Day #3:  Denver to Chicago

“He who would travel happily must travel light.” -Antoine de St. Exupery

I thought we'd be a little stir crazy by now, but we're really having a great time.  I highly recommend train travel.  We've met quite a variety of interesting people, and seen so many different views of this country.

When we woke up this morning we were in Nebraska.  We had heard some about the flooding (and knew that some train routes were still closed due to the flooding), but riding through it was remarkable that our route was open.  Lots of farmland under water, and rivers reaching far beyond their banks.  Pretty devastating to see up close and personal.  At times it felt as though we were riding the train right across a lake.

You certainly meet all kinds on the train (Boo, the Train Hippies, the Nice Man, the Old Lady who fell down the stairs, the Amish Family, the Bad Luck Boy who got arrested when he stepped off the train right into the drug dog, ...)!  There were families with kids (one tween shared lunch with us yesterday and said she was "Soooooo bored."  When we asked when they had gotten on the train, we learned they had gotten on an hour before)!  Lots of solo travelers, and mostly older couples (Older than us?  I think so, but as I write this I'm not so sure!) . The workers on the train are, for the most part, very friendly and helpful.  We did have one guy (he ran the snack bar) who had quite an inflated sense of his own importance, and a love for hearing his own voice.  I got publicly shamed on the first day of travel because I was walking around in my stocking feet.  I went into the snack bar, and rather than just telling me I needed to put my shoes on, he got me my drink and waited until I was leaving the snack bar when he got on the intercom and gave a long speech regarding the danger of losing toes in the plates between the trains and the unsanitary nature of not wearing shoes.  Okay, buddy, next time just ask me to put my shoes on!  As the 3 days went on, his speeches got longer and with more dire consequences for offenders (not me, thank God!).  For any SL friends, this was very reminiscent of the Sr. Helen, "park between the lines," "This is LIFE, ladies" announcement!

We napped, listened to more of "Rebecca" (with frequent rewinds because it lulled us to sleep), met some new people, and had a pretty uneventful ride into Chicago.  Although the train was about 3 hours late, we still had a couple of hours to kill in Chicago.  We jumped in the cab and the driver said, "Address?"  We said, we've never been here.  Just take us somewhere people like to go."  Good decision! 

We couldn't leave without some deep-dish pizza and trying to get in our 10,000 steps (we got 9840!) before getting back on the train.

We checked into the new train expecting the same accommodations, only to find that this train does NOT have luggage racks.  So, despite the "2 bags and 2 carry-on items each" guidelines on the Amtrak site, we had to fit 4 bags and 3 carry-ons into our tiny compartment.  After stacking, re-stacking, unpacking, and repacking, we got 2 bags in the overhead space and were on the verge of tears with nowhere to sit but the toilet (oh yeah -- surprise -- there's a tiny sink and tiny toilet in our compartment).

How convenient!  The flush button is just an arm's reach away!

Our new compartment attendant, Quami, came by to see us crying and struggling with our (2 months worth of) luggage.  He told us to sit down, breathe, and enjoy the beautiful world around us.  Then he whispered "Come with me," and took my giant bag and stowed it in an empty compartment down the hall.  No worries.  After leaving us, Quami knocked on the door across the hall and a man opened it one inch saying, "What do you want?"  Quami said, "I just wanted to introduce myself.  I'm your attendant and can answer any questions you might have."  Rude passenger #8 said, "We're experienced train travelers and we want to be left alone."  When Quami said, "Fine.  Call me if you need anything," Rude man proceeded to ask him 20 inane questions ("What's on the dinner menu?" No dinner.  It's 9:30 p.m.  "What time is breakfast,"  "What's for lunch,"  "How long are they serving?" "Where are the sheets?"..., and on and on and on).  When Rude guy finally slammed and locked his door, Quami leaned into our compartment and said, "You can't make this stuff up!"

You know it's a crazy shit show when the attendant says to us, "Thank you for being normal."

We're off to explore the train and then "Crawl beneath the kivvers -- and with the bed they gimme, that ain't easy." [Tennessee Ernie Ford on I Love Lucy].  Nightie night.

Day #2:  Nevada to Nebraska  Denver (running behind!)

