Bubba's Road Trip - Day 9

Well, my trip has come to an end.  The last segment from Chicago to Washington was uneventful.  I spent most of this time resting and spending some time alone. 

Mainly to convince myself to come back to work.  The ride along the Potomac River was as beautiful as ever.  I saw a few places I would like to make a Sunday drive in order to explore more.  Namely, Harper's Ferry for one.

So once again, the adventure ends and a new Bowling year starts.  The 2014 Tournament is scheduled for Reno once again.  So I only have 11 months until the next train excursion begins.

Bubba's Road Trip - Day 8

A new week and I am heading for Chicago and should be there after lunch.  Last night ended with a long discussion with a young couple from Lincoln NE. They are in the process of relocating to Ft Carson CO.  He was medically retired from the Army at the age of 24.  He is involved in investing and trying to make his first million.  He is investing and banking heavily on the legalization of Marijuana on a national scale.  I wish them luck. Looks like we are staying just on the heels of the snow storm.  Every now and then the snow kicked up by the train causes a whiteout in my window.  Making visibility of the great flat farmland hard.  I would hate to miss the once in a lifetime and rare photographic moment ... an ear of corn sprouting forth!  We arrived in Chicago about 75 minutes late.  Most of the lost time was due to malfunctioning switches due to snow and ice.  At the metro lounge AMTRAK's wireless was messed up and I was unable to post some of the blogs, check email, or upload my fitbit for the last few days.  But finally after a 30 minute maintenance delay we were off and headed for home.  This must be the Disney version of the train because there are lots of kids on this train.  You really have to watch out as they come flying down the hall way.  Of course there have already been several bumps and bruises. I had my normal dinner fare (steak and baked potato and ice cream) and shared the table with a railroad buff.  He gave me some great tips for getting the most out of the train system.  I guess I should write a few of them down so I won't forget them.  I wish they would shift the schedule for I always do the Chicago to Pittsburgh leg in the dark.  It would be nice to see the area but then again, what is good about Pittsburgh?

Bubba's Road Trip - Day 7

New day and the rails keep on clacking away.  I must of been tired for I didn't even budge until 7 am when the PA announced the first call for breakfast. I usually make the 6:30 breakfast.  Breakfast this morning was shared with a gentleman who was a screen writer. His new movie he is writing is scheduled for release in the Fall of 2014. Wonder if I could get written in as the lead male actor?  I would be a cinch for the Oscar then.  Ha! One young mom learned a lesson this morning about taking her small daughter (maybe 4) into the dressing room with her. Her daughter asked a million questions about their body differences not realizing their voices carried quite well.  I laughed so hard as mom gave a detailed explanation for some simple questions. Sometimes being brief is a good thing! The scenery is beautiful as we enter the mountains with a light snow.  A herd of deer, pheasant, rabbit, eagle and mustangs are the highlight so far.  The wind near Grand Junction whipped up the snow enough to make it look like a whiteout.  The ground has already turned white (about 30 minutes).  Another late spring snow?  It is funny seeing the snow coming down and a trout fisherman standing in the Colorado River fly fishing. Lunch was once again shared with some Iowa State fans.  Is the train full of them?  These weren't so happy as their team had just lost. During lunch we made our stop at Glenwood Springs CO., and 100 skiers got on.  So now this train is full. The ride through the mountains was fun ... more snow since I was last here.  As we came down the mountain into Denver, I saw a very large Elk standing on the ridge line.  He was huge and there were 2 others standing nearby.  I ate dinner as they pulled into Denver. My dinner partners were just vacationers ... no more basketball fanatics.  Now we start the flat portion of the trip through the Plains.  Good thing it is dark ... I can sleep through Nebraska and Iowa. We should be in Omaha by breakfast.

Bubba's Road Trip - Day 6

Today was an early day.  Singles and doubles were scheduled for 7 am with a 6 am check in time.  So I was up at 4 am to pack and get organized. I even managed to eat some breakfast.  The pace was fast as we rolled 6 games in under 3 hours.  I had a lot of practice shooting an inside line.  Like standing 20 and throwing out to 10. Oh well, so much for technical stuff.  Muscle cramps are the name of the game right now.  I had to buy a new a new bowling bag when my old one broke on me in the middle of a crosswalk when I was heading back to checkout of the Silver Legacy.  The old bag lasted only 11 years. To bad it was not a quality product.  I made it to the terminal with about 2 hours to wait.  The biggest problem was they kept that place so cold I fought with cramps the whole time, especially one in my right arm. Finally the train showed up, I boarded and got the heat turned up in my room and sucked down some Tylenol.  Knock on wood the cramps have gone away for now.  Dinner (steak and baked potato) was great.  Do you see a common theme in my meals like I do?  My dining partners were rabid Iowa State fans.  I don't think they took more than one bite between every check of their IPhone as too the current basketball scores.

