WhistleStop - Around the Continent in 30 Days

Hero Sandwiches sold here

2006-02-12T20:16:00.000-06:00

This one is for my buddy Mark who has a superhero 'fetish'. This guy was outside a deli at the train station in Montreal.

I figure they must make a hell of a Hero sandwich...he has an excellent bread basket and maybe some extra sausage!

Entrance to Trains

2006-02-12T20:10:00.000-06:00

One of the neatest things about travelling by train are the stations. These grand old buildings are a marvel of old style design, with their super high ceilings and art deco decour.

Once a crowded central gathering spot, many have been subdivided so much to make room for other offices and businesses, and train passengers are relegated to basement waiting rooms with less ambiance than a bus station.

Wait A While, Ont

2006-02-12T20:04:00.000-06:00

You can still flag a train down in Canada; especially in the middle of nowhere. This is one of the more permanent 'shelters' where you can wait-a-while for the train that only comes past once every 2 days or so. These people were nearly missed, and we had to back up the train for about a mile. I wonder how long they were waiting?

I know on the Hudson Bay run they actually have ramps so you can load your snowmobile onto the baggage car.

Pier 21 - and Home

2006-02-09T19:01:00.000-06:00

Pier 21 has historic signifigance...it's like the Ellesmere Island of Canada as it was an immigration processing centre. Before it was recognized for it's historic significance, it was, among other things, a warehouse for exporting 50lb bags of flour to the Soviet Union, and I spent 35 weeks there studying civilian seaman stuff when it housed the Nova Scotia Nautical Institute. When not in class we would explore the many nooks and crannies such old buildings always seem to have and came across some of the decades old immigration forms. Just to the right of this photo is the ramp where soldiers were loaded onto troop ships such as the Queen Mary and transported to foriegn lands during the World Wars. Today it's an interpretative center where one can trace their roots much like Ellesmere Island/Statue of Liberty, and I believe it's still used as an artists community of studios, as well as a community centre.

Anyways, this photo was made about 500' from where I detrained in Halifax. My brother surprised me by meeting me there with a 6-pack of Keith's. Lent me $20 for a cab, and it's a good thing he did....because when I got home there was only $8 in my account. A few deposits still haven't gone through yet. But one of them has been taken care of a few short hours later thanks to Shelley.

More about my final leg of the trip later. Just wanted to let you all know I'm home.

The Gift

2006-02-07T23:35:00.000-06:00

The Gift.   When I was 10 years old, and my brother was 8, our parents gave us a most wonderful gift.    That gift was my little sister.   She was a gift in more ways than one.   For not only did she bring us unimaginable joy, we learned parenting skills that I’m sure I’ve used later in life.

We were plunged into a world of brotherly responsibility.   And we accepted that responsibility gladly.   You mix the good with the bad, forget the bad and remember only the good.   Toss the dirty diapers in the pail and just remember the giggling smile, and the made up languages, and the repetitive jokes about bunnies that didn’t make sense.

We took care of her like she was….well, like she was our little sister.   When she was 8 yrs old I started going to sea for extended periods with the navy.    My mom would tell me my little sister always asked where I was, and when would I be back.    I guess she missed me as much as I missed her.

There’s always been 10 yrs between us, and it’s only recently I’ve stopped introducing her as ‘my little sister’.    These past few days she’s had the chance to take care of her big brother.   She went out of her way to meet me at the train station at night; guided me through the unfamiliar commuter system with all my luggage, and provided shelter when I needed it most.    She even made sure I had snacks for the next leg of the trip.

When I think about it, I start crying.   In fact, I’m crying as I write this.   She’s gone to sleep, and I got out of bed while these thoughts were still fresh in my mind.    I can’t thank her enough.    And although she’s all grown up, and I don’t say the term when introducing her anymore, she’ll always be my little sister.   Way to go, Stacy!

Cold as Ice

2006-02-07T12:39:00.000-06:00

This is a photo I made on the way to Toronto, somewhere in northern Ontario. The trip between Winnipeg-Souix Lookout-Toronto is really quite picturesque. Branches ladened with inches, and sometimes up to a foot of snow, and narrow cuts in the rock, are interupted by thousands of frozen and snow covered lakes. It was a winter wonderland going through there and probably better than the summer view.

Right now I'm relaxing at my sister's apt in Oakville, Ontario...just outside of Toronto. She met me at Union Station in downtown Toronto last evening and we took the GO train to Oakville. I must admit I'm getting a little train weary. I might just hop on and go to Halifax. Another reason for this is because I have some clients who have still not sent me payment for invoices I put out over 30 days ago....or have told me the checks in the mail. Receiving just one of those would make all the difference in the world to where I went from here.

It's nice just to relax and get the laundry done. I'm starved so I'm going to walk out for a bite to eat, and maybe the pub has Keith's on tap or bottle.

VIA vs Amtrak

2006-02-07T09:12:00.000-06:00

Sudbury, Ontario

Coming up on Sudbury, Ontario….running about 30 mins behind.   Sudbury is the Nickel capital of the world.   In fact, they have a giant nickel somewhere in the middle of town.   But if you ain’t a miner I don’t see why anyone would want to live there.   Cold Winters!   Although, I guess it’s in the heart of ‘cottage country’….maybe a bit north.

Via vs. Amtrak

Someone asked me to compare Via vs. Amtrak.    First, I’d like to say that I’m Canadian, so my opinions may be a bit biased.    But really, VIA wins hands down on many levels.   The only level I see Amtrak competing on is the Dining Car.

The service and menu in the dining car is exceptional other than the fact they insist on seating people together, even when not busy.    This, of course, allows you to meet with fellow passengers, but when you just want to be anti-social it’s a thorn in my side.   VIA does similar seating, but I don’t see it enforced as much.

In other areas for comparison, I can only comment on Coach/Comfort class….not sleeper accommodations.    On Amtrak, you might see the car attendant when he collects your ticket.   After that they only time you see them is if there is a stop to let passengers on or off.   After that they all disappear to some employee only compartment or something.

Via Rail Car Attendants on the other hand are…well, first of all they are Canadian.   There is a genuine friendliness about them.   In fact, sometimes they are almost too polite.   But that may be when I’m just too tired to deal with bubbly people.

The pillows they hand out are at least 2x bigger than the Amtrak ones.   And they also hand out these green ‘car blanket’ throws to help with that early morning chill.    The only trip so far that they haven’t done this was on the run up to Churchill.   Strange, because you’d think that’s where they’d need the blankets most.   Regardless, the crew on the Hudson Bay was wonderful and they did a great job with the equipment provided.   It’s a heavily subsidized run, and politically, the only reason it’s probably still running is because it’s considered an ‘essential service’ to Churchill since there are no roads that go there.    A lot of the native people use it as a lifeline for groceries and other essential supplies.

The stainless steel cars of VIA Rail are 1950’s vintage I believe.  But, well maintained and updated, and the crew seems to take pride in keeping them clean.   There is a trash baggie at every seat, and the crew changes them out on a regular basis during the trip.

I don’t know what the wages are between Amtrak and VIA crews, but the VIA crews seem to have more job satisfaction, and it shows right away.

As mentioned above, the menus and quality of the food and service seem equal.   So far the only menu I haven’t liked is the one from Winnipeg-Toronto on the ‘Canadian’.   I ended up having the antipasto, which was excellent, because I don’t eat fish so the Salmon Burger didn’t appeal to me, and the few other choices weren’t that great either….Chicken Pot Pie, and Monte Cristo sandwich.   Something about egg-dipped bread just doesn’t do it for me.    The deserts were great though.   A rainbow sherbert and fruit salad.  Compliments of my dinner mates who shared.

The VIA trains have been ‘on time’ for the most part.   In fact, mostly running ahead of schedule.  This allows extra stopping time to get out for some fresh air and photo ops.   We don’t even need to mention Amtrak’s record with scheduling.   I’m not sure why they even bother to print a schedule.    Although VIA also has to wait for freight to pass on occasion, I’ve seen where freight has sat on the siding and let US go past.    It’s more like VIA is fit into regular traffic, instead of dealt with as a dirty stepchild wanting to share track with the big boys.    Regardless, I’m sure if the right people had their way there’d be no passenger rail service in either country.   VIA is heavily subsidized by tax dollars as it is already.

Overall, VIA is the more enjoyable ride.   The dome car, although not GREAT for photographs, offers a wonderful 360 degree view.   A front or rear view is nearly impossible to attain on Amtrak.

Listening to American Woman

2006-02-06T18:27:00.000-06:00

Listening to American Woman again, by The Guess Who.   Almost as soon as we got underway from Winnipeg I got to talking to a couple of the Via car attendants.   They were talking about China politics and stuff and I let him know about the ‘Firefly’ theme of the two future superpowers were China and the US, so everyone spoke Chinese and American.    This attendant was surprisingly fluent in Cantonese.

Anyways, we got to talking and he mentioned he had flown into Austin, TX one time and had seen Burton Cummings (with Joe Cocker opening) at a venue just outside Austin.   What a coincidence because the theme of my trip of course is ‘American Woman’.   So I tell him that I have the live extended version from the Running Back thru Canada album.   He corrects me and says, ‘No, you have the one with what’s called the ‘jazz intro’ first played in some concert venue in Seattle, Wa.

He goes on to quote some of the lyrics from the version and says it contains a lot of hidden messages.

‘What are you going to do baby now that the roast beef’s gone’   is actually referring to Randy Bachman leaving the band.   ‘Get down on Arizona way, Cherokee is on the phone’ refers to the person with whom they are replacing Randy.

He gave me a lot more detail than that but I just couldn’t absorb it all.   So now I’m listening to the whole thing again for the hidden meanings.

Then I meet this semi-famous criminal turned author turned preacher.   Happy Ness (yes, that’s his name) spent the first 43 years in and out of jail.   Now age 71, he travels all over preaching the ‘word’.    I’m not sure how old he was when he wrote the book ‘Finding Happy Ness’ but I’ve seen and heard of it before.   I should pick it up some day just to see what he has to say.

I’m currently reading ‘Snake Eater’ by Don Bendell.   I have two of Don’s paperbacks autographed.   He was TJ’s Tae Kwon Do instructor for over a year.   When I found out he was an author I tracked down a couple of his out of print books on Amazon and had them autograph them before we left Pueblo, Colorado.    He also wrote, directed, and starred in his own movie, ‘The Instructor’.    His books are mainly Westerns, but the two I have he writes about his true experiences in Vietnam.    Among other things, he’s also the president of the Special Forces Association in Colorado.   If you ever want to find out if someone claiming they did ‘Snake Eater’ time in the US Military is telling the truth, he’ll find out for ya.    They really look down on false claims of membership in this elite group.

