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Wednesday night I stepped onto Train 6, the California Zephyr as I rode out to Iowa from Denver. I think I might end up on a train again. For what I needed the train was the perfect mode of transportation. The train left denver about 4.5 hours LATE, which I didn’t mind too much as I enjoyed and used the extra hours I had between getting off the plane from my mexico adventure and stepping on a train.

The seats looked comfortable. Big seats, folding out leg rest. They were VERY comfortable for computing, but as I started fading to sleep, I had to find some creativity to find some configuration of my body that would allow sleep. I decided the hoodie was a major ingredient of sleep; you pull the hood over your eyes, the warmth helped fight the cold cabin, and the padding muted the sound. Second ingredient was nice headphones that covered your ears, I wore my headphones as they really muted the sound, even with nothing playing. I was amazed at the comfort.

One thing you’ll never experience outside of a train is the social dynamics. Most people are VERY social, which I enjoyed. The Train is very flexible as you could join that new friend, once stranger, to breakfast or lunch at the dinning car, you can head up to the observatory car and play cars at a booth, or find a few empty seats to hang out. Or if you do any of the things I just listed by yourself, you are sure to bump into someone by themselves willing to chat.

I passed the time by taking a nap to make up for the hours in the morning you speed conscious. I had a great, affordable, and socially pleasing breakfast in the dinning car. Had a coke and read in the observation car. Played/worked on the computer at my seat. Watched the scenery pass with the headphones on. Learned about a few different people’s lives and why they were riding the train.

I was picked up in Mount Pleasant to help my father and grandpa move great aunt’s things to Colorado as she passed away about a month ago.

Bellow is some of the people I meet.

Who’s on the train
Debbie - Drove with her son out to Boulder where is he is starting a chef job on pearl street. She’s on her way home, does physical therapy type work. I meet her as we were getting train assignments.

Blue Vest Breakfast Man - Living in a 5th wheel trailer just outside of Golden, CO. Between houses, trying to sell a house in Chute, and move into denver. It costs around $520 a month for living out of a

Ms. Gleenwood Springs - On her way out to go to a aunts funeral and visiting her sick grandma.

Mr + Mrs Freeman - Mrs idea was to try something different and ride the train, as she doesn’t enjoy flying, and doesn’t drive. Mr Freeman has worked for the railroad for over 20 years but has never been on it before. They are going to Texas for a family reunion. After 6 hours on the ride, Mrs said she’d NEVER do it again. They are riding from Co to IL, to catch that train to texas. At least 2 nights on the train (each way.)

Grandma and Grandpa Amash - They are on their way back home from visiting their son who lives in Denver. Going to Princeton.

Mexico was a great trip. I went with 11 others from Englewood bible church to go to Piedras Negras. When we left we thought we would mostly work at an orfanage. When we got there plans for that fell through. All the groups flew into San Antonio to then get bussed to Mexico. Groups were from Long Island, northern NY, Kentucky, and um, a few other places.

One nice/interesting spin on the trip was the groups were all church group, but of all different Christian denominations.

The day was usually get up early, have breakfast prepared by some lady’s (I think members of the church that owned the compound we stayed in.) Followed by some quiet time, then get bused to the work site. There were 3 sites; the first was mixing concreate close to the compound, the second was some miing concreate, and painting and such. I only worked on the last site, that I have not explained yet. I do know one of the two sites was for a new drug rehab center, while the other one was a church.

The third work site is where I worked. It was two large cinder block buildings. We worked on both of them. One was getting converted to a church, while the other building was a family who was going to ‘host’ the church. We painted and dry-walled the house. Took out a wall out of the church, painted it inside, and started on the outside.

The drywall reminds me of one of the more entertaining days of working. I worked with a man from the church, and the bus driver on drywalling, just the 3 of us. A few times we got inter-culture and inter-langauge laugh out of the fact that while we were working on the celling Tino was up on a ladder, Freddy was on a chair, and I was simply holding my hands up.

Painting was also a good time as I worked with Nick and Chad (the Englewood church youth pastor). The 3 of us entertained, or perhaps disgusted, the ladies with our voices hosting our half memorized and not-so-corrent-key lyrics.

We’d get back early in the afternoon have lunch then simply hang out. Quite a few hacky-sack ‘hacks’ took place then.
The break gave way to dinner.

The food was great, but I wasn’t ready for real mexican food EVERY meal. I was joking about the utility use of beans with the leader from Long island. (Put it in a burrito for dinner, put it on a plate with hot dogs chopped up in them for lunch, put them in a burrito for breakfast.) I enjoyed the food and the ability for seconds/thirds…

After dinner the group broke into 3 groups and hosted a Vacation Bible School-like event in a couple neighborhood around the compound. It was great to work with the kids, and make a idiot of yourself as you mumble the lyrics of some spanish song.

Back at the compound a leader would give a message, and we’d have worship time.

Finally sleep. Which I REALLY was ready most of the time, but about 30 minutes of being on your bed you realize sleeping in a 95 deg F room sucks. Every two hours you wake up, making sure no blanket has found it’s way on top of you, and that no fan has been stolen from your side of the room, and make sure your not drowning in the wading pool of sweat your body created. Yum.

One of the things that made this trip awesome was the people. It was nice to spend time with Nick and Steve. I really connected with the 27 year old project leader on the bus ride to Mexico. I really enjoyed spending time with Chad (pastor from Englewood Bible Church.) Those were the leaders, and we got them to be as crazy as we were.

On the way back to Colorado, the price of flying back on Saturday made us reconsider and change our plan to fly back tuesday. This worked out great as our group of 12 simply hung out in San Antino for a few days. One major event we did was floated down a river at about 4 miles an hour. The amazing part was how there were THOUSANDS of others doing it the same, making it a rather social and very entertaining outing.

I’m sure you’ll all hear some other stories, some with great humor, in the while to come.

Home from Mexico. The trip was awesome. My day in town was good.

I boarded the train last night, and am on it now, about 6 hours left. Sleeping wasn’t the easiest, but so far so good! We are stopped in Nebraska for a few moments.

Saturday morning (the 15th), 5 AM I leave L-town to head to the airport, fly into TX, ride bus into Piedras Negras for a mission trip. I will get back 9:30PM Monday the 25th. Should be a good trip, it’s with Englewood Bible Church. Both Nick and Steve are going; I think there are 12 of us total. Sounds like a good size group.

¡Hasta luego!