Good Life

Well, as I am sitting at gate C6 in PDX waiting to board my flight home to Boston, this will most likely be my last post. Sadly, my vacation has come to an end. I'd love to stay longer, but I must get back to my Liam. Today was as wonderful a day as any that I've had over the past 8 days. I took a drive from the Portland area to the coast. In order to do this I had to drop Aunt Karen at Nike HQ and get through the mountains first! I was lucky enough to be borrowing my Aunt's car, which was quite possibly smarter than I! There was one point in time that it flashed a coffee cup symbol at me and suggested that, based on my driving patterns, maybe I wanted to take a break...Nosy car!

 

The scenery was beautiful as I drove through Wine Country and up into the mountains. I ran into several trucks carrying logs, which reminded me of the scene in National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation when they were out looking for a Christmas tree and they ended up driving underneath the logging truck.

When I reached my original destination of Seaside, it looked like a ghost town. It was 9:30 am on a Monday, and there was no one around. I decided to get back on the road and head to my alternate destination, Cannon Beach. From Portland to the coast was approximately an hour and twenty minutes. When I reached Cannon Beach, I was confronted with an ominous CLOSED sign at the historical museum.

 

Yet another Clark W. Griswold moment popped into my head when I saw this...."Sorry folks, park's closed. Moose out front should have told you."

 

That's alright, I didn't really want to go to the museum. I was headed to the beach! After I found parking I walked across the street and down a set of stairs that I swear came right of the movie Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom.

 

After making my way through the bushes, I came upon the most wonderful sight....the Pacific Ocean! It was cold and overcast and sort of dreary. I loved walking along the beach in a sweatshirt all warm and cozy. The whole scene reminded me of spending so many summers in Maine as a kid. I loved the cool mornings that would lead to sunny, hot afternoons.  This was the case today. I walked the beach taking pictures for over two hours. I waded through streams on the way down the beach and on the way back found that those streams were now hip deep....so needless to say I had wet pants! I love the ocean, and wish I spent more time there at home.

 

I treated myself to a farewell lunch on the beach and a little shopping!

 

After another visit with Nana and Dave, I was treated to a lovely dinner in Portland by my aunt and my cousin.

Currently I am waiting at the airport, where we are delayed. It's nice that for once on this trip I don't have to worry about making a connection. Hopefully we have a smooth flight, as I am once again dreading getting on the plane.

 

I can't wait to get home and see my boy, whom I miss terribly. I also can't wait to sort through the hundreds and hundreds of pictures that are stored on my cameras.

 

I realize that I have lived the "good life" this week and am grateful that I am fortunate enough to have the opportunity to travel. I eagerly await the adventures that are yet to come!

 

Wish me a smooth flight...

Cowboy Take Me Away

I awoke very early this morning with the nervous excitement of a little kid on Christmas. Today was the day of the horse! It was finally the day that I would spend my morning with a cowboy (are they still called that in Oregon?) and a couple of horses, meandering through the forest and along the river, as I had arranged a private ride. Breezy was the name of the trusty mare that would carry me on this part of my journey. Tim was the name of my personal cowboy. He was a handsome (quite adorable, in fact) guy about my age, and, as it turns out, a former Kindergarten teacher. Even after talking with him I couldn't figure out how one goes from being a Kindergarten teacher to a full time cowboy. I would love my career path to include living on a farm, riding horses and raising all sorts of animals (especially cute little goats). I guess in the mean time 5th grade will have to do. Anyways, the ride was extremely relaxing as we chatted and took in the scenery. There were good opportunities for viewing wildlife, including a fawn and it's mother, many ground squirrels (which look like mini prairie dogs), and red tailed hawks perched along the trail. We were able to trot and even canter a bit since I was considered an experienced rider, in hours spent on horseback only, I have no idea what I am doing! It has been about 5 years since I've last ridden, but it was super easy to get right back into the swing of it...just like riding a bike...a huge, living, breathing bike---with a mind of it's own. No big deal. The horses were neck reined, which means you only need one hand to "steer". This is a welcome change from horses I've ridden in the past where you need to have both hands on the reins.

Sleepy horses...

After my ride I was able to hang around the stables for a bit and watch the horses...who were sleeping! They hadn't even been out on rides yet! When I arrived in the morning the horses were being led from the pasture where they had been over night, to the corrals by the stables. They ate a little breakfast, then some of them proceeded to take a nap! My kind of horses!

