We started the second phase of our Sabbatical journey early on Saturday, April 27. We had experienced high winds on Friday afternoon and we lost power at the house. When we tried to drive into town, a tree had fallen over Old Mountain Road and it was around 7:30 p.m. when we left the neighborhood. We enjoyed supper with Ella Rae who told us she “guessed” she would be able to make it for 13 days while we were gone.
We returned home to a darkened house and went to bed hoping the power would be on before we left around 6 a.m. Saturday morning. Sure enough, around midnight almost every light in the house came on and we could leave knowing the house was secure and all was well.
We didn’t have to worry about traffic on a Saturday morning and we pulled into the Park N’ Go at the Charlotte airport shortly after 7 a.m. Our luggage was unloaded and I handed the attendant my key as we boarded the shuttle for the terminal. We like parking here when we travel out of Charlotte.
Security was unusually tight, but we were at our gate an hour before boarding. People ask me why I’m always early. I get that from my grandmother. “You never know when you might have a flat tire,” she would say as we would arrive at the train station three hours before departure. She also said we should always have clean underwear on in case we were in an accident and had to go to the emergency room.
Our flight to Huntsville was early and after we claimed our luggage my brother, Jon, was pulling up in his big Ford pickup. The care of my mother has fallen all on Jon’s shoulders. Our brother, Robert, died nine years ago. Our sister, Nancy, has significant health issues. Mother is in a Nursing Home just a few miles from Jon’s house. Jon and his wife, Carol, take care of Mother, checking on her frequently, washing her clothes, and dealing with any issues that come up. Jon is the Power of Attorney and handles all the finances. I honestly don’t know what I would do without Jon and Carol. I feel guilty that I cannot visit Mother more often, but Jon insists that all is well. He says I am where I am supposed to be and so is he.
After dropping our luggage off at Jon’s house, Joyce and I drove to Valley View Nursing Home. I was encouraged when Jon told that the previous Sunday, Easter Sunday, Mother had a great day. She was alert, her voice was strong, and her mind seemed to be just fine. As we were walking down the hallway to her room, I saw that she was sitting in a wheelchair in the hallway. I smiled and walked up to her. “Hey Mother,” I said.
She did not respond. All she had was a blank stare. There have been times before that she never called my name, but I felt like she knew me. This was the first time that she did not know me.
But . . . she knew Joyce! I leaned over and pointed to Joyce asking, “Do you know who this is?”
“Joyce,” she whispered.
It was a bad day. Jon had said her voice had been strong on Easter, but today it was very weak and we could barely hear the few things she tried to say.
We sat with Mother, mainly in silence, for the rest of the morning until it was time to take her to lunch. We tried talking to her but she could not engage in conversation. When I left her in the dining room during our last visit she became upset with me, but this time she expressed no emotion.
When Joyce and I returned after our lunch, Mother was sitting in a commons area with the other patients. She saw me and smiled. That was the closest she was all day to any recognition. We sat together and then Mother told Joyce that there was something she had wanted to tell her, but had never had the chance. It was very hard for Joyce to hear her words, but she was telling about having to live with her grandmother when she was a child.
Mother became an orphan at age six and the children were divided between several relatives, none of whom wanted them. They were mistreated in many ways. Mother had a very difficult childhood.
At this stage in her life, suffering from Alzheimer’s, her mind is taking her back to those painful days. It tells you what a profound impact it had on her life.
Joyce suggested that I take Mother on a ride around the nursing home. It is a huge facility. We went to the back, in the Rehab section, and found a large window overlooking a big field. We sat for a while. I would comment on the beautiful blue sky, a passing bird, the wind that was blowing, and other simple things. However, none of it seemed to register with Mother. We went back to find Joyce. She had been entertained by a visiting preacher and some members of his flock who were singing to the residents. An assistant came and said she would put Mother to bed. We sat with her for a while and she soon drifted off to sleep. We decided it was best to slip out while she was sleeping.
I wonder if Mother even remembered us being there when she woke up. I doubt it. Alzheimer’s is a terrible disease.
We had a special treat when our nephew Drew, and his son, Lane, joined us for dinner. It was Lane’s 12th birthday and we were glad we could celebrate with him. Joyce and I love our grandchildren and they bring us much joy. I thought how sad it is that my brother, Robert, is not here to enjoy special events like his grandson’s 12th birthday.
But my brother, Jon, has become like a grandfather to Lane and all of Robert’s grandchildren. Robert would be proud of Jon. I know I am.