Native Smiles

2006-02-05T10:16:00.000-06:00

This is one of my fav photos from the trip. These girls were so innocent and giggly and totally unafraid of strangers. They were well-behaved and just a joy to have around. They really broke up the monotony of the trip.

They all wanted a photo with their 'baby'. I just love their smiles. I must be going soft in my old age. Kids!

Southbound Hudson Bay

2006-02-05T10:04:00.000-06:00

This is the Southbound Hudson Bay shown stopped at Thomspon, MB. Let's just say the air was still a little 'fresh' when I took this shot. Thompson is about halfway to The Pas, which is about halfway to Winnipeg from Churchill.

Talked to my Sis today and because the way my schedule and finances are going I'm going to stay at her place for a couple of days. She lives, and goes to school, in Oakville, Ont. So, when my train arrives in Toronto she'll catch the GO train down to Union Station and meet me there. I'll hop the go train back with her. It'll give me a few more days to unwind and do some laundry, etc.

Got about 2 hours before catching the Eastbound 'Canadian' to Toronto from Winnipeg. Currently listening to: Can't you See (what that women is doing to me) , from Matt Minglewood's Live at Last album. .....gonna catch a freight train....

Ironman Curling

2006-02-04T22:47:00.000-06:00

Once again I'm in Winterpeg. This time for overnight since the Hudson Bay got in a couple of hours late, 10:50am, and the eastbound Canadian doesn't leave until 1225pm tomorrow.

I opted to stay at the Hampton Inn. Yes, again it's a bit out of my budget, but it's one of those things where I can save money up front. It's a stone's throw from the train station. So close, in fact, that I actually rolled ALL my luggage down the street and saved the $5 cab ride. It's also within walking distance of places like the photo where they are having their winter festival and people are actually curling OUTSIDE! Oh the humanity!

When I first walked through the doors the front desk clerk quoted me a rate of $115 a night. After I showed my AAA card and said I was planning to check out early the next morning she quoted $89 for the night. Again, the AAA membership more than paid for itself.

So, $90 Canadian for the night....converts to about $80 USD. Free Internet....another $7-8 savings. Continental breakfast included.....subtract another $8-10 I would have had to spend somewhere else. Add all those up and the room ends up really costing me about $50...swimming pool and spa included. A $50 hotel room would have been further out of town, add in taxi, breakfast, taxi back, no sightseeing, no internet.....it would have ended up costing me more. Lol...well maybe my economics don't add up, but it gives me some way to justify spending almost $100 a night just to put my head down. And after 4 days splayed across two train seats I deserve at least one comfortable night in there.

Photo Update - Return from Churchill

2006-02-04T15:23:00.000-06:00

Photo Update:

Churchill Up and Back: http://www.dailyhotshot.com/churchill/

And I see the Winnipeg link isn’t on the last post: http://www.dailyhotshot.com/winnipeg/

Remember, I’ll put all the photo links down the right hand side of my blog.

Also, here’s the link to Tim Harvey’s live blog about his rail adventures:
http://manypims.blogspot.com/

For those of you who have been asking…and to help finance the trip, any and all photos can be purchased here: http://www.printroom.com/ghome.asp?domain_name=seanstevens&group_id=14

Or simply: http://www.printroom.com/pro/seanstevens/ and look for the Rail Trip link.

Outdoor Curling Rink - Winnipeg

2006-02-04T12:13:00.000-06:00

This is a shot of the outdoor curling rink for the Ironman Bonspiel. It's going on today so I'll have to try to get over there for some action photos.

New photos posted of Winnipeg can be found here: http://www.dailyhotshot.com/winnipeg/

Return from Churchill

2006-02-04T10:15:00.000-06:00

Return from Churchill

Dinner was great!   I had the evening special of a 6oz New York Steak Neptune.  It was smothered in shrimp, and what I believe was REAL crab meat, mixed in a Hollandaise sauce.  All washed down with a glass of white wine.

My traveling Kiwi friend, Mary, had similar --- hold the swimmers.   We had an interesting conversation about where we came from, how we got here, and where we were going.   She’s also in the IT biz so we shared some discussion about computers, and spy ware on machines open to the public while we were traveling.

On the way out of the restaurant I noticed another gentleman who had been traveling up with us.   He indicated that he was headed back tonight also.   Not sure how much I’d see of him since he was traveling sleeper class.    However, there is no Park Car, or even a Dome Car on this trainset, so the dining car is the only common lounge area.

The trip back was mostly quiet starting out with only a few people in coach, and probably just that one gentleman in sleeper.   Just the way I like it when the trip starts late in the evening….nice and quiet so I can settle down and get some work done.    The next day however we picked up a bunch of locals headed to Thompson for a day of shopping.

Most got on at the same stop.   But it seemed others joined up with their families at subsequent stops.    I don’t know if they are true Inuit, or just northern Canadian natives.   Regardless, 99% of the people who got on where of First Nations heritage.    From toddlers to grandmothers, the whole family was there.

A few of the younger girls became fascinated with my camera.   I had been shooting the sunrise and they hung around my seats watching until I started making photos of them.   They all excited and asked me to shoot each of them holding ‘the baby’ --- a doll which each of them seemed to love equally.

After a hurried shooting session with my new would-be models I uploaded the photos onto the laptop…did a bit of quick editing and proceeded to show them a slideshow of photos of themselves.    In a fit of giggles they all crammed around the laptop (and all over me) for a good view.    I suspect these girls had never seen a digital camera before, and maybe not even a laptop.   They were fascinated by the whole setup.

It wasn’t too long before they had to get off in Thompson, and one little girl came up to me and said in her little girl voice, ‘We’ll miss you’.     I showed her mother the photos before they detrained.    I was a bit overwhelmed at the innocence these girls had, and I wanted to make sure their parents didn’t think I was some kind of perv.     I think it was another example of being influenced by American paranoia of such things.   I needn’t have worried about.   Or maybe, society SHOULDN’T have to worry about it….but we do.    Is ignorance really bliss?

Whilst stopped in Thompson for about an hour I detrained to get some fresh air.   It was then that I got to talking to the gentleman in sleeper class.   Turns out he is an associate member of the Private Railcar Owners Assoc.    He’s one of those train junkies who just loves traveling by train just for the sake of traveling by train.   In fact, he was taking this trip for similar reasons as me….to unwind from daily stresses and clear his head.

He has plans for starting a Private Railcar touring business covering tracks that have not seen passenger traffic for years and years.   You’ll soon find his website at http://www.raremileage.net  if things fall into place shortly.  You may even see a few of my photos from this trip there.

We had lunch and dinner together and discussed many things concerning rail travel around the world.   He also happens to be in the IT biz, and we even found out we had worked on the same piece of accounting software way back when!

After Thompson the train was mostly empty.   For hours on end I had my own private Coach.  And I knew the only other passenger was my friend back in Sleeper.   It’s a weird feeling having a whole trainset to yourself.  At least four crew to transport two people.   Later on we picked up a passenger here and there, but the total never got above five passengers.

I also re-watched the movie ‘Serenity’ late last night.   It was totally different watching it AFTER I had watched the TV series on DVD.   I recommend not watching the movie until you’ve seen the series…..it just all makes sense.

The whole Churchill leg gave me a lot of time to reflect.   There’s nothing but snow and trees for hours and hours.   And although it was the most boring leg, it was also the most productive for me…at least on a mental level.     Sometimes you just need that extra peace and quiet for an extended period to sort things out in your head.

When I first entered Canada I felt weird.   I couldn’t associate with the people.   I chalked that up to them being ‘west coast’, but really, I’ve had never seen THAT much of a difference between East and West coast Canadians before.    I was reminded of something my friends Greg and Shane had said when I was home for vacation last year:  that I had become too Americanized.

Maybe they were right.  Maybe that is why I couldn’t relate to the shocking friendliness.  I was waiting for the ‘hook’.   As an American friend was told me, ‘Americans are obligatorily friendly….like they always want something in return.   Canadians are genuine.’    Maybe I was waiting to see what they wanted from me in return, and I felt weird when the answer was ‘nothing’.   They wanted nothing in return other than for me to be happy.    Strange thought in the service industry, eh?

My first encounter with this was not long after I had reached Vancouver.   I noticed I had lost my cellphone and realized it was probably still on the Amtrak train since I had been fooling with it and probably mishooked the clip while putting it back in my pocket.   I had mentioned this to the Via Rail baggage lady and she told me she would check with the Amtrak crew when they came back.   Not only did she check, she walked over to the train, and brought my phone back to where I was sitting.   That was 3 hours after I had talked to her!   Now that’s service!   THAT is what being Canadian is all about!   It’s about doing something and expecting nothing in return.   I don’t need to file it in the ‘you owe me a favour somewhere down the road’ folder.   It’s just a given.

Anyways, like I said, a lot of time to reflect.   A lot of photos that will be posted when I get some high-speed connections.   Just got my first connection in days.  And actually being incommunicado for 4 days has been a big help to my mental state.    I just got one post off and will try to get this one off…..then maybe a photo or two.   I should be getting into Winnipeg at about 10:30am this morning….two hours behind schedule.

Self Portrait

2006-02-04T09:06:00.000-06:00

This is a self-portrait I took in the dining car of the Hudson Bay, using the one-way reflective qualities of the partitions.

Thanks for all the comments you guys are reading. They keep me going. Didn't see any polar bears, or even northern lights. But the trip was a success in other ways.

Ground Hog Day Churchill, MB

2006-02-04T09:03:00.000-06:00

Ground Hog Day – Churchill, MB

So, I’m sitting in the World Famous Gypsy’s Bakery.   I can see the Via trainset from here.  It’s a little after 4pm and the sun is quickly disappearing from an already frigid sky.   I’d estimate the temperature to be -20C today.   The wind-chill probably bringing it down close to -40C/-40F.

The train itself was late getting away from Winnipeg by about 45 minutes.   I’m not sure why because it starts from there.  It’s not like it should have been late getting into the station.   But it was.   By the time we reached Churchill it was about 2.5 hours late.   Not sure why that was either because we weren’t held up by freight or anything.   It must have been the slowdowns for snow or something.

