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This year started out normally but would be anything but normal. On a personal level, it had been a great year. 2020 would be my last year working for Santa Ana Unified School District at Heninger Elementary School, from which I retired in May. I have been truly blessed all the years I worked for the school district in the various jobs I held. The world was hit with the Covid 19 virus and certainly changed overnight.

I saw no concerts this year due to Covid 19.

I still belong to the Orange County Railroad Historical Society and presented three shows of my trips for them until the virus took over. The National Railway Historical Society, whose conventions I attend, was cancelled due to the virus. The Train Travel Group in Fullerton still meets on the fourth Monday night of the month. I have good friends in each of these groups and feel very lucky to be a member of each one. I produced my eleventh railroad calendar "The Chris Guenzler 2021 Railroad Calendar" from Vista Print.

The year started off with local railroad photography and was followed by my 25th year of sobriety on January 18, 2020 and we celebrated with a cake as usual. My first train trip was the Coast Starlight with Covered Bridges in Oregon with Elizabeth in place of Winterail 2020. After this trip our Oregon Covered Bridge total was 42 out of 51. My first railfanning was with good friend Bill Compton on a day trip to Ash Hill in early April. Bill and I visited Cajon Pass later that month.

Next was the trip to bring Elizabeth home to Santa Ana where we picked up one more Oregon Covered Bridge and photogrpahed depots on the way back. At the Dunsmuir Railroad Park, we had Central California Traction caboose for our night's stay. I was ready and bent down on one knee and said "Elizabeth Joyce Ruth Davidge Alkire, will you marry me?" After a moment in which she was enthralled by the ring, she responded "Yes!" so I slid the ring onto her finger to seal our relationship. The next day it was depots and covered bridges in California and on the final day of the trip, we crossed the foggy Tehachapi mountains and my fiancee shot her first train picture on Cajon Pass. We returned there in June, along with Bill Compton, where she got pictures all over the pass. We did plenty of local riding on many empty trains during the first wave of the COVID-19 virus.

Since I was getting married on a train, I decided to have my bachelor party on the train as well. On July 3rd I sprayed Lysol disinfectant and my friends Marty and Greg did the wiping up and we cleaned the two tables that we would be using southbound if all went according to plan. I have been cleaning the table and surrounding area every trip aboard Metrolink trains since the COVID-19 virus took over our environment. We then picked up Steve Grande on his first train ride since April 2019 and headed to Anaheim before arriving at Orange and the rest of the party joined us. Everyone boarded and the party began. My best man was Bill Compton along with David Aten, Robert Butcher, Tom Watson, Carl Morrison, Robin Bowers, Marty Smith, Greg Smith and Chris Parker. Bob Butcher and I caught up and talked about our days during the second year at McArthur which brought smiles to both of our faces. It turned out that Tom Watson had known me the longest of this group but he admitted that Jeff Hartmann, who unfortunately could not be with us today, knew me longer. Good conversations were held and Greg sang some interesting songs while the rest of us laughed and giggled along. We saw the beach under a red flag due to high waves and plenty of riptides. At Pulgas Road, I showed everyone Mount San Jacinto and they were all amazed that they could see being within a mile of the ocean. The train then arrived at Oceanside and after I had given directions, the group followed me over to Track 2 where we waited for Metrolink 860. The cleaning crew boarded first and we did our thing before everyone else boarded. Good times and laughs plus stories made for an interesting trip back. Chris Parker detrained at Santa Ana and at Orange, we were met by my future wife, Elizabeth, who was able to meet Bob Butcher, whom she had not met before. The rest of us followed me around the crossing gates at Chapman Avenue, thus ending my first and only bachelor party.

On July 5th, my best man Bill Compton picked me up at the apartment and we drove down to Santa Ana where inside the station we found Greg sitting on the bench. I went out to the Metrolink ticket machine and bought tickets for the eleven people who needed them. Marty returned and we all walked via Santa Ana Boulevard to Track 1 and waited for Pacific Surfliner 763 to arrive. We boarded the cab car for a short but quick trip to Fullerton to be in position so the boys could clean Metrolink 660 before it arrived at Santa Ana. While in Fullerton, I shared a piece of cake with the three of them as today is not only my wedding day but also my 9300th day of Sobriety. Metrolink 751 came in to Fullerton and Bill and I boarded it for more miles to Norwalk. At Norwalk we took the bridge across to Track 3 where we waited for Metrolink 660. We took the Number 1 track all the way to Fullerton and then Bill was concerned when Marty and Greg arrived at the car. Once aboard, they started their cleaning chores in the same manner they did at the bachelor party, and cleaned the upper level of the car by the time we reached Anaheim. We made our way to Orange and then Bill told me to start looking outside the car to the left. That way, I would not see Elizabeth when she boarded in Santa Ana. The train pulled into Santa Ana with Bill saying "How many cars can you count on that street, how many sheets of siding are there on that building and how many ceiling fans are on the top of that building?"

