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Date: May. 12, 2007
Tags: None
We’ve all been on trains. First class, student class, in between the cars when we had no class at all. This was quite different. Both Princess and Holland America own train cars for their tours. So we boarded the specific Holland America cars (seven) and behind us were the Princess cars. On the way back there was another elegant car attached. You don’t leave your car. The seats were comfortable, we sat across each other and had a table to play on. We could see everything and a nice guide named Josh told us the history and natural wonders that we passed. We ate breakfast and lunch on the car, the dinning room was directly under us so we could still look out while we ate. The food was limited, but nice and I’ve never sat in a lovely rail car with white table cloths and silver and heavy plates (not china plates to be sure). The experience was very pleasant; it was a nice way to pass the time on the train.
We did see Mt. McKinley (now called Denali which was it’s name in the first place and the locals never stopped calling the mountain Denali because really, who is up here to stop them? But it’s all better now, we’re being very politically correct and referring to all landmarks by their original – and in the case of national parks in Hawaii, unprouncable - names), thrust up and white against a blue sky, a wisp of clouds shredded against the sharp edges of black showing through the white snow. It glows in the sunlight. We viewed it twice, once across a meadow, light green with spring growth and through bright green trees. It was magnificent and I’m glad, after Arenal that it wasn’t covered in clouds, which apparently is often the case.
We traveled through tiny towns, some only of two people with the husband acting as mayor, his blue house painted with “City Hall” viewed from the train. We passed the town that the Iditarod begins from and heard that story – an inspiring one to the determination and focus of men up here. (Okay, if you’ve rented Balto for the kids, that’s enough information and fairly accurate according to the locals).
We traveled over deep gorges and rivers.
I walked down to between the cars and felt the warm “real” air instead of the air conditioning of the rail car. Between the cars you can lean out at take pictures, but more importantly, I can lean out and feel the wind in my face and feel the weight of the air and smell the forest we are moving past. I can lean out and see the cars curve ahead of us around another bend in the track and look behind us at the Princess cars following the curves. Loved that, love being in the whole moment, not just protected by an observation car with piped in Muzak, the worst kind, the piano version of “Tomorrow” and “What I did for Love” (am I the only person annoyed by this?) No, I wanted to hear the sound of the train clicking over the tracks and look between the cars at the rails below. Then I came in and wanted the bar tender to wait on me and fetch me more water.
We saw an eagle nest, but no eagle and no moose.
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