So, I arrived in Churchill around 11am Thursday morning.   My first thing was to find a free shower!   Even though I had been sponge bathing on the train, it had been a few days since a true shower.   The problem, I didn’t want to pay for a hotel room for my now-less-than-12-hour layover.     On the train I had talked to a guy on his way home with his kids.   He works as a nurse at the local hospital.   He put me onto the ‘complex’.   The complex has everything under one roof he tells me.   The hospital, the school, the library, a canteen, swimming pool, skating rink, curling rink, gym, etc.

Wow, sounds modern!   It was designed for a community of 10,000.   I believe Churchill’s winter population is close to 1000.    Anyways, I walked two  blocks to the complex.   Walking into the wind, I was tempted to stop at the local branch of the Canadian Legion, but pressed onward.   I entered the building in hopes of finding the swimming pool, knowing they’d have showers.

Well, the thing about this building is that nothing is labeled.   The library I recognized from looking through the windows and seeing books.   Everything else was plain doors.   No windows.   No signs pointing you to the pool, or gym, or curling rink.   Nothing.   I wondered around and finally found the men’s pool changing room.    No one stopped me.  So, I waited 10 mins for the water to warm up and took a private shower in the communal shower room.   What a weird feeling.   Knowing the school was located in the same complex I was kind of weary that a class of giggling schoolboys would come through for their morning swim.   But nada!

I recognized the canteen from the wonderful smell of something cooking on the grill.   But still no sign.   The library didn’t open for internet access until 1pm, so I opted for a chicken burger and a sit-down.    The library wanted a donation for the 30 min access.  I had no problem with that part….it was the Win98 computer that gave me chills.

I checked my email and a few other things and got out of there.   I was really wanting some chat programs so I could check in with people but settled reading some comments about the blog.   Thanks everyone for leaving comments.   They keep me going when I’m really at the end of my rope.

Batteries going dead.  Will write more later.  Having dinner with a Kiwi friend from the train.  She’s staying the extra two days while I’m turning around with the same crew from the trip up.   Snow and trees….snow and trees.

Watching ‘Firefly’ that Mark lent me.   Awesome preclude to the movie Serenity.   It’s like a book I can’t put down!  I must have watched 10 hours back to back yesterday!  Will watch the final 4 episodes on the trip back, and then re-watch the movie!

5:25pm

Sitting in the SeaCoast Hotel/Restaurant recharging batteries and having a pot of tea.   This is where I’m supposed to meet my friend from the train, Mary.   She’s kind of doing a walkabout, but does need to be back in Vancouver by the end of January.

I had a hotspot momentarily here but it’s disappeared now.   It was a very low signal also.  If it had connected it probably would have been enough to get out a post before hitting Winnipeg.

The Sun has gone down now for the most part.   I’ve seen a couple of snowmobiles go whizzing past the window.   It’s just as easy to hop on your snowmobile as into your car to get around this small town.    Not sure what the rules are, but it’s probably easier for those who have a DUI under there belts too.   It’s an accepted method of travel here.

I didn’t see any Polar Bears while here…and probably won’t for the remaining three hours I’m here.   That is unless one wanders through town.  But the chances of that happening are slim to good.   I talked to the clerk at the canteen and she said she saw prints Saturday night indicating one was near.    There is a Polar Bear Alert team that is called when a bear is spotted.   They try to scare the bear out of town using various noise makers and other irritating distractions to the bears.    I have a block to walk to the train station.   Crossing fingers I don’t spot one as they tend to come in after dark looking for food/garbage.   The local advice is to back away slowly, and drop something to distract the bear.   (I’d have to sacrifice my laptop and camera bag).   The warning further states, if you MUST shot the bear aim for the body….the first shot won’t kill it, but it should slow it down enough.   All bears shot in self-defense must be cleaned up.

I’m not sure how I feel about not having a gun.   On one hand, I’d still be alive, but then I’d have to stand out there in the cold trying to move a 1000lb bear.  Hmmmm…choices, choices.

New Photos Posted - Jan 31

2006-01-31T17:08:00.000-06:00

New Photos Posted

I’ve posted three sets of photos.

Seattle – http://www.dailyhotshot.com/Seattle/

Chinese New Year – http://www.dailyhotshot.com/chinesenewyear/

Jasper – http://www.dailythotshot.com/jasper/

I’ve taken some photos in Winnipeg today of The Forks Market.  It’s pretty much the Historic Properties (Hfx) of Winnipeg and less than a block out the back door of the Via Rail station.

Tonight the train will be leaving for Churchill.  Two days up, and two days back.   I may not be able to communicate for those times but should have a good update when I get back.    I’m going to have to overnight in Winnipeg before catching the train eastward bound the next day.    There’s a hostel for $18 a night, or I noticed a Hampton Inn only a couple of blocks from the Station on the way to the Library.   They usually have reasonable rates, high speed internet, and a continental breakfast included.

The pocketful of Cdn coins Mark handed me has gone a long way.   With all the granola bars, etc. that I had packed, I didn’t even have to eat on the train.   There was an hour stopover in Jasper, so I reloaded on 3 cokes, a litre of water, and a turkey sandwich and salad at the local IGA.   I only had to buy a few cokes on the train.   What can I say?  I’m a cokaholic!

Train to Churchill leaves at 8:25pm tonight.  Not sure if I’ll get any other posts made before then.

Currently listening to Bachman-Turner-Overdrive – Portage and Main. (

Seattle Vancouver

2006-01-30T22:12:00.000-06:00

Seattle – Vancouver, BC

The trip from Seattle was pretty much uneventful, other than, and mostly because, I had a hangover from the previous night’s events.   The Cascades trains are comfy, and there is an electrical outlet for each seat.   I had ample time to make updates to the blog, but lack of internet coverage prevented me from posting them.   It wasn’t until I got into Vancouver and had some spare time that I was able to find a hotspot (SSID: SMC) at the bus terminal end of the station.

The benches in the Vancouver Station are subdivided so there’s no real place to lay down.   My back was killing me.  Some of the track between Seattle and Vancouver is pretty rough and the train jerked back and forth laterally for quite awhile.    And lugging my baggage around while hungover didn’t do me any good either.

Arriving in Vancouver I had to clear Customs.   Every time I cross the border it throws them for a loop, because I hold a Canadian Passport, but live in the USA.   I never really declare anything, because I really don’t have anything to declare.   Since I’m only ‘visiting’ Canada, all my possessions don’t fall under duty….even my camera or laptop.   The Customs Agent noticed my passport expires in the next week or so.  I commented that I’ll get it renewed when I get to Halifax.  Sidenote: Cdn passports are issued for 5 yrs.   I got mine a few days before moving to Colorado Springs, and about 6 months after I got married.  So I’ve been in the USA almost exactly 5 yrs.

A bit more than a smile and a wave and I was through.   I think he was trying to trip me up when he asked how many days I planned to be in country.  I had already put ‘90’ on the form.

Once through Customs I proceeded to the Via desk to get ticketed for my trip to Winnipeg.   My reservations weren’t in the system.   Apparently if you don’t pick up the tickets within a couple of days they get deleted.  WTF?   Isn’t that what reservations are for?   RESERVING a spot!   Not that is was much of a problem, but what if the train had been full?   After getting my tickets I checked my baggage through to Winnipeg.   I knew by the time I got to there I’d want to open up the suitcase for some winter clothes.

The baggage clerk informed me that it was Chinese New Year, and that Chinatown was only a few blocks down from the station.   And that there was probably a parade going on.   Which there was as you can see from a previous post.   I enquired if there were any lockers to stow my extra carry-on luggage to which she informed me that the ticket counter would temp check carryon’s for $2.50 per bag.    Since I had my laptop wrapped around the handle of my wheeled carryon bag the attendant only charged me for the one bag.    With my camera bag in hand I headed out in the overcast Vancouver wilderness.

Currently listening to:  American Woman (…stay away from me) live extended version from the Guess Who’s ‘Running Back Thru Canada’ album

Happy New Year!

2006-01-29T18:08:00.001-06:00

Today is Chinese New Year! And what luck! Vancouver not only has a fairly high Asian population, but the Historic Chinatown is located just a few blocks from the Train Station. When I found out I checked my carry-on with the Via Rail ticket counter. They hold it for $2.50 a bag. Guess it's the new 'lockers'.I took my camera bag and headed down to Chinatown and more luck! The parade was underway! There was a real celebration atomosphere with not much orderly viewing. People were standing everywhere just to get a glimpse and the parade participants had to squeeze by sometimes. Firecrackers going off, drums and symbols....wow, what an atmosphere! I just made it look like I was a newspaper photographer and had no problem getting in some good shots right out on the street. And, just as the parade was ending, it started to rain. So it was a cold wet walk back to the station. But I can't believe my luck on arriving at the right time on the right day!

Happy New Year!

2006-01-29T18:08:00.000-06:00

Cascades Engine

2006-01-29T17:40:00.000-06:00

This is the southbound Cascades engine. I made this photo while sitting on the northbound Cascades 510 Seattle-Vancouver, BC.

I think you can see a part of Qwest Field in the background...at 7am they were having a big party there for some reason.....Seahawks or something.

I'm currently on an open hotspot at the bus terminal end of the Vancouver Station.

King St Station Seattle

2006-01-29T17:10:00.001-06:00

King St. Station, Seattle – Pioneer Hotel

By the time I reached Seattle I was pretty much exhausted.   I had to lug all my luggage up the platform and try to get a cab.   Many people were waiting, but they seemed to be plentiful.   All I wanted to do was get into my hotel room and drop the luggage!   I also knew there was a special email there from my wife and I was anxious to read that.

I took a cab to the Pioneer Square Hotel which is only a few blocks from the train station, and in the heart of the historic/artist section of the Seattle.   I tipped the driver well considering the amount of luggage we had to hump in and out of the trunk.

The Pioneer Square Hotel is one of those renovated historic buildings, much like the St. Anthony’s I had stayed at while in San Antonio a few months back.    I love these if they are done right.    The Front Desk Clerk, seeing that I was alone, offered an upgrade to a single King-Size bed which I gladly accepted.  It also came with a king-size tub.   Even though it didn’t have a view, I didn’t mind as I don’t think any of the rooms had much of a view.   Well, maybe the top floors.

One of the reasons for choosing this hotel was that it had complimentary high speed wireless internet in each room.   It appeared they had a wireless hub in each room….with the option to hook up to Cat5.    Continental breakfast was also included.  However, I was a little hungover from partaking in excess libations of Mac & Jack’s African Amber ale in the Pioneer Square Saloon directly next door from the Hotel.

