Travels Without
Carolyn
(With apologies to John
Steinbeck and Charley)
Dan D. Milosevich
Dedicated to the memory of
Carolyn Hey Milosevich
with love and thanks for
her travels through life
with me
Danny
Preface
After many years of enjoyable journeys with our Airstream trailer, including month-long caravans to Alaska in 1988 and Newfoundland in 1990, Carolyn and I decided that we were getting too old for the sometimes rigorous requirements of such travel. We gave it up in 2000 and settled into a relaxing life at home.
By 2005 or so the wanderlust returned, so strong in fact, that we got to thinking about how nice it would be to get moving again by taking a restful train trip where others would do all the necessary work while we just sat back and let it happen.
But sadly, it wasn’t to be. At about this time, Carolyn began a prolonged period of tiredness and an overwhelming lack of energy that deteriorated into a multi-year illness. Three internists, two cardiologists and other physicians during times in the hospital treated her, yet she never received a meaningful diagnosis. “Old Age” or “Age Related” was the best they offered.
All thoughts of travel were dashed.
This was somewhat disheartening, but not devastating. Many things in our lives were far more important than travel, the most critical being getting Carolyn well.
She tried so very, very hard, fighting each and every day against the frustration and depression, while faithfully taking an ungodly amount of medicine every day.
Then on August 15, 2010, she had a terrible fall that broke her upper arm and shoulder. After immediate surgery, she began a rigorous four-month rehabilitation program that was tougher than it should have been because the surgery was not totally successful. The ball and socket joint did not mesh properly.
Shortly after she finished her rehab, on December 29, 2010, Carolyn suffered a hemorrhagic stroke. Even then, the doctors thought there was a very good chance that, within 21 days or so, her brain would absorb the bleed much like a bruise on the body is eliminated.
That did not happen. My dearest Carolyn lost her valiant battle and passed away on January 18, 2011, my saddest day.
As I grieved, I kept thinking about the train trip. Wouldn’t Carolyn want me to do it alone, difficult as that may be? I came to believe that she would. Besides, I’m never alone; her presence is always with me.
Each year we receive a catalog from America By Rail and by chance their newest publication arrived. I was disappointed to see that the tour I was most interested in, Totally Trains, was already on the rails, the next scheduled was sold out and not until October would another be offered. I proceeded to investigate other available tours, but none suited my wants or my pocketbook.
As luck would have it, on their website America By Rail posted an additional Totally Trains tour scheduled for April 7 through April 12 on three different premier Amtrak trains. This was just what I wanted, but the timing was awful. It was much, much too soon after Carolyn’s passing. I just needed more time to think about all the ramifications of taking any kind of a trip. However, the more I considered things the more I became convinced that if I didn’t board this tour, I never would go.
So despite my reluctance, I called America By Rail and after a couple of talks with angel-voice, Mindy, I was signed up.
I looked forward to an interesting and exciting Totally Trains tour, outlined as follows in America By Rail’s brochure:
“For the first leg of our journey we will leave Chicago at 2:00 P.M. on the California Zephyr, a double-decker Superliner that promises spectacular scenery on the three-day, two night trip to Emeryville, California (San Francisco) arriving in mid-afternoon.
“Our second leg will begin at 10:00 P.M. when we will board the famous Coast Starlight to Portland, Oregon. The heart of this train is the Pacific Parlour Car. This double-decker “living room on wheels” features three types of luxurious seating, a full bar, food serving area and a movie theater. This car is one of Amtrak’s prized assets.
“In the morning we will enjoy the towering snow-covered Cascade Mountains and many tunnels and hairpin turns.
“From Portland we will journey to Spokane, Washington where we will join the premier Empire Builder for the third part of our tour, back to Chicago. We will cross the Willamette River and view the Columbia River Gorge and more of the Cascade Mountains, including Mount Hood. The highlight of this leg will be traveling through Glacier National Park.”
My goodness, wouldn’t Carolyn have loved this trip?
* * *
Now I’m back home after a very impressive trip and since I enjoy writing I decided to do this narrative, not as a daily log or diary but as a story (with absolutely no plot) incorporating my thoughts and observations about the trip with personal interjections of whatever comes to mind as I go along.
I decided not to use names of my fellow tour members lest I make mistakes or fail to include or omit something of importance to someone. I do believe, however, that if any of them should ever read this story, they’ll know who I’m talking about. I did meet some very interesting people, not a part of the tour, whose names I won’t hesitate to use, if I remember them.
A word about dialog: It wasn’t possible, of course, to quote anyone verbatim, so my intent was to record the gist of the spoken word. I hope I succeeded in doing so.
I’m not a professional writer so my endeavor will take quite a bit of time.
Best then that I get started.