31 Days of Flashbacks: Train Trip West: Day #6

Click these links to read about Day #1, Day #2, Day #3, Day #4, and Day #5.

Tuesday, August 9, 2011
In which we ride through Utah and Nevada, eat in the dining car, arrive in California, and sleep on park benches in San Franscico.

When I woke up at 6:30am local we were in Provo, Utah. We had more bagels w/ cream cheese for breakfast as we continued our ride through Utah and Nevada. We got to see the Great Salt Lake and more beautiful vistas.

Playing games in the observation car

More scenic views.

We had canned chili and chips for dinner - it was nice to have a kind of normal meal for dinner.

Supper of canned chili and chips in the observation car.

 Our train was 7-8 hours behind schedule so Amtrak provided a free meal for us: chicken fricasse on rice w/ a biscuit. It was pretty good and it was nice to have a warm meal. We REALLY would have appreciated it if we hadn't had food for dinner but, as it was, it was a huge blessing to experience the dining car for free :)

 We finally arrived at Emeryville  Station (San Francisco) at about 11:30pm (we were supposed to be there at 4:10 in the afternoon.) We checked in some of our luggage for our train ride south in the morning and were told that as soon as he was done the agent was going to lock the station and it was not going to open again in the morning until 4:30am. He also told us that all local hotels were booked so he recommended that we head over to Denny's just a couple blocks away since they are open 24 hours. We decided not to take his suggestion and went outside and set the kids up on benches wrapped in blankets on the tracks side of the building. I then saw another set of benches protected more with a wall and a flower bed and a luggage lift and we moved the kids over there and set them up to sleep. It was pretty chilly (upper 60s, I think), especially after the recent 100 degree days in NY and Iowa. None of the adults really slept much. We wandered around and then sat, I crocheted a bit and wore a hat I crocheted to keep my head warm and then gave Steph what was left of the blanket that I was undoing to use as a scarf.

Lydia wrapped up for the night

Grandma helping the kids wrap up

swaddled children on benches - we really could have used more blankets!

Steph cuddled with Caleb (at least the blanket color is right)

keeping my head warm with the hat I crocheted quickly

Grandpa snuggling with Hannah (I'm assuming because the blanket is blue)

Sleeping bundles

The pretty station

As a girl that grew up in rural New York I was a bit nervous letting my kids sleep there but we all figured, after this night, we could add to our claims to fame: "I slept on a park bench in San Fransisco." Should we make a bumper sticker?

31 Days of Flashbacks: Train Trip West: Day #5

Click these links to read about Day #1, Day #2, Day #3, and Day #4. 

Monday, August 8, 2011
In which we finallly get on a train and travel through prairie and mountains.
At 2:21am our train finally arrived in Creston, IA (we were supposed to board @ 8:41pm). So we quickly woke up the kids and helped them put on their backpacks and carry all of our luggage onto the train. We were spread out all over the train, trying not to disturb people too much in the middle of the night, as we found seats, got settled in and went back to sleep. (This time, thankfully, I was seated next to a young boy with a handheld gaming device that he was still playing at 2:21am, not a creepy man.)
After catching some sleep we had bagels w/ cream cheese for breakfast then set about enjoying our train ride.

Hannah was a quick learner of the game of cribbage and beat Grandpa on her first try.

Fun cousin time on the train playing with stuffed animals.

We got to ride through some beautiful sights!
We crossed prairies.

Saw a crop duster plane

Mountains came into view.

We rode through beautiful canyons with tons of tunnels and the 6.2 mile Moffat Tunnel.

The first tunnel

Approaching another tunnel

 We spent a lot of time looking out the windows at the beautiful scenery!

Snow capped mountains in August :)

On this day we got to travel through some of the prettiest country I've seen. If you can't take a train trip across the whole country I would highly recommend getting on in Denver and heading west. The views are simply breath-taking! These photos just don't do the views justice!! We even missed seeing some of the more scenic views because the train was behind schedule and we ended up traveling through them at night. (I'm excited to visit some of these scenic vistas again on our interview road trip, and possibly move nearer to them.)

31 Days of Flashbacks: Train Trip West: Day #4

The Nester has encouraged a bunch of bloggers to blog every day on one topic for the month of October. I just learned about it on Friday so I didn't have a lot of time to think of a topic.  I have been wanting to post about some fun things that we have done that I have never taken the chance to blog about. Therefore, I have decided to use October to be 31 Days of Flashbacks. I hope that you enjoy reading about our adventures.

I'll be starting off this month of flashbacks blogging about the train trip west that the kids and I took back in August of 2011 with Glenn's parents. I'm doing this partly for me and partly for my dear mother-in-love who was so excited that I was blogging about our trip before I quit after Day #3. I dedicate the first half of October to you - Debbie Maas - I love you! ;)

Click these links to read about Day #1, Day #2, and Day #3. Without further ado... Day #4! 

Sunday, August 7, 2011
In which we say good-bye to Fine relatives, visit a museum, see a blown up tree, and wait for a train.

