On the Train Again, Day 6: Leaving Chicago

Today we leave Chicago for another train ride. We caught a cab to Union Station, checked our two bags, loaded up on reading material and pretzels, and headed for the lounge waiting area. When we boarded, all of us following one agent, half the group got separated due to baggage carts on the narrow platform. Still, we finally found car 531 and boarded.

Our sleeper car is exactly the opposite of the one we had on the way over. The California Zephyr will take a southernly route through Nebraska, Colorado, Utah, and then California over three days.

We were glad to see the speaker in our room works so that we can hear the announcements, but they just announced that none of our toilets will be working. They tried to get it fixed in Denver during our long stop there, but gave up. This does not bode well for the rest of the trip.

Our dinner companions on the first night were people who wear their faith on their lips. And the woman has some definite health problems, perhaps the reason they’re taking the train. The age skews upwards here, and many of the people we meet are on their way to visit their kids, who for some reason for another have moved to another state. They were pleasant enough, especially compared to the couple at this morning’s dinner. She said a few words to us, mostly negative, but he never spoke to us at all, ignoring us the entire time. Just as well, I guess. They looked pretty red.

We went to the Observation Lounge, and I heard a few people in passing talking about Obama. I sensed it was negative talk. And not a word about McCain. I think that’s the difference in this campaign. It’s positive or negative about Obama. And McCain just doesn’t figure in.

I did not sleep well last night in the bunk, mostly due to the lurching of the train. Still, I’m not worried about it. Plenty of time for a nap.

We are currently in the Rockies. Snow is all around us. It’s very pretty. As a matter of fact, the scenery this time around has been spectacular, mostly on our side of the train.

I went by myself to lunch, and was paired with the same couple as last night. They were very pleasant. Yes, they talked a lot about themselves, but I found it interesting. And it really passed the time, especially when we all had the Haagen-Dazs ice cream.

The dining car supervisor, Susan, stopped to talk with us a bit. She was still upset that a woman complained about her earlier this trip when she refused to repeat for the 4th time the choice of desserts. It sounds like a hard job. She sleeps at intervals, mostly between 11 pm and 5 pm, when she has to get up for the breakfast service. And she’ll be doing this until 5 am on Friday.

We apparently have some Asian people next door – my guess is Japanese – but they don’t speak English. The cabin attendant asked another attendant for help: “Do you speak Oriental?”

A problem has been brewing since Denver, 7 am this morning: the toilets are out of order in our car. We stopped a little longer at 4 pm at Grand Junction, and they had the truck ready to siphon waste out of car #531. But that didn’t solve the problem. The engineers on the train were guessing out loud that it was the pump, but it’s a little late now. Looks like we’re totally without restroom facilities in our sleeper compartment or our entire car for the rest of the trip. That means two days. I am not a happy camper. Or, rather, I’m a camper without a restroom and I’m not happy.

7 pm. They just came up with an announcement: “Everybody flush your toilets!” Sort of like NASCAR. “And press the button hard, several times!” I did so with much glee. And the pump held. We have flushing again!

Tonight we tried something new: I slept on the bottom, while Val climbed on the ladder to the top bunk. I slept very well, got to the bathroom easily, and Val seemed to have a jolly good time. So, when we make that long Australian trek on the train, we’ll know our sleeping arrangements.