WASILLA, ALASKA: WHERE THAT LONESOME WHISTLE BLOWS

I back up once again to Saturday, April 12, to finish the three-part series that began with the very late southbound freight rolling out of Wasilla from under an underpass in part 1, and in part 2 showed the very same train rolling across the flats toward the Chugach Mountains.

I concluded part 2 with these words:

“I figured I had at least half an hour before the AuRoRa came, maybe an hour or more. I began to leisurely eat my cooled-off Egg McMuffin and sip my lukewarm coffee. From where I sat, I could see the tracks extending northbound side of the overpass. My view to the south was blocked.

“Just as I took my last bite of Egg Muffin, the bright blue and yellow SD70MAC locomotives charged out from under the overpass.”

Well...I had not yet even picked up my hash brown patty, but as I drove back to the highway, I did. It had now cooled to room temperature but still tasted good. I felt confident I could beat the AuRoRa to downtown Wasilla, especially if it had to stop for passengers.

The northbound drive was a bit longer than the more direct southbound drive had been, as I had to go in the wrong direction and cross the Parks Highway on the Trunk Road overpass. I did, and turned toward Wasilla. No passengers waited at the depot. If I had truly beaten the train, it would soon roll right through Wasilla, perhaps before I could park, launch, and position Geppetto, the DJI Air 3 drone. I drove for a few more miles to give myself a longer time cushion.

At the moment I launched Geppetto, I heard the whistle. I sent Geppetto toward the pond where the tepee used to stand and shot two frames. I deemed this to be the better of the two.

— in Wasilla, Alaska.