At Santa Ana the rest of the wedding party boarded the train which comprised my brother Jon Guenzler and his wife Arlene, David Aten, Bill Larson from Seattle, Elizabeth's former boss and friend who was her giving away for the family, Steve Grande of Trainweb.com and his wife Barbra Cepinko, Chris Parker, Carole Walker, Marty Smith and his brother Greg, Mr. and Mrs. Robert Butcher, Bill Compton, Maureen Dougherty, maid of honor and her daughter Gaby as bridesmaid. Then the moment I had been waiting for all my life, my beautiful bride coming up the aisle to me. Once she reached me, it was one of happiest moments of my life. Don Roe, our Minister, then started the ceremony. Bill Larson gave Elizabeth away to Chris for the family. We both repeated everything Don told us to and soon we were giving each other our rings as a bond of our love for each other. After we said our "I Do's", it was time to kiss the bride which I did with love and passion. Then we were introduced as Mr. and Mrs. Chris Guenzler. My dreams had all come true. We then walked down the aisle past our friends and took seats behind the party. Now people could take pictures of us as The Guenzlers. For the first time as a couple, we had a chance to relax. The train made its way to Oceanside where our party was allowed to stay on board. Cake for my sobriety was given out to a few of my friends and good conversations were had all the way back to Santa Ana. Elizabeth called her mother in Victoria, British Columbia who was unable to attend due to the Canada-United States border being closed because of the virus. I talked to her as well and told her I would always take care of Elizabeth which sounded like a wedding vow to me.

We returned to Santa Ana and I counted everyone to make sure the entire party had exited the train. The main party walked to the pedestrian bridge while myself and a few others stopped by Elizabeth's car to put some items away. We then met everybody in the courtyard and Elizabeth and I went up the stairs to wait for our photographers to arrive. Pose one was us on the station steps. Next the wedding party followed by the our entire group. Now it was time for us to take the elevator up to the fifth floor of the Bell Tower for our wedding reception where Mrs. Wright, my supervising teacher at Heninger, was waiting for us. We were seated at the head table. The wedding cake was made by Poul's Bakery and had the Mount Hood Railroad image on the top since that is the train that I and Elizabeth met on fifteen years ago to the day in 2005. Our caterers for the party were Melrose Catering and everyone was extremely pleased by the food and service of this great company. Salad, chicken piccata and tri-tip with roll and butter was the meal we chose. Lemonade was the choice of drink on this day.

After a delicious lunch, speeches were made, first by Bill Larson who told about Elizabeth in the office and everyone learned several things about her. He talked about John Adams and Abigail Adams and the illuminations that occurred around the signing the Declaration of Independence, as he experienced the previous night in Huntington Beach. Next was Bill Compton who talked about taking trips with Chris and our long friendship centered around trains. Elizabeth spoke next, mentioning those family members and friends who could not be present and read her vows to Chris. Next I spoke about family members such as my mother and father, my sister Laura and brother Bruce as well as those not with us anymore such as Ken Ruben and Winston Walker. I thanked everyone for coming then thanked Maureen Dougherty for being Elizabeth's maid of honor and told a brief story of how that happened. It was then time to cut the cake which is also a special cake for my 9300th Day of Sobriety. Elizabeth cut and I handed them out to all our guests. Tom Watson then played two songs on his guitar, one of which was "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" by Queen which everybody liked. Shades of the Orange County Railroad Historical Society meetings occurred when a BNSF freight came by and those who had not yet left ran to the windows to see it. Roy Wojohn arrived late but was fed and caught on film. A special thank you to Robin Bowers who used my camera to capture all the photographs of this great day of my life. Everyone then left and Bill Compton put the leftover food into containers for us and I then took the rest of the cake down to the car. Elizabeth said her goodbyes to Bill Larson and then changed out of her wedding dress before we said goodbye to Bill Compton, Maureen and Gaby Dougherty. We then drove back to the apartment and finished packing for tonight we are staying at the La Quinta Inn in Irvine before leaving tomorrow on our honeymoon.