About 10pm I was feeling a bit puckish, so the bartender and a couple of patrons recommended an excellent restaurant/bar a few blocks up the street that had an happy hour food menu.    Another Mac and Jack’s later and I had gulped down this excellent and juicy burger --- for $1.95!  With table service!   Back to the saloon, another Mac and Jack’s and off to bed.   Well, first I had to make a drunken entry about how much I loved Seattle.

Olympia to Seattle

2006-01-29T17:10:00.000-06:00

Olympia – Seattle

I caught the Amtrak Cascades 500 from Olympia to Seattle.   These are ultra modern cars designed in Spain.   The seats are more like airplane seats, and they carry a dining car and Bistro car in the trainset.   One neat thing is that every seat has an outlet so  working on the laptop and listening to some tunes wasn’t a problem.   Just the trip was a little short.

And we ran into a little problem.   The Olympia-Lacey station is unmanned.   The people you see there are volunteers, and not really associated with Amtrak.  They can’t issue tickets!

Now this is a problem because even though I have my Rail Pass, you need a ticket to get on the train!   They have one of those automated ticket kiosks, but that did me no good.   The Rail Pass has a special reservation number.

Bob, the station volunteer, dialed the Amtrak Info line.   But that didn’t do me much good either as the Rail Pass has it’s own special telephone number….and they aren’t open on weekends!    I was told that, when traveling on a Rail Pass, and boarding at an unmanned station I would have to buy a ticket to my next destination.   Ummm…F*ck no!

Bob, being the ever helpful gentleman that he is suggest I talk to Vicki up at the Tacoma station.   Vicki was great and had a ticket issued from there.   I boarded the train and showed the Conductor my Pass and explained that there would be a ticket waiting in Tacoma.   When the train passed through Tacoma she had someone run out and give the Conductor my ticket.

Later, when he wasn’t too busy he dropped off the ticket for my next leg of the journey.   Vicki had issued the ticket for Seattle to Vancouver, BC also!   I didn’t have to bother with any of those hassles in Seattle.

So, just as a warning to others who might be doing a Rail Pass trip, make sure the station is manned, or you have some other way to get your ticket!

The Perverted Onion

2006-01-29T17:09:00.000-06:00

The Perverted Onion

I think Pauline might have been worried I wouldn’t like the living conditions after the wonderful home I stayed in while in Bakersfield.   But, the way I see it, as long as you’re with friends you’re already in a palace.

You see, they bought this beautiful piece of property along the river in Aberdeen, Wa.   It came with a very old, and somewhat historic house.   And because it is near the river, it’s regulated by the Army Corp of Engineers.    Because of this the house is grandfathered in,  but they’d have a heck of a time building something new.

So, this house used to be a gas station way back when.  And a corner store, and all kinds of other things.   They even have old photos of the different periods it went through.  And they are in the midst of renovating.  The place is mostly gutted, so living conditions are ‘rough’ but there.

The reason they call it the Perverted Onion is because every time they peel back a layer it reveals something else.   Some of the additions were nailed to the existing shingles!  Obviously before the days ‘code’.    Slowly it’s coming along.   They shored up the basement, poured a bunch of new concrete and built up walls, leveling the house.   There is a great natural gas faux woodstove that keeps everything nice and toasty.   But, mostly the walls are bare and little things like the roof leaks…it’s a work in progress.

The neighbour next door also has a wonderful piece of property which he takes care of meticulously.   He lives the simple life, but also fiddling with something, and very industrious.   You’ll see photos of his projects under the Aberdeen photos marked Frank.    There is a nice little nature trail where I took a lot of those other Aberdeen photos.   This property is Frank’s birthright and he is finely tuned with nature on his 25+ acres.   He tends to the trail, and used to keep a field mowed so kids could go back and play baseball.

I don’t think you could ask for a better neighbour.

Shaughn and Pauline did there best to show me the sites of Aberdeen and WestPort…even Washaway Beach.   But the rain didn’t let up much the whole time I was there.   They were in day 39 out of 40 for rainfall!   Everything is DAMP!    And I could feel a cold coming on, and that dampness just cut right to the bone.

Pauline studiously concocted some healing tea which was probably the only thing that kept me going the whole stay.   That and Coke! (

Even though I stayed on an extra day, it was much too short a visit.   These two have been good emotional support for me over the last few months and I value their friendship.   They even made sure I was well fed, well beered, and stored up on snacks for my trip.   And Pauline snuck some tea bags into my luggage for those long cold nights up to Churchill.

Ironically, as I enter my home country, my support network thins out.   Mostly because I’m at the wrong end of the country.   As I get closer to Toronto and Niagara Falls things shouldn’t seem so lonely.

A Little Recap

2006-01-29T17:08:00.000-06:00

A Little Recap

I got a little ahead of myself with updates. As you might recall, a Cal-train hit a car somewhere before Sacramento. This put the already running late Coastal Starlite six hours behind schedule. I arrived in Sacramento a little after midnight and ended up sleeping on the hard wooden benches until the train arrived --- about 5am.

By the time I arrived in Olympia, Wa it was 3:15am….or O-dark-thirty as we used to say in the navy. So, my friends who were driving an hour to pick me up had to leave at 2am instead of 5pm. I didn’t get much sleep on the whole trip. I was actually excited to see my friends. I even tried having a couple of beer with dinner (Tortelinni sp?) but that only got me about an hour of steady sleep.

WOW....if I could end right here!

2006-01-29T01:50:00.000-06:00

I’m gonna make a short entry here. I LOVE Seattle. If I could stop my trip right here I would. If I had a job/place to stay I’d stop. Had a few too many… but they were a quality many. Stopped in a hotel lobbey to admire a piece of artwork….blown glass…this artist has piece all over Venice, and even the Vatican if I remember correctly. To see one up close and personal….wow!

My brother and sister would love living here. It’s so much like Hfx I had to turn around and make sure I wasn’t missing the #1 Spring Garden to Darmouth!

Quick Update to Schedule

2006-01-27T23:18:00.000-06:00

Just a quick update.  I don’t like writing too much in my blog while at friend’s places as I’d rather use the time to enjoy.    On the train I have much more time to write detailed blogs.   So far all my friends have had high-speed wireless which helps when uploading large amounts of photos.

I’ve opted to change my schedule slightly and stay in Seattle overnight.   It’s a city I’ve always wanted to visit anyways.    I’ll arrive around noonish on Saturday, then catch the Amtrack Cascades early in the morning and take it to Vancouver, BC.   This SHOULD get me in on time to catch the Via Rail Canadian leaving at 5:30pm.    If I had left Friday, as my original plan, I’d have to take a bus from Seattle to Vancouver, arriving at 5pm.  That would have been cutting it too close.   If I had missed the train in Vancouver I would have been stuck there for a couple of day until the next train.

This way I’m not rushed and I get to explore a city I’ve always wanted to explore.   A few years back Harper’s Magazine voted my home city of Halifax, NS, the 2nd hippest city in North America --- Seattle was 1st.    This was during the ‘grunge’ period of pop music.    All the footage of seen of Seattle suggests that it’s a pretty nice city, and I’ve often considered it as a place to live.   As a sailor, I’ve always had dreams of living on a houseboat and Seattle seems to have this down pat.   Not sure if I’ll get to see any, but we’ll give it a try.   Of course, they are way out of my price range, but there are always other cities, harbours, and inlets.

How it SHOULD be

2006-01-27T12:32:00.000-06:00

Wouldn't life be so much better if every office you entered didn't have that ulilitarian feel? This is the DMV in Aberdeen, Wa. It's part animal shelter --- they have a couple of crows, a raven, two cats, a chicken, a dog --- part country store. And apparently they still have room for Christmas decorations! And having to take a trip to the DMV to renew your licence plates is an enjoyable experience! There are more photos of this interesting place....click here: http://www.dailyhotshot.com/Aberdeen/

Kickin' Back

2006-01-25T21:37:00.000-06:00

Mark and I figured the best way to relax after a busy weekend in Bakersfield was to kick back in the leather recliners, with a ice cold drinks, chips and dip, and put the new DVD release of Airplane the Movie on the HDTV big screen and laugh our overly comfy butts off. Photo courtesy of Suzie who opted out of our little man-fest.

After working for the KCSOS Kern County Superintendent Of Schools fixing their buses for 7 yrs, and a previous 14+yrs experience working in similar fields, Mark decided it was time to go out on his own. And he hasn't looked back since. He's known for his excellent customer service and personal touch. If you're ever passing through Kern County, CA, with some electrical problems on your big rig give him a call. His webpage is: http://www.callshockdoc.com He specializes in Mobile Diesel Electric Repairs for over 19 yrs and is ASE certified.

Union Pacific Stanford

2006-01-25T14:02:00.000-06:00

Here's another of the Business Class cars that was tagging along with us. According to my info, one of these was cars was totally done out in 'formica', the 'new leather' of the 1950's.

Union Pacific Sunset

2006-01-25T13:55:00.000-06:00

I noticed these two cars trailing along behind us while I was eating lunch. I didn't realize thier historic significance until talking to one of the Amtrak guys just before detraining in Olympia.

So, at 3:30am I hopped on some frosty benches and snapped these photos of the Union Pacific Sunset they were pulling away.

Me and Bobby (McGee)

2006-01-25T00:24:00.000-06:00

When I boarded the train in Sacramento the car attendant insisted on assigning seats, even though the car was less than half full. I got paired up with this gentlemen and we soon found out we shared similar histories with women.

I included the 'McGee' as a reference to the fact he is a writer of black history, and a member of the Black Douglas clan. A graduate of Berkeley, he has researched Black history in Europe and has even attended the Highland Games wearing his clan kilt. I didn't ask him what he wore underneath :)

New Photos

2006-01-25T00:19:00.000-06:00

New Photos from the last couple of days posted here:

http://www.properguitars.com/RailtripJan2324/

BTW, the website ProperGuitars.com is my brother’s….he makes custom handmade guitars.

Currently my ETA in Olympia, WA is 2am. That’s almost 8 hours past our scheduled time. We just stopped in Eugene, OR at around 10pm. The train seems to be running faster, and a bit more bouncier. Not sure if this is normal speeds for this area or they are trying to make up for lost time. I’ve barely gotten any sleep….maybe an hour or so here or there. Please excuse any sleep deprived, on-the-fly typos or misinformation.