We got up, packed up our stuff, and had a continental breakfast at the hotel. Then we headed over to the FFA building for brunch. We had a chance to hang out with our Fine Reunion relatives for a while and heard more stories. Then many of the other people left and we helped Norma clean up before saying good bye to Grandma & Grandpa Reynolds and Aunt Billie.

A quick picture with Grandma & Grandpa Reynolds and Aunt Billie before they headed back to Wyoming.

 By the time we were done it was almost 1 which is the time that the Nodaway Museum in the buildings right next door opened.

Abigail and Brody ringing the bells while waiting for the museum to open.

Since we had a few hours to kill before our train we decided to go and check it out. It was a really neat museum with historical stuff from local areas as well  as displays from various periods of history. At 2pm they had a special event about the 1918 Influenza outbreak. We went to that as well and all learned quite a bit and the kids learned a little ditty "There once was a bird, it's name was Enza, we opened up the window and in flew Enza." (We were sure the kids would drive all their fellow train mates crazy with that one!) My camera battery died so I didn't get many pictures inside.

We got to help wind the old clock.

Vintage medical equipment (picture taken for daddy who was home tending to patients at a hospital with more updated medical equipment)

After the presentation we had one of the museum volunteers take us to the outbuildings. Various buildings had been saved from local towns that had died and were moved there to be part of a little town. Most of the buildings were not finished being set up inside yet but there was a jail, a blacksmith shop, a barber/ dentist, a doctor's office, a train station, a general store and a school (where 4H started). It was fun to look around.

checking out the old jail cell (they're going to build a jail around it, I think.)

General Store

Need any gas?

Gramps explaining some tools

 Our cute students in the one room school house.

Uh oh. Someone got in trouble.

We left at about 4 when the museum closed and drove the hour back to Creston, IA. We stopped at a WalMart for Steph to buy Brody and herself water bottles and for us to buy a little bit of food for the trip. We then headed to a park we had been told about to have a picnic before going to the train station. Our train had originally been scheduled to leave at 8:41pm and we had heard from "Julie" that it was going to be late. (FYI Amtrak travelers - JULIE - the automated "tell you if your train is on time" person - LIES!!!)

Merry-go-rounds are fun places to get dirty before countless more hours on a train :)

Performing on a random park stage

While at the park we got to see a huge tree that had blown up in a storm the night before. People from all over the area had driven over to check out this sight near where we were picnicking so we needed to check it out too :)

Randomly blown up tree.

 After our picnic and playing at the park we decided to head to the train station to drop off the 12 passenger van we had rented and wait for our 8:41pm train. And wait. Aaaaand wait. (Did I mention that Julie lies??)

We watched a movie on Steph's laptop, counted freight train cars that went by, regularly called Julie and confirmed that she does indeed lie - the train did not  come at any of the times that she said it was going to, and finally let the kids all fall asleep on various chairs and the floor in the station. As August 7th ended we were sleeping or resting or pacing at the train station (I'm glad it was a bit more than a bench on the side of the tracks!) awaiting our very late train.

Five Minute Friday: Grasp

It may be because I have been in 1 Peter 2:1-12 this week but the first picture that came to mind at the word grasp was a baby reaching out and grabbing a finger and grasping it. Holding it tight. Not letting go. I remember the wonder I had as a young child at a baby's ability to hold on tight when I would help out in the nursery at church. "Can you see this? She is so strong!! She won't let go!!"

What do I grasp for? So many things. Too often all the wrong things...comfort, ease, quiet, pleasure- me, me, me.

How I long to grasp for the things that God wants me to grasp... God's Word, His will, Christ-likeness. "As newborn babies desire the sincere milk of the Word so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation, if you have tasted the kindness of the Lord."

This morning while reflecting on how to apply the truths, commands, and promises of 1 Peter 2:1-12 I wrote: "I need to put aside my fleshly lusts that wage war inside of me (v11): malice, deceit, hypocrisy, envy, slander (v1). Lord, I can't do this on my own - I'm thankful that You are building me up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood (v5) through Your Word (v2). May I always hunger after it like a baby hungers after milk. May I wake up like a baby starving to be fed from Your Word! Thank You for choosing me as a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation (v9), thank You for making me a people, for giving me mercy (v10) but all of this isn't about me. It's about Your bigger purpose - so that I may proclaim Your excellency - You who have called me "out of darkness into His marvelous light" (v9)! As a result of being immersed in Your Word and allowing it to conform me You will overflow in me so that my behavior "among the Gentiles" will be so excellent that, even when they try to find a reason to slander me they will see my good deeds and glorify God in the day of visitation (v12). I love that quote in "point to ponder" - "True evangelism is the overflow of Him in me." Oh God, please overflow in me today!"

I want to grasp God like that baby in the nursery grasped my finger... and not let go so that others may know Him.

 Linking up with Gypsy Mama today for Five Minute Friday. Join me?