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Well, last time I wrote we were in Longmont, CO. Now we've made it to Tennessee.
Our visit with my grandparents went well, I guess. It was a little stressful, but I think that that was mostly just our fear. The whole "please trim your hair" request made us really afraid that they were going to be constantly judging us. I don't know if that was true or not, but our experience was dominated by the fear of it. :(
After we had talked for a while, they invited us to stay for dinner. I declined, saying that we had other plans and couldn't stay. While that was technically true, it wasn't really what was going on. My grandparents both have bad hearts and get very tired very quickly; my parents told me to make sure we didn't stay longer than a couple of hours. So, after an hour and a half, when grandma offerred dinner, I didn't want to accept because I wanted them to be able to rest. But I didn't tell her that, because I was afraid she would be insulted or hurt or something. So I lied. Of course, God worked it that I had just chided Emily a few days before for a similar "little" lie, so now I have to call them and apologize. Eww.
Well, after that meeting was over (and we were thus over our fears, mostly), things were more enjoyable. We had dinner together that night (although I'm blanking where we ended up).
The next day was our third and last full day in Longmont, and I really wanted to make it a day of rest. Unfortunately, Em & I had really different ideas of what that looked like. I wanted to just walk or drive around a bit and maybe watch some trains; she wanted to go back to Rocky Mountain National Park. I've learned the ugly truth that, as much as I want to be a supportive, totally selfless husband, I need to take a day every week or so to just relax, and on that day I have to just go do what is restful to me. I don't like that, because it means that I can't always go and do what I think would make me a "good husband." But, anyhow, I had to ask Em to let me just do my thing; if she wanted to come along, I would love that, but if she wanted to go other places, she would need to work that out with Renna.
I was happy, though, that Em wanted to come along! So we spent the day together, doing unabashedly "Russ stuff," although it turned out in the process that we did some things she really liked too. :) We started out at Union Station in Denver, a 150 year old rail station. I was actually pretty underwhelmed with it (I'm finding I'm into trains, not train stations), but there was a fascinating bridge nearby that we both wondered at.
(PICTURE COMING HERE)
After that, we headed off to a discount computer store. Em got to play a driving game there - perhaps the only type of computer game she really likes. I checked out the prices, but the store wasn't on the Internet and didn't like shipping their stuff across country, so it wasn't much use to me. Good prices on used monitors, though. I may buy my next monitor there.
Finally, we went to Eldorado Canyon near Boulder, which was the high point of the day for both of us. It is a glorious canyon with high, vertical walls (lots of climbers go there) and a spectacular view of trains coming down to Denver from the Rockies. I had hoped we could drive right to the viewpoint and enjoy both sights, but the gal at the front gate informed us that it was a 2.5 mile hike, straight up, to the train tracks. Ick. After a late start and several hours spent in downtown Denver, we didn't get to the park until 4:30pm (and the park closed at dusk), so we had quite a fast hike in front of us if we wanted to see anything.
We started up the trail at the best rate we could sustain, and made it up almost all the way when the train passed. It was a little disappointing to not make it there in time, but we still had a great view of it as it left one tunnel, passed for about a half mile in front of us, and then entered another tunnel. It was a long train (for Amtrak), which was a nice bit of variety, although there was not much else of note about it. So we hiked the last bit up to the tracks, sat on some rocks, and ate beef jerky and granola for a while before going down.
While we were there, I had a great surprise! I was examining the various devices by the rails when I noticed that the signal light turned on again. I have been around rails long enough to have figured out that the signal only turns on when a train is approaching - they stay dark until something is near. So I excitedly pointed this out to Em, and we stayed longer than we had planned. Before long, we saw the light down in the tunnel (we were sitting just 20 feet from the exit of one tunnel) and heard the motor. To my surprise, the second train was not another passenger train but a heavily laden coal train, headed, perhaps, to the steel mills in southern Colorado.
I have grown fairly accustomed to the types of trains that come through Tucson, and it's always nice to see a new type. This coal train, as it was headed through the Rockies, had helper engines in both the middle and the rear. 3 locos in front, one in the middle, and 2 on the rear. I hadn't seen that since the last time that I crossed Tehachapi as a kid. I was happy.
MORE PICTURES COMING HERE
EMILY INTERRUPTS:
I want to tell about the train that didn't have any trucks, and about the truck that wasn't a truck.
RUSS:
In a minute, when we get to those in the story.
Anyhow, we...
EMILY:
You forgot to tell about the other parts of the beauty!
The trail was steep, like the tight valley it climbed, with sharp turns, sharp like the bitter cold waters of the stream flowing at its bottom. We could hear those noisy waters all the way at the top of the trail, past so many exquisite trees: tall pines, golden quaking aspen, red sumac, and another tree with golden leaves, exquisitely designed, whose name I know not.
Sometimes we walked a path carpted with golden leaves. And always we breathed fine mountain air, crisp and invigorating. We passed the place where they built the Crags Hotel, back in 1914 or something like that, a place for song and dance, with good fires and good food high in the mountains. It could have been a good spot for Rivendell.
And slowly the sun slid behind the mountain, and quickly we raced it to the trailhead just as night fell. And now I am wondering where you were going with this, my sweet....
