when the whistle blows.

Day 1 Thursday. Train Station. Oregon. 4:15 pm.

The train's late.
What does that mean, late? Like ten minutes? An hour?
We don't know. We'll update you as soon as we hear anything.
Ok. - she turns to her husband - I guess we get to go across the street and get a drink.

Freakin good thing I left work early.

This would become a pattern for our entire trip down to california.
The train's late. What does that mean? We don't know. I guess, ok?!?

Skip ahead to: Day 2 Friday. Train Station. California. 8:45 pm.

We're 7 hours late. SEVEN. We were "en-route" for 25 hours. Wait. Let me say it again. TWENTY-FIVE HOURS.
And the trip was nothing but one rude amtrak employee after another. No one provided information. Or help. Or anything frankly.

We missed the one opportunity we had to hang out with all the adults in our family without the kids around. They sat in a sophisticated sushi restaurant, drank expensive saki, laughed, and enjoyed adult conversation as we sat on the train, sometimes with no explanation, in the middle of nowhere, not moving, just sitting still, for 20 minutes.

Every stop we made at a station, they would come on the intercom and announce that we would only be stopping for 5 minutes...forty minutes later we'd pull out of the station at a speed never to exceed thirty miles per hour except for the rare occasion where we'd finally be faster than the cars on the side road next to us...which would last for too short of a time. Frustration. Anxiety. Anger. Not what we'd planned...but oh well. We arrived.

So. We're here. Safe. And on our way to the reservoir. On to the family photos from our bbq at Peter and Mary's house yesterday.

as promised.

When riding on a train, and looking out a window at a new and beautiful land, there are many things a girl will see that she would like to share. So, here are a group of photographs I took while traveling by train down the state of California and as promised in a previous post - oodles of pictures.

A California prairie




i like industrial things...not what
they do to the earth, just the way they look.













Everything looks better in the morning light





Tracks. Going one direction, all around the country.






The only US Navy Fleet docked
in fresh water in US territory...or something like that.




A California train station.



Me, on a train, going through a tunnel.

the day I rode the train.

I made lists. Lists for what to pack, what to buy before I could pack, what to do for work, what to do when I arrived, what to do for 22 hours before I arrived and after I wasn't home. And I wouldn't believe it if I didn't see all the check marks myself, but I actually did everything. I didn't forget anything, I didn't overlook anything, I didn't miss anyone. I actually succeeded in making, buying, packing, visiting - or have plans to visit - everything. Who knew I was so responsible, so organized?

It all began when a good friend brought me to the train station in Eugene. Andy was working in Salem, so he and I had said goodbye earlier when he came by my work at lunch, and we vowed to call each other often and stay alive until we were scheduled to see each other again on Monday night.

My ticket in hand, bag checked, hug given and received and my friend gone - the adventure began. If you've ever been alone anywhere where you have to scope out who's going to be with you on your trip, an airplane, a bus terminal, a train station, then you know what I was doing. I was reading a book, looking over the pages and looking for a friendly face. I then was trying to look friendly myself. I sat cross legged, leaning on the armrest, smiling up if someone walked by. I thought this was the best, unassuming, friendly thing to do.

A young girl, in her twenties (yes that's young!) sat next to me, shuffled her bags to her left and then to her right. Checked her watch, then leaned over toward me, "is the train supposed to be here at 5:10 or leave at 5:10, do you know?"
"I thought it was supposed to leave at 5:10, but now I'm just hoping it'll be here by 5:10."

And that was that. Contact. A bit of security, a somewhat familiar face on the train. They announced the train's arrival to the station, I picked up my bag and made my way through the dark and rainy night to the bright door of the train.

And so it begins.


a view from my window

a little bit of life in a dark land

my first glimpse of snow this season

the first early morning stop

a bit out of the ordinary.

I'm arriving in San Luis Obispo, CA on the train this friday afternoon.
I can't wait.

I have grand ideas of what a solo train ride from Oregon to California will be like, and come Saturday, I'm sure I'll be blogging about my true experience. But for now, I'm going to imagine the amazingly productive solidarity, the peaceful and serene landscape, and the uninterrupted novel reading...all while on a delightful 22 hour train ride.

Am I crazy for thinking this is a good idea? Has anyone else been on a long train ride and would like to share your experience? Or wait, maybe I don't want you to share...I can't decide. Did I mention that I haven't done anything on my own like this since I flew to Australia? Okay, so that was a big deal...but that's not a regular thing. I don't even go to movies by myself, or take trips places by myself. Oh geez. I'm insane aren't I?


In other news, I decided to decorate the house...with white lights, greenery and snowmen...I know, I know, I'm leaving for 10 days in December, but I couldn't leave the house cold and undecorated. Plus, when I get home and Christmas is a week away, I'm going to be so happy to smell the evergreen and sit under the flickering lights.