Eastbound!

The sun is steadily climbing as we head into Tucson this Monday morning. We left Union Station in Los Angeles on time last night, around 10:00 pm, and miraculously we have stayed on schedule as we head back to Houston.

Got up early (did I go to sleep?). Fawn slept in after a restless night of her own. The morning has been spent people-watching and scenery watching. Since the scenery is not that interesting in this area, the people-watching has taken priority. Had a great conversation with a very colorful guy from Northern California who lives on a cliff overlooking the Pacific. He was a one-time real-estate multi-millionaire (now, not so much, sadly). Forced into early retirement by the real-estate mortgage crash in 2008, he now splits his time between the ocean house and one of those “tiny houses” in Palm Springs. Before he was a real-estate tycoon, he lived in Conroe.

Speaking of occupations, I’ve decided that my dream job doesn’t exist anymore. You see, I believe I was destined to be a railroad surveyor. The only problem is that the demand for that particular vocation reached its peak somewhere back in the mid-1800’s. When you’re a civil engineer traveling the rails, particularly out here in the barren Southwest, you tend to ask yourself silly questions like, “Why did they bring the line through here?” Or, “Why is the track curved here”. Or, “Why this pass through the hills rather than that one over there?” Of course, there are sound engineering reasons why these rails sit exactly where they do today.

It was in my High School and college years, while working almost every break on a surveying crew all over East Texas, that I learned the importance of the art and science of surveying. Of course, surveying today is nothing like it was back in “my day”, and certainly much different from the 1850’s! All of our measurements were made with a “chain”, a plumb bob, transits, and levels. I’m really glad I had that experience before all the advancements in electronics, GPS, and laser technology, since those outdated skills make me uniquely qualified for my dream job.

The railroad surveyor was there before anyone, with just a rough compass heading to maintain in order to have the rails end up in the desired place. He trekked slowly by foot and by horseback across land that most likely had never been touched by humans before. Technically, his job was made difficult by harsh terrain, severe elevation changes, and a variety of ground and soil conditions. He made field decisions daily about the suitability of the route, decisions that would forever shape our nation’s frontier lands…determining where bridges would be placed, where cities would be built, where businesses would thrive, and where industries would be planted. I find it remarkable that most of the major rail corridors that feed and fuel our nation’s economy today are the same lines staked out by those early surveyors more than 150 years ago.

But the real “perks” to my dream job would be the ones that aren’t job-related: surveyors were explorers! They set out into the wilderness, not knowing what they’d see, or if their job was going to even be possible. They covered miles in a day, documenting by metes and bounds the future lifelines of the nation. They were among the first to see the magnificent beauty of this land.

I know what a Gunter’s Chain is. I can “throw a chain”, “close angles”, “turn a transit”, run levels”, and “balance a level circuit”, all of which were hugely important when this nation’s rail system was being laid out. So if you ever hear of someone looking for a frontier railroad surveyor, please let me know.