RUSS:
It was a beautiful climb, although going up was hard because we were trying to get up as fast as we could. Em was breathing hard, but insisted that we continue up anyhow so that we might be able to be up before the train arrived. (I felt very loved. :) However, as she described her experience, I began to worry. She eventually told me that one reason why she was loving certain parts of the trail (where the aspen leaned over the trail to make a canopy) was because she felt like she was flying; her vision was a little fuzzy and her head swam. So I walked behind her, and noted that she was grabbing at trees more than I expected. So we slowed down.
It made me think that she was short of oxygen; not just tired, but literally having trouble getting enough to her brain. It worried me, a lot. It also made me wonder about her continual tiredness back in Tucson. She grew up in the tropics, right on the coast: could it be that her body doesn't get her enough oxygen except in the lowest, densest air? The implications of that thought are terrifying. What if we had to move somewhere? What if she needed oxygen to feel better? Em tells me that it's just a random fear - just an attack to make me worry - but it still hangs on me, making me wonder. We'll talk to the doctor at the next appt, and he'll probably say I'm wrong, but until then I wonder.
Anyhow, going down the canyon was a lot easier, and faster, than going up. We got to pause now and then and enjoy the scenery, but not all that much because we had to get down before the park closed. I really wished that we had gotten there earlier. Next time we're in the Denver area, we'll go there very early in the morning, and spend the entire day up there. Then I'll see many trains, and Em can do lots of painting, and together we'll be able to enjoy the scenery as much as we want.
Back down in Boulder, we found ourselves a little restaurant called Noodles & Company. It's a new chain (just started a while ago in Boulder) that's kind of like a Beyond Bread that serves noodle dishes from around the world. I had the very bland but very nice "Buttered Noodles," and Em enjoyed the "Coconut Curry." We're thinking it would be really weird but really cool if they were willing to partner with us to make a combination noodle place/coffee shop. Well, someday hopefully they'll make it to Tucson one way or another.
The next day, we got up and left. We didn't really get up late, but we didn't really hurry either, which was a mistake. Our first two days of driving had each been about eight hours, so I, stupidly, just planned for another day of about eight hours. I should have looked at the MapQuest printout before making that plan. According to MapQuest, we had 21.5 hours to Tennessee, and it was actually longer than that for a couple of reasons. So, we really had about 24 hours of driving ahead of us to do in only 2 days!
We left Denver at 10am local, and only discovered the problem a couple of hours down the road. So what I had expected to be a couple of easy days turned into two very long ones. We pulled into a hotel an hour short of St. Louis at 2am, and were back on the road at 8, arriving in Tennessee at about 10:30pm. It was hard, but I really enjoy long drives, so it was nice too, in a way. It's nice to be able to say "I did that," and look back on a long drive well done.
It has been said that Kansas is as flat as a pancake, but I heard recently that some grad students actually measured things and found out that it was flatter. This certainly was what we saw. It was 200 miles from Denver to the Kansas line, and another 400 miles from there to Kansas City, and in all that time all we ever saw (other than Topeka, and the occasional town) was grasslands and farmland in every direction. Often, the only hills of any size that you could see were the built for overpasses over the Interstate.
What really amazed us, though, was the radio in that area. There was a sign at the side of the road, not long after we entered Kansas, that told us to listen to a certain AM station for local weather reports. The weird thing was that the station was a Christian talk radio station. I can't imagine any gov't agency in Arizona recommending that you turn on Christian radio for any reason. We listened amazed, to people call into the radio station and ask for "godly advice about managing their money." It wasn't the sort of weird stuff you hear sometimes in Tucson; it was just ordinary people, calling and ordinary radio talk show, looking for advice. The just talked plainly and openly about God's part in it all. It was like church in Tucson, I guess. It was very eye-opening to listen to.
It has made me think, since then, that perhaps our discussions about postmodernism should include more apologies to the Bible belt. I really want to write a book to the Christian church to get them to understand the cultural shift going on, but I don't know if that shift has even started very much there. Maybe it has, maybe not. I just wonder if our assumptions are more local that we realize. Maybe the shift is only happening (so far) in certain parts of the country...I don't know.
I don't want to swing back to some other extreme; I still think it's critical that we work on developing what the emerging church will look like. But maybe we need to be really careful about how far along we expect others to come quite yet.
Back to the drive. The drive from Topeka to Kansas City was on a toll road (my first). Nothing notable about it, except for the lack of traffic. There is NO traffic anywhere in Kansas, nor in most of Missouri.
At 2am we hit the hotel I mentioned. We didn't have any plan where to stay, we just looked for billboards advertising cheap hotels near St. Louis. We found one for the "Budget Hotel," next to a truck stop. It was, thankfully, not a "bad" hotel, just a cheap one. Perfect for us. :)
EMILY:
There was a lovely tract there, in the hotel. Not preachy, but preaching the Gospel in simple words.
RUSS:
It was kind of funny to be there. The place was pretty run down. Benji could have done a wonder on those locks; it was almost impossible to get into your room. I checked, though, and it was easy to get out...so I guess that's why the fire inspector allows the place to keep operating. :) The room was simple but adequate, and we slept well, if not for very long. At 7:30 the wake-up call came, and I packed up the truck. I checked for the "Free Continental Breakfast" that the billboard had mentioned (I'd gone here specifically for that), but it was similarly comically lacking. "Free Breakfast" was a couple of dispensers of cereal, milk sitting out (unrefrigerated) on the table, and a single, half-eaten miniature donut left in the box of donuts in the fridge. I had to just laugh and go up to get Em.
We were back on the road at 8am, and crossed the Mississippi at around 9. I had hoped for more, frankly; the "Mighty Mississippi" was large but not as large as I'd imagined. Actually, that was the case with much of what I saw in those two days of driving - it was new, and much of it was magnificent, but often it was not quite as extreme as I had imaginged from what I'd heard. It's nice to have finally seen these things, and know firsthand what they are like. :)
We were in Illinois, Kentucky, and then Tennessee, not all that long into the day. I started to wonder where all the hours were going to go. MapQuest had predicted that we had another 12 hours to do that day, but it didn't seem that way to me. I asked Em, and she reminded me that Tennessee is a very long state, and we had to cross almost two thirds of its width. Another 400 miles or so to go.
EM:
The train with no trucks!
A train, I am learning from Russ, is a series of cars sitting on trucks, one coupled to the next and so forth. That these "cars" look similar to what we know of as "trucks" on the highway is not entirely incidental. Sometimes, the trailer of a Mack truck is put on the truck of a train and thus is its car.
This day, in Tennessee, we saw something new (to us). it's too strange. You'll have to describe it, Russ.
RUSS:
What we saw was a Road Railer train. link Basically, specially built trailers are put directly onto the tracks, without any train cars underneath them. Each trailer is attached to a railroad truck (a set of wheels); the next trailer in line is then hitched to that truck as well. The end result is a line of trailers hitched end to end, riding just above the rails. In between each is a single railroad truck. It's a fascinating concept, and quite amazing to see in action.
EM:
The truck that wasn't a truck, after these messages.
I don't know about you, but I need a little break from technicalities, so I'm going to tell you my experience of the last four days. That day, climbing the mountain to the tracks with Russ, was the day I began to relax on this vacation. The following two days of driving (I should say, riding) continued likewise: peaceful, restful, my heart enjoying its freedom. I painted while he drove! It was fabulous! I didn't think it was possible, but it was, and it was so much fun! And Russell could glance over now and then and discuss the composition, and I could gaze out the window for continuing insipration. Delicious!
And each day, Russ would stop and go with me on my daily walk. It was beautiful. The land, and the companionship. Kansas, which I did not find flat, blessed us with a little white dirt road flowing down between fields. On our way back up that road, Russell turned aside into the tall grasses, and called to some lovely horses grazing across the fence. They came to us, just as I would expect the horses of Rohan to do so, free, huge, strong, gentle, curious, delighted to be there with us. They brought their huge necks high in the air and lowered their massive heads and nestled our faces. I hope I will always remember that experience. The taste of what Adam and Eve must have felt as they discovered the wonder - the astounding wonder - of each new animal. Russell said, "I'm a little intimidated, here now, since you just reminded me that horses sometimes bite." He was short beneath their necks. Quite surrounded by them. It was a beautiful sight. There he stood and there he stayed, petting and enjoying them with me.
Today, in Tennessee, we visited my college together. I can say much about that...
RUSS:
...we'll have to get you your own username, perhaps...
EM:
...I am just very glad that I had my Father and my husband with me. It was good. And I will tell you about the truck that wasn't a truck. Imagine a huge concrete girder, perhaps for an overpass or a bridge, maybe 60 or 80 feet long. One end had a rusted chain attaching it to the cab. Taillight power cables were tied around its belly, and the other end was similarly tied (with a rusted chain) to a set of wheels. And it was going down the road. We passed three of them, strange enough for me to be interested. WOW!!!
Can we do the rest of this tomorrow?
RUSS:
I want to finish this tonight, so I don't have much to do after church tomorrow.
I guess we've pretty much covered the trip to Tennessee. We arrive in Johnson City (way on the eastern tip) at around 10pm local time, and spent today mostly lazing around, and going to see Milligan College together. Brian & Danielle West, our hosts here, are great hosts, and again we have a well-appointed guest room. It's cold, but it's nice, so we just keep lots of blankets on us at nice.
Tomorrow, sometime after midday, I depart for New York. It's a 12 hour drive, roughly, and I have to be there by about 5pm on Monday, so I didn't want to try to do it all in one day. Sunday night I plan to be sleeping in the back of the Cherokee in a WalMart parking lot. If that doesn't work out to well, I'll get a hotel on the way back.
I'm told that each room in the hotel has its own IBM computer, so hopefully I'll continue to be able to do my webmastering duties, and to continue to post more monstrous blogs.
Thanks to all (any?) who have read this far; I know it's long, but I just figure God will do with my ramblings whatever He wants to.
God Bless, I plan to sleep now. We have pictures to upload, but they aren't resized for the web yet. Coming soon.
Russ |
