welcoming our new president: cross-country train pt. 1

last summer, as the hard-fought democratic primary was drawing to a close, i knew right away that i wanted to go to D.C. for the inauguration of the new president in january 2009. i was optimistic that obama would win over mccain (hillary was a much more formidable opponent), but i figured that i would book my transportation and hotel 7 months in advance and i would be coming out to either celebrate or protest. as i travel across the country on the "empire builder" train, i am thankful that this journey is about celebration.

as i stepped on the train, i was greeted by reggie, the sleeper car porter. he pointed me to my room and asked where the other passenger was. i had to quickly figure out how much i wanted to explain to reggie. "yi was my wife, but she is not coming with me on this trip. it's just me now." he looked at me with an understanding look, and just nodded his head "oh". as soon as i entered my sleeper, i threw down my bags and got to the first order of business, putting up my "oregon for obama" signs in the windows. gotta represent.

i slept soundly as my train plowed through the snow and ice of the rockies, as trains had done 100 years ago on this same route, as they hopefully continue to do for at least another 100. i occasionally awoke to haunting images or feelings, peering out the window as snow covered trees and cliffs flashed by before drifting back to sleep. the next morning i talked to the conductor and asked about snowstorms and other intense weather, and he said nothing external stops this train. powered by three powerful diesel engines, it gets through anything, even a snowpocalypse. mechanical breakdowns sometimes cause delays, but that is mainly due to the infrastructure neglect of the nation's passenger rail system.

long hours spent reading and reflecting, watching the plains of montana and abandoned rusty equipment pass on by. like a river, continuously flowing, the thoughts and emotions rising and then fading, i feel light and at ease. as always happens on the train, conversations with strangers flow easily. i meet jordan, a heart-broken man who just said goodbye to his girlfriend to return to ohio (some complicated story involving the law and an overbearing girlfriend's mother). but i could see the pain in his eyes, his story punctuated by pauses as he looked out the window fighting back tears. we were quick to connect as i explained my recent separation, and efforts to start a new life. soon he grabbed his bottle of jack daniel's, and we were taking shots to a brighter future, him with his budweiser chaser and me with my corona. we watched a beautiful sunset in the big cold sky, both eventually feeling pretty close to OK.