The next morning we left Irvine with our first stop at Ash Hill so Elizabeth could catch her first train there. We drove into Arizona with stops at Williams and Flagstaff before we arrived at Winslow and our first night at the La Posada Hotel which was Elizabeth's first time there. The next day Elizabeth had the chance to visit the Pertified Forest National Park and the Painted Desert. We next drove a colorful route to Dolores, Colorado where we paused at the Rio Grande Southern station and the Galloping Goose before we checked in for the night. The next day we finally found the Cimarron Canyon Railroad Exhibit and then we made our way to Creede and Wagon Wheel Gap for stations before driving to Alamosa for the night. The next day we rode the Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad from Antonito to Osier and return and then found the San Acacio San Luis Southern station before we drove to Walensburg for the night. The next morning we went to the Pueblo Railroad Museum the found Manitou and Pike's Peak Cog Railway 5 on display at the Broadmoor Hotel, followed by the former Rio Grande depot in Castle Rock. We came upon the Jefferson Denver South Park and Pacific station before we arrived for the first time at the Como Roundhouse Museum. After we took pictures of everything there, we found the Fairplay Denver South Park and Pacific station before I took Elizabeth to the South Park City Museum. I then took her to the Breckenridge Railroad Park on the way to Georgetown where we rode the Georgetown Loop Railroad and rode behin 2-8-0 40, a first for both of us. On the way to Denver we stopped at the three steam engines in the mountains on the way to our night at the Crawford Motel in Denver Union Station. The next morning we rode the Denver G Line to Wheatridge Ward and then the B Line to Westminster; both trips were new mileage for us. After a breakfast at the Village Inn, we stopped at the Boardwalk Park Museum in Windsor then drove into Wyoming, a new state for Elizabeth, and we rode the Terry Ranch Bison Train. We drove into Cheyenne and a stop for Union Pacific 2-6-0 1242 at Lions Park. From here we drove north to Douglas with a stop at the Douglas Railroad Museum, dinner at the CB&Q Douglas Station, The Depot Restaurant, then checked into the Super 8. We headed north the next morning into the Powder River Basin with three trains at Bill Hall Road, three at Flat Top Road and two at Forest Service Road 594. It was a good morning of trains. The Pronghorn Antelope were all over the highway at several places on our way to Gillette. We saw over 500 BNSF units stored at Donkey Creek and followed a BNSF coal train east towards Newcastle where we stayed the night at Pines Country Inn.

The next morning we drove into South Dakota, another new state for Elizabeth, to Hill City and visited the South Dakota Railroad Museum. We then rode the Black Hills Central Railroad before we went to Mount Rushmore then we drove back to Hill City and found the spot from which I wanted to photograph the 1:30 PM train. That was followed by a visit to the Crazy Horse Monument. We then headed to Edgemont and caught more BNSF trains on the way to Nebraska, yet another new state, before we visited Crawford Hill, but alas, no trains in sight. We drove through the only railroad tunnel in Nebraska before driving to Alliance where in a park was CB&Q 4-6-0 719 and CB&Q caboose 13701. Next I took Elizabeth to Carhenge which is an exhibit based on Stonehenge in England using old car bodies, before we checked into the Alliance Hotel and Suites for this night.

July 14th I did something I had wanted to do for years - follow the BNSF mainline along Nebraska Highway 2. We caught six trains along this route before we cut south down to North Platte and visited the Golden Spike Tower, Union Pacific 2-8-0 480 on display in Memorial Park and Cody Park. We headed west on US 30 for some depots plus two Union Pacific trains on our way to Cheyenne. There I took Elizabeth to see the Wyoming Merci Car, Union Pacific Big Boy 4-8-8-4 4004 in Holliday Park and then Elizabeth toured the Union Pacific Cheyenne station. We headed west catching two more eastbound Union Pacific trains then I took her to the Ames Monument before we headed into Laramie and a night at the Days Inn.

July 15th started with us at the Union Pacific station with the display train in Depot Park. We drove west on US 30 stopping at the Union Pacific Medicine Bow station and on into Rawlins to the Union Pacific station. Next we went to Tully Park for Union Pacific 2-8-0 533 then a drive back to Colorado to Craig and the Moffat Car display. Then we found the Rio Grande station here which is still standing but has a hole in the northwest corner. We paused at the Deseret Power Railway, but alas, had no trains. We made our way to Heber City, staying at the Holiday Inn Express. The next morning, Mark Nelson, Executive Director gave us a private behind-the-scenes tour of the car shop. Elizabeth was then finally able to ride most of the Heber Valley Railroad unlike to 0.2 mile she (and everyone else) did at the 2019 NRHS Convention. After that I took her to the Evanston Roundhouse then made a beeline to Soldier Summit (luck was not with us) and we stopped at the Western Mining and Railroad Museum in Helper before checking into the Riverside Motel. The two of us went to the Amtrak station for the westbound Amtrak's California Zephyr Train 5 before we called it a night.