Bubba's Road Trip - Day 5

Let's see ... I finished Thursday night with a steak dinner at Sterling's.  It was great but I don't know if I could say it was better than Cagney's. But it is close!  The rest of the night till I packed it in was consumed by people watching. I sat on a bench and had several chuckles as people walked by.  Some staggered, some strutted their stuff because they were vain and others did it because it was for sale.It sometimes is mind boggling what people will wear or barely wear in public.  I needed no imagination to see what they had.One guy amazed me because he had a beer belly that hung lower than his shirt and pants that rode about lower than his red hearted shorts.  So finally I climbed into bed around 1 in the morning only to listen to neighbors arguing and loudly berating each other. After 15 minutes, security was called and they were shut up.

Friday morning was a lazy morning as I didn't get up till almost 9 am.  I walked over to Circus Circus to have breakfast at the Americana Restaurant.  About noon, I dragged my gear to the Stadium and started the mental prep for our 3 pm squad time.  The ganged finally showed up late as they always do with 3 new faces.  They were people I had bowled with a long time ago in California but this was their first time at Nationals.  The only sad note was Gerald had to dropout at the last minute because of a stroke.  He is ok but a stroke at 38?  I hope he changes his life or this maybe he may never bowl again.  All the rest of the guys were the same just a year older.  Don got his twenty year pin this year. I managed to win 2 of the 3 games between us and stay close to my average.  The 2014 tournament is here next year and my 25th consecutive is still scheduled for 2015 in El Paso Texas.  Can't wait.  After bowling I spent a little time talking to the guys at Visionary Bowling Products looking at the new stuff.  Finally, with the "goodbye's" and "see ya next year", I headed for a Chinese dinner at the Silver Legacy.  Should have got the steak!  

Oh well, it is early to bed as the morning bowling shift starts a 7 am and I have to be packed and ready to go before that.  And then it is time to come home.

Bubbda's Road Trip - Day 4

Breakfast and then we  arrived in Reno about 8:15 am.  What made today rough was the simple fact I was tired to sitting and riding and my butt was sore from all the sitting.  Arriving at the Silver Legacy, I got my room assigned but housekeeping hadn't cleaned it yet so I had to wait 2 hours.  So it was off to the Bowling Stadium and looking at all the new stuff there.  There were quite a few changes in the National Bowling Stadium.  Still haven't decided if a new bowling ball is in the future but I did narrow it down to two. Only time will tell ... right now it is no.  Still need to decide if I am going to join the Visionary Bowling Test Team this year.  Even the Silver legacy has changed as two new restaurants are being built.  However they won't be done until mid-April so I won't get to try them until next year. I tried to bowl the BTM Tournament but I was the only person for the 4:00 pm shift and USBC rules won't allow just one person to bowl.  So I will try again tomorrow at 9:30 am.  Well, time to go down stairs and get a bite to eat.  Got to keep my energy level up.  Also, it will give the couple a chance to solve their problems and get quiet.  Nothing more distracting than two people arguing in the hallway and their voices echoing up and down it.

Bubba's Road Trip - Day 3

Breakfast in Denver or rather as we approached Denver.  Quiet night and sleeping on the bottom bunk was much nicer. Though trying to dress for a bathroom break in the middle of the night was a challenge when you don't have a lot of room, it is dark, and you really have to go!  The morning excitement was the heart attack the Snack Bar operator had as we approached Denver. Last we head as we left Denver was he was ok and being tested at the hospital. We headed into the mountains only to lose an hour as we had to wait for track maintenance to clear the track ahead of us.  It is amazing how the area is being developed as witnessed by the number of houses being built all over the mountainside.  I was expecting more snow and wildlife but so far it hasn't happened. Most of the wildlife has been small critters and a herd of deer.  Someone has started up a Alpaca farm near Winter Park Co. Those animals should do fine in the 6500+ altitude and snow.  Lunch was interesting and not very conversational as it was with 2 deaf ladies.  Getting their attention to pass something was an adventure.  I have been eating my cup of vanilla Hagen Daz every meal.  By the end of the trip I will be spoiled and developed a habit.  Saw a large Bald Eagle sitting in a dead tree watching for unsuspecting prey. They are so beautiful to look at.  Just passed a massive flock of turkey's near Glenwood Springs CO.  I lost count an 40.  Good thing the Eagles were a few mile back!   Today as we roll through the mountains I keep thinking of the song "How Great Thou Art."  The sights are something to behold.  Luckily no one opened the connecting doors as we went through Moffat Tunnel.  There seems to always be one knuckle head that opens the doors between the cars and lets the fumes in as we go through the 6 mile tunnel.  Looks like we have crossed the mountains, so the speed picks up and the bushes fly by.

Well, dinner was extremely interesting and at the same time sickening.  My steak was great but that is where it ended.  My dinner partners were