Benchmark

2006-01-24T17:24:00.000-06:00

This is the end of a bench in the Sacramento train station. I'm taking a guess that these benches are at least 1950's or older. The unique thing is they have heaters built into the tops of each one of them which I'll show in a later photo. The tops get pretty hot. It's a wonder there have been no lawsuits with children (or childish adults) burning themselves.

Mt. Shasta

2006-01-24T15:59:00.000-06:00

Now, I need some sleep!

Sunrise at 80mph

2006-01-24T12:02:00.000-06:00

I made this photograph at sunrise just before hitting the town of Chico, CA. The windows in the SightSeer Lounge are pretty dirty. They probably only clean them at one end of the two-way journey and I'm at the wrong end. However, they kind of added to the softening effect for this photo.

Currently still 4 hours behind as far as I can determine. Not sure how they are going to make that up. If the ETA to Olympia is TOO late I'll have to make some sort of arrangement for my friends to pick me up in the morning or something.....maybe sleep on a bench in the station IF they remain open at all. We didn't leave SAC until at least 5:45am.....it was supposed to leave at midnight. We are currently at Redding and it's 10am. I haven't really slept much, and will probably end up sleeping through the prettiest parts. Either that or it'll be dark by the time we get to those parts.

3am in Sacramento

2006-01-24T05:05:00.000-06:00

3am in Sacramento

I’ve just heard that a Cal-train train hit a car, or a person.  That’s what’s holding up the Amtrak that I’m trying to catch.   This is unconfirmed…I haven’t seen anything on the CNN or FoxNews websites.

In other tidbits, if I wasn’t inside charging my laptop I’d be outside the station taking advantage of the open wifi hotspot.   The SSID is ‘linksys’  which is a default for those routers.

I’m very tired.  But refuse to fall asleep with the laptop on charge, and my camera bag out in the open.  Because I’m getting off in Olympia there is no checked baggage.   That means I’m lugging ALL my luggage (5 pieces) with me.   Guess I stuff some of it into the luggage racks on the lower level of the car.   Not the most wonderful option.

I just overheard an arrival time of 5:45am for the Coastal Starlight.   That’s another 1+ hour past the last estimated time.    Of course, as with anything, rumours abound.   Once the batts are charged for the laptop and I post this I may try that sleep thing my body is telling me about.

Link to Bakersfield Photos

2006-01-24T03:53:00.000-06:00

Here’s the link to the photos. Let me know if any don’t come up…I’ve been having problems getting them loaded to the server.

http://www.dailyhotshot.com/bakersfield/

Right now we are sitting in Sacramento waiting for our connection on the Coastal Starlight coming up from LA. It’s running 4:30 hours behind so far. It was supposed to leave at midnight, and we didn’t get here until 12:15am. So guess it’s kind of a blessing it at least didn’t leave without us. But that puts us coming into Olympia, WA at after 10pm. And that’s if it stays with no other delays!

Link to Bakersfield Photos

2006-01-24T03:43:00.000-06:00

Here’s the link to the photos. Let me know if any don’t come up…I’ve been having problems getting them loaded to the server.

http://www.properguitars.com/bakersfield/index.html

North from Bakersfield

2006-01-24T00:07:00.000-06:00

This is a snapshot I took of the engine at sunset just before leaving Bakersfield headed north to Sacramento. I'll catch a connection in Sac, and onwards to Olympia, WA.

BTW, feel free to comment as much as you want. It let's me know there are actually people reading at least parts of this blog.

You don't have to have a blogger acct to leave a comment, but it helps.

Bakersfield Weekend

2006-01-23T20:44:00.000-06:00

Currently onboard train.  Monday 5:45pm leaving Bakersfield.

I’m in Car 3 of this train.   First thing I noticed was that it has wifi access, and according to the FAQ, in each car.   But at $6.95 for 24 hours, I’ll opt (the SSID is opti) out for the 5-6 hours I’ll be aboard.

I tried to upload some photos from my friend’s net earlier but there seems to be a problem on my hosting side.   Uploading was very slow if not at all.   If I knew it was corrected I might have gone with the wifi option instead of using my T-mobile connection.   The car has tables and I was lucky enough to share one of the ones that has 110v outlets.  I can listen to music and such all the way to my connection in Sacremento at 11pm.

Just to backtrack a little, the train was late getting into LA on Friday.   Arriving late enough that I didn’t catch the 1:15pm connecting bus to Bakersfield.   They put another charter bus online soon after we arrived and we got underway around 3:30pm.   That put me arriving in Bakersfield just before 6pm.   Somehow,   my checked baggage arrived before I did….it was never put on the same bus as I was on.

I was met at the station by my longtime friend, Mark, whom I hadn’t seen in almost 7 years.   I told him just look for the only guy in California wearing shorts and a t-shirt that day.   Apparently the temperature dipped below 70F and most natives were in long pants and sweaters.

After loading up my luggage in his service truck he informed me that his wife and another good friend, Suzie, was under the weather.   We were going to pick up some eats for takeout at the Original Roadhouse Grill.   Busy as hell, but since we were getting takeout we went right up and ordered from the hostess.    Then we proceeded to the bar area to wait for our order, and grab a beer.   They had Amber Bock on tap…my newest fav for about the past year.   It’s a semi-dark beer with a great full flavour.

6:07pm We are at our first stop…Wasco, CA

Anyways, this is one of those restaurants that has free peanuts which you throw the shells on the floor.   I used to have a issue with those years ago…but have come to enjoy them.  This one had wooden barrels with the tops filled with peanuts everywhere!   The floor was full of shells as it was quite busy.    When I ordered my beer the bartender asked whether I wanted the 32oz or the 64oz.   I opted for the 32oz…I hadn’t had a drink in a few weeks and knew I’d be a lightweight after lack of sleep on the train.   He handed me this HUGE Mason jar full of frosty cold beer.   Mmmmmmmmmm…..damn, the 64oz’er must occupy two hands!   By the time I had finished my beer and eaten more than a few handfuls of peanuts, our Ribeye Steaks were ready.   We had ordered them with sides of baked potatoes, mushrooms, and au jus.    A hearty meal for anyone.

Arriving at Mark and Suzie’s house we dug into our supper and got re-acquainted in real-life.   They’ve been friends since ’96, but we rarely get a chance to get together.  And this was the first time in their new house.   Fabulous house is was too…..HD Big Screen, Island Kitchen, Walk-in closet, Jacuzzi and separate shower, etc.   Roomy and well thought out, that’s for sure.   But, after a good meal, a 32oz mug of beer, and two days of travel it didn’t take me long to fade to black.

I awoke several times, and not hearing any sound figured the train had stopped at a siding to let freight by before remembering I was actually on solid ground.

Saturday in Bakersfield, CA.

The next morning Mark and I headed out to do some errands in preparation for a party that night.   On the way we stopped at a local eatery and I had a huge plate of Charuso (sp?) & Eggs.    I couldn’t finish it all, and I don’t think Mark finished all of his huge plate either.   I picked up the bill for breakfast….although I’m sure it didn’t even out for the Ribeye’s from the night before.

We dropped off some chairs and did a little sightseeing, the highlight of which was Bakersfield Heights which overlooked a working oilfield.   I posted the picture previously.   It was a beautiful day…the perfect temp, and just a slight haze.   A few more errands and we headed back home.    I was able to get some photos posted to the blog….luckily he had wifi in his home so connection to the internet was hassle-free.

I forgot to mention that earlier I got to meet his Mom who lives on the same parcel of land, although further back.   She seemed like a sweet lady….very intelligent and alert.  On the way back I took the photo of the horse in the mist/fog that you’ll see once I get them loaded.

Early in the afternoon we headed back to the party place and help with the setup.   By the time we finished it was almost time to eat.    One lady was throwing a ‘thank you’ party for all her friends, and had made all the stuff herself from scratch.   We had appetizers of stuffed mushrooms, veggies and dip, and moved onto a salad,   some of the best lasagna I’ve ever tasted.   And to top it all off some German Chocolate cake!   A good time was had by all, especially me.

Sunday in Bakersfield

Sunday we all piled into the PT Cruiser with our cameras and headed through the mountain pass carved by the Kern River and up to Lake Isabella.    This Canuck surprisingly found it a bit chilly….must have been the wind, 3000’ and ‘dead of California winter’ as my friends put it.    In reality, it was sun shining and 54F most of the day.   If a picture is worth a thousand words, I’ll let the soon to be posted photos do the talking for me.

Ooops…forgot we had brunch at Buck Owens Crystal Palace.   I’m not a big country music fan but I grew up watching Hee-Haw, and I just love visiting kitchy places.   Got a few photos inside, including the convertible on hanging behind the bar.

The day was topped off with homemade Tacos, a wonderful game of Scene-it (which I won, but not by the blowout I expected), and a newly acquired copy of the movie Airplane on DVD which kept Mark and I in stitches while munching on potato chips and homemade dip.

And that was the weekend in Bakersfield.   Today was spent doing laundry, trying to upload photos, etc, until it was time to drop me off at the station.   All I can say is that I had a WONDERFUL time and it was all due to my gracious hosts and good friends Mark and Suzie (I still call her Suz ().    I hope I get the chance to visit again sometime!

No Swimming!

2006-01-23T17:34:00.000-06:00

A reminder that what looks like a lovely river through the mountains has actually been pretty dangerous. Included in that count are some unfound bodies from last year. I've got some photos from our drive through the mountains from Bakersfield to Lake Isabella (elv. 3000'). They should be posted soon. You'll see other views of this river.

There's Oil in them there flatlands!

2006-01-21T14:29:00.000-06:00

The view from Bakersfield, Ca. This is a working oilfield seen from the heights of Bakersfield. What at first I thought were trees are actually oil derricks.

Ironic that the best and really, the only, view in Bakersfield looks out over this.

Almost to LA

2006-01-20T13:08:00.000-06:00

We’re a running at least an hour behind, and a few hours out of LA.   Stopped again up.  Apparently we are running on Union Pacific tracks and there was something about a bridge burnt down earlier this week.    Seems it’s taking us forever to get through this freight yard.

So far the trip has been very pleasant.  I  ate in the dining car last night for dinner, and again for breakfast.   Both were both surprisingly good meals.   Last night I had a pasta dish with green beans, corn, and a Bud Light.    This morning I had eggs over easy, a croissant, and some hash browns.  I wonder if they had any toast.   The waiter put two glasses of orange juice in front of me and I’m glad he did because I was so parched.  I had gotten up in the middle of the night a few times and drank at least 4 of those little paper cups of water each time.   And still my mouth was dry.

