whoo whoo

I love trains.  I even love riding commuter trains.

I love hearing trains.  And when I see a train I always point it out.  The kids don't care though.  What do they know...

The photo is one I found of the Ski Train that goes from Denver up to Winter Park.  I would love to ride it, but I checked the prices -- maybe not.

Twice I have ridden on Amtrak between KC and Colorado.  It is an overnight trip, but both times it left late, so part of the ride was daylight in the morning. 

 The first time I had my kids with me and they were 2 and 5.  We got a sleeper.  Ok, I'd seen a lot of old movies with sleeper cars in them and I really had a set expectation as to what this room was going to be like.  Well, "room" is a vast overstatement.  There was no room at all.  There were the bunks, barely a space to stand, and then the door.  When the conductor, or whatever he was, closed me in there I felt a sudden rush of near panic and I don't even have claustrophobia.  I just felt very disoriented.  So, I put the kids foot to foot on the lower and I took the upper.

I was surprised to discover that trains are two stories tall.  I felt very uncomfortable with that fact.  It seemed entirely to tall and narrow for physics to function in a safe manner.  You see, I was in a pretty fearful phase in my life at that time.  So, lying on the top bunk, rolling around as the train swayed, (it swayed a lot) and made loud noises that sounded just like derailment, was a not so relaxing experience.  I might have slept a bit, but I awoke each time I felt the train derailing, or tipping over sideways, as it was bound to do eventually.

We woke up and went to breakfast in the dining car and then it started getting more enjoyable.  First I had to run to the bathroom quick before the kids woke up because there wasn't room for them in there with me and I wasn't going to let them hang out in the hall.  Never saw such a tiny place in my life.  

The beds were gone when we got back from breakfast and there were a couple of seats instead.  We looked out the window at the passing Kansas scenery, (whatever) and made it safely to our destination.

It was quite the experience, apparently, since both of the kids remember it, but they don't remember flying, which they did more recently.  They don't remember it fondly.  But I do.  I love trains.

I rode it the second time alone and slept in the seat surrounded by snoring strangers.  But I think I slept better than I did on that top bunk.