The following morning, July 17th, we drove across Soldier Summit on Highway 6 with no trains at all. We made our way to Tooele and when we arrived, found that the Railroad Park was closed so we did what good railfans do, took pictures through the fence. We then made our way to East Ely with our train waiting for the 4:30 PM departure. This would be Elizabeth's first time aboard a Nevada Northern train. We did the Robinson Canyon train to Keystone trip and then I had an idea and asked if we could ride the Star Train. We had dinner then I returned to the station and rode the Nevada Northern Star Train which was a very interesting trip. The next day we drove east to the Great Basin National Park and while going through Milford, found a former Union Pacific dining car which now belongs to the Milford Lions Club. We shot the last train of the trip, Union Pacific 7361 West, before driving into Cedar City to find the former Union Pacific freighthouse and passenger station. From here we drove south to Mesquite to the Best Western for the final night of our honeymoon trip. I drove us to Barstow and we stopped at the outdoor part of the Western American Railroad Museum and the restored Casa del Desierto, a 1911 Harvey House and train station. From here Elizabeth drove us home to Santa Ana and it was good to be home.

August started off with us taking Metrolink 803 to Oceanside then Coaster 640 to San Diego. After a short layover we took Coaster 541 back to Oceanside. Using our Metrolink tickets, we rode the Sprinter to Vista Transit Center to take picture of the Santa Fe station there and then boarded another Sprinter for Escondido. Here we walked to the Santa Fe station where Santa Fe Railway Post Office car 112 is on display at Grape Park. We took the Sprinter back to Oceanside and Metrolink 609 to Orange, ending another fun railfan adventure. In early September, we took Metrolink 661 then Pacific Surfliner 768 to San Diego. There we boarded the Tioga Pass for a private car trip to Los Angeles. We had an excellent trip until near Santa Ana Elizabeth remembered she had turned off the air conditioner in our apartment. Not wanting her to come back to a hot apartment on the record-breaking temperature day of the year of 108 degrees, I told Norm I needed to get off in Santa Ana and he agreed to do that. Elizabeth rode to Los Angeles then took a late running 666 back to Santa Ana. I went home turned it on, then drove back to Santa Ana to pick her up and we returned to a nice cool apartment.

The Niles Canyon Railway announced that the Skookum, a rare 1909 2-4-4-2 logging mallet, one of only three such steam engines that Baldwin Locomotive Works ever built, would lead a trip in in September and this would be their first operating weekend of the season. We decided to have our first ride behind this unique locomotive. We drove up the San Joaquin valley and I showed Elizabeth many new things that I had photographed and visited on trips to Winterail when it was in Stockton. We dined outdoors that evening at the Texas Roadhouse in Sacrament with my nephew Adam before we stayed at the Delta King for the night. The next day, we walked over to the Amtrak station and boarded the Gold Line to Historic Folsom. We then checked out of the Delta King then drove via Schellville and went to Petaluma for a railroad station then found the Petaluma Living History Railroad Museum. We drove US 101 north to Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit (SMART) County Airport station and bought roundtrip tickets for the ride to Larkspur. From here we drove back to Cordelia Antique Mall with railroad equipment before checking into the Best Western Inn.

September 12th, we drove to the BART station in Antioch where our first train would take Elizabeth and I 9.2 miles to Pittsburg Transfer. We took the train from here to MacArthur station in Oakland where we tansferred to another BART train to our new mileage to Berryessa. With that, I had now ridden all of BART once again. We returned to Antioch but as this trip took longer than expected, we looked at Elizabeth's smartphone and found we had a 42-minute drive to Niles Canyon Railway in Sunol and did not have much time to spare. Upon arrival, we first took pictures of the Skookum backing by our photo location and going to the other end of the train so it could pull the train backwards down to Niles. We boarded the train and enjoyed our ride behind the Skookum. At Niles they ran the engine around the train before we returned to Sunol. It had been a dream come true to ride behind the Skookum. A drive to the Days Inn in Merced ended the day.