I was hoping to get a few hours to explore LA, but as it looks now I’ll probably have just enough time to hop onto the bus to Bakersfield.

T-mobile signal is good here…I think we a bit outside Ontario, CA.   But I think the phone sucks a lot of the battery.   In this day and age, you’d think they have more facilities for electronic gadgets.   But, I guess they have few selling points for first class as it is so having access to electricity is a good motivator for todays upwardly mobile gadget geeks.

The things you see on the side of the tracks

2006-01-20T11:40:00.000-06:00

You think this guy's belt buckle is compensating for something???

My Dream Home in the Mountains

2006-01-20T11:33:00.000-06:00

Just thought I'd share some of the things you see in the middle of nowhere. I know I've said I've been in the middle of nowhere before, but it seems to be a pretty big place. Anyways, I've always wanted to live with a mountain view....I wonder if this place is available.

Photos from Jan 1906

2006-01-20T09:04:00.000-06:00

Photos from Jan 19/06 posted here: http://www.daydream-massage.com/railtripjan19/

Inside El Paso Station

2006-01-20T08:21:00.000-06:00

This would be great for town hall meetings or something. Community Theatre maybe. What a grand ol' building!

El Paso Station

2006-01-20T07:56:00.000-06:00

Looks like this building was restored pretty nicely. I met a gentleman on the train who had worked at this station 20-30 years ago. Only had enough to time to run inside and get a few shots. Probably much bigger than needed for this day of rail travel.

Currently it's 6am and the train is delayed by at least 1:40 minutes. Could miss my connection to Bakersfield. Just found out the Lounge Car attendant, Donna, lives near Bakersfield.

I woke up a few times last night to find that the train had completely stopped. Frieght has priority. We are only human cargo.

Old Caboose - Alpine, Tx

2006-01-19T18:46:00.000-06:00

Here's our view at lunch. We were stopped in Apline, Tx. I thought it was a fitting backdrop to the voyage. I love old cabooses. I'm not a 'nut' about old cabooses, but just like the whole essence of them.

PillBox Row

2006-01-19T18:40:00.000-06:00

These reminded me of the War World defences known as Pillboxes. Except of course they are all in a row. I wonder what the history is behind these things in the middle of nowhere TX. Not sure what that highway is right next to them.

Abandoned Building

2006-01-19T18:23:00.000-06:00

Just a snap from the train as we were going past one of the many abandoned buildings along the border with Mexico.

FighterTown, TX

2006-01-19T18:19:00.000-06:00

Laughlin AFB is where they do pilot and fighter jet training. We passed this once before last year on our way to South Padre Island for the Great Texas 300 Catamaran Race.

It seems there is always a few jets in the air around this base....I guess they take their training very seriously.

Find the Border Patrol

2006-01-19T16:25:00.000-06:00

The Sunset Limited takes us right along the border with Mexico. I spotted at least 3 of these Border Patrol vehicles in various 'hiding' spots. Good Hunting.

Sunrise on the Sunset

2006-01-19T16:23:00.000-06:00

Early morning just outside San Antonio. I got some sleep shortly after this was taken.

Lunch on the Sunset

2006-01-19T14:14:00.000-06:00

Just finished lunch while stopped at Alpine, Tx.  Elevation 4458’…about the same as Pueblo, Colorado.  At least I think it was Alpine.   Had lunch with a nice couple from Tyler, TX traveling on a ‘buddy’ ticket.   His name was Jean and her name I had never heard of before and for the life of me I can’t remember.  I told them about Trainweb.com and they are going to look for their photo on my blog.

I ordered the Angus Beef Burger with Swiss cheese, which came with a plate a chips also.   It was pretty tasty overall, and although I prefer Coke, it was all washed down with a Pepsi.   I forgot to bring some cash with me so had to pay be Credit Card.   To do that one must present a photo id and your ticket (for the reservation number).   In the lounge car it’s a minimum of $10 order.  Early I had missed the last call to breakfast so had to dig through my pockets for a $2 King Size Snickers Bar.   Truthfully, I love Snickers and could probably last the whole trip on Snickers alone…..but my belt size might not agree.

On a side note, imagine the Dining Car announcements being read by actor James Wood.   It’s something to smirk about.

Another lunch companion was Pam…headed to El Paso, TX.    Another couple of gentlemen out of a small town in Arkansas that I met in the Lounge Car were also headed to El Paso.   He was picking up his daughter and grand-daughter.  She gets to take the train back while they hump it back in a u-haul.   Guess that’s what family do for each other.

I’ve gotten some nice photos so far, but zip for a internet connection out here in southwest TX.   I also really need another battery for this laptop.  It’s lasting an hour at tops, especially if I’m editing photos.   The only real electrical receptacles I’ve found are in the Lounge Car on the Observation Level, and downstairs in the lounge itself there is one.    Most of them are filled up with cellphones recharging.   I brought a triple socket, so I can share with the cellphones if need be.    What I’d really like is some internet connection.   I see some people using their Verizon phones, but no signal at all on T-mobile and Cingular.

There’s a gentleman sitting beside me who reminds me of Morgan Freeman.  He was sleeping when I got on in San Antonio, but when he woke up he immediately began writing in his letter writing pad.    Kept a dictionary on his foldup-tray.  And, from the Jazz music I could hear through his headphones I’d say he was from the New Orleans area.   His seat stub says he’s going all the way to LA.    An interesting looking character, maybe I can get to chat with him later even though he’s kept kind of quiet so far.    Ironically, the book he is reading is ‘A >>> from Woman’

Another interesting site onboard are the three couples of Pennsylvania Amish.   Just weird seeing them on a train in Texas….in the middle of nowhere part of TX at that.

California Dreaming

2006-01-19T05:38:00.000-06:00

Currently listening to California Dreaming.   I guess it’s a weird fatefulness that Denny Doherty, of the Mamas and Papas, is from my hometown.  The town where I plan to end my journey.

I’m sitting here on the train, at the San Antonio Sunset Station.   I’ve just said my goodbyes to my wife and son who came up to look around after the attendant offered.  And, I’m headed for Bakersfield, CA.   It’s not ‘such a winter’s day’ here in Tx.   The temp when we left the house was a balmy 54F….warm enough to wear shorts and a t-shirt for me.  I suspect it’ll get up above 70F before the end of the day here.

But that’s no matter for me.   The train should be departing the station shortly.   It’s fairly dark, and the few people onboard are either sleeping or in quiet-mode.   I’ve left my camera up in the overage storage for now.  I won’t need it until sunrise I figure.

The gentlemen at the ticket wicket were friendly and made sure they explained the terms of the North American Rail Pass, and emphasized not to lose it.    IT has Value they stressed.   Tickets can be reissued…passes can’t.

I just want to get this post out before we leave the station.  I’ll need to conserve batts on the laptop, and I won’t be able to find a receptacle for recharging until we get more daylight.

Booked - Finally!

2006-01-17T16:36:00.000-06:00

Well, as predicted, the Amtrak North American Rail Pass was closed Monday.   I did as the info line suggested and tried to pay/book through a travel agent.   They had to research it and call me back.  When they did, it wasn’t good news.   She said that she couldn’t do anything, but that I could buy the pass at the station.

That would be all fine and dandy, but considering the train leaves at 5:40am, we would have had to get up at about 3am just to get there in time to sort it out.  AND, what if she was wrong and they couldn’t process the ticket?  OR, what if the train was full and I couldn’t get a reservation.   Even if that was unlikely it wasn’t worth the gamble at that time of the morning.   I opted to stay on with wife and son for a few extra days.

We got a few more things straightened out.  I didn’t feel as rushed.   Cooked up a good dinner of grilled chicken, spicy pasta, and spinach last night --- a bit of a departure from the fast food they’ve gotten used to.    I was also able to get a few boxes put away, we got the aquarium situation straightened out, and much to the delight of TJ, we got the Xbox360 hooked to the network and ‘live’.

Today I went to hop in the shower and got a knock on the door.  ‘Water will be shutoff for the next 2-3 hours while we dig up the street in front of your house.’   Great!   So, I got on the phone and tried a few times to get through to Amtrak’s North American Rail Pass operators.  After about 10-15 mins each time I gave up.   Finally a little after noon I got through.

The operator took my info, booked me on Thursday’s train to Bakersfield, California, then transferred me to the VIA RAIL Canada operator who booked me on a leg from Vancouver to Winnipeg.   I quickly confirmed that the leg to Hudson Bay was running year round, and that was about it for that.   They took my passport number (expires Feb 08/06 btw) and gave me my reservation numbers.   Didn’t even ask for a credit card number.    Guess I’ll be paying at the ticket wicket after all.

If you’ll notice I put my itinerary on the sideboard (right).  If you scroll down you’ll see the dates I plan to be where.   These are subject to change, and I can do so easily….it’s an RSS feed from RSSCalanders.com --- anything changed there will reflect here.

Also, if you haven’t noticed already, there are links to the different trains I plan to travel on so that you can get a general idea of the route I’ll be taking.   And, there are a few links to places I want to visit.   These are subject to change also, and I’ll be adding more as I go.

Note again, that this is a blog.   It is best read daily to keep up-to-date,   or read from ‘The Beginning’ if you’re just joining me.   You’ll find the links for each entry also on the right-hand sidebar.

So, that’s it for now.  I’ll be trying to enjoy some quality time with my son TJ before I get underway early Thursday morning.    Including doing some laundry, making some last minute decisions, etc.   It’s not like I’ve gone on month long trips before….just never on a train.

A Slight Snag

2006-01-16T07:47:00.000-06:00

A Slight Snag

I hate to plan things TOO far in advance.   Too many things can go wrong.  In this case, I held off buying my rail pass until I got to a point where everything else was behind me.   The details are too mundane to explain, but I’m now at that point.

On Sunday, shortly after noon, I loaded the last of my worldly possessions in my ’95 Lincoln Continental, backed out of the driveway of the place we had been living for the last year (and a bit), and turned the car South.  I stopped a few houses down to say a last physical farewell to a friend,  then headed down past the HEB, left onto 1431 for a few blocks.  I noticed the new Lucky Buffet was packed…I was looking forward to eating there but never really had the chance.

A few more blocks and I once again aimed South on Hwy 281, and straight on for another hour and a half.

