Preview
Here’s a sample chapter from my book. Just to give you a little taste before you buy…
PROLOGUE AND PREPARATION
Tramp (tramp) n. a vagrant; one who wanders from place to place aimlessly.
Reflection (re flek shun) n. 1. That which is reflected, as, one’s reflection in a mirror: the coming back of rays, as reflection of light from a polished surface. 2. Reproach, blame, discredit, as, a reflection on his honesty. 3. Thought, esp. of a meditative backward- turning nature.
Webster’s Unabridged-Encyclopedic Dictionary, copyright 1957
December 6, 2011
What goes around comes around. In 2008 I convinced my friend Gary that a hundred mile walk in England alongside Hadrian’s Wall seemed like a good idea. Three years later he called with his own good idea.
It was spring of 2011 when he called to say that a railway trip across the USA would be a great idea. Since I had talked him into walking across England I could hardly let my long held preconceived notions about unfriendly Americans get in the way, especially as he volunteered to make all the arrangements. We agreed November would suit us both since respective summer places would be closed up and Christmas preparations would be far off in the future. We both also assumed there would be no concerns offered up by our spouses. Not too surprisingly there weren’t any, they were only too happy to be shed of us for three weeks.
We are both sons of railway men and having travelled by rail a few times we pompously thought we knew what we were in for. Since we would be spending a number of nights on the train we agreed with little discussion nor hesitation that there was no way we were going to suffer in coach. We would book a roomette or what I will refer to throughout by the posher term of a compartment.
In late spring I’d contacted an old friend from my teens who had moved to Coravallis, Oregon in the 80’s. Corvallis is an hour and a half from Portland where we had tentative plans to end the journey. Neil graciously offered a place to stay for a few days which allowed the added bonus of he and I catching up with lives lived. While we had remained in contact over the years by email and Christmas cards I had only seen him three or four times in thirty years. Our timetable was such that Neil invited us to spend and enjoy the American Thanksgiving holiday with him, his wife Azizah and their two kids. He really didn’t have much choice as we were going to be there for the holiday anyway. He couldn’t very well make us leave the house during dinner. Being nothing if not frugal Gary and I leapt at the chance of free accommodations. In our previous thirty year lives as bankers frugality had been daily pounded into us until we well understood how not to spend our own money. This history added to our now beings starving pensioners meant the offer of free accommodation and food to boot was not to be overlooked nor dismissed lightly.
Gary volunteers on a Hospital board in Thunder Bay, Ontario and was to be in Toronto at a conference at the beginning of November so we decided to start the trip there. The adventure would begin November 8 and would start with a day or two in Toronto. We would then depart from the famous Union Station down a few blocks from the fancy Intercontinental Hotel on Front Street. Gary already had a room reserved for the conference and we could enjoy the special rate offered up to those attending said conference. Gary would be bringing along his Playbook to help us stay in contact with home as we hoped that we would be able to get internet access at some point every day for emails. We were both too cheap to pay roaming charges on our cell phones although we each brought one in case of emergency. This was the starting point for sorting out the trip, meeting up in Toronto to get on the train and get off in Portland, Oregon.
The trip would come together with remarkable ease with the occasional piece of luck dropping right in our way.
In late August we had our first lucky break. Gary and his lovely partner Kim are gregarious outgoing folk who are constantly meeting new friends. They were holidaying at Mackinaw Island in Michigan and as fate would have it they met a couple who lived in Kansas City, Missouri. Over a bottle or two of local wine Gary outlined our upcoming travel plans.
Amtrak was offering a special fare that allowed unlimited train travel in the United States over thirty days that allowed one to get off and on the train three times. You only had to advise where, when and the length the stops were to be. At this time we were still kicking around a number of destinations but had tentatively decided that Chicago seemed a good choice, as did Albuquerque and somewhere in California. We only had the final stop in Portland, Oregon firmly decided. Gary and Kim’s new friends recommended their town and said they knew of a good steak house right next to the train station. In fact it turned out to be in the same building. We both like to eat and Kansas City had a good reputation for beef. That was all it took to bump Chicago off.
By September all plans were finalized. We would meet in Toronto and spend a day and a night then leave Union Station on November 10. We had decided rather arbitrarily on two nights in Kansas City, four nights in Albuquerque, three nights in San Diego, and then four nights in Corvallis with Neil and his family. We would fly home from Portland, Oregon via Vancouver.
My daughter Sara gave me a red leather clad journal for the trip. She and my youngest daughter, Erin, had also given me a leather clad journal to record my thoughts on the English trip. That month long sojourn with Gary in 2009 was primarily a walk alongside the 2,000 year old Roman built Hadrian’s Wall that separated England from the Scots. The trip also included a visit to London and then a visit to my birthplace of Hull, Yorkshire on my own. That daily journal’s details became my book, A Tramp in England, available online at www.harrisontour.com and various book stores. As a starving author I must take every opportunity to plug the work.