“Travel makes one modest. You see what a tiny place you occupy in the world.” -Gustav Flaubert

Fell asleep in Nevada, and woke up to amazing Utah.

Well, maybe that's a bit optimistic.  Let's try again.  

First let's talk about the lulling rhythm of the train...that whole "rocking us to sleep" was a little over optimistic!  

Tried to fall asleep in Nevada -- claustrophobic in the upper bunk, so tried to share the lower (slightly larger) bunk  Couldn't fit, so tried head to feet.  After being kicked in the head one too many times, Mimi moved to the upper and we got some sleep.  

In any case, we awoke to the scenery above.  Around every corner is something more beautiful and amazing.  You must travel to realize the amount of wide open space across this country.  We drove through Utah and entered Colorado, following the Colorado River up, up, up into the Rockies.

                       

Outside of Dell, Colorado we saw another bald eagle's nest, with eagle!

                                

As we were looking over the magnificent Boulder River at 9000 feet, there was an announcement from the conductor that he'd just heard from Union Pacific, who owns the tracks, that there is a "slight buckle" in the track on our way down.  He explained that, since the train usually goes downhill at a pretty fast clip that could cause a problem.  They decided they'd have to send someone up to replace that section of track.  No worries!  So we pretty much "parked" at the top of the world for an hour or so, hoping the track-fixers weren't doing a rush job.  As it was, they "walked" us (the train, not our persons) all the way down the hill.  Very slow, but very beautiful, and we arrived in one piece!

We had a couple of gorgeous fresh air stops along the way:

 
Glenwood Springs - a must-stop in the future!

Now a brief recap of the who's who of the day.  After lunch yesterday, we repeatedly ran into our own Boo Radley (see pic from yesterday) -- a very quiet, disheveled man who avoided speaking or making eye contact.  Well this morning we were seated, again, with Boo.  We tried small talk, but to no avail until at one point he said, "You're both teachers, right?"  When we said yes he said very hesitantly and apologetically, "I'm sorry.  I'm not a bad person, but I dropped out of high school."  Wow.  After that we had a nice talk about how difficult school can be for some kids, and how some teachers aren't very helpful, and that doesn't make anyone a bad person.  He eventually told us proudly that he was 29 years clean and sober, and that he'd just finished his 24th year working for Safeway.  Quite a breakthrough and now every time we pass, he gives us a little smile and a wave.  Hey Boo.

The other major event of the day needs a little background.  While I pride myself on my Nancy Drew spirit and preparedness (my excuse for having rope, tape measures, rulers, water bottles, ... in my car at all times), those of you who know Mimi understand that her Boy Scout motto is always a guiding force.  As we were packing for this trip (and then taking out half of what we had packed) I noticed that Mimi had a first aid kit, a giant roll of toilet paper, a head lamp, and a bungee cord among her things (again, no surprise to those who know her -- hoping for the best and planning for the worst at all times!!).  A few minutes into dinner, a passenger ran into the dining car yelling that a woman had fallen down the stairs to the first level.  Mimi sprung into action and saved the day.  Frankly, I don't know if she stopped for the head lamp or toilet paper, but she was quick with the first aid while the train crew was running around calling for a doctor and trying to find a first aid kit that wasn't empty!  The woman was checked out at the next stop and seems okay, and we still have the headlamp if we need it later!

"Here I am to save the day"

So as the sun sets over Denver, we're having a blast.  Tomorrow we're Chicago-bound, and will change trains for the last leg of the trip.    

                                                                                       

All Aboard!

Day #1:  Sacramento to Nevada

“It's not getting from A to B. It's not the beginning or the destination that counts. It's the ride in between...This train is alive with things that should be seen and heard. It's a living, breathing something -- you just have to want to learn its rhythm.” 
                                                                                                                                                   ― David Baldacci, The Christmas Train

So the adventure begins!  Just for a little background --- we decided in the Fall to travel to the East Coast this summer by train.  We made our reservations on New Year's Eve '18 -- Sacramento to Chicago on the California Zephyr, and Chicago to Boston on the Lake Shore Express.  We booked a "roomette," and as we started looking into the sleeper cars we realized it's not exactly going to be the compartment on I Love Lucy.