Sadly, it was time to head back to the house to pack and get ready to say goodbye to Sunriver and hello to Portland. I really enjoyed my time in Sunriver, and wish I could stay for quite a long time. I will definitely return. My travel companion for this leg of the trip was Sir Grumpy. It was a beautiful 4 hour drive through the mountains. We even passed through Detroit along the way....Detroit, Oregon that is!

Grumpy

Upon arriving in Beaverton (our Portland area destination...Aunt Karen's house) I had a few glorious hours of down time. I slyly procured the latest edition of People Magazine from the mailbox and grabbed a chair on the deck. Now, I don't often read magazines like People, but when I find a copy around I tend to find them very entertaining. This one was no different. One of two gems that really cracked me up was that Snoop Dogg is now Snoop Lion (???), which I really just don't understand at all (probably a good thing for my IQ).Perhaps I should just change my name every now and then for the heck of it??? The other is that Kim Kardashian named her baby North....with the last name of West....North West....really?!?! Come on! Clearly I'm not current on any of this, as I seem to be the only one who wasn't aware of either of these atrocities. I should have taken a nap.

I have mentioned before that I do not like to fly. Watching footage of the recent plane crash in San Francisco is not helping at all. Tonight on the news they showed a statistic, that if you are sitting in the rear of the plane you are 40% more likely to survive a crash. Well, that's just great....I actually paid more to sit right up in the front of the plane on my flight home Monday night....paid more for the unsafe seats....makes total sense. I am sure it will be just fine, and if it's not, hopefully I'll be sound asleep!

The highlight of the evening was a visit from my Nana, whom I have not seen in a very long time (more than a year). I had the luxury of meeting her new boyfriend, Dave. He was super nice, but having heard a few stories this weekend (not blog appropriate), it was a little awkward.

The night ended perfectly with a little fire in the fire pit, a little Frank Sinatra (Uncle Steve's choice), and a little target practice off the back porch....just soda cans, no animals were harmed in the making of this blog...

One more glorious day of vacation!!!

 

                                                                                  

Walk On

My plan for this morning was to wake up nice and early and ride a bike down a little road to a short trail that would lead to a waterfall. Easy enough, right? Right.

I woke up a little before my alarm (yes, I actually set an alarm) to the sound of a lone chain saw. I immediately second guessed my choice to be up and out, "flying solo", before the rest of the world. I got up and got ready anyways. It was FREEZING, in the low 40's, so my fingers froze as I began my ride. It was reminiscent of the great Sno-Cone incident of Fowler Fair 2013, minus the pretty colors. Even though the sun was up, it was still pretty dark on the dirt road that led to the path because the sun wasn't up over the trees. I had been assured that the most dangerous animal I had to worry about was a coyote, although I learned tonight that might not be so true. Anyways, I wasn't worried about animals, but the further into the woods I got, the more creepy the whole scene felt. I kept thinking that it was like a scene out of one of those bad horror movies, like Wrong Turn, where cannibalistic mountain men were probably watching me from the woods. Then I came upon this...

Yup...a deer carcass, just hanging from a tree (this picture was taken on the way back when it was light out). "Well, that's fitting, " I thought, as it fit right into my crazy horror movie frame of mind. The trail I needed to take was not marked well and there were no directions that matched up with the roads that led back into the woods, so I kept on pedaling until I reached the end of the dirt road (which I am pretty sure was the long way). Suddenly, the scene changed from dark dirt road, to a sunny, beautiful river--but where were the water falls?

I decided to lock up the bike and head off on a trail along the river on foot. The scenery was breathtaking and I was taking pictures left and right. My apprehension had turned to excitement and relaxation.  I hiked the trail along the river for an hour before I saw a sign for Benham Falls. I knew I was on the right track, so I kept going. The next sign was 30 or so minutes down the path, and the falls were still 3/4 of a mile away. It was at this point I realized I was an hour and a half hike from the bike. Seeing Benham Falls had been my original plan, so I kept going, happily hiking along and taking pictures. Finally, I could hear the roar of the falls! They were a spectacular sight!

 

After hiking down to the river to see the falls up close, and up to a rocky outcrop to see the falls from up high, I knew I needed to head back, as we were heading to Crater Lake! All in all, the quick little trip to Benham Falls turned out to be a 3.5 hour hike (plus a bike ride on each end)...before breakfast, and without a supply of food or water...brilliant, I know.

 

Next stop...Crater Lake!

