area.

I ended up going about ten solid miles until I got to a strange little place called, Crafton. It was late and quite cold. I was soaked with sweat and really just wanted to find a spot to sleep. Nothing looked right. And, the Spark was not helping much, nor giving many hints. I took the lack of information as a sign that I hadn't gone far enough yet.

At some point I accidentally got on a "bus only" route, which is illegal (I discovered when I saw a sign forbidding pedestrians) to walk on. A few buses drove by and I got a strange feeling. I looked for a nest spot, and was investigating it (partway up a steep hill) when two police cars came slowly down the road with spotlights scanning the sides - I presume - looking for you know who. The buses must have radioed the police about my little jaunt.

I hid and camouflaged myself with my small blanket. I was shivering and had that "I'm in trouble now" feeling. I looked very carefully around me for an alternative way out of my predicament, but it just wasn't happening. The was a chainlink fence disallowing any way to get up the hill to the neighborhood I saw at the top. It really sucked. I had no idea what the hell I was going to do.

As an hour passed I timed out the buses. They ran at about 5-minute intervals, with no other cars--except possibly police. It came to the point where I simply had to take my chances of the bus route. There was no other alternative. At just the right time--immediately after a bus had gone by, I climbed down from the hill and jogged to the end of the busway. I could not believe that I made it, without being discovered. Just as I emerged next to a bus stop shelter, being gazed at suspiciously by the folks waiting there, the next bus pulled up. I did the math in my head. I'd run about 1,500 feet, complete with my 50-pound pack, holding my shortened walking stick, with vest pockets bouncing up and down.

Only a short way up a street I found a little nook beside an old overgrown and forgotten cemetery. It was fairly well sheltered from view. I wasn't entirely convinced that other bums like myself wouldn't try to sleep there. But, because of the low temperatures and late hour, I was pretty sure they wouldn't be there on that night. I laid out my little towel and sleeping bag, using the rolled up blanket for a pillow, like usual. I haven't really used it in the sleeping bag again (since way back in Connecticut). I fell asleep very quickly.

Crafton Sleeping Place.