Awake.

I think I stayed awake for all 6 states. There was no way I was missing any of this. Mike slept. But he kept me safe. Choo Choo.
We played cards and ate tuna sandwhiches in the dining car. Something was bound to blossom...

Empire Builder

The only two people in the station. We boarded at midnight. Mike left his truck parked outside. I left all reason a few miles back. I could probably still find my same seat on the train and the same conductor that sat us there. I snuggled in next to the window and next to my new best friend. All aboard.

S-10 to Staples.

All of a sudden, I feel I need to start the story from day 1. May 17 2005. I remember watching "Friends" on T.V. Mike came to pick me up in the S-10. The same one a duck flew right into just a few weeks earlier. She sat next to Mike for awhile on the seat before she came to. O.k., so there I was, 11pm with my giant North Face bag packed and ready for an adventure. I had never been to Portland and certainly never by train. We drove, in the rain, to Staples, MN. The thing I remember most is that the wipers were broken. They weren't broken previously, only now of course, with the pounding rain. I thought it was really funny.

Ahhh... Spring Break...Mike takes Cyndi to Utah

I love waterfalls. We had to stop. I had an awesome picture named "layin' pipe" but somehow I lost it. Somebody built the most incredible water system that stretched across this waterfall. anyway...yadda yadda. Mike drove alot this day. Thanks Mike. He also got alot of new clothes.

After a teacher-reprieve week of lounging and lounging, Mike packed me in the car and we went to Utah! We needed T shirts and pants...what better place to find them than Park City. We stayed in a beautiful old hotel with a great view...

I'll give ya somethin' to cheer about...

and here marks the last eve of my adventure in cheerleading. ra ra. these lovely ladies may now rest their pompoms for the season. i had a great time learning about something new but mostly i made a great new friend out of the deal. Cathy you're amazing!

Nothing like being stuck in the snow with your family!

Here we are stuck on the subway...so much snow a tree fell over the tracks...hmmm? As you can see, my dad isn't sure what's going on either.

Here we are stuck in a snow bank in front of the Canucks game...

Here we are stuck in the driveway in the motorhome....hmmm? (Actually it was parked for the winter!)

And here I am stuck inside with Grams!! She obviously is tired of seeing the snow too!

Plains, trains, ferries and Greyhound part II.

Vancouver here we come...plane, train, ferry, greyhound, taxi, van, SUV, skytrain with a tree. The snow's not stoppin' us!

It Doesn't snow here...3 feet later! We started off the journey for the holiday flying into a storm filled Seattle. No fish market that day. A van and an SUV ride later, we crossed the border with a carload of strangers (thanks Dawn and Vince) willing to give us a ride and landed in Vancouver. We waited until 3am for the parents to arrive from the same, only now snowier, trek. They actually had to push a van up a highway at one point. Yep, they are canadian.

THE EMPRESS

Victoria, British Columbia is a place to behold. The Queen happened to be busy in England that day, but Mike and I enjoyed our stay at the Empress nonetheless. We had tea and crumpets and those mini cucumber sandwhiches. We both got new shoes, shined them with our shoe mitts and headed off in more snow. On the Greyhound, up island to Qualicom Beach (no beach just snow) we arrived a little late for christmas eve dinner.


HOUSE OF PARLIAMENT

The Victoria harbour and the Parliament building. I am happy here because I just got new shoes. I also love lights, boats, Canada, and harbours. Not harbors though. Victoria is about a two hour ferry ride from Vancouver or Seattle. The ferry ride is part of the fun. You can see whales, seals, fish and water. We only saw water.

THE MOTORHOME

And for the next adventure, the motorhome. I think you call them RV's in the U.S. Although we enjoyed it parked, we vowed to steal it for an island tour during the summer. We had a nice visit with Auntie Norma, Gordon and Grams...thanks for letting us bunk-in!

DA CANUCKS

Although the city was completely shut down and snowed in, the Canucks game went on. Jeff met his "guy" and managed 8 somewhat legal tickets. 30,000 strong with fist fulls of Molson's, hockey was played.