Slow, but the food was good
Having spent a number of nights, pretzeled into a rail coach seat, I’ve found a new way to dream. Did I mention that the coaches were older than me, and cold? No matter. On YT, you can spy on tourists with money. In some instances, lots of it.
This evening, a short trip through the Rockies, on a deluxe train excursion. Believe me, based on the running commentary, it requires time AND money. I haven’t fact-checked the figures, but this is the American version of the Rockies (we have our own, in Canada). On Amtrak, the given price was $81, while the seats with the competition ran $1800. I guess the food is better.
As I watch these travelogues, I do dream (the better work is fantasize). I don’t have the means to pay those prices (low or high). Seeing high mountains through a window seems to be devoid of drama. And our own Rocky Mountain experience has shown me that rock piles remain rock piles. I say that, without prejudice. I am a coast kid. A flattish lander. Does anyone have to scale tall mountains any more? Is it just a nod to history, as you sit in that airliner?
Back to the train trip (virtual). Trains don’t run on time. Not when I was a kid. Not now. If a three hour trip takes nine, have you really gained anything besides bragging rights? “I once needed 32 hours to get from Halifax to Toronto”. So? I needed much longer, when I went on my trusty 10-speed. Don’t misunderstand me. Some day… Meanwhile, we no longer have trains (here) so dreaming is the alternative.
