27×03
Edit: I am heading off to vend at an art fair and have been too busy preparing for it to make progress on this week’s page. I will shoot for a Monday update! I’m hoping it goes well and helps make up for the big event that was canceled. 🥲
____________________________________
My sister and her husband and his family could use prayers. They are going through a sudden and immense loss today.
____________________________________
People kept asking me what I wanted to do for my birthday and I had no idea, other than that I kind of wanted to go see the Big Boy 4014 train crossing the Sierras. I estimated that would be about 6 hours of driving and a full day outing so I had decided not to go, but then I saw rain in the forecast for Sunday when it was supposed to stop in Colfax. I had the uneasy feeling that the weather could make Sunday go poorly, I was supposed to have an art booth outdoors and it’s rainy with 20mph winds.
Basically the night before, I decided to drive out and chase it, even though it was so last minute no one else would be able to go with me. I’m eternally grateful for my aunt who was able to reschedule her work and join! We drove alongside the train for about 100 miles (along with a hoard of train enthusiasts). It was wonderful chaos. I got a ton of reference material to use for artworks!
This morning, Union Pacific announced that the train won’t come through Colfax, period, because the weather over Donner Pass will have 90mph winds and heavy snow. I think it’s a safe decision, people always crash on i80 going over the pass, and even if the train made it okay, the hundreds of people chasing it would cause mayhem.
But I am very disappointed. I was going to have my art set up in the town’s gazebo, right beside the steam engine, and the last time it came through the crowd was more massive than any other event. A tree had fallen across the tracks, delaying it hours, and it didn’t do its scheduled stop then, either. The whole town is let down and myself and a lot of vendors and small businesses had invested a lot into the event.
Anyway, I think it would have been amazing and I’ve been looking forward to the train coming back for the past two years. I am grateful that I was spontaneous and went to see it when I had the chance. Here is one of my photos I took.
If you would like one of a surplus of my train stickers, they are available here on Etsy! And as always, this webcomic is only possible thanks to supporters on Patreon.