Jon and Carol’s son, Jake, is in Med School at UAB, so Jon told me that they were happy to give us a ride to Birmingham to catch the train. We left early—Jon also has inherited the “You never know when you’re going to have a flat tire” mentality from our grandmother—and had a wonderful lunch with Jake at a very unique seafood place in downtown Birmingham. Jon showed us the very small building that was nothing more than a seafood stand where the restaurant started. When Jon was working on the ambulances (He is now CEO of HEMSI), this was a favorite place for the EMTs to go after making a run to UAB Hospital.
Jake seems to be doing very well in Med School. He is an outstanding young man with a level head on his shoulders. He is disciplined and determined. I have no doubt that he will excel in Med School.
After saying good-bye to Jake, Jon and Carol gave us a quick tour of the massive UAB campus in downtown Birmingham before taking us to the new, modern Amtrak station. The train was running about 45 minutes late, which is not uncommon for the Crescent. They have combined the Amtrak station with the Greyhound Bus depot. Several cities have done this including New Orleans. There are big screens giving you the latest information on the trains and buses.
We checked our two big bags and waited until the announcement was made to proceed to the platform to await the arrival of Amtrak # 20, the northbound Crescent. Passengers in the sleeper cars boarded toward the back of the train and the coach passengers boarded at the front.
We reserved a bedroom which gives us more room than the smaller sleeping compartments. We have a private bath that doubles as a shower. There are very comfortable seats. Each sleeping car has an attendant who will prepare the room for sleeping at night. The lower bed is a little larger than a twin bed and there is an upper bunk that folds down. One of the nicest things about having a sleeper is that your meals in the dining car are included. The Crescent has a full-service dining car that prepares three meals a day. The meals are cooked on the train in a full kitchen. You are also seated with other passengers and we met some delightful people who ride on the train.
We opted for first seating at dinner and were seated with two sisters from Pennsylvania who had been visiting their mother in New Orleans. They spent a week with her. Her husband had recently died and she is all alone, except for her faithful dog. They had a very special visit with her and hated to say good-bye. We talked about traveling. They wanted to hear all about Italy and said while they had traveled there when they were in school, they wanted to go back.
The meals on Amtrak are very good. Joyce and I both had their signature Flank Steak which was delicious and cooked medium rare, exactly the way we like it. We started with a generous salad, warm bread, and had delicious strawberry cheesecake and a chocolate bunt cake with caramel for dessert.
Claude was our waiter and he had a great personality. He made announcements on the train that made you want to visit the dining car and especially enjoy the experience with your fellow passengers. While the meals are included, I tipped Claude and he said that I had blessed him and the others in the dining car.
We were getting close to Atlanta. I told Joyce that we would enjoy our arrival into Atlanta, then go to bed. However, shortly after returning to our bedroom the train stopped. A freight train in front of us had broken down. We sat still for the next three hours.
Our attendant turned down our beds and we prepared for a wonderful night sleeping on the rails. Joyce was concerned about me climbing up to the top bunk. I told her that I could step on the lower bed, grab the handrail, and pull myself up. I tried, and I know I could have done it 25 years ago, but this old Medicare Card Carrying Senior Citizen couldn’t quite make it.
“So, how are you going to get up there?” Joyce asked.
I went to plan B. I stood on the sink and then I could more easily pull myself up on the bed. I got down by holding the handrail and lowering myself down to the lower bed, but I did have to stand on the sink to get back up to the top. Once we were all in place we turned out the lights. We were still sitting on the tracks, outside of Atlanta.
Not long after we turned in, the train started moving and we
stopped in Atlanta close to midnight. I
often think of how comforting it is to sleep on the train, with the click-clack
of the rails and gentle swaying of the cars.
I will admit that it was rather rough night with the train changing
tracks frequently. I can sleep most
anywhere, but I woke up several times. There
was something that kept rocking back and forth in a small compartment, making a
noise every time the train moved side to side.
The next morning, I found out what it was. It was the ladder to the top bunk!
I woke up around 6 a.m. when the train came to a stop and looked out the window. We were in High Point. I saw the sun rise in Greensboro. We were rolling into Danville when we went to the dining car for breakfast. We both enjoyed an omelet with some delicious hot grits and Applewood bacon.
Claude seemed to have a knack for seating the right passengers together. I heard him say, “This is a lovely couple and you will have a wonderful time eating breakfast with them.”
