Rail Retreat, Chapter 2 -- Morning

We mercifully slept across Kansas, and though I took advantage of several unintentional opportunities to notice the moon, in-between views I rested comfortably well. The smell of brewing coffee signaled morning, and I began to absorb the prospects of the day. Stirring, I gathered my supplies and headed downstairs. The shower I had dreaded proved to be simpler than my expectations. It had its limitations, but after managing in Nicaragua last spring with a barrel of water and a bowl to pour over my head in the company of chickens around my feet, with only a fluttering plastic tarp for privacy, Amtrak offered elegant luxury.

I shared a breakfast table in the dining car with George and Ann from Connecticut, on their way to Flagstaff to visit relatives. A vacation, of sort, it is their first time to ride the train. Since Ann refuses to fly, she is hoping it all goes well so that George might agree to future trips. The 5-hour delay between New York and Chicago that forced an unintended overnight between trains offered a bumpy start, but since Chicago the Southwest Chief has been running precisely on time. Now into the Mountain Time zone, our first opportunity for fresh air and a stretch came shortly after 8 a.m. during a 30-minute stop in La Junta, CO. The chilly exercise gave me a chance to inventory my rolling community in the daylight – 10 cars consisting of two engines, one baggage car, one dormitory car, two sleeper cars, one dining car, an observation car and two coach cars.

Now rolling again toward the southwest, the snow-covered plains pass outside my window, only occasionally interrupted by bluffs and gorges and buttes. And it is time to pay broader and deeper attention.