Meet You at the Junction -- Grand Junction, Colorado

  

In 1983, Bobbie and I took a two-week camping trip out West as far as Yellowstone National Park. When we were in Wyoming, we saw two gray-haired women riding together in a car. We said that someday, that would be us. That day has arrived only we took the train! 

I had already planned on my way eastward to spend the weekend in Grand Junction where Bobbie lives. Instead, she decided to board the westbound train and come with me to San Francisco. Then we would ride eastward back to Grand Junction together. We made these connections via cell phone technology, which I have to admit is amazing!!

The train arrived in Grand Junction on Tuesday, January 22 about 7 p.m., just in time for dinner. Bobbie boarded the train, and we spent the next four hours talking.

The next morning, the diner server, Gerard, seated Bobbie and me together for breakfast without any of the other passengers. There weren’t that many people on the train, so he had the space. He figured we'd want to catch up with each other and he did us this favor. Reesy, the other server, took our photo together with her cell phone and sent it to me so that I could post it on FaceBook. (I am constantly amazed at the good service Amtrak employees provide.)

We rode the train together through Utah, Nevada, and the Sierra Nevada Mountains in California before we reached Emeryville, a small city outside of San Francisco that serves as the end of the line for the California Zephyr. 

While we waited for the hotel shuttle, I saw a lot of Uber pick-ups and drop-offs at the curb. This is the new reality in America (and all over the world). Taxis are out and Uber and Lyft are in. The taxis fought these two Internet-connected companies in a law suit, but lost. Now travelers with a cell phone can easily call for a ride--and it will be there in about 10 minutes. There is no exchange of money because it is all done online by credit card. This is a marvelous and convenient system of travel! (I tried it in Kalamazoo and was exceedingly pleased.)

After we arrived in our room at the Hilton Gardens, which is almost on the Bay, we took a look out the window and we could see the Oakland shipyard with its large, giraffe-like cranes, the Golden Gate Bridge with bumper-to-bumper headlights of cars, and downtown San Francisco. It was still light, but it looked as though we were about to have a glorious sunset, so we immediately left our room for a short walk along the shore to see it. We found a small park with the water at a muddy low tide. The air was fresh with just a little hint of a seaside smell. The expanse of the city on the Bay was magnificent. We had finally reached the western coastline of our country and "dipped our toe" in the water of its furthest point. It felt good to be there, to stretch our legs, and to share this time together as friends for over 45 years.

After a few photos of the sunset, we crossed the four-lane, palm-tree-lined street in search of a restaurant. All that we could find, however, was a Shell gas station and Chevy’s Mexican Restaurant. If we had walked a bit further, we would have seen a few more places, but I’m glad we ended up at Chevy’s.

Bobbie treated me to a mango marguerita (she had a peach one), and we ordered salads for dinner since we were still full from lunch on the train. There were about three groups who were celebrating birthday parties for their young children. Four staff members gathered round each table and sang happy birthday as they beat on their tambourines. It appeared that the adults had more fun than the kids.

What struck me the most about this restaurant was the diversity of people there—both servers and customers: race, ethnicity, and age. To me, especially in this Trumpian era where racism, white male supremacy, and general close-mindedness have reared their ugly heads, we witnessed an example of what America really is all about. People were happy, respectful, and enjoying the food, fun, and each other. I recalled Rodney King’s question: “Can we all get along”? The short answer is yes, we can, and dinner at Chevy's proves it.

On Thursday morning we were up before 6:30. We decided not to pay for a $17 breakfast at the hotel so Bobbie went to the Shell gas station and bought me a croissant and herself a tart. We had coffee with the Keurig in our room. It was a sufficient repast until we boarded our 9:10 a.m. train departure. 

While we were at the train station, Bobbie exchanged her coach tickets to join me in my roomette. This meant she was also able to get free meals. I didn’t know this could be done; the train staff alerted us to it. Bobbie could be more comfortable with me. Here she is at night in the upper bunk of the roomette. I took the lower bunk.

Bobbie is a bit of an extrovert, and she makes friends quickly. The train has two public spaces where passengers can meet passengers: the Dining Car and the Observation Car. On our trip eastward, Bobbie met a family in the Observation Car that was traveling to Colorado for a birthday celebration. I happened to walk through the car to go to the snack bar and discovered what looked like a big party where people were talking and joking with each other. The family had invited her into their conversation. 

Here are a couple friends Bobbie made in the Observation Car: Kelsey and Carol. She arranged for them to meet us for breakfast.

 





Such interaction is the kind of fun passengers on a long-haul train can have. You meet the most interesting people this way. However, the Diner Car and the Observation Car are now under serious consideration by Amtrak administrators for elimination in order to cut costs. That would truly be a tragedy!

We arrived in Grand Junction at 10:30, just 20 minutes late from our schedule. Martin, Bobbie's husband, picked us up at the train station.

At the Junction
Bobbie and Martin are all about enjoying Nature in its many forms. The couple regularly camps, hikes, and skiies. Although Bobbie used to use a tent in her younger years, she and Martin now have a camper that they pull with a pick-up truck. It has all the comforts of home and allows them to go anywhere anytime, especially now that they are both retired. 

After lunch, we went for a drive to the Colorado National Monument, which is in Bobbie and Martin's "backyard." It was a clear, sunny day and the park hardly had any people in it. The rocks were majestic. Here are some photos of the canyon at the end of the Serpent Trail.

Living in the mountains was the reason Bobbie and Martin moved to Grand Junction. They have easy access to the beauty of the West. Now that they are both retired, they have more time to go on these nature trips. For example, after a planned week's vacation at Glacial National Park in Montana, they spontaneously decided to go to the Washington and Oregon coast for three more weeks. Such is the good life!


Friday night was pizza night. Martin made a delicious pesto pizza and Bobbie made the salad. We ate well. Martin is the couple's chief cook, and he does an excellent job.

Bobbie and Martin have two dogs: Kali and Rosie. They go camping, too.

Kali

Rosie

Saturday Night Crane Watching


Bobbie and Martin had heard that the Sandhill Cranes like to stop off in the cornfields near their home. So we went out to see them--and found them--hundreds of them. They are elegant birds who honk while in flight. Here are some photos of them.

 
Sandhill cranes are fairly social birds that usually live in pairs or family groups throughout the year. During migration and winter, unrelated cranes come together to form "survival groups" that forage and roost together. Such groups often congregate at migration and winter sites, sometimes in the thousands. 












The cranes' flight patterns were equally fascinating. We had hoped to see their mating dance, however, it was not yet the season for it. 

Before this trip I didn't think of myself as having long-term friendships, that is, I am not in contact with my school mates from elementary or high school. On the other hand, seeing friends like Bobbie helped orient me to a new reality. We first met as aspirants to the Nazareth Sisters of St. Joseph in 1974 and have maintained our friendship over the years.  It was very good to see her again and to share the train ride together!