feldmanlarry

Neither of us slept really well on the train. The room is tiny and can be set up in two configurations. One is upper and lower beds, with a steep ladder to the upper. In this configuration there is a very narrow aisle to get to the door to the tiny cubicle for the toilet. The other configuration has the two beds folded into the wall and replaced by two comfortable chairs. We checked most of our luggage but kept a small bag and two backpacks in the cabin. There really wasn’t space for more than that. Surprisingly it wasn’t a claustrophobic feeling. There’s certainly much more room than an airplane plus there’s a quarter mile of train to walk through including 3 dome cars, 3 activity areas and dining cars.

As soon as we got in our room, they summoned us to a champagne reception in the nearby activity car. The train left Toronto at 10 PM and it felt good to be relaxing with a drink with the shakiness and rhythmic bumps of the train. After we got back, I was mesmerized lying down and watching the forests, lakes, and tiny settlements go by. It was difficult for Margaret to sleep, since it was so late for her and the adjustment was tough. At 12:22 AM I took the following screen shot with the blue pin showing our location, right next to Lake Simcoe. We left from Toronto, near the bottom of the screen. Soon we would be passing near Sudbury, near the top of the screen.

Going back to 1970 – Steve and I picked up two hitchhikers’ early who stayed with us almost all the way across Canada. When it was getting later in the day, we would take a side road off the Trans-Canada Highway, then take a side road off that side road. We’d keep going until we found a good place to camp. We’d all huddle around the campfire in our sleeping bags and one person might sleep in the station wagon.

A tiny crossroads town called Wawa, Ontario was filled with hitchhikers some of whom had been waiting for days. In 2011, we did not go to Wawa but we passed a town called Gogoma as compensation. The people traveling that summer we met were mostly in their late teens or early 20’s. They ranged from dropped-out druggies to college graduates on a once in a lifetime journey way out of their comfort zone. I remember eating carrot sandwiches with nothing besides carrots and bread. We scrounged whatever we could find and didn’t eat much.

2011 – The food on the train is wonderful. The whole experience is like a cruise on tracks instead of on water. We share travel stories with many couples but we were among the few who were not retired. Most though were in very good health and many knew a great deal about the regions we were passing through, like the people below that we kept running in to. They were retired middle school science teachers from Red Deer, Alberta and we enjoyed hearing their stories.

Couple we sat next to many times from Red Deer, Alberta, retired science teachers

Most of the people were older than us. I wondered if they were the same type of people I met in 1970 or if they were the ones at home working the jobs and staying out of trouble. For the most part, I think they were not the type of person who I would have met in 1970. This makes me wonder if I have not just aged with my peer group but if I have changed peer groups from the type of person who would take a whole summer at 19 and travel with little money, little plans, and little common sense. Had I become part of the peer group of mildly interesting responsible adults. Ultimately, I think that’s exactly what has happened, except that I do keep a bit of the old me.

I never liked the fact that my official name is Lawrence. I much prefer Larry. It’s annoying to have to use Lawrence on official documents. In my trips to the Middle East and East Asia, I was called Lawrence or Mr. Lawrence, or Lawrence Mark until I was able to convince them to call me Larry. However, I love that the name Larry is not unusual and also not overly popular. We chose the name Keith for our son because it does not have a long and short form like Lawrence and it is also not unusual or overly popular.

It was a thrill to me that the couple joining us for lunch this day had a Larry and our server was named Larry. It’s about the first time in my life I’ve been one of three Larry’s and had to get the following picture.

Larry (left), Larry (middle), and Larry (right). One of the first times in my life I have experienced this. If you were going to assign us to the three stooges, who would be which stooge?

One of the best parts of the trip was the singer they had hired to perform for us. Her name is Robyn Dell’Unto and she’s very good. She writes her own stuff on the CD I bought but on this trip she sang mostly folk rock songs from the 60’s. She rightly guessed that that would be what this greying audience would like but I also liked very much her own songs. I heard her sing two times and would have gone to see her all 4 times she was playing but the other times conflicted with our meal sitting times. I told her about the concerts I saw in the 1960’s including one of her heros, Janis Joplin.

Robyn Dell’Unto, excellent folk singer from 2011 singing songs like Neil Young’s “Helpless” (left), seats in the economy class like the ones I sat in for 3-4 days in 1970 (right)

On the train coming back from Vancouver in 1970, I distinctly remember getting out at a place called Sioux Lookout, Ontario and hearing Neil Young’s “Helpless” on a radio. “There is a town in North Ontario …” This was one of the few times in my life I have seen the Northern Lights in the sky. When Robyn sang that song in 2011, it made a real impact on me. In 2011, I stayed awake longer than I wanted to in order to be sure to get out at Sioux Lookout in memory of that incident in 1970. I had to plead a special case to be allowed off the train and had to walk all the way to the front of the train to get back on but it was worth it. Unfortunately, no one was playing “Helpless” and there were no Northern Lights. The town looked a little depressing.

The train station at Sioux Lookout where I saw the Northern Lights in 1970 while listening to the song “Helpless”

Nothing happening this night in Sioux Lookout

We also had a stop in a tiny town called Hornepayne, Ontario. It seemed to be a dusty slow town but it felt good to get fresh air. It was in the 70’s (or 20’s Celsius). We walked outside up to the very front of the train. There are 19 large passenger cars, including cars with economy class seats, the sleeping cars, activity / dome cars, and dining cars. There were also 2 engine cars and a baggage car. They told us it’s 1/4 mile to get from one end to the other.

We were not tempted to abandon the train for the charms of downtown Hornepayne, Ontario.

Looking to the back of the train (left), looking to the front of the train (right). About 1/4 mile long altogether.

Two engines and baggage car at the front

Everyday while we were out eating breakfast, the porter in charge of our car came into our cabin to put the beds away and set up the chairs. At dinner or whenever we asked for it, they would change the cabin to the other configuration. We were able to get pictures of her setting it up one day.

Opening up the wall in our cabin to get the beds out (left), finishing up setting up the beds (right)

Getting through Ontario took over a day and over 1000 miles. When we left Ontario, we were west of Minneapolis. Going through Northern Ontario was fantastic. The population we saw after getting out of the southern part was probably less than one thousand. It’s basically all rolling hills, lush forests, and lakes. It was easy to find camping areas in the woods in 1970.

Just one of the beautiful views of Northern Ontario from the window of our cabin.

My first impression of the people on the train with us was not overly positive. They seemed like possibly boring straitlaced old people (like us?). It turned out they were really a lot of fun. Most were retired like I said but almost all were adventurous and filled with interesting stories to tell. Possibly the most interesting person was the person below. She was on a year trip around the world, starting in her native England. She had plans to go to Hawaii, Australia, somewhere in Southeast Asia and who knows where else. She had made few plans and definitely had the spirit I had in 1970.

In a dome car, the most interesting person I met, on her way around the world for a year, with a passion for “trance” music”

Her passion was “trance” music, of which the only type I had heard of was “techno”, which has an almost monotone, hard-driving electronic sound. She educated me on the various types of trance music. In its purest form I think you try to get truly into a physical trance.

Forms of “Trance” music (a type of house music) as explained to me by the woman above.