The next morning, after photographing the Merced Santa Fe station, we drove to El Portal to the Yosemite Valley Railroad display including Hetch Hetchey Shay 6 which was a first for the both of us. We went into a very smokey Yosemite then, I drove us down Highway 43 until we noticed the bridge was out north of Angiola. We took Avenue 144 to 99 and at the crossing, we saw a Union Pacific train coming. Next we photographed J.D. Heiskell locomotives north of Pixley. I took Elizabeth to the Oildale Southern Pacific station which came from Sequro. We then went to Bakersfield finding the San Joaquin Valley Railroad motive power laying over in the yard. We caught BNSF 5914 West from above Tunnel 2 in the Tehachapi Mountains and stayed at the Baymount Inn that night. The next morning I looked out of the window and saw how smokey Tehachapi was after the blue skies of yesterday and we decided to check out and head east to Mojave where we had breakfast. I drove us over to Barstow so she could see the entire BNSF Mojave Sub that I had ridden on Santa Fe 3751 in 1991. On Old US 66, we found a BNSF train and got ahead of it at Indian Trail Road. I drove down to the grade crossing and barely beat the train there. Elizabeth took over driving and drove us home.

We embarked on a two-week trip in October for the first photo charter on the Black Hills Central and the revised Sumpter Valley photographer's special. We left Santa Ana on Pacific Surfliner 763 and took the Thruway bus to Bakersfield. Here Elizabeth made her first journey on the San Joaquin route to Emeryville. Once there we checked into the Hilton Garden Inn for the night. The next morning, Elizabeth made her first trip on the California Zephyr which we took to Denver. We stayed at the Crawford Hotel and rode the new Denver electric commuter line to Eastlake/124th. We picked up a rental car and then drove to Strasburg, Limon, Hugo and depots on the way into Kansas. We caught a Kyle Railroad freight, took pictures of more depots and then at sunset, caught another Kyle freight before we went to the Cedar Inn in McCook. Next day was more depots and steam engines as well as two new museums for both of us as we made our way to Alliance, Nebraska.

On October 3rd, from Alliance, we went to Hot Springs for the depot before we chased the Black Hills Central train on its run to Keystone. We returned, picked up our tickets for the double-headed train and waited for the morning train to return from Keystone. The two steam engines (Black Hills 2-6-6-2T 108 and 110) first did a blowdown for all of us before we boarded the last three open cars on the train. Runbys were done at Oblivion and then our train cars were dropped at Keystone Junction while the rest of the train ran into Keystone. They picked us up, took us to Keystone and the full train returned to Hill City. We drove back to Alliance for the night.

We drove back to Denver via Bridgeport and Sidney, returned the car and I finished up riding all of Denver's light rail system. We boarded the Zephyr that evening and Elizabeth's rest of the ride to Chicago. We both enjoyed our time on the Zephyr. The next day, after we arrived in Chicago and checked into the Holiday Inn and Suites then I took Elizabeth for her first railfanning adventure at Roosevelt Road. The next morning, we slept in and rested, then returned to Chicago Union Station and boarded the Empire Builder for Portland, which was nearly all new mileage for Elizabeth. Our route took us across the Rockies and the following morning down the Columbia River Gorge. Upon arrival at Portland, we rented a car and started the drive to Bend for a steam engine, various stations and a covered bridge. On October 9th, we drove via Prineville and Prairie City to McEwen for our Sumpter Valley photography train. They said in the literature that a photo runby would take place. When it was obvious that one was not going to occur, I complained at the Sumpter Valley station. I was told later to be ready when we returned to McEwen. The train returned to McEwen and we set up on a rock pile and when the train came by, the crew said "We will come back for you." I could not believe this was really happening. They took us out and did two more complete photo runbys for the two of us as a way of making up for the fluid nature of dealing with the COVID-19 virus and the rules thereforth. We thanked them very much for our private runbys and told them we would bring friends with us for next year's photography special. Elizabeth and I drove to the Dalles for the next two nights.

The next morning, we drove via Horsetail Falls into Portland for a trip aboard the Oregon Pacific Railroad. Here we met Dick Samuels who offered us a ride in their former Canadian Nationa GMD-1 locomotive, a first for the two of us. We enjoyed the trip and thanked Dick for an outstanding ride before we photographed the train on its next trip. From here, we drove east to Troutdale and Multnomah Falls before we arrived at Cascade Locks where I took Elizabeth to see the Oregon Pony steam engine on display. We crossed the Bridge of the Gods over the Columbia River to Washington where Elizabeth photographed the Spokane, Portland and Seattle F9A on display at the Columbia Gorge Discovery Centre. We returned to the Dalles via the North Bank and caught freight trains on both sides of the river. After checking out the following morning, I drove us back to Union Station and I returned the rental car then had an interesting journey back to the station. We took the Coast Starlight on the two-day trip back home to Santa Ana, ending a fantastic and memorable journey.