”Second star to the right, then straight on 'til morning.Who knows what we'll find there, who knows what we'll see.” – Peter Pan

As I cross the bridge over the non-existent Falls of Marble, I glance in the rearview and think how surreal it all seems.   I only lived there a little more than a year, but had worked in that town for the previous year also.   It’s a little microcosm of Texas life --- feeling the growing pains of a city about to burst, while trying to hang onto rural values.     Being pushed by those who want to see growth, and pulled back by those who wish things to remain just the way they are.    A sanctuary from hustle of the capital city of Austin, and a holdout for rodeos and the ‘cowboy way’.    Where hospitality gets lost in the bottomless cup of coffee.

I stop at Round Mountain, population 111, most of which seem to center around the truck stop where I usually grab a chicken salad sandwich and a coke.  This time I opted for Sprite, and it tasted like bleach.   They must have just cleaned the machines.   I hung onto it, and confirmed the taste with son and wife.   I figured if I got sick, I wanted backup witnesses.   Also, they have this awesome Oriental Mix snack bag.   I usually get one, but didn’t this time.   I wasn’t THAT hungry.

Johnson City was next.   You can’t miss that sign that proudly let’s you know it’s the hometown of 36th president of the good ol’ US of A.    I heard he liked dogs.  (    This is also a good base for wildflower season…something central Texas if famous for each spring.  http://www.wildflower.org
Not far past that is Blanco.  I didn’t even glance over at the head office of the Internet company I used to work for in Marble Falls.   Just glad that is behind me.

Forty minutes.  Right on schedule.   I used to have to drive to Blanco about once a week.  Funny, but even with the heavy load, and the car topper messing with the aerodynamics, I’m actually averaging better than the usual 20mpg.   Must be that lead I took out of my shoe a few days ago.

And onward to San Antonio with the feeling I’ll probably never see Marble Falls again.  It wouldn’t be the first town like that in my travels.   And I’m pretty sure it won’t be my last.    When I arrived at my wife’s new house,   I got to hug my son, and pet the cats, which were only out of my site for 24 hours, but were missed.    I spotted phantom cats in the corner of my eye the previous day.   Funny how they have that affect….and I’m not a cat person.

I quickly went about setting up wifi in her house.   Tj’s computer was at the other end of the house and he hadn’t been online in weeks.   I needed access for the laptop, so I could order the Rail Pass.   Now that the car had made it to San Antonio I could relax about that leg of the trip.    When I phoned AMTRAK, I got a recorded message that the Rail Pass office was only open between 8am-9pm Monday-Friday!   Oh great!    The train I want to catch is leaving 5:40am on Tuesday, and Monday is a semi-holiday.   Will they be closed or not?   Only time will tell.

Bon Voyage

2006-01-16T07:05:00.000-06:00

Here's a photo Charles Nardone made at the Javabean during my send-off luncheon. That's Lisa right beside me taking a photo of Charles. I'm hamming it up with my headset giving a Skype demo. The Javabean has a free highspeed wireless hotspot....a rare combo in the Hill Country of Texas.

I sure am going to miss a great bunch of folks from that part of the world. Maybe someday I'll return for a visit.

Let's Get Technical - LONG

2006-01-14T19:52:00.000-06:00

For those of you following the blog, I wanted to explain some of the technology I’ll be using.   First, let me say, my laptop and cameras are password protected.  That means they are useless to anyone who tries to steal them…it’s the first thing a pawnshop will check for when you try to sell them.   Also, I’ll have a proximity alarm on my laptop and hidden somewhere in my camera gear.   If me and my gear are separated by more than a certain number of feet, all hell will break loose….that hell being a crazy canuck realizing he’s about to lose a large chunk of his material possessions and livelihood.

So, on with the technicals.

Photography:

Canon 20D – 8.x megapixel semiprofessional body that I make take professional pics (
Canon Rebel 300D – firmware upgraded to 10D capabilities.  This is my ‘backup’ body.

Sigma 70-200mm 2.8f   - My primary telephoto lens. Good for shooting sports
Sigma 28-105mm 2.8-4.5f – A good all-round utility lens.
Sigma 20mm 1.8f  - A not so bad wide angle good in low light situations
Canon 17-85mm  -  A good utility lens, comes standard on the Rebel
Sigma 2x extender – doubles the total length of any of these lenses.  When used on the 70-200mm, and combined with the 1.6x factor of the digital bodies, the effective maximum length is 640mm

Laptop:

Dell C540 – 1.7ghz Celeron, 768megs Ram, 20 gig harddrive
40 gig external USB 2.0 harddrive
Internal Wifi Card
PCMCIA Wifi/Cellphone Card – Works almost anywhere I can get a T-mobile signal
PCMCIA CF Card Reader
Cooling Pad with USB/Firewire hub
Windows XP Pro
Picasa 2 – Quick photo editing, and photoblog publishing capabilities
Photoshop CS2 – For all your photo editing needs
MS Office XP
Skype – Voice Over  IP telephone.  Username – hotshot38 –give me a call!

My Workflow:

Photos are loaded to the laptop via the CF Card Reader, usually auto-imported using Picasa2, but sometimes via copy/paste from folder to folder.   Once on the harddisk of the laptop, photos are culled quickly using Picasa2’s lightboard (library).   This allows me to quickly cull or pick similar photos for the one with the best result.   Photos to be kept and process are marked with a star.
Once I’ve starred all the photos I wish to keep, I’ll start working with only those starred photos.   IF they do not require too much editing, I’ll usually crop, finetune lighting and color balance, and sharpen right in Picasa.   IF there is a certain filter that will make the photo look better, ie: soft focus, glow, b&w, I’ll apply that filter to the selected photo.

Once I’ve processed all the starred photos, I’ll select only the starred photos and export them to a new folder.   The originals are still intact.  After the photos have been exported, I’ll navigate to that folder, select one of the most interesting, and click on the ‘BlogThis’ button of Picasa.   This will in turn open up a new window with space to write some description about the selected photo.   After entering the text describing the photo, I’ll click on the Publish button (don’t forget to select and copy the text first, in case it gets eaten).   Picasa automatically resizes the photo for web viewing.   You can also click on the photo itself to get a larger version.

Voila!  A new blog entry is born.   A browser window will open confirming the new entry has been received.    Keep in mind, this is mostly done on the fly, no spellchecks were killed in the making of this blog….only the English language.

Of course, I need to be online in order to a blog entry this way.   I have two (or three) ways to get ‘online’.   First, via Wifi, or wireless 802.11b/g.  If I can find free wireless hotspots, that would be the preferred method.   I may have to pay a daily rate for a hotspot depending on where I am.   I read that some of the VIA Rail trains (in Canada) have wireless hotspots onboard, for a nominal daily fee.

If there are no hotspots available, and I do not need a high speed connection, I can usually get connected through my T-Mobile Internet card.   This is a PCMCIA card fitted in my laptop that dials into the internet via cell phone (GPRS) networks.   I should be able to get this anywhere T-mobile cell phones work, and on some roaming networks.   So far, the speeds here in the sticks of TX have been dialup or slower.   I hope that in the bigger cities the EDGE technology as T-mobile calls it will be a bit faster.   Regardless, it should be fast enough to update a blog wherever I’m connected.

For longer entries, like this one, I can type them up in MS Word; thereby ensuring that they are saved to disk, before attempting to upload to Blogger.    Many a good thought has been ‘eaten’ by the blog demons….it’s always a good habit to select and copy your text before hitting that publish button.

Telephony/Video:

Another piece of software that I use is Skype.  http://www.skype.com  This internet telephony software (VOIP) is a handy gadget.   I can call any of my friends who have Skype and talk for free, just as if it was a regular telephone.   I can even share my web cam for a video-phone experience.   It’s a little shaking so far testing on the t-mobile cell phone connection, but as stated, above, hopefully the technology will be faster elsewhere.

For pc-pc calls, use the nickname ‘hotshot38’ and try to give me a call.
I can also phone any regular phone number on a pay-per-minute basis…anywhere in North America, it works out to around 1.5 cents per minute…..that’s about 6 hours of phone time for $10….not bad.

I also have a Skype-In number which allows anyone on a regular phone (including cell phone of course) to call my number and talk as if it were a regular phone call.  That cost me $35 a year….no charge on incoming calls.   I won’t publish the number here….only close friends and family.

My webcam is a cheapie.   At the extravagant price of $9.99 it clips onto my laptop monitor.   It also has ‘night-vision’: if it’s too dark 6 LED’s turn on and light me up.   So, I can be in complete darkness on the train, and if you SKYPE me, you’ll be able to see my video no problem…if we have a good connection that is.    I also use a headset/microphone for better quality and privacy.   It’s a bit cumbersome, but it works.  Great for listen to mp3’s also.

Speaking of which, I ripped my complete music collection onto my laptop before partaking on this adventure.  I don’t NEED music like many who can’t live without it, but I figure on a long and lonely highway….oops, almost broke into song there.   It’ll be good on those long nights when I can’t sleep and my eyes are bleary from too much reading (or blog typing).

Well, that’s just about it for the technology part.  I’ll have a radio scanner with me, but not sure how much train traffic I’ll listen to unless there is an emergency.   I’ll also have a GPS with me: the Garmin Etrex – Simple, but good enough for me.   I might do some geocaching at each stop I make, depending on how much time and other factors.   Check out www.geocaching.com   for more info on that.

Thanks for getting through this.

A Pleasant Surprise

2006-01-13T15:38:00.000-06:00

What a pleasant surprise I got today.   What was supposed to be lunch with a friend, turned into lunch with many friends.    My friend Bob A., a member of the local photography and computer clubs, and a wonderful author (The Reality Skew) sneakily arranged for a bunch of folks from the clubs to meet us at a local internet café, The Javabean.

What I like best about this place is 1) free internet hotspot, and 2) The Chicken Pesto sandwich.   And of course, sitting at the big round marble table with like-minded friends tops it all off.  So, I’m just going to give a shout-out to Bob, Charles, and Charles, Don and Lisa, and Dale.   Thanks for the hill country hospitality!   Lisa and Don even got to try out Skype, the internet telephony service that I use, when they talked to my friend Shaughn.   We even had live video camera setup from the café!

Tomorrow the wife and son are stopping by to pick up the cats, and a few other odds and ends they left here and now feel they need.   There’s enough stuff that we’ll need to take both cars, with the car topper too!   And since the Austin-San Antonio train says there’s no checked baggage, AND, since I’d have to spend a night in the station in San Antonio because the train leaves at 5:40am, I’m going to finalize my loose ends here in Marble Falls, TX., and spend the next couple of days putting the final touches on my travel plans, and spending some quality time with my stepson of 5 years…and the wife (soon to be ex).

