Posts from the Road…
May 12, 2001 – St Paul, MN, USA
Arrived in the Twin Cities this morning after nearly two days of travel from Vancouver. Took the bus down to Seattle and walked almost directly onto the train. The station in Seattle is in the area made famous by the recent earthquake. Just over a block away is the green-awninged brick building whose facade collapsed during the tremor. Not surprisingly, the building is still undergoing reconstruction.
While the accommodation was cozy on the train, the company was great. I think we crossed the most scenic parts during daylight hours, which was a big plus. We skirted the southern end of Glacier National Park Friday morning. The weather was clear so the views were spectacular. As the mountains gave way to the plains, our pastime changed from admiring the scenery to spotting wildlife. Throughout eastern Montana and North Dakota we saw coyote, bison, foxes, deer, antelope and a variety of waterfowl. My dad had the advantage on us when it comes to ducks and geese. He could have been making up names for the birds we saw and we would have been any the wiser.
The recent flooding is causing problems with the rail schedule. We arrived in Minot, North Dakota about 10 minutes ahead of schedule. Yet, as we pulled out of the station, they announced that the train would be about two hours late into the Twin Cities and about three hours late into Chicago. This anticipated delay is due to work being done upon the rails and the additional caution necessary when using rails that had recently been underwater. The announcement went on to add that ours was only the second train to have continued on to Chicago since the floodwaters receded. We are expecting the same type of delay when we depart for Chicago.
My parents and sister had a party for us which provided a great chance to see a lot of family and friends as well as sate the urge for Green Mill spicy chicken and feta cheese pizza. On the wall was a map of the world with our route marked on it, indicating where we have been and where we have yet to go. Seeing it there really struck home how far we have really traveled on this trip. In some ways, others seem to have a more comprehensive perspective of our trip than we do. It is very easy for us to get pulled into the short-term view: where are we and what do we want to see and do today? What time do we need to be at the station? Why does my bag seem so much lighter? What have I forgotten to pack? To put it another way, Helsinki seems a part of an entirely different trip.
We were asked a lot of tough questions about our travels: What was the best; what was the most exciting; what surprised you the most. We are still pondering the answers ourselves.
May 12, 2001 (Day 66): St. Paul, Minnesota – late
The train rolled into the Twin Cities about 9am – one and a half hours late. Fortunately, my parents had cell phones so they could communicate our delay to my sister, who planned to meet us at the station. The advantage was that we had a little more time to get ready, shower and get a cup of coffee into us.
Our nephew Dylan’s excitement when he saw us at the station was electric. Granted, he was happier to see Grandma and Grandpa than to see his aunt and uncle, but who cares? We tossed our bags in the truck and made our way out for a filling breakfast of Cinnamon French Toast.
Nearest I can tell we have been eating non-stop since exiting the train with the brief exception of a restocking visit to the Holy of Holies, the Source of All Things. In other words: Target. I fought the urge to kiss the ground as we entered this hallowed future World Heritage site. Toiletries, clothing, and a new notebook; all at places I expected them to be. It is funny how wonderful the little things can be.
My parents and sister pulled together a great party for us in the party room at a local hotel, complete with Green Mill pizza and cakes decorated to look like maps of the globe. It was a thrill seeing the words “Chasing Fogg” there on the hotel marquee. The party was a great opportunity to visit with friends and family, some I had not seen in years. Sadly, I did not circulate as well as I should have. I am terribly uncomfortable with being the focus of the party. Truth be told, I was equally bad at this at our wedding reception. Moreover, I guess I was shocked by the outpouring of affection; that all of these people had come to see us.
The guests asked us a lot of tough questions. What was the best place? What was the most exciting part? What was the best food? The last one, at least, was easily answered (Mongolian Hot Pot). One of the most common questions asked us was when we were moving back.
It was such a great chance to see so many people; to have a chance to get together where it is not a wedding or funeral. We all age, some better than others. Children who were infants the last time I saw them are now in school. It underscored how long I had been away. A friend of ours had a brilliant idea and brought a copy of Around the World in Eighty Days for people to sign.
The advantage of having the party at the hotel was it gave the kids something to do other than hang around with old people. My nephew took the chance to go swimming at the pool. Later, he and his sister unwound watching a couple of Scooby Doo episodes. The rapt attention my niece had for the show was very entertaining.
On the wall of the room was a world map of our trip with our route marked. I stood and stared at it thunderstruck with disbelief. It was a real shock for me to look at that map and realize that we have been all those places on this trip. Seeing the scope of this journey laid out on one sheet boggled my mind. For a moment, it felt like someone else’s trip. It also helped echo that the earth is a big place. Despite going around it, despite what we are seeing, there is so much still out there. How tiny our little path looked against the enormity of the world.
The map gave me a perspective about the distance we have truly covered that I had lost. It is easy to get caught up in the “day-to-day” experience of the trip: where we are, what are we doing, packing, unpacking. For those who have been following our trip, it is easier to see the bigger picture: where we are going and where we have been. They were able to envision the entire trip as a single large journey. Like Fogg, I guess I was viewing it mathematically, a series of connections, small journeys connected end-to-end. I focused on the brushstrokes. They saw the Water Lilies.
Excerpts from Anna’s journal included
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