Well, I can't say we woke up well rested, but I can say that it wasn't too bad because we still had a whole day left to lounge around the train. If we felt like napping or dozing off, it wasn't a big deal. There was certainly no where else we had to be! This is what actually made this vacation the most relaxing vacation we have ever taken. I am usually in overdrive on vacation. I burn to see and do everything new and exciting that we may never get the chance to do or see again. Mike, on the other hand, just wants to lay in bed and watch T.V. However, there is a competetive edge to Mike that drives him to keep up with everyone around him and to be left out of nothing, so we always end up "working hard" on vacation to see and do everything. Case in point, playing at Disney World is a hard work vacation. Do you know how much there is to see and do there? Do you know how much planning and organizing it takes to see it all and do it all on a budget? I challenge anyone to name something we haven't done or seen at WDW. It has always been a bunch of fun, but not super relaxing. Since we are now over 40, we need to relax a bit. As my son always says I tend to overdo everything. Me to husband: You need a relaxing vacation? How about 42 hours in one seat? Surprise!
As our eyes popped open in the daylight, we were looking out the windows at land that was barren and flat. The terrain still looked "midwestern-y". I was itching to see something different. At this point, everyone was keenly aware that they hadn't had a good night's sleep or a shower. We weren't even halfway done riding the train to AZ yet. If the scenery didn't deliver, it could be long and painful. I started seeing some sod shanties that had most likely been built into hills or swells during pioneer days. I was excited by these because I had never seen one before. I have read a lot of children's literature with children that I have taught about people (for example, Laura Ingalls Wilder) living in sod houses. The kids and Mike were less enthusiastic. When I pointed one out, they all said they couldn't see it very well and didn't look very excited about straining their eyeballs to get a better look. This reminded me of an old family joke we have. When the kids were little and getting tired of riding in the car, I would say things like, "See that combine out the window?" Or "Look at that big truck!" Natalie, barely even old enough to talk, but feeling uncooperative, would reply, "Missed." without even a glance.
Most other structures on the horizon were remote and dilapidated. We haven't seen one house that is equal to size and quality of the homes back home since we got off the train in La Junta. We used the station restrooms and looked at some garage sale wares an old lady was selling on the platform. I bought a new book. I figured the poor women needed some cash. With this kind of scenery, I figured I was going to need all the books I could get my hand on. The kids climbed a big snow hill that was piled by the side of the station. It was a welcome stretch for them. Soon the train was blowing the whistle telling us to get back into our nests or find another ride.
The kids and I went to the viewing car for a bit, but the sun was directly in our eyes. This was probably why those were the only available seats in the viewing car. The scenery wasn't that great, so we went back to our coach seats for breakfast. We had baked potatoes and water. This would be about the last meal we would be able to draw from the bag as the time without refrigeration was leaving us with just boxed junk food and water. We were drinking a lot of our water supply. I wasn't sure if we would have enough, but we were feeling kind of dehydrated in the dry air. The train did have a water station in coach class, but we could see lots of people touching the spigot and putting their personal water bottles on the spigot. Because of this, I didn't even taste the quality of the water to see if it was acceptable. In January, I think it is a super good idea to avoid community watering holes. Although I feel very strongly about NOT drinking water out of plastic bottles because even if you recycle them, which we did, they are not easily recycled by recyling companies. I hope that sentence makes sense! I decided that bottled water would be the only way we could travel with water in our bags, even though this isn't a practice that I sanction!
None of us really felt that hungry. We basically skipped lunch and just ate some food left from last night and some snacks. I hope we don't get sick because I am sure the time without refrigeration has expired.
Up next.......
http://janelleyelton.blogspot.com/2012/02/second-day-of-trip-part-1-on-train.html
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