Well, here we go, my first attempt at ‘blogging’. Blogging, what a horrible word, it sounds like some horrible medical procedure.

Liz and I are sat in the dining car of our first train, sipping some cheap white wine and looking out over the pacific as the ‘Cascades train’ leads us down the west coast from Vancouver to Seattle. People! why are there not more of us traveling this way? It’s like a lost secret. In a world that is all go-go, it is the perfect way to put things on pause while you’re still moving forward. The sun is setting behind us as the train weaves around the edge of the coast, showing us only the best, most beautiful bits of this country. It’s truly magnificent. I’m not sure how we are going to feel by the end of the two weeks of train travel but right now I couldn’t be happier.

The ticket collector Tom, is a kind fella who has all the time in the world to make sure everything is to your liking, a man who is proud to be a worker on the rails. One gets the feeling that there is a real love of the job by all of the workers, even the guy dealing with our luggage was eager to impart his knowledge of the workings of the Cascade. Ah they warm me heart!

 Liz just did a live radio interview for KWMR which was pretty funny to listen in on. I’m so glad she is here to deal with that side of our tour, I am just plain crap at things like that. Liz says all the right things, (even if they are a little distant from the truth) at the right moments and charms the pants off of the DJ’s, she makes me smile.