 

 

Crater Lake was an amazing sight to behold. There was a long drive into the park, then a parking area. There was a small hill to walk up before you could see into the crater and once you hit the top and peered over the edge it was quite the sight to behold!  It has sapphire blue water surrounded by the most spectacular rock formations. Crater Lake is very interesting because it is actually a caldera basin that was formed after the eruption of a volcano. The lake is not fed by any rivers or streams and the water level is maintained solely by rainfall and melting snow. Speaking of snow, there was still snow up there!

 

 

 

There were steep cliffs everywhere, and one false move could send you over the edge tumbling into the lake far below. A word of advice...pay attention to what you are doing, especially when having someone take your picture with your back to the lake. Don't take steps back without looking first... you might just bump into and almost fall backwards over a very short rock wall and off a cliff...not that that happened or anything.

 

 

Crater Lake was lovely, and on the way back we stopped at a little diner for a late lunch. In keeping with today's horror movie theme, it was an interesting little place. Actually, the food was very good, but at first glance it looked like something out of a horror movie. I can picture it now...a group of young adults stops into the diner for lunch and one of the girls goes downstairs to use the restroom. When she doesn't return the others have to go looking for her. None of them are ever seen again. Yup....creepy...but yummy.

There's nothing like the hum of neon lights!



 

 

Tonight, I was fortunate enough to go to an observatory program and do a little stargazing. It was an absolutely phenomenal experience. When I saw Saturn and it's rings, along with it's moon, Titan, I couldn't even believe my eyes! It was so cool! We also saw globular clusters, a ring nebula and many stars. Identifying and viewing constellations ended the evening. Astronomy and Space (space travel, astronauts, etc...) are fascinating!

 

I'm exhausted!

 

 

More tomorrow...

A Boat Like Gideon Brown

I left my heart in San Francisco....Okay, okay, I didn't leave my heart anywhere, BUT I did leave my favorite sunglasses in Sacramento at the security checkpoint in the airport. This should not surprise me, as sunglasses and I have very volatile relationships. I routinely either lose them or break them. Seriously, this is the fourth pair that have met an untimely demise in a month...

Despite a plane with a funny sounding propeller and a very rough landing, I made it to my "final" destination, Bend, Oregon. The first thing that happened at the airport was that a crew of mechanics came out to the plane to check out the propeller...I told you it was making a funny noise, it wasn't all just in my head! I gathered my asininely heavy bags and headed into the airport to meet my Aunt and Uncle. I wore a big grin and giggled a little bit on my way over to them, because I knew I was going to be laughed at over the amount (and the weight) of my luggage, and I was right! It was great to see familiar faces and know that my plane ordeal was over...for now.

I am staying in Sunriver at my Aunt's house which is literally in the Deschutes National Forest. After waking up early, and grabbing a map, I embarked on a long walk. The air was cool, crisp, and fresh, as I plodded along a trail with my trusty camera. I had heard that there were many deer in the area, but I did not expect the up close encounters with NINE deer over the course of my walk!

 



Today was RAFTING day! We went rafting on the Deschutes River. It was an absolutely beautiful ride. There were 7,000 year old lava flows and Ponderosa Pines lining the river. Unfortunately, I had to buy a disposable, waterproof camera and will have to wait until my film develops to see if I got any good pictures! It was smooth sailing until we hit the first section of whitewater, called "Child Grinder"....some of the other whitewater sections were called Big Eddy, Kenmore (as in the washing machine brand) and fluffy bunny. Rafting the flat parts of the river was a relaxing and enjoyable experience. The whitewater was exhilarating! The man in front of me ended up in my lap several times when we went through some of the bigger rapids...awkward, as his wife was RIGHT there! Just kidding...though he did end up on my lap a couple of times! I even dared to go swimming during the flat parts of the river...boy was it COLD, but refreshing. We had a fantastic day on the River!

When we returned home, I was freezing, as we had driven home in our wet bathing suits/clothes. I decided to jump right into the hot tub in order to warm up and soothe my sore muscles (from carrying all my bags). Hot tub + book = ? You've got it! FROG! Yup....there was a froggy hanging out on the side of the hot tub....waiting to hop on in and join me...maybe I should have tried kissing it...ha, ha, ha! At first, I thought it was a little sea turtle....because that is definitely something that you'd find in the forest in Oregon!

See...I'm not going to get eaten by a bear on this trip! He's wearing my colors!

Crater Lake tomorrow! Stay Tuned!

Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You)

Sadly, today was the last day of the second leg of the trip, the journey aboard the California Zephyr. I went to bed last night somewhere in Utah and woke up in Nevada.

