Railbaron Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> If I came across as "rude" I apologize for that
> but I am still trying to figure out why Margaret
> made a blanket claim that driving in Oregon is
> dangerous, especially during the winter; does she
> know something I don't?

Thank you very much for the apology. I accept it.
No one can know everything -- I certainly don't.

I made no such "blanket claim". Here is exactly what
I said in my previous post:

> > Yes, taking Amtrak to Albany or Eugene, and renting
> > a car sounds great, but the trouble is that Winterail
> > is held in the winter, and driving in Oregon in the winter
> > can be dangerous.

Railbaron wrote --
> And I feel much more unsafe driving anywhere in the
> Bay Area, where I'm originally from, than anywhere up
> here at any time of the year.

I was only referring to driving in the specific part of
Oregon that one needs to drive in in order to get to and
from Wingerail which is in the winter.

> For those concerned about driving conditions you
> can follow this link to check the roads yourself.
>
> [www.tripcheck.com]
> =0&mainNav=RoadConditions

Thanks for the link. Very important to kow the weather
before one goes anywhere.

What I said is exactly what you admitted in your previous
post:

> Yes, Siskiyou Summit (I-5) and Cascade Summit (Hwy 58)
> can be bad during or immediately after a heavy storm can
> be bad but overall there is nothing wrong with driving in
> Oregon at any time of the year.

I was referring only to driving to Winterail because that is
in the winter, and driving there in the winter can be, well, yes,
dangerous -- in those areas -- as you yourself admitted. And I know of
twp Californians that will not be attending Winterail this year, and
they gave the weather and teh distance as two fo the most important
reasons for not attending.

About young railfans and Winterail --
Yes, there do seem to be fewer young railfans that there used to be,
and you are quite right that this is caused by societal changes, but those
young fans are out there, and, by the way, some of them are taking superb
photos Here is what I said about this in my first post:

> And I do not think young railfans (20s and younger) even know
> it [Winerail] exists, if what one railfan learned not long ago is
> generally true. He said that he was out railfanning in the Bay Area,
> and mentioned Winterail and the young (20-somethings and teens)
> railfans who were there. None of them had even heard of Winterail.

No one will be able to attend an event if they do not know it exists.
It is way past time for Winterail to have a social media team, as
social media are where most younger people get info about things.