That was when we met Dr. Durussia Jenkins. I don’t usually begin a conversation by telling people I am a minister. Depending on how the conversation goes, they may never know. But it didn’t take too long into our conversation before Dr. Jenkins said, “Wait a minute! Are you a preacher! I knew it! This is a setup!”
She had been on a book-signing tour for her newest book, “Before the Stone,” which tells the story of her mother’s amazing life and describes extraordinary encounters Dr. Jenkins has had with angels. She said her mother had several encounters with death, but had come back defying every logical and medical rationale. When I said something about her mother’s “near-death” experiences, she corrected me. “No,” she said. “Not, near death---she was dead every time.”
I shared a few “extraordinary” stories with Dr. Jenkins. We talked about the Holy Land. She promised to send me a link to her book, which she did.
We made our way back to our bedroom where our attendant had the room ready for daytime travel. We traveled through Lynchburg and Charlottesville. The rolling Virginia hills, beautiful farms, old houses and the many fields and streams that Thomas Jefferson knew so well made our journey go by quickly. We were soon crossing the Potomac, gliding by the Jefferson Memorial and going through the tunnel to Union Station in Washington, DC.
We claimed our bags and went to the taxi area where we found a taxi and made our way to the Marriott Marquis. We have stayed in this beautiful hotel before that is located beside the Washington Convention Center. We were upgraded to a larger room that overlooked Massachusetts Avenue and also given access to the Marriott lounge that provides a delicious breakfast. Since it was already 2 pm we decided to forgo lunch and have an early dinner at one of our favorite restaurants, the Old Ebbitt Grill located across the street from the White House. This historic old restaurant has been hosting famous politicians since the days of Theodore Roosevelt. The old bar, the gas lights, the stunning paintings, and even some of Roosevelt’s game trophies that hang over the bar make this a destination in itself.
And then there is the food. We had clam chowder which was maybe the best we have ever tasted. We have always loved Legal Seafood. Their clam chowder has been served at every Presidential Inaugural luncheon with Congress since 1981. We had Legal Sea Food Clam Chowder the next day for lunch. No comparison---Old Ebbitt Grill is the best. Add this to some of the best lump crab cakes we have tasted—and “Oh My!”
As we were getting ready to leave I told Joyce I wanted to try something. You might recall that I was banned from Uber last summer in New York City. (See my blog, “Oops, I’ve been Banned from Uber!)
So, I pulled up my Uber App and put in the Marriott Marquis as our destination. Within seconds I was told an Uber was on the way. Our driver’s name was Ena and by the time we stepped out the door she was pulling up. We knew what to do this time. I checked the license plate and Joyce said, “Are you Ena?”
We had a nice visit with Ena back to the Marriott where we watched Jeopardy and saw the newest celebrity, James Holzhauer win for the 18th time, although he had a close call—he almost lost!
After a good night’s rest and a delicious breakfast, we walked a few blocks to the Metro Station where we took the Yellow Train to L’Enfant Plaza. After briefly getting turned around (we exited at L’Enfant South—should have exited L’Enfant North) we found the Museum of the Bible. I especially wanted to visit this new museum that opened to rave reviews and naturally, some controversy. My first impression was very positive, a first-class facility, an impressive litany of rare artifacts, and a very professional, innovative, and appealing presentation of the material. You need a good 4 to 6 hours to really see this museum, and we did not have that much time so we hit the highlights.
We started with the history of the Bible that had a great section on the Dead Sea Scrolls. The section on the transmission of the text and different translations, beginning with Jerome, was very well done. There was a great presentation on the Gutenberg Bible as well as the many different English translations. We spent some time in a recreated first-century village that reminded us of the Nazareth Village in the Holy Land. It is my understanding that the same people who created Nazareth Village created this area for the Museum of the Bible.
The highlight of the visit was a 30-minute presentation on the Hebrew Bible. This was a walk-through experience with many special effects. It was very effective telling the story of man, beginning with creation, featuring Adam and Eve, Noah, Abraham, Jacob, Joseph, Ruth, David, and Ezra.
I found the approach of the Bible Museum to be very balanced and scholarly. There were many children and young people there which is encouraging. I would certainly add this to your “must see” list when you visit DC.