 

I went up to the observation car to stake out a spot and there were my trusty partners in observation car seat saving-Dennis and Denise! They were happy to see me, and I them, and the had saved me a seat! It has been great getting to know the both of them over the past couple of days and we've had some good laughs. It was sad to have to say goodbye. We all exchanged contact information, and Denise and I sat side by side for 45 darn minutes trying to find and friend each other on Facebook...good to know my security settings are nice and tight!

 

I met a family from Honduras at breakfast, who had lived in Winchester (where I grew up) for a short time...How's that for freaky!?!

 

The scenery in Nevada was breathtaking...as was the scenery everywhere else we went!

 

At one point right before Reno, there were herds of wild mustangs roaming the mountainsides and fields along the train tracks. They were all happily flicking their tails as they ate grass and roamed the country side. The conductor pointed out a lone black stallion that was very high up on a hill seemingly overlooking all that was going on. I wish I could have seen him better. Maybe if I had a pair of Zoomies I would have been able to...probably wouldn't have made any train friends, but at least I would have looked cool.

 

When we pulled into the station in Truckee, CA, there was a huge Fourth of July parade proceeding through the downtown area. As luck would have it, we had to wait a bit before moving on, so we got to watch! I do miss being in (rather near) Boston on the 4th. I wish I could get some live video of the Pops concert, as it is one of my favorites.

 

We went through another long tunnel, and when we popped out on the other side, there was a gorge with the most spectacular glacial lake! We were informed that this was Donner Lake, and we were stopped in Donner Pass. The train happened to be stopped for a good hour due to construction on the rails, and it happened to be right before lunch...hungry people stuck in Donner Pass...Yikes! (Bad joke? Perhaps...) It was breathtakingly beautiful though.

 

 

In the afternoon we traveled part of the route of the Transcontinental railroad and went along canyons that were 2,000 feet below us. From the train window it looked as though one false move by the conductor could cause the whole train to go tumbling down...I'm not a big fan of heights. It was amazing, though.

 

I was introduced to a teacher and her husband, and we had a lovely chat about Common Core and Standardized testing...same old nonsense, different locations!

 

Finally, it was time to say goodbye to the Zephyr and all my new friends aboard. I got a big hug and a kiss from Dennis who told me that he admires me for taking time to travel by myself, especially as a young mom, and to make sure I keep on having adventures. I will take that advice to heart. Denise and I hugged and parted ways, only to meet up on the platform in Sacramento. We walked together all the way to the taxi stand and promised to keep in touch.

Goodbye 533!

And now for the DRAMA.....

 

The Zephyr was over an hour late getting to Sacramento due to delays. I had a 2.5 hour window of time in which to get from the station in Sacramento to the airport, or rather until my plane pulled away from the gate. All day I debated what I was going to do. If I missed my flight I would make the 7+ hour drive to Oregon to meet up with my Aunt. I believe I have mentioned that I hate flying, so I had planned to take a little something to make me a bit drowsy in order to summon the courage to get on that plane. Well, not knowing if I was going to have to drive, I couldn't take the medicine. I walked off the Zephyr at 3:50pm (my flight was at 4:45pm) to 110 degree weather. The taxi stand was half a mile walk from the tracks...yes, that long. Denise and I went as fast as we could with all of our luggage. I was getting increasingly anxious about what was next to come. I found a taxi very easily and got in. It was one of those mini-van taxis. I didn't mention to the driver that I was kind of in a hurry, but he drove the 15 miles to the airport going 80-90mph. I know because I was looking at the speedometer from the back seat as I was freaking out. We arrived in record time, as he was still going 60mph in the airport drop off area. That was an expensive few minutes, I'll tell you!

 

Upon walking up to the ticket counter telling the agent I needed to get my boarding pass for the 4:45pm flight, he happily said that it was running 15 minutes late, so not to worry. As I began getting my bags ready to be checked, he took my name and then said...."Oh, THAT 4:45pm flight...yeah, THAT one is on time. It's too late to check your bags, BUT you can still bring them on if you condense the three bags (that were already crammed with stuff) into just two, right now." Sure, why not...I actually did it, but I had to roll up my backpack and strap it to the outside of one of the other bags. 