Late October, we and our friends Greg Smith and his brother Marty went to the Pacific Southwest Railway Museum in Campo. On the way to it, we stopped at the National City depot and the La Mesa depot and display, which is operated by the group in Campo. We then drove out to Campo and rode their Pumpkin Express train after seeing most of their equipment. This was Elizabeth's first time here and she was very impressed with everything they had. On the return drive, we stopped at Jacumba and Plaster City, getting one of their narrow gauge engines, as well as Pioneer Village in El Centro where Elizabeth took her first photograph of Imperial Irrigation District 152. A dinner break was taken in Indio before we drove home.

Trains Magazine celebrated their 80th anniversary this year and a banquet and photo freight charter with SOO Line 2-8-2 1003 was planned. The banquet was cancelled due to the virus but the charter remained on the docket. In November, the two of us took Surfliner 579 to Los Angeles in order to board the Southwest Chief in a deluxe bedroom. This was Elizabeth's first trip aboard the train and I pointed out things along the route. Due to the lateness of our arrival in Chicago, we stayed the night at the Holiday Inn and Suites and took the first Hiawatha train to the Milwaukee Airport the next day. Here we took a shuttle to the rental car area and photographed stations and lighthouses on the way to Green Bay. Here, Elizabeth had her first visit to the National Railroad Museum, which she was very impressed with. We took pictures of many depots on the way to Beaver Dam for the first of two nights. The next day was filled with finding more depots, railroad displays and steam engines on a circle trip that we made.

November 15th dawned wet, very windy and cold. That did not dissaude us and the other photographers from being at the C&NW bridge in Randolph for the first of 18 photo runbys at various locations. The highlight was at the Duck Pond at Beaver Dam Lake. Elizabeth and I really enjoyed this whole day and it was the first time for me to see SOO Line 1003 in steam. Afterwards we shot a couple more depots on the way to the Milwaukee Airport where stayed at the Best Western Plus. We took Amtrak Hiawatha service into Milwaukee and then took turns riding The Hop, the Milwaukee Streetcar that opened in November 2018. That afternoon, we returned to Chicago on the Hiawatha service and visited the Metropolitan Lounge until it was time to board the City of New Orleans. We had a deluxe bedroom on this train and Elizabeth's first trip aboard it. This train took us to New Orleans and we walked to the Holiday Inn New Orleans then I took Elizabeth on her first trip aboard the St. Charles Streetcar line. The next morning, we walked back to the Union Passenger Terminal and boarded the Sunset Limited for the journey home.

I received an e-mail from the Niles Canyon Railway advertising a photo freight charter with the Skookum in December, with all proceeds going to the restoration of Southern Pacific 1744. We let Chris Parker and Robin Bowers know about this and they both decided to join us. We drove north up the Valley, taking Robin and Elizabeth to many of the places that Chris Parker and I visited on various Winterail trips to Stockton. We stayed in Pleasanton and were ready for December 6th which was the big day of railroad photography. This charter was unique in that all the photographers rode a passenger train which took us to each location to photograph the Skookum pulling a freight train. During the day, there were 20 photo runbys that we participated in and each was excellent and unique in its own right. This was Robin's first time at the Niles Canyon Railway and he enjoyed himself immensely, as did the three of us. After the trip, I took them down Niles Canyon to Niles itself so they could take photographs of the various railroad displays in town. The trip home consisted of more depots, steam engines and shortline railroads.

The rest of the year was spent riding locally. Elizabeth and I spent our first Thanksgiving together with Robin Bowers, David Aten and Marty Smith joining us for the feast. Then came all the Christmas preparations for our first Christmas together, with David and Marty enjoying our hospitality and dinner. It been a great year for me and Elizabeth.

All these stories can be found on my web site at http://www.trainweb.org/chris/index.html. My rail mileage was 1,616,174.3 on January 1, 2020 and on December 31, 2020 it was 1,686,041.9 with a grand total of 72,947.6 The year started with 9133 Days of Sobriety on January 1, 2020 and ended with 9479 on my 63rd Birthday on December 31, 2020.

May each of you have the best holiday season ever and may next year be one of the best in your life. Take care of each and everyone of you, be safe and until next year, goodbye!