The more we researched and measured, the more we realized our "compartment" would be roughly the size of 1/2 our king-sized bed.  As I said, this will be an adventure!!  Then, a couple of weeks ago we received a message from Amtrak saying that the Chicago - Boston leg of the trip had some track repair being done, but not to worry, they have arranged "alternate transportation."  Not to worry?  Pretty sure this meant a BUS.  After some calling and wangling, we decided they will be dropping us off in Albany and we'll drive from there to Rye.

We flew to Sacramento on Saturday afternoon, spent the night (after preparing for train food at the Black Bear Cafe), and boarded the train this morning.

Checking out of Sacramento.  Ready for adventure!

Ready to roll!

Sacramento train station.

 

We settled into our little compartment with 2 comfy chairs and a big picture window.  After some pretty junky scenery, we headed out of Sacramento and settled back to some gorgeous landscapes.  We climbed the Sierras and went through the snow-covered Donner Pass, where we saw an eagle's nest with eagle in residence (magnificent), and then back down the mountains, following the Truckee River through miles and miles of open land.  We're mostly just relaxing, looking, and enjoying.  We're also listening to "Rebecca" on Audible -- one of my favorite books and one of our favorite movies.  Really enjoyable.

Mimi gets the upper!

The most interesting part of the trip so far (other than the beautiful scenery) is the opportunity to meet lots of different people.  At lunch we chatted with a really nice young man who is expecting his first baby in a couple of weeks.  He was asking for parenting advice!  We also ate with a very taciturn man, not particularly interested in socializing (see picture below).

"Hey Boo"

In the observation car in the afternoon, I had a long conversation with an arborist from Denver, and learned about the trees outside the train, the trees in Denver, and the influx of the Golden Locusts.  Very passionate guy!

We ate dinner with a couple from Northern California, and he regaled us with stories of his service as a bodyguard to Charles Schwab, George Shultz, and meeting Henry Kissinger, Tony Blair, and Gavin Newsom.  Very interesting!

The sun is setting over the Nevada plains, our steward Jay is making up our beds, and I'll sign off for the night (we're fairly off the grid -- no wi-fi, so I'm using a quick hotspot connection).  Praying the rocking and rolling will put us right to sleep!

New England 2015: Bar Harbor to Portsmouth

Saturday, August 1, 2015

On the road again!  We left Bar Harbor on another beautiful day and headed to Portsmouth.  On the way we engaged in one of my favorite hobbies -- cemetery exploring!  I have explored many cemeteries in New England, and have found many ancestors.  I know this sounds maybe a little creepy to some, but it's very interesting speculating about the lives that were lived before this final resting place, and what happened to these people.  When I see a marker with a 25 year old mother who dies 5 days before her 8 month old son, it makes me sad and grateful.  I'm not sure what disease took these two in 1889, but am pretty sure it wouldn't do the same today.


We were searching for the marker for my great-grandfather, Michael J. Cody who died at age 31 in 1911 (his wife died at age 26 in 1905, sending their daughters to an orphanage).   He is buried in Mt. Hope Cemetery in Lewiston, ME.  Unfortunately, on a Saturday we had no reference and no one to direct us, so we set off looking through thousands of headstones in search of MJC.  We got in a lot of steps, and saw some interesting gravestones, but, alas, we did not find MJC.  We did find a few other Codys, and now I'll do some investigation to see if they're related.


When we got into Portsmouth, I did some more research and found a map to the cemetery.  I guess I could have done this ahead of time and saved us a few steps!  Oh well.  Maybe next time!

 Then we headed on to Portsmouth!  We checked into the Hotel Portsmouth, a new boutique hotel, very cool and apparently haunted!  (Note to self: request Room 212 again -- perfection), and then immediately walked to the River House for an early dinner.  Mimi had the seafood chowder and a lob-dog (not a day without lobster so far!), and the view from the deck was spectacular.  After a walk through town we headed out to Aunt Betty's.