I felt very resourceful. All this time I was getting increasingly anxious about getting on this flight. When I got to security I realized that I was planning on checking these bags, so I had "illegal" stuff in them, mostly liquids bigger than 2oz (or whatever the rule is). I had to take stuff out and throw it away....all in super fast....I've got to make this plane I don't even want to make....mode. I got through security and dragged my now even more ridiculously heavy bags to the gate (I had the airline page my Sherpa, but he disnt show up!) I quickly explained my situation to the guy who checked the boarding passes because he asked why I was all flustered...he almost hugged me. It turns out one of my bags was too big, so I had to bring it on , but give it to some person, somewhere...I didn't really get it at the time to be honest....I was in- oh my goodness, I am getting on a plane and I DID NOT take my sleepy meds like I had planned mode....needless to say my inner sailor found me in the Sacramento Airport.

 

I walked down the little corridor to get to the plane, but when I came to the end, where you usually step right into the plane, there was nothing but open air. After a moment, I realized I had to walk down a ramp and onto the ground.....PLEASE don't let this be a "short bus plane" as I like to call them, was all I could think. It was WORSE.....there were PROPELLERS. Yup, propellers. Despite the fact that I wanted to cry,  I got on the plane like a big girl and made it through the flight without outwardly freaking out and head butting a flight attendant. I heard that that is a VERY bad idea. I made it to Portland and am currently awaiting a flight to Bend, OR, though sometimes I still think I am in Sacramento, or maybe Denver...or who knows. All in all I made it from the door of the California Zephyr to my seat in the airplane (15 miles away, through all that airport crap) in a mere 40 minutes...

I am excited for the next leg of this trip and will keep you all posted!

 

Propellers.....WTH?

UPDATE: I am sitting on the next plane which they are trying to "balance" by having us all sit towards the back...so yeah, freak out mode again. That and someone has a miniature poodle (with its own stroller) aboard.... Wish me luck!

Stars and Stripes Forever

Good Morning and Happy Independence Day!

I can't even believe it's Thursday! This trip is flying by, both literally (as I am looking out the window from my train bed) and figuratively. This is a really nice way to travel if you have the time. It's so relaxing, as you don't have to worry about anything at all! Which is not to say that you don't have to think about what you're doing, you are, after all, on a moving train. The bruises on my arms from being slammed into the doors or walls while walking through the doors that connect the cars without holding on are proof of that.

Last night was interesting. I think some people are getting a little feverish...cabin fever, that is. There was a big scuffle on board with conductors racing down to the sleeper cars. It turns out someone had smoked in the bathroom, which is a BIG no-no on one of these trains, and can get you thrown off at the next stop. Shortly after this, there was an announcement over the intercom reminding people that there is no smoking on the train, and that the ventilation system carries the smoke throughout the train and it's not good for people with health problems, and on and on. They were very stern about the fact that you can get booted right off the train! Not 30 seconds after this announcement was made, the conductor came back over the intercom to let everybody know that since we were running a little behind schedule, there would be no smoke breaks until Salt Lake City...7 hours later. This cracked me up. It almost felt like one of those classrooms where the whole class is given a consequence because of the actions of one person.

I had dinner with all the people in my sleeper hallway last night. There are a bunch of people traveling alone down here, and they put all the singles together for dinner. Our train car attendant, Nathan, walked by our table, gave us one look and said, "Ooh, now that table is trouble!" He loves us! We swapped stories about life and why we were on the train as is often the case with everybody you meet on the train. When they found out that I am a very nervous flier, they all chimed in on why they haven't flown in X amount of years. One of them, a 19 year old man/boy  from California that is studying abroad in England took a transatlantic cruise (or boat as he called it), and now the train. All to avoid flying. They all had stories about horrible experiences on planes to share with me. Another of my companions, John,  suggested that I make fast friends with my seat mate and see if we can hold hands for take off. He was totally serious! He also said that he totally understood why I didn't like to fly, "I mean, you are totally letting go and letting someone else (the pilot and the big G) decide if you are going to live or die!" Thanks for that, pal.

My last new friend at the table, Mike, reminded me of what my Uncle Harry may be like today if he hadn't passed away so long ago. Two of the men had been in the military, and it was interesting to hear them talk about their experiences.

In other news, I tried reading again last night while laying propped up on pillows on my stomach, on my bed. I had the door and the curtain open, so anyone could see right in. I think I started reading, but the next thing I knew Nathan, the car attendant was calling my name. "Michelle? Michelle? You going to bed now girl?" Oops! I got up and moved around, as I wanted to get out at Salt Lake City for a breath of fresh air. We weren't due in to SLC until 11pm, so I had a few minutes. There was more conversation with Mike in the hallway where he informed me that I was Passed out on my bed a little while ago (thanks for the news flash) and that he was going to close my door for me if I was still sleeping after Salt Lake...

