Ready to Hop Aboard

The checklist is complete, the bags are packed. We are taking a small suitcase; packed with 50% less clothes than we think we need, with wheels; a backpack, loaded with shoes, for lots of walking; and the computer bag, stuffed with a new computer we hope to learn how to use before the trip is over.

It felt funny to say to my biking buddies, ". . . goodbye and see you in September."

Bob is taking a nap storing up some energy for the trip. He likes the idea that he will not be the driver (backseat or otherwise) and I agree. He can snooze whenever, wherever he wants.

Orient Express vs Calbert Express

I watched Agatha Christie's Murder On the Orient Express starring the little Belgian detective Mr. Hercule Poirot. I imagined myself as a passenger and, possibly even a suspect, on that infamous train as it chugged through snowy Eastern Europe. Will Bob and I find a similar adventure on our train trip through the midwestern prairie?

I can bet Amtrak will not provide the following:
1.Luxurious sleeping quarters with candy on our pillows nor freshly cut flowers in a Waterford vase
2.Beef Wellington, souffle, or cherries jubilee on the menu
3.A personal steward who delivers breakfast on a silver tray
4.The need for formal wear to dress for dinner
5.A price tag that will necessarily break the bank (but, all things are relative)

Here are a few similarities I predict:
1.Historical significance - the train in the USA came after feet, horseback, and the covered wagon
2.I am sure there's a famous story set on an Amtrak Train (I just haven't found it)
3.Restrooms are down the hall - (no shower on the Orient Express!)
4.The opportunity to observe the passengers. Who are they? Why are they here? Where are they going, where have they been? Who done it?

There is nothing to stop Bob and I becoming a team of sleuths. After all, we have Mr. Poirot's 'little gray cells' to assist in any mayhem we stumble onto during our travels.

When and Where We Will Be

Here's a run down of when and where we will go on our trip:

7/25 Depart Salt Lake City to Grand Junction
7/28 Depart Grand Junction to Gramby,CO
7/31 Depart Gramby, CO to Chicago
8/6 Depart Chicago to Milwaukee
8/10 Depart Milwaukee to St.Paul
8/14 Depart St. Paul to Whitefish, MT
8/21 Depart Whitefish,MT to Everett, WA
8/25 Depart Everett,WA to Portland
8/28 Depart Portland to Klamath Falls, OR
8/29 Depart Klamath, OR to Sacramento
9/2 Depart Sacramento to Reno
9/6 Depart Reno Arrive Salt Lake City 9/7

Why 45 Days?

I asked Bob why he planned the train trip for 45 days. His reply, "Your cooking!"
He had read the last entry.

Actually, it all began when he found out that Amtrak offered a 45 day train pass with 18 stops. He arranged the entire trip and then decided to plan his own trip - he kept the 45 days in tact. Also, he wanted to go to Glacier in the summer, so he decided to take the big loop and not wait until the fall to get on board. Our only regret, so far, is to leave our friends and Star Valley during the summer - it is the best place on earth during June, July, and August.

No Cooking Just Tripping

After pigging out on Bob's homemade German chocolate birthday cake, I realized that in a few weeks I will be off kp duty for six weeks! This is not the first time I have been released from the dilemma of what to riddle up in the kitchen. In 2003 I flew the Bonanza to Florida, then drove 5,000 miles during the next five weeks throughout the southeast. We fulfilled one of our main objectives: eat a catfish dinner in every county we cruised through. Along with the catfish we couldn't get enough of the creamy grits and crispy hushpuppies. Our waistlines were proof we didn't miss meals and we didn't regret the time missed fixing our own meals.

In 2004 we spent five months in Alaska working in Denali Park. We were blessed with a one room cabin without cooking facilities. We dined in a cafeteria with very strict eating times. So, raiding the refrigerator during the midnight hours was not part of our routine. The chef's efforts received no complaints from us - in Bob's words, "ummmm, that's mooseturd pie - but it SURE IS GOOD!" It's all good when you don't have to be the cook, just sit and eat.

Again, we are eager to taste the specialities of the cities we'll be visiting. A part of our adventure will be seeking the best slice of Chicago pizza, the true Milwaukee bratwurst washed down with a brewsky, and maybe find some rhubarb in St. Paul. We will begin with good intentions having learned from past experience that we eat too much. But, we all know, need and want are two different life choices. Bob has planned down to the last detail, including notes on our itinerary to purchase veggie snack trays to satisfy our gluttoneous tendencies.

No matter, I'll relish the reprieve away from the kitchen and enjoy every bite.

25th Wedding Anniversary Celebration

What better way for Bob and I to celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary than to travel in search of adventures aboard Amtrak and in the twelve cities we will visit this summer.

For our 20th year of marriage we flew to Alaska (trip was in 2004 a year early, but who is counting). Working, flying and exploring throughout Alaska for five months has been a shining example of what our relationship means to each of us.

We are feeling the same sense of excitement as we plan and anticipate our train trip - not knowing what we will find, who we will meet, and how we will be surprised are gifts enough for our 25th year.

Throw Bobby From The Train

Bob vetoed Throw Bobby From the Train as the title for my blog. Maybe he would vote for Throw Brenda From the Train, soon. As we cruised across Nevada this afternoon, we felt the symptoms of 'get homeitis' spread through our bones. There is nothing like the wide, far away horizons of the West as thunderstorms roll ahead of us. Tomorrow we will be home after 7 1/2 months away. Bob calculated that fuel costs for the round trip is about $800 - about 2 months worth of heating our place in Wyoming. We met at least five freight trains chugging their way east or west today, and imagined sitting back and watching rvs, trucks, and cars race on the Interstate soon.