Stopping by Aunt Betty's has been a first-day-in-Portsmouth tradition for as long as I've been coming here as an adult.  Let me digress with a little info about Aunt Betty.  Because my parents were both only children, I don't really have a lot of blood relatives (maybe an insight into my fascination with genealogy).  We have been blessed with many "fake" aunts, uncles, and cousins -- many of whom have known my parents since childhood -- by few related by blood (more about them later).  My Uncle Bill was my Dad's first cousin with whom he was raised, often in the same house.  Their mothers were sisters (the little girls who were orphaned in early childhood -- see the Codys above), and had very difficult early lives, but spent most of those lives together.  So my Dad and his cousins often lived together and grew up together.  We visited Uncle Bill and Aunt Betty throughout my childhood, but until my adulthood I never had an appreciation for Aunt Betty.  She was deaf since childhood, but no one really acknowledged this in those days, so she said that people just assumed she was stupid.  In her adult life, many people talked around her, and left her out of conversations.  But I'm so grateful to have come to know and appreciate her.  Aunt Betty was true New England stock.  My Uncle Bill died in 1997 and my sister Liz and I flew back for the wake and funeral.  Our flight was late and we drove straight to the wake, which had been in full swing for a couple of hours.  We were frazzled and sad and nervous, but were immediately settled when we walked in to find Aunt Betty greeting everyone in her bare feet!  Well into her 80's, she was shoveling show off her roof and mowing lawns for the "old folks."  She took up painting late in life and created beautiful scenes of New England life, and gave most of her paintings away.  When you arrived at her house (usually unannounced), you could count on freshly baked cookies or pie, and a bucket of toys for the kids to play with.  We once arrived at her house to find her standing, barefoot, on the back of the couch cleaning the windows (she was in her mid-80's).  Another time, after another "aunt" had told us, "Betty's not getting around very well," we walked into her house with trepidation, only to find she was cleaning behind the refrigerator, which she had dragged out herself!  Aunt Betty was a walker.  She walked around town helping everyone.  In her late 80's, she fell a few times but that did not stop her.  She started walking with knee and elbow pads!  When she was nearly 90, Aunt Betty lost her leg to peripheral atherosclerosis.  She kept plugging along, scooting on her butt up and down her stairs, still cooking and helping others.  She was interviewed for the local papers and said, "I don't have much to crab about. No one wants to talk to crabby people."  We visited with her in July 2012 and took her to Ray's for dinner (she always thought that was too extravagant, and that she'd be fine with McDonald's).

Aunt Betty died 3 months later, but left a legacy of giving and living and loving without complaint.  I will miss her forever, and will try to do what her grandson suggested at her funeral: The best way to honor Betty's life is to try to live like Betty lived  --  working hard without complaint, giving to others, and appreciating every moment.

We walked to Aunt Betty and Uncle Bill's house.  Their daughter and son-in-law, Patty and Bob, have remodeled the house since Aunt Betty's passing.  I was so worried that that house I'd known my whole life would not feel the same.  Although it'll never be the same without Betty and Bill, I was so happy to see that the remodel was beautiful and retained the integrity of the old house.  Patty and Bob welcomed us (again, unannounced!), and we had a lovely tour and visit.  The house still has the same unbelievably steep staircase and Aunt Betty's paintings all around.  The new addition is beautiful, and I'd like to think Betty would approve (although Patty showed us the chair she bought when Aunt Betty came home from her amputation surgery.  Patty said Betty's favorite chair had become tipsy and sunken-in, and so she bought her the new, more comfortable rocker, slider.  Betty refused to sit in it!).  

So today was a mix of the old and the new, and although nostalgic and a little sad, it was another wonderful day.  I am reminded of the blessing of family, and of those adopted family members, related by shared experiences and love.

New England 2015: Bar Harbor & Acadia National Park

Friday, July 31, 2015

We got up early this morning and sat out on the balcony watching the lobstermen pull their lobster pots.  It reminded me of many summer mornings on the screened in porch on Gerrish Island with Mom & Dad, watching the same.

After a nice breakfast at the hotel, we headed out to Acadia National Park.  This might be one of the most beautiful places on earth.  Although there was a lot of car traffic on the roads, every turn brought another spectacular sight.