We took a taxi to Union Station and waited for our train, Amtrak # 29, the Capitol Limited. This was the first time I had been on a double-decker train. We had a bedroom again, but the bedrooms on the “SuperLiners” as they are called, are a little larger than the “Viewliners” on the Crescent. The exception is you don’t have as much headroom, which is not a problem until you climb into the top bunk. We did find the ladder this time. It did make climbing up to the top a little easier, although turning around once you got up there is somewhat of a challenge. It’s not as bad as the “coffin bunk” I slept in on the USS Eisenhower, but it’s not as roomy as the Crescent. I had no complaints and slept very well.
Our route took us into the Alleghany Mountains through West Virginia and Cumberland, Maryland. Riding the train as we ascended into the mountains was a great experience. The scenery was breathtaking as the sun descended and we crossed numerous streams and rivers. We followed a swift stream as we snaked into the mountains, far out of cellular range. It reminded me a lot of the North Carolina mountains.
After we went to bed we stopped in Pittsburg and Cleveland. When we woke up we were passing the large farms of northern Indiana. There had been a tremendous rain the day before and many fields were flooded. We pulled into fog bound Chicago, arriving at Union Station ten minutes early.
We got off the train and made our way to the Metropolitan Lounge which is reserved for first-class passengers. It is much more spacious and attractive than the first-class lounge in Washington, DC. They even offered cheeses and assorted vegetables around noon.
I had never been to Union Station in Chicago, so I spent a few minutes admiring the massive historic old terminal. I was looking around when I was stopped by a Chicago television news crew. They asked if I was an Amtrak passenger and would I mind answering a few questions. I was happy to oblige. Then they told me that earlier that morning several huge chunks of concrete had fallen on one of the train platforms. They wanted to know if I had any concerns about riding Amtrak.
I told them I had no concerns whatsoever. We love the train and will ride it every chance we get. Then we discussed how our train system compares to the European trains—very poorly, I will add.
I don’t know how it came out on the broadcast but it was an interesting conversation with the local news.
We boarded our next train, the historic California Zephyr and precisely at 2 pm we pulled out of the station, right on time, just like the Europeans! But—that would be the last time we were on time.
Not far out of Chicago the train stopped. The conductor made an announcement, something about detectives stopping the train. Or, at least that is what I thought I heard. I could imagine a bunch of detectives flashing their credentials, surrounded by uniformed officers, standing in the tracks, stopping the storied California Zephyr just south of Chicago. I thought I would soon see officers searching every bedroom, checking the credentials of each passenger because they had it on good authority that one of the FBI’s most wanted was trying to slip out of Chicago on the Zephyr. What would we do if the fugitive ran into our room, closed the door, aimed a gun at us and said, “If they come into this room, you ain’t seen nobody. Understand!”
I asked our attendant if he had ever had detectives stop a train before. “Detectives? It wasn’t detectives,” he said. “It was a detector. A detector was giving a false signal. They just had to check it out.”
Feeling rather embarrassed, I returned to our room and our train continued its journey. Seeing the US by rail is a unique and exciting experience. Unfortunately, long-distance Amtrak trains are frequently late, so don’t take the train if you are on a tight schedule. We were almost four hours late arriving in Salt Lake City, but it didn’t matter. We had just had an experience that will last a lifetime.
We traveled from east to west and along the way we saw the heart
of our great nation. We saw people’s
homes, lush pastures, beautiful mountains, factories, swing sets, swimming pools,
farmhouses, barns, perfectly manicured lawns and yards full of old cars and
junk, pastures, cows, horses, old depots, RVs, small town diners, school buses,
cemeteries, big city skyscrapers, windmills, wide open prairies, mountains, lakes,
ponds, streams, silos, freshly plowed fields, cars and trucks, tractors,
irrigation systems, children waving, people fishing, and impatient drivers
stopped at the crossing. Riding the
train across our nation is seeing a tapestry of our native land, almost
literally “from sea to shining sea.” We
were riding through “amber waves of grain and purple mountain majesties above
the fruited plain!”
The California Zephyr has a full-service dining car and we enjoyed a delicious meal with a delightful woman from Michigan who was traveling out west to see her daughter. During dinner we crossed the Mississippi River that was very high due to heavy rains. One of the reasons we were running late was because we had to go very slow due to the flooding. They were concerned the rains had compromised the track. We finally traveled through Illinois, now we were in Iowa on our westward journey.
We both slept very well as our train stopped in Omaha, Nebraska. When we woke up we were in the prairies of western Nebraska and then we crossed into Colorado. We were running about 2 and ½ hours late.
