The Post.....Post

Well we did it. 3 high school grads. 6000 miles. 6 days 6 hours on train. 17 days and 7 cities (with a couple of stops in a few other towns such as Minot, North Dakota). We've also learned a lot on this trip. Such as:

-Old men really need their coffee.

-Trains get COLD.

-Don't try crossing the street in DC on Memorial Day.

-Chicagans have interesting names for each other.

-Mr. Beef is NOT a gay club.

-Pacific Clambakes have the power to bring people back from the dead.

-There is only ONE hill in ALL of North Dakota.

-The deer in Montana are creepy.

-Veronica from the Cafe Car has the most interesting voice.

-LA......................weird.

-Australians are very comfortable around other men.

-36 hours on a train..............is as much fun as it sounds.

-HOusTon makes ya sweat.

-THE HOUSTON AQUARIUM (if you can call it that) IS A RIP-OFF!

-Bourbon Street is nice.........if you don't have nostrils.

-In Nawlins, the French Quarter is MUCH different from the rest of the city.

-Birmingham is not the best of Amtrak stations.

-.....and so much more.

This was really a great experience for all three of us. We met a lot of great people and we will never forget this trip across our great nation. And when people ask where we went for our senior trip, instead of saying the beach like everyone else, we'll be able to tell them that our destination was...AMERICA!

-The Captain

Day 16&17, End of the Road

Day 16 started out waking up at 3:00AM! to catch a 4:00am cab. The train left Houston around 5:00am and we got into N'awlins around 1:30pm. Immediately, we caught a cab and checked into India House hostel and headed to the French Quarter. Upon arrival at the corner of Bourbon and Canal st., the journey to Cafe du Monde to get delicious Beignets ( a tip courtesy of my Aunt Leslie) had begun. After seeing Jackson square and St.Louis cathedral, all of us had found a strong appetite for french donuts covered in powder sugar, and we were not disappointed! Continuing to roam the French Quarter, we stumbled upon Queen Marie Laveau's voodoo shop. They definitely weren't short on Money Oil, Voodoo dolls, or Jesus Action Figures(the last one doesn't fit I know). Dan, unfortunately, took a few pictures on the inside. Which a worker later informed us "upsets the spirits". rut roo. Then we ate at the Cajun cabin, we all tried alligator, had our own Cajun dishes, and bread pudding for dessert. All was well, we had a great time in the French Quarter(other than the smell of puke), and took the trolley back to the Hostel; well after the operator's extended bathroom break. Next day slept in till 5:00am, yay! and caught the train at 7:05 am, arrived in Birmingham around 2:30pm. Thus, adventure was over. 6,000 mile loop complete. Now arriving: Destination America!
-John


John and Morgan walking in Jackson Square


Our Beignets


John's Etouffee

Day 15

Hello again,

For our fifteenth day, we took the Metro Rail to downtown, then set out to find a restaurant with TVs so John could watch the USA vs. England game. We had no luck finding one, so we settled a burger joint called Wimpy's and were pleasantly surprised with delicious cheeseburgers. After lunch, we headed to the "aquarium." The website said it was a three story aquarium with an amusement park on the outside. It was actually a three story restaurant/ballroom that happened to have some fish tanks in it. We actually saw more fish at the zoo. After we saw a handful of fish, we headed outside to board a train that would take us on a "shark voyage" around the seven and a half acre lot. The train stopped in a thirty-foot long tunnel that had a whopping four different types of sharks. Yay! Not. So we went to the free Holocaust museum, which was actually very interesting.


Dan as a diver


John and a Tiger


Morgan in awe of the shark tunnel

Day 14 (Outta of the Nowhere and into the Fire)

Where were you at 4 in the mornin'? Cuz us 3 amigos were gettin' off a train in Houston. As soon as we got out of the station we knew we were back in the South because the heat and humidity hit us in the face like a haymaker. So we caught a bus into town and stoped at the 59 Diner and had breakfast and like everything else in Texas, it was bigger. After our filling meal, we headed further into town and got to our hostel. After getting ourselves settled we made our way to the Zoo. We saw all of Dan's favorite animals and it was pretty good. Then we went to the Natural Science Museum and walked around there. Saw some cool rocks and bones. After that we hoofed it back to the hostel and crashed. That's was our first day in the Lonestar Star State. As they say in Texas, "Reverse-Howdy, Partner!"

