I mentioned the mosquitoes, but when I got home, I found out that the ticks and chiggers were out, too. My legs still have occasional itches two weeks later. When a train is coming, the horn blowing will start when the engineer sees you, and will not stop until you wave at him and acknowledge that you know he is coming. Stop working on getting the latest insulator off the crossbar, and wave at him. Otherwise, he's going to drive you crazy with that horn.
Isolated areas are better, at least around here.
In areas were the track runs close to population, the poles are all gone. Many of them have been used as corner posts for fences. I have no idea were the insulators went, but they are not in evidence, even when there are still crossbars around. Most of the insulators that you find are broken. Wayne and I have lobbed at least two broken insulators into the swamp for every one that we've kept, and that is only those which looked whole until they were dug out and unscrewed.