Scenic view of Salt Lake City....



I was so sad that last night was my last on the Zephyr. I am loving it! I have not smiled and laughed so much in recent memory. Another thing I realized is that I haven't sworn in something like 4 days, which is a clear indicator of how relaxed I am. Usually, (at least in my brain) my inner sailor has something to say about everything! Did I mention that I LOVE this?? The harsh reality is that I have to fly later on today (unless we are really late....which we are right now...).

Wide Open Spaces

 

On a warm summer's evening, on a train bound for nowhere...or eventually California.

Last night, I returned from exploring the Observation Car to find my bed all made up and ready. It looked cozy and inviting after a night in Coach on the LSL. Determined to utilize some of the "stuff" I brought on board with me I got comfy and started reading. That lasted for about 2 pages before the motion of the train had me fast asleep! I had the most wonderful night's sleep (minus waking up once to the train lurching violently) and woke at 6am Central Time (8AM "our" time). I thrust open the curtains fully expecting to see mountains galore, as we were supposed to be in Colorado, after all. To my disappointment there were hundreds of cattle and more flat, wide open farmlands, with a few rolling hills. After getting ready I headed to breakfast with my neighbors from across the hall. They were traveling with a 19 month old and a 3 week old! Yikes! They laughed when I asked them where the mountains were and told me I had to wait until we left Denver later in the morning. Also seated with us at breakfast was Fred, from Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Fred left behind his wife and 6 grown kids to find himself, and more importantly to find God, in San Fransisco (who knew that's where He lived?). Fred was a nice guy and I genuinely hope he finds what he is looking for in San Fran. After breakfast, I packed my backpack with everything I thought I'd need to spend the day in the Observation Car, as it was the scenic portion of the trip and seats were at a premium. After some reading and fiddling with my camera we arrived in Denver. By the way, I do not recommend trying to use the manual focus feature on a camera while still wearing reading glasses...all the pictures will end up blurry. Oops!

Shortly after we pulled out of Denver a nice man and woman came and sat down next to me. "We're not traveling together," they said. Not that I needed to know. They had just been hanging out together since the Zephyr left Chicago yesterday. Their names were Dennis and Denise...really! Dennis assured me that if they had been a couple, he would have changed his name! He is from New Zealand, and after asking where he was traveling to, he replied, "oh, just taking the long way home from Italy." Yes, yes you are, my friend. It turns out that he started on a family "holiday" in Florence, Italy. From there he went to England, Ireland, and then to Boston, where he joined the Lake Shore Limited crew with me. Denise is a lovely woman in her 50's who is traveling to Fresno to meet up with a friend. She's originally from Maine, but currently living in Maryland. Dennis and Denise both had wonderful senses of humor and we had a plethora of good laughs during the many hours we spent in the observation car. While we were going through the Moffat Tunnel, there was a Conductor in charge of educating the observation car occupants about the tunnel. There was an announcement that everybody needed to find a seat and remain seated throughout the 6 mile tunnel, because we would be climbing to an extremely high altitude and people who are not used to it end up having health problems. "Yep" chimes in the conductor, "and we aren't even allowed to use the defibrillator on people any more. How's an unconscious person supposed to tell you he has a pacemaker. It's not like we shocked them knowing that." Gosh! I hate it when that happens! i informed him that i didn not have a pace maker so please shock away if necessary. 

My travel companions and I exchanged grins. The conductor went on to tell us the California Zephyr is dangerous and people routinely have heart attacks and strokes while we are in the middle of the mountains, and some even die, right here on the train. Yikes! Denise asked how often people "expire" on the train. Which the conductor misunderstood, when he said, "oh about 3 people a week." This tunnel stuff is serious business! Once he figured out that he had misunderstood the question he changed that number to one per month. So I guess 12 people die on this train every year?!?! 

UPDATE: Just after I posted this, two conductors ran to the dining car with a first aid bag and an AED. The deadly Zephyr strikes again. Perhaps they should call her the California Widowmaker.....obviously the person is okay, or I wouldn't be joking. Or would I?

The sights were amazing today! Mountains, rivers, canyons, deer, coyote, horses, alpacas, etc. We did not see any goats. BUT... We even saw a Bald Eagle's nest with two baby eagles perched on it's edge! That was really awesome. There were cows sunning themselves on a TINY island in the middle of the river. And then there was the moon...and by moon I mean rafters mooning the train as it rode on by....lots of rafters and lots of mooning. Really. Apparently it's tradition. Good thing I'm not rafting that river is all I have to say.