Day- 13

Still train. Still nowhere.

Day-12

Train through nowhere.

Day 11

Today started heading straight to universal studios. All was well did many attractions and did the studio tour, very interesting. It was a little odd going around those movie sets, almost with the feeling of deja vu. So familiar yet different without all the props, nonetheless; very interesting! After seeing everything universal studios had to offer, we headed over to the infamous Hollywood. There, we walked the walk of fame, saw Grauman's Chinese Theater, and of course the big Hollywood sign. All and all, very fun day.
-John


John with Crash Bandicoot and Curious George


Morgan on the Terminator bike


Morgan...Freeman

Days 9 & 10

We were on a train for most of day 9. We arrived in Los Angeles at about 9:00 and finally made it to the hostel at about 10:30 and went to bed. Today, we just took it easy, did some laundry, and went to the beach. Then, we ate at Cha Cha Chicken, a Caribbean resturant, for lunch. Then we walked around Third Street Promenade. For dinner, we had some fish and chips at Ye Old King's Head English pub. It was not a very productive day. Well, maybe not, John is learning how to salsa dance right now.


John in the Adidas store


Outside Ye Old Kings Head


Fish and Chips


Morgan with his beloved, Kate Beckinsale

Days 7 & 8 (The Great Northwest)

Well to get to Seattle we got on another train and headed west some more. Thanks to a 3 hour delay because of a broken knuckle( not the conductor's, a freight train's) we arrived in Seattle at around 1 (which was fine because we didn't really have that much planned). We made our way to the Green Tortoise and after about 20 min. of searching and 80 some odd stairs, we found it nestled in Pike's Place Market. Checked in and then it was off to the Space Needle. After seeing all of the city from the top o' the needle, we turned our search to the Waterfront to find a place to eat. We hadn't had a meal in 24 hours so we were all hungry, Dan especially. Guy had less energy than a stick. We decide to eat at The Crab Pot and Dan and John order a Pacific Clambake aka. a pile of seafood dumped on your table. They did work and Dan was a new man by the end of it. After the meal we headed back to the tortoise, took our showers (mine had a rain-maker shower-head and was completely open. It was sick) Then Dan and I went to the ORIGINAL Starbucks and got a late night treat. Next day we got up, headed to the station and got on our train to LA. On our way that day we saw Mt. Rainier and Mt. St. Helens. Now those are some big piles of rock. The rest was pine trees and mountains. So ends our Northwest Adventure.
Captain's Log, Trip Date: 7&8


The Space Needle


Before


After


The original Starbucks

Day 6

After a good night's rest in our spacious motel room, we got some breakfast at our motel's restaurant. First, we saw the Canadian tourism center where we met the Canadian symbol of peace, Larae. After our quasi-Canadian visit, we rented fishing poles and bought lures eager to catch trout. This was unsuccessful. Although, we saw lots of the beauty of West Glacier attempting to do so. Then after a snack lunch and eating everything huckleberry flavored known to man, we ate our Montana-raised bison burgers. Yum! Afterward, we waited on the train to Seattle, and that's where we'll pick up next post.


Us in the Canadian two-man bobsled


View of Lake McDonald




Morgan with John Wayne


Bison Burger


Huckleberry Pie

Day 5

While on the train to West Glacier, we decided to step out of the train in Minot, ND for some fresh air and a photo op. That's really all that there is to do in Minot.
We finally arrived in West Glacier at 8:23pm MDT and checked in. It was still broad daylight and it didn't even start to get dark until about midnight. Thinking that there will be a restaurant open because there was still plenty of daylight, we searched for some place to eat but realized that everything was already closed, so we went to bed.


Morgan in Minot, ND


Us in West Glacier


Our motel room

Day 4

As Morgan has already said we got up, had brackfast, checked out, and went to Northerly Island Park. We walked around and saw a bunch of sculptures and statues. We saw Soldier Field, home of DA BEARS. Then, we had a Chicago-style hot dog for lunch. Finally, we boarded the train to West Glacier, MT.


John at Soldier Field


Morgan and John in front of the sundial at Adler's Planetarium


John's Chicago-style hot dog