The train has a culture all of its own. It is like a family. All of the staff, from the sleeping car
attendants, to the dining room staff, and the conductors are nice, friendly,
helpful, and they make you feel right at home.
The train is non-smoking—thank goodness for that—but apparently one
passenger smoked in the bathroom and when it was reported an announcement was
made, “If you get caught smoking, the next stop will be your final stop!” Another passenger had too much to drink and
became unruly in the dinning car. The
next stop was his last stop! We heard
the next day that two passengers were taken off the train because they became unruly.
Thursday morning, we had a medical emergency on the train. A passenger had a seizure. An ambulance was waiting at the next station to provide the medical help he needed.
We finally arrived in Denver and for the first time we caught of glimpse of the snow-capped Rockies in the distance. It wouldn’t take long for us to find out why they call the Zephyr the most scenic train route in the United States.
We started our ascent not long out of Denver. As we gained elevation there were breathtaking views of Denver in the distance. The train was going very slow in its ascent, but before long we were in the snow. It was strange as we made our way through forests in the month of May that Evergreen trees were still covered with the winter’s snow. We ascended to an altitude of 9,239 feet above sea level. Then we entered the 6.2-mile historic Moffat Tunnel that was open to rail travel in 1928. The California Zephyr is the only passenger train that travels through the tunnel today. When we emerged from the tunnel on the western side, we had crossed the Continental Divide.
The train then winds its way through a gorgeous canyon following the Colorado River. The railroad is the only way to see this canyon unless you are brave enough to go white water rafting down the river.
After snaking our way through the red cliffs and the narrow gorge, we finally emerged to see more spectacular mountains in the distance. We came across a camp where a number of people were preparing to go on the river by boat. For some reason it has become a tradition that the boaters “moon” the train. Two or three were happy to oblige.
We stopped on a siding for a while and waited for the Eastbound Zephyr to pass us. We saw it coming out of a tunnel in the distance. A long-time chef on Amtrak was making his last run, and the crew of the Westbound Zephyr waved in appreciation as the train slowly passed.
We continued our journey until we had another unexpected delay due to the second medical emergency of the day. It seems a young lady who was pregnant overdosed on drugs and alcohol. We knew something was wrong when an announcement was made asking for any doctors or nurses to come and help. They were able to get her to regain consciousness, but she needed serious medical attention. We were a long way from the next stop, so we stopped at small siding and the conductor walked over to a small building and knocked on the door. We waited for about 45 minutes before an ambulance finally arrived and took her away.
Then another baffling problem occurred. One of the coach cars experienced an electrical fire and the entire train was without power. After about 15 minutes it was restored, but they had to move all of the passengers from that car into other cars. Finally, we were on the way.
We enjoyed dinner again on the train and went to bed. It would be a short night.
When we finally arrived at Salt Lake City at 2:25 a.m. Friday morning, we had traveled on three trains through fifteen states for a total of 3,186 miles. We claimed our luggage and looked for a taxi. There was only one taxi and at least ten people waiting for a cab. I tried Uber again and five minutes later Don pulled up in a Honda Accord. It was only ten minutes to our hotel. I had called and told them we would be very late. The nice young lady looked at my ID, handed me the room keys and 30 minutes after stepping off the train we walked into our hotel room. We had slept about 4 hours on the train and were able to sleep another 4 hours before awaking to a gorgeous, sunny day.
I took the hotel shuttle to the airport and got our rental car. Soon we were traveling up Interstate 15 where the speed limit is 80 mph. We saw some amazing scenery again as we drove through Idaho on our way to Jackson, Wyoming. I was confused whether this town was Jackson or Jackson Hole?
Our waitress at The Million Dollar Cowboy Bar, a must-see in Jackson, gave me the answer. She said she was also confused when she moved to town and thought she was living in Jackson Hole, even putting that as her official address. The Post Office finally told her that the town is officially Jackson, not Jackson Hole. Jackson Hole is an area that encompasses 3 or 4 small towns. But whatever you call it, it is definitely a popular tourist destination with snow skiing in the winter and white water rafting and National Park touring in the summer. We are here in their off-season, the crowds are small—thank goodness—but the prices remain the same—very high! A bottle of water in our room costs $6. We found a local grocery store.
We had traveled over 4,000 miles through seventeen states in seven days. Now we were ready for the highlights of this amazing journey—Grand Teton National Park and Yellowstone National Park! We would start touring first thing Saturday morning.
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