THE LATE MAY SNOW SHOULDN’T HAVE SURPRISED US. We’ve lived in Colorado long enough to know not to count winter out until June. But the cold and dreary weather did catch us unawares — we were wearing shorts last week — and now we’re fighting off temps in the 30s with both electric heaters purring away in the RV.
Surprise Snow Storm, Buckley AFB
We are back in Colorado running our annual gauntlet of doctors, lawyers, financial advisors, charities and seeing the few friends who will still have us. We are also trying to sell our 5th wheel RV and truck — ideally as a package, but separately if necessary.
California Zephyr along the Colorado River (Internet Photo)
Connie and I have traveled by train from Venice to Paris and through the “Chunnel” to London. We have chugged from Sophia to Bucharest and ridden the rails in Vietnam and Thailand. Even India and Mongolia! But we have never taken a railroad trip in the US. All that’s about to change.
Coast Starlight (Internet Photo)
We just booked tickets on Amtrak’s California Zephyr from Denver to LA — I’ve never been to Dodgers Stadium, either — leaving on July 4. Then we’re reserved on the Coast Starlight to Seattle. The train takes longer than flying and is considerably more expensive but we have time to kill. Best of all, there is no TSA hassle, better food (he said, hopefully) and a lot of country to see.
Maasdam Again, but not as warm
In Seattle we board yet another cruise, 32 nights from Seattle to Tokyo on the Maasdam, the same Holland America ship we sailed on from Auckland to San Francisco. This time it follows Alaska’s Inward Passage, goes around the Aleutians to Dutch Harbor and Nome, then on to Japan with three stops in Russia. When we debark in Tokyo we will resume our international vagabonding lifestyle for an indeterminate period. More of Japan, of course, Philippines, Australia and New Zealand again and maybe an expedition cruise to the sub-Antarctic islands. By year’s end we plan on visiting Hawaii, maybe settling for a month or two on each island.
We have enjoyed each phase of our lives together and look forward adventures yet to come.