I am having such a wonderful time on this trip. It is wonderful to be able to be my normal quiet and contemplative self when I want to , or to be chatty with my new "train friends". On a scale of 1 to Serial Killer, I haven't met anyone that comes at the scary extreme. So that's good...no need for the mace that I didn't bring.

I'm in the observation car sitting with Dennis and Denise again. We just went through Grand Junction, CO. Next stop, Utah!  Okay, Okay we're already in Utah... having connectivity issues in the middle of nowhere, folks. Beautiful scenery, though!

On a more serious note, I keep thinking about what life would be like if I lived in any of these small towns we've passed through all along the way. Life must be so different from the one I know.

On a less serious note, there are some wacked out 20 something year old men on this train. "Dude, my girlfriend back in Minnesota has purple dreads." or "Hey, wanna see my tattoos. I got most of them on the outside..." They're nice enough, but kind of crazy.

More later...
A fellow mountain (and Muppet) lover!

Hotel California (Zephyr)

 

The journey continues! I met a lovely, older, talkative, Amish man waiting to board the Zephyr. He was excited to tell me about his travels to Boise, Idaho for a week before he headed off to the Grand Canyon! It certainly sounded good to me! He talked of his travels with a light in his eyes and a giant smile on his face.  Before we finished our conversation we were herded in different directions for the duration of our trips. The California Zephyr is a much bigger and infinitely nicer train than the Lake Shore Limited (which I have learned is nicknamed the "Late For Sure Limited"). As my Sherpa didn't make it into Chicago on time, I schlepped my bags through the narrow corridors of the very last train car, the 533 Sleeper, and found my room (rather roomette, as Amtrak calls it). There were no mirrors on the ceiling, or pink champagne on ice (nor will there be a bird symphony at 4am or an attack cat). Initially it reminded me of what I think the inside of a mausoleum might look like, with  two very small compartments, one top bunk and one bottom bunk that is created when the seats flatten out. It could probably fit two coffins, but nothing else.

(This is one half of my Roomette...the other half is a mirror image.)

 

My first impression was that it was so very small and isolated. However, it now seems spacious and deliciously silent. I can sit and stare out the window without hearing anything but the sounds of the train on the tracks. If I want to meet and chat with people, I can go to one of the lounges or the observation car. I have a ridiculous amount of "stuff" with me to keep me busy in the form of books, movies, TV shows, crossword puzzles, playing cards, Guitar Hero (on my phone), etc... but I have used surprisingly little of it. I am content to sit and watch the world go by! One thing that has been frustrating is that it is very hard to take a good picture through the dirty train windows, especially when the train is moving. Tonight, while watching horses gallop over rolling hills with an orange sunset in the background, I wanted to scream, "STOP! I want to get out and take pictures!" There are farms (I love farms) with old houses and red barns that beg to be photographed. Is there a reason why barns are often painted red?

At dinner tonight I met a couple from Ohio and a woman from Omaha. The couple is taking the train to Denver and then renting an RV to tour National Parks for three weeks. I wish they'd take me with them!

So far I am having a wonderful and relaxing time on the Zephyr. There are great people and sights, hot food and showers, and the wonderful realization that I don't have to do anything for the next two days!

 The route of the California Zephyr.

Current location: 10 minutes from Omaha

  Tonight we will be passing through Fort Morgan, the home of Glen Miller. 

Here's another...

Bad, Bad, Leroy Brown

     Getting into Chicago was a little stressful this morning. I know that I should be relaxing and just going with the flow, but I really, really needed to make my connecting train in Chicago. I woke up to news about running 3 (then 3.5) hours behind schedule. There was lots of talk on the train about how many people would be missing their connections in Chicago. I figured that I'd probably be able to make it to my next train on time, but the wild card in this situation was that darn bag that I checked back at South Station.

 (Bridge entering Chicago, through rainy windows.)