Amtrak mentions they don’t like plastic containers for luggage.   And since throwing out my back a few days ago, I really don’t feel like lugging that big hockey bag full of stuff around train stations.   The wife has volunteered a couple of wheeled suitcases which should make life easier all around.   I can probably fit much of my camera gear in a carry-on, using the remaining space for a change of clothes, toiletries, snacks, etc.    A big rolling suitcase should take care of the rest of the clothes I’ll need, including some winter boots, sweaters, balaclavas, gloves, etc.   AND, I should be able to check one other ‘bag’…in this case, my computer, in it’s original box.   It’ll be much cheaper to carry with me than trying to mail it across the border and deal with customs/duties.  If it becomes TOO cumbersome I can probably store it at friends along the way, until such time I really need it sent to me.  It’s a neat, sturdy box with its own carrying handle.  And I think we have something where I can put some wheels on it too!

Changes to Itinerary

2006-01-12T22:52:00.000-06:00

Already a slight change in Itinerary.  First, I'll stay an extra day in Bakersfield, Ca so i can have dinner and go to a party with some old friends before departing the next day.   That might take a day off my stay in the Seattle area. The train from Vancouver, BC across Canada (The Canadian) only leaves on certain days.

Also, the train to Churchill, Manitoba  turns around after 12 hour stopover.  I think this will be enough time to wander the town for a bit....we'll see.  Otherwise, I'll have to book a couple of nights in a hotel/motel, and I only budgeted for one. I just don't think there's enough town to see to spend two nights up there.    Two days up, 12 hours there, 2 days back.   I think one of those nights will be a sleeper car.

Also, I’m testing a new Blogger plug-in for MS Word.  I really didn’t like the formatting problems when writing in pure text mode.  We’ll see how this works out….formatting, saved on disk….hopefully no more lost posts.   Of course, I’ll still use Picasa2 to post photos.

Rough Itinerary

2006-01-12T12:28:00.000-06:00

"The follies which a man regrets most, in his life, are those which he didn't commit when he had the opportunity." - Helen Rowland

As it stands right now, the plan is as follows:

Travel to San Antonio on Saturday or Sunday, Jan 14th or 15th. Visit with my son and wife, and then catch the train at 5:40am on Tuesday morning, January 17th.

Depart San Antonio Jan 17th 5:40am ARR Los Angelas Jan 18th 10:10am
Depart Los Angelas Jan 18th 1:15pm via bus ARR Bakersfield Jan 18th 3:30pm

Stay with friends in Bakersfield for a couple of days.

Depart Bakersfield Saturday Jan 21st 5:40pm ARR Sacremento Jan 21 11:00pm
Depart Sacremento Saturday Jan 21st 11:59pm ARR Seattle Jan 22 8:30pm

Stay with friends near Seattle for a few days.

Depart Seattle Jan 27 7:45am ARR Vancouver, BC Jan 27 11:40am

Wander the streets of Vancouver for a few hours.

Depart Vancouver Jan 27 17:30pm ARR Winnipeg, MB Jan 29 11:20am

Wander the streets of Winnipeg for 8 hours

Depart Winnipeg Jan 29 20:45pm ARR Churchill, MB Jan 31 8:30am

Stay overnight, or two in Churchill, MB

Depart Churchill Feb 2 20:30pm ARR Winnipeg, MB Feb 4 8:05am

A dead day in Winnipeg....not sure what to do here. Maybe try to reschedule something.

Depart Winnipeg Feb 5 12:25pm ARR Toronto Feb 6 20:00pm
Depart Toronto Feb 7 8:30am ARR Niagara Falls Feb 7 10:21am

Stay with a friend in Niagara Falls for a few days.

Depart Niagara Falls Feb 13 6:45am ARR Toronto Feb 13 8:34am
Depart Toronto Feb 13 9:30am ARR Montreal Feb 13 14:26pm
Depart Montreal Feb 13 16:00pm ARR Quebec City Feb 13 18:50pm

Winter Carnival! Bonhomme Carnivale!

DEPART QUEBEC Feb 15 21:00pm ARR Halifax NS Feb 16 16:20pm

Information Please

2006-01-11T08:59:00.000-06:00

*I had this blog all typed out and then it got eaten. First time that's happened with this program. I've decided to type up the blogs in notebook first before copying and pasting them into the blog itself. This will make it easier to sort out chronologically later.*

So, I phoned AMTRAK info to clear up a few questions I had about the North America Rail Pass. The main one was about the restriction of 'max of 4 one-way trips'. The operator, Kim, assured me this was mainly to discourage people from using it for commuting between cities. I should have no problem with this one.

The second question was whether I could use my AAA discount. She told me the price would be $488.70 after the discount. So, this is a savings of almost $60 that I wasn't expecting. Normal off-season price would be $543. We didn't discuss taxes, so I'm not sure what the total would be.

As far as reservations were concerned she advised me 'the sooner the better' and related stories of people not getting space on the train they wanted. With most trains running daily, that was not a big concern. But the train from San Antonio to LA only runs three days a week, and some in Canada too. I'll have to plan accordingly. One other note on reservations is that I have to reserve at least one trip in Canada (and one leg in USA) before the pass will be 'issued'. I'll have to figure out approx when I plan to hit Canada, and I guess I could always change reservation times/dates when I figured out more.

She also cleared up a question about checked baggage. It seems not all stations/stops HAVE checked baggage facilities. Austin to San Antonio being one of them. That kinda sucks, but maybe I'll have to leave from SA instead of Austin. One other thing it says is no plastic containers for checked baggage. Well, I was planning to bring at least ONE 5-gallon
rubbermaid. I've done so while travelling by plane before. That's gonna put a spanner in the works on that plan. I've been packing my 'must take with me' stuff in a rubbermaid. Along with 'ship later', and 'would be nice to keep but won't sweat loosing it' in other rubbermaids.

If I catch the train in San Antonio, it might work out better. It will also allow me some time to spend with my son before heading out. I still have to work out the details on that but heck, I still have a lot of details to work out before I leave anyways.

I plan to carry-on my two cameras and lenses, a laptop, and a very small bag consisting of shaving kit, change of underwear, and some snacks. With each leg lasting less than 48 hours I should be able to freshen up in the bathrooms, and refreshen at each stop I make. For checked baggage I have a big ol' hockey bag, where I can keep socks and underwear in one
compartment, shirts and pants in the main compartment, and winter stuff in another end compartment. Since I hope to do a leg up to Churchill, Manitoba, which is on the edge of Hudson Bay, in the coldest part of the winter, after spending 5 yrs not owning a snowshovel.....those will come in handy. I MIGHT be able to carry another checked bag, but it'll get a little hard juggling those thru train stations and such. I'm hoping train stations still have those pay-per-use lockers so I can stuff gear and do little walking tours with my cameras between waiting for trains, or waiting for friends to come pick me up
or such. I'm not sure, since 9/11 if they still have those.

BTW, just for future reference, the number listed on the AMTRAK site for info is correct, but the North America Rail Pass has a number set up specifically for it: 1-800-722-6137.

The Beginning

2006-01-08T09:51:00.000-06:00

"What we call the beginning is often the end. And to make an end is to make a beginning. The end is where we start from." - Ts Eliot

And so it is from the ending of one phase of my life that I find the beginning to another adventure. For this phase, I've decided that the beginning should be as far removed from the ending as possible. So, I've decided to take a trip. A 30-day trip in fact. On a train -- or even numerous trains.

It's about 7 days from when I need to vacate the premises I'm in now. I'll be spending most of that time cleaning, organizing, organizing again, packing, repacking, until I get just what I need in the proper porportions, in the proper containers.

I still haven't bought the ticket yet -- a 30 day rail pass from Amtrak. Off-season price is $534. About the same price as if I flew straight home. The differences of course is that I could fly straight home and have no job/living quarters, or I could spend 30 days travelling North America, visit some friends, and arrive in Halifax with no job/living quarters.

I'm 90% sure I'm going. I have to make a decision by Tuesday, for reasons I won't disclose here. But last night I had a weird dream, of which I half remember. And if I interpret that dream correctly, my subconcious was telling me that the last thing I should be doing with a new beginning is depending on someone else. With what I've been through, it's important for me to find new independence, no matter the hardship. I'm reminded of the fork in the road...one fork is smooth and level, the other is rocky and uphill. I'll choose rocky and uphill for this new beginning; the smooth and level we'll work out later.

"Every man dies, not every man really lives." - William Wallace

I'm not a train buff. Maybe I will be by the end of the journey. I don't know if I'll bother to notice the engine #'s, or other details that I would find meaningless. This is about the message, not the medium. But maybe the medium IS the message -- to paraphrase a great Canadian.

If you want details, I suggest you visit this website: http://www.trainweb.com They have compiled a ton of train-related information. And reading the travel logs of people who have logged thousands upon thousands of miles over rails has been very helpful in preparing me for the trip. I want to personally thank Steve Grande who took the time to answer this noob's questions and get his advice and opinions on travel by Amtrak/Via Rail Canada.

I've chosen www.blogger.com to host my website because of how I can simply auto-resize photos and publish them with one click. I plan to take lots of photos, and my internet connection will be limited, most times, to dialup speeds. Ok for sending text, but I don't want to have to sit there and resize numerous photos to push across a dialup speed when I have a program that will do it automatically, AND make the blog entry.

I'll have my laptop, wifi-enabled, but probably with little wifi-access. Luckily I also have a T-mobile cellphone modem installed. THAT's the dialup speed I previously mentioned. I SHOULD be able to get a signal almost anywhere you can get a cellphone signal.

The problem with a 'blog'...and this goes for any online blog/journal, is that it's shows last post first. So, in order to read fluidly, you have to find the last place you left off and read from earliest to the latest. This can be a little frustrating if you've missed a couple of days. If you're really interested in keeping tabs on this journal, you can use it's RSS feed which I'll explain later. If you program the RSS link into something like your personalized Google homepage you'll be able to see updated posts anytime you open that homepage. I'll post a tutorial on how to setup your own Google personalized homepage for those with a Google account. There are many other ways to see RSS, including your Yahoo 360 page, and many aggregate RSS reading programs.

So, that's it for the beginning. And I haven't even bought the tickets.

"It's a dangerous business, Frodo, going out your front door. You step into the Road, and if you don't keep your feet, there is no knowing where you might be swept off to."
- Bilbo Baggins