We hiked around Jordan Pond - about 3 1/2 miles.  The weather was warm but not too humid, and the sights were amazing.

After our hike, we stopped for lunch at Jordan Pond House.  The history of this place is fascinating.  The Pond House opened in 1847, and was famous for its tea, lemonade, and popovers.  We had lunch on the hill overlooking the lake.  Our lunch included lemonade (fresh squeezed and unsweetened, accompanied by a little pitcher with sweetened water) and popovers.  Okay, I didn't know what a popover was until today, but this big puff of hollowed out deliciousness with butter was fantastic!

Then we went to the top of Cadillac Mountain with 360 degree sweeping views of the harbor, the islands, and the Atlantic.  

 This site is very close to the Easternmost point in the Continental U.S., and for several months each year is the first place in the U.S. to see the sunrise!  In fact, on New Year's Day, this is the place to see the first sunlight of the year -- although I'm fairly sure it's way too cold for many to venture up here!

Beautiful day.  Perfect weather.  Spectacular.

We went back to the hotel (and the fresh cookies) and decided to forego dinner in favor of snacks on the balcony enjoying our last night here.  We've traveled to so many places, and said, "When we come back we will...." There isn't enough time in 10 lifetimes to return to every place we'd like, but we WILL return here.  Next time we'll bring our bikes.  The park has miles of carriage roads (financed, directed, and preserved by John D Rockefeller Jr.) for the use of hikers, bikers, and horses.  The roads' surface is crushed rock, and they are car-free and run all through parts of the park not accessible by car.  I am determined to ride to Aunt Betty's Lake!

Fantastic experience.

New England 2015: Portland to Bar Harbor

Thursday, July 30, 2015

As we researched the best route from Portland to Bar Harbor, we got this advice:  If you take the Interstate, it will take about 3 hours, if you take the coastal route, it will take about 5 days!  Of course, we decided to take the coast roads.

First, we had to go to Freeport Maine to pay a token visit to the flagship LL Bean store.  I guess it's an experience, but we mostly did it in honor of Lisa Maggiore, for whom it was a pilgrimage 4 years ago!  Pretty impressive compound!

As Ed Sullivan said, "That's a really big shoe!"

Then we spent about 5 hours driving up the coast.  Despite the fact the the road was right on the coast on the map, it was usually behind giant homes.  So, the long, scenic route was just slightly more scenic than the shorter route!  In any case, we arrived in Bar Harbor at the BayView Hotel.  Beautiful bay-front room.

We took the shuttle into town and I swear our driver was hired right out of central casting to make the tourists feel they were really in Maine.  He answered every question with "Ayuh" or "Yessuh."  We tried to ask him questions about the island, but he was a little taciturn, to say the least.  When we commented on the traffic and asked if it was busier on the weekends.  He said, "Nah.  It's just the same every day of summer.  Course, I don't work weekends so I wouldn't really know."  After a stroll around town, we ate on the ocean front & walked back to the hotel.  This fabulous place puts out a selection of fresh cookies every day for the guests!  I want to stay forever.  

New England 2015: LA to Boston to Portland

Wednesday, July 29, 2015

I'd been waiting for almost 2 weeks for word about a new job.  I was assured I'd hear by last Thursday...Friday...no later than Monday...definitely by Tuesday.  Early today, Alexis drove us to the airport and we were off to Boston (I had turned down another job offer waiting for this one).  After a pretty painless flight, we landed at BOS.  When I turned on my phone, I had 5 messages from UCR (of course) asking me to 1) come in at 10:40 (a.m.) to sign a contract; 2) come in at 1:30 to sign a contract; 3) Please call ASAP; 4) come in at 4:00; 5) Please call ASAP!!  Anyway, I got the job (but will have to miss the first meetings, orientation, ...).

We grabbed the car and drove 2 hours to Portland, ME.  For those of you who've never traveled on the Turnpikes and Interstates of New England, once you get out of Boston, the drive is beautiful.  Both sides of the highway, nearly the entire way, are lined with beautiful forests, lots of white birch, and plenty of signs like this:

We got in late but starving, so went to a fantastic dinner in Portland, and then off to bed!  A longer drive to Bar Harbor tomorrow.