     Luckily, we arrived at Chicago's Union Station at 12:35pm, so I had about an hour to play with. Union station was CHAOS. Worse than any airport I've ever experienced. I navigated crowds, waited in long bathroom lines and even grabbed a little bottle of happiness...or a Diet Coke. Every which way I turned there were tables packed with celebratory t-shirts and Stanley Cup replicas...frustrating.
     As I got into line to board the Zephyr I was between two guys that were probably in their early to mid 20's. The guy behind me says out loud, in the general direction of the guy in front of me, "Hey, what's your sweatshirt say?"
     Without even skipping a beat I answered for him. "It says, 'one goal', I said a little annoyed (it was a Black Hawks sweatshirt).
     The guy behind me replied, "Heh, actually it was two."
     So...not... cool.

This all lead me to ponder my theories about what lead to the epic disappointment that fateful Monday night. It can be summed up in 5 words...New Kids on the Block. Yep. You see, they angered the hockey Gods. I realized this the other night while I was packing for this trip and watching the Boston Strong concert. NKOTB came on and, as a bunch of men in their mid-forties, proceeded to sing their 20 year old, boy band songs...VERY silly (though I know many of you will be mad at me for saying that). Anyways, they were wearing bedazzled Bruins jerseys throughout this whole thing...which is where angry hockey Gods come in. I am convinced this is what happened, that our fate was sealed then.



Seriously?!?

 

Up next: More Amish friends and the California Zephyr

Stormy Weather

Current location: Somewhere outside of Toledo...

Stormy Weather

     There was lots of stormy weather last night, leading to flooding on the tracks in upstate New York. This made for very slow going, leaving us 3 hours behind schedule. There is a four hour layover to change trains in Chicago, so with a little luck everything should work out just fine. We are lucky though, because we were the last train allowed through the flooded areas heading west from Albany. It is estimated to take 3 days before the tracks re-open. Stopping for freight is another reason we are delayed. Amtrak rents the rails from CSX and then Union Pacific, so passenger trains are last on the list of priorities.

We passed the freight derailment last night...that was a real train wreck!

 Waking up to views of Lake Erie was lovely, despite the lingering clouds.

Here is a little something I found to be amusing...

If I were a better planner I would have set Victor up with text and email so that we could keep in touch while I am away! He would be able to text-bite me so that I wouldn't miss out on being nibbled in my sleep this week. He is such a thoughtful kitty. Clearly I have time to kill (3 extra hours to be exact)!

I got a new seat mate last night outside of Albany. She is 67 years old and traveling from Montreal to South Bend, Indiana to visit her boyfriend.... She's very nice, but very hard to understand. My brain tells me she probably speaks French as a first language, but my ears tell me she really speaks Honey Boo Boo...seriously, I watched it once and she sounds just like the mother who has subtitles to accompany her spoken words. No subtitles here, though! There's also a little map-nesia going on, too. According to her we magically teleported to Detroit from Cleveland...I'd probably be the same way with Canadian geography, or I'd just look at a map! 😃

Oh...and this train doesn't even go to Detroit!

Time is on my side...

 

      Here goes nothing...7am with a car full of luggage, a two year old, a possessed cat, balding (because Liam pulls out his fur) giraffe, 2 (naked) teddy bears, and a Thumper bunny. All were successfully dropped in their vacation locations, and thanks to my best (only) sister I arrived at South Station on time and in style! Of course, it helped that the train left a full hour later than I thought it did.

      I've been accused of being many things in life, but never a light packer, thus, I quickly gave up on toting around my two bags and backpack. I repacked and checked one of my bags. I'll have to either find a Sherpa, or perhaps a small farm animal, in Chicago or schlep 'em around myself...live, learn, and pack light!

 

 

     Finally we boarded the Lake Shore Limited....and it looked and smelled like an airplane. I hate flying. Check back Thursday night to see how that goes. I skillfully procured a window seat for the 22+ hour journey to Chicago and was joined by a very nice man around my age, whose name just so happened to be Liam. He was a very chatty documentary film maker traveling to Albany to create a sort of docu-propaganda film for the teacher's union. After a very nice chat, that included descriptions of his arrest record (mostly "Juvi"), he gave me 20 hours worth of movies off his laptop. I think there is some very interesting stuff there...I'll have to keep you posted. After a short stop in Albany we are back on the rails heading (eventually) for Chicago. There are several interesting characters aboard the train this evening, including an Amish family from Maine with four of the most adorable little boys I have seen, and a charming older couple wearing matching t-shirts on a pilgrimage to Alaska. Today is the first day the LSL is back up and running after an accident over the weekend. Amtrak was bussing people from Albany to Buffalo...yikes! If I've learned anything so far it's to expect the unexpected and if I make all my connections it will be a small miracle.

 

 First leg of the trip.

 

 

My home for the next 14+ hours.