Trains

I really love traveling on trains. I took the train from Granby to Denver and saw more beautiful mountainous landscape.

I stayed at a lovely airbnb described as "cute" and "cozy" which it certainly was! This was the first morning after I had already mussed it up.

Sadly, that morning, I learned that my friend Bob Shantz had died. I'm so far from home and unable to attend his funeral or grieve with his friends. Bob was a singer and choral conductor. He was kind and had a wonderful sense of humour. I thought about how I can honour him from afar. This is one of my favourite hymns, and I think it might have been one of his, because it expresses deep love through singing. Maybe it will be sung at his funeral, but if not, I will have sung it from here with love for him.

My life flows on in endless song;
Above earth's lamentations,
I hear the real, tho' far-off hymn
That hails a new creation;
Through all the tumult and the strife
I hear its music ringing;
It sounds an echo in my soul—
How can I keep from singing?

Although the tempest loudly roars,
I hear the truth, it liveth.
Bot though the darkness 'round me close,
Songs in the night it giveth.
No storm can shake my inmost calm
While to that rock I'm clinging;
Since love is lord of heaven and earth,
How can I keep from singing?

While in Denver, I attended a play called "Indecent" at the Denver Centre for Performing Arts. It was in the round, and very cleverly staged, with the musicians incorporated as fellow actors. I loved it. A play about a play.

It " tells the emotional true story of Sholem Asch’s groundbreaking 1906 play God of Vengeance and the passionate artists who risked everything to share it. Many European productions of the provocative Yiddish story were highly successful in the early 1900s – even with a same-sex romance at its center. But when its Broadway debut was deemed “indecent” in 1923, it begged the question of who gets to decide what is considered art and what deserves to be censored. Follow the explosive tale through scandals, war and rewrites as a defiant, dedicated few refused to let it be silenced. Indecent evokes the Jewish experience through traditional songs and dancing, this stirring production will leave you with a deeper appreciation for the art and experiences we often take for granted."

I also met up with Lynne (with an e), who is a friend from the Forest Therapy Guide course. While I waited for her to arrive at the Starbucks meeting place, I took this picture for Donna:

We had a lovely lunch together and she dropped me off at the light rail transit (another train).

I don't know how many of you know that I really love labyrinths. I went to the international labyrinth locator and discovered a private one in Denver. I wrote to Terry, who says it is not "his" labyrinth, but rather that he is the caretaker of it. He works on it constantly and there are many messages and beautiful stones along the way. I met Terry when I went to his house to walk "his" labyrinth. It, and he, were lovely. I was thinking of Bob while I walked.

I also got my doctor's note for the upcoming trip on a ship at a clinic called Clinica Colorado where everyone was very helpful and friendly. It is weird to enter a "business" for medical care. This particular clinic is non-profit with lots of help for those who can't afford family care, which I think is great. Unfortunately, I can afford it!

Then I hopped on another train. Denver to Williams, Arizona.

I enjoyed this stop at Raton, New Mexico because of the adobe-ness of the train station. It really was that sunny, such dry, beautiful weather. A woman at the station told me she loved my dress. She said I could dress up or dress down! I thought this was funny because it is my only dress period! 

I had the conversation I've been careful to avoid while in this neck of the woods, because the woman beside me was from Vermont and therefore a Bernie fan. I have so far avoided the 'you know' topic while in the United States (rhymes with dump or chump). She reminded me that there are many Americans who are embarrassed and worried about the buffoon in their White House. 

I was in love with the desert-y hills and mountains, and loved to see cacti growing in their natural environments.

From Williams, I took the Grand Canyon Railway (tourist) train to the Grand Canyon! The tourist part was very fun. It started with a play at 9am where the outlaws entertained the audience, with their hilarious antics about getting breakfast. I got in the Pullman car which was built in 1921, so I got to have actual fresh air coming in the open windows. The trip there was about 2 1/2 hours, and then I boarded a bus that went into the park, stopping at two locations for half an hour each to look at the views. I'm sorry, I took some photographs, but they just can't capture the majestic and awesome sight of the Grand Canyon. This was one of those "bucket list" places, and I had grossly underestimated its glorious beauty.

On the way back to Williams, the train was stopped by the outlaws who stole our money. When the marshal arrived, he assured us that if we left a $100 deposit at the sheriff's office, we could get our money back once he caught the outlaws. Here is the stopped train with thief on horseback outside:

I didn't need the tourist stuff, the Canyon was enough for me, but it was fun. One of the entertainers came in to sing with a Johnny Cash song. My recording wasn't good because of the noisiness on the train, so here's the original:

I'm going back to Flagstaff this evening. I hope to use up all my camp fuel, making some dinner or lunch tomorrow. The fuel can has to be clean and aired out so that I can fly with it. I hope to visit the Flagstaff Community Labyrinth and do a bit of hiking as well. 

I will catch another train on Monday to the Las Vegas airport from where I will fly to Peru. My train riding days will soon be over (at least for a while). It is such a comfortable way to travel, with lots of leg room and big picture windows to enjoy seeing all the scenery and places you pass through. I really love traveling by train. Via Rail in Canada and Amtrak, USA have supplied me with a great many pleasures this summer. I am reminded how grateful I am for this adventurous year.

I am writing at a table while waiting for the shuttle in a hotel lobby. A little girl approached me and asked, "What are you doing here when it's not nap time?" I told her I was writing to my friends and showed her how I was adding pictures. She then said, "Oh that's nice. But I have to go, my mom gets mad when I talk to people I don't know." I told her that she could tell her mom that I'm not dangerous. She went around the wall and I heard her say to her mom, "That girl's typing. She's not dangerous. She's actually really nice." Whew! Glad I dodged that bullet. I have been thinking about how there's always a little fear when in the States because of guns, but I have met a great many kind Americans, like the young man named Daniel who helped me get bus fare while in Denver or the bus driver in Portland that showed me how to get around by light rail. This morning, I went to a restaurant called Jessica's Family Restaurant for a hearty breakfast and got talking to the couple in the booth beside me, from Louisiana. They left before I did. When I went to pay my bill, the server told me that they had bought my breakfast! It was very sweet and I don't even know their names. Again, I am so grateful for the experiences I am having this year. 

So long for now, I'll talk to you in Peru! 

P.S. Teacher friends: Did you know that you get a discount with Via Rail through Edvantage? (always the ETFO rep....)xo