Guns and railroads

I took things easy today. After three straight days of visiting parks...and a lot of walking...I needed a break. I just did a little bit of walking today...through a few museums. I left Green River, UT this morning and headed north to Ogden. My destination was Ogden Union Station, a once railroad depot built by the Union Pacific Railroad. It currently houses three museums...the Utah State Railroad Museum, the John M. Browning Firearms Museum and the Browning-Kimball Classic Car Museum. Admission for all the museums was easy on the pocketbook...only $5.

I walked through the car museum first, which was the smallest of the three. It only consisted of 9 classic automobiles...all donated to the city of Ogden by the Browning family. I've always appreciated old cars, especially the REALLY old stuff. The autos in his small collection were in wonderful condition, and a few of them even appear in local parades. Next, I checked out the firearms museum. I don't consider myself a gun afficionado, but I AM familiar with certain makes and models, especially those used in battle. John M. Browning is one of the big names in the gun world. His firearm designs later appeared in models of other gun manufacturers such as Remington, Winchester and Colt. And, if you are a World War II enthusiast, I'm sure you've heard of the Browning Automatic Rifle or BAR.

I spent the longest amount of time in the railroad museum. I love museums that deal with historical events, and this museum did not disappoint. The bulk of exhibits dealt with the building of the first Transcontinental Railroad, which originated in the Midwest and terminated on the West Coast. Also known as the Overland Route, the railroad line was built from 1863-1869 by the Central Pacific and Union Pacific Railroads. It was quite an amazing feat, considering all the work was done by hand!

Tomorrow is another easy travel day...nothing really big planned. I think I may even wake up a little later than usual. Oh, in case you were wondering, my sore neck is quite a bit better. The pain is bearable, but hasn't gone away completely. Since I haven't done much city driving lately, less need to turn my head side to side...that's the killer. Not that this would prevent me from being at the stage...and looking up...at a future Five For Fighting concert!