As the departure date approached I’d spent hours packing and unpacking various bags to come up with the optimum combination. Over the course of a number of conversations we had decided to travel as light as possible and forego traditional suitcases. We decided an easy to carry bag of some sort and a small knapsack would be the best option. I ultimately chose a red carry all like a small duffel bag with handles. The Bank had given it to me years ago as part of some promotional campaign and it was festooned with CIBC logos. I constantly used this bag during the summers when travelling back and forth to my cottage and found it to be very easy to pack a large amount while still being easy to carry. I also decided on my trusty black canvas World Famous backpack. It has been everywhere with me over the last twenty-five years, with the exception of the walk in England.
On that trip Sara, who has some small knowledge of backpacks and such suggested a more proper pack would be beneficial. She arranged for a nice sized frame equipped bag that proved both useful and comfortable while walking. Since we were not planning on much hiking this trip I had reckoned my old canvas friend would suffice. I also struggled with what jacket to take. November meant winter was coming to Winnipeg and while Toronto weather is generally nicer than home it could still be a bugger. Considering we were going to spend a lot of time on the train and that we hoped we would only risk coolish weather in Kansas City and the possible potential for wet weather on the Northeast coast I eventually opted for the same jacket that accompanied me along Hadrian’s Wall, a green water repellant jacket with fleece lining. In the course of my preparations I had picked up a baseball hat from The Hudson’s Bay store for Neil. It had Canada boldly embossed on it and I hoped it would make him smile and fondly remember home. The trick was to carry it my baggage for nearly two and a half weeks without crushing the life out of it.
My single minded attention was on clear view during these preliminary processes. My lovely Lynn, as usual, had our home under construction and our belongings were packed in boxes hither and yon around the house. I would spend hours looking for $4 in U.S. dollar bills and a handful of U.S. coins that I knew I had left over from a trip to Mexico from years back. I would not relent in my search and it made no difference that the Canadian and US dollars were damn near at par. I had to find the cash, and I did; all $5.43 of it.
November 8, 2011, Tuesday – heading for Toronto
I was up at 6:30am and in spite of packing the previous day I repacked everything once again. An hour and a half later Lynn and I were on our way to the new Winnipeg airport terminal whose grand opening had just occurred a few days earlier. We spent the drive to the airport talking about an upcoming European holiday we were planning for the coming April. That plan entailed my going to England on my own for a couple of weeks then meeting up with Lynn in Paris for a further two weeks, she has yet to retire from gainful employment so still has limits on the length of her holidays. We had spent the better part of the previous Monday morning on the phone with Aeroplan booking our flights. We both spend so much by credit card that we had accumulated sufficient points to fly business class to Europe which is a very nice way to travel. But as everyone knows the process for actually redeeming points is neither pleasant nor easy.
Previous trips have taught me that there is such a thing as over planning. Over planning usually results in changes being made due to a host of unforeseen situations and circumstances. We did not want to fall into that trap again so our thoughts were to do a minimum of pre booking in the early planning stages. The balance of our plans could then be fleshed out in a more rational, comfortable and stress free manner over the fullness of time. So we had just booked the flights to Europe and home again. I find Heathrow Airport in London to be very confusing so we booked my flight to England via Manchester and Charles de Gaul Airport for Lynn’s flight to Paris and return flights from Manchester for both of us. By just booking our main arrivals and departures we discovered we had so much more flexibility with plans for the balance of the trip. It may have not been the most economical method but it certainly reduced stress levels.
While booking the flights to and from Europe we discovered that the benefit packages offered up with the new credit cards we had both switched to were not all that they were made out to be. We considered that we might well have to switch back to our previously held cards.
The new Winnipeg airport building was huge compared to the one built in the 1960’s. It reminded me a lot of Calgary airport and a couple of others with not too bold a design. Considering security needs I guess there are plenty of limitations when it comes to usefulness. By 9am we had said our goodbyes and I was on my way thorough security and my first bit of bother. I was required to take of my shoes, notwithstanding they were rubber soled and had never proved troublesome on a dozen previous trips. Then I was lucky enough to be chosen for a pat down, training purposes don’t you know. When I finally got through security I had forgotten that I had put my wallet and belt into my backpack before going through in a misguided attempt to make things easier for myself. Once on the other side and while sorting myself out I discovered my wallet wasn’t in my pants and I panicked for a second, although it seemed like ten minutes at the time. The incident reminded me of Gary losing his wallet and passport on the English trip at a place called Saughy Rigg Farm. I may have been partially to blame for that incident and don’t wish to go into details but it turned out well in the end.
Then the first of many good omens, my favourite fast food joint, Salisbury House had a kiosk on the departure side of security where I bought a coffee and two of their famous chocolate covered donuts. I also offered my place in line to a stewardess who was clearly in a rush and needed some breakfast. No good deed goes unrewarded don’t you know, plus she was kind of cute. While waiting I noticed that prices were slightly elevated for the captive market from what was charged at their other places around town. It made no difference to me as the brief repast was just what I needed.
