Well, I Made It To Minneapolis . . .

It's been a bit of a long haul, but after arriving in Portland on Thursday afternoon, we boarded the Amtrak Empire Builder for Spokane, WA where that brand merged with the train coming from Seattle. A bit of a lay-over while they hooked both trains together, but it was in the middle of the night and I slept through most of it. The trip was so beautiful, beginning with the miles of gorgeous mountain vistas along the Columbia River Gorge right after leaving Portland. Eastern Washington is pretty flat--largely agricultural, but the beginnings of the mountainous ranges that eventually merge into the Rockies began at the Idaho Panhandle and continued on into Western Montana--known as Big Sky Country. It was absolutely breath-taking!! Wouldn't have missed it for the world!

Of course, I got lots of reading done -- when I ride on the train it lulls me to sleep at the oddest hours. Just goes to show how tired some of us are. So I find that I sleep part of the day away and read part of the night away, but it all evens out. Met some wonderful people from Minnesota who were coming home after traveling, and some who were coming home to visit with family after moving elsewhere. Had a lovely family from North Dakota right across the aisle and that was a treat.

So now I am in Minneapolis where it is muggy and buggy. We Californians are not used to all this HUMIDITY and it is daunting to say the least. Had to leave my motel room finally, and that wore me out. Not real hot, thank goodness, but it sure felt warm. Hope to get to my convention tomorrow and find out where some of my colleagues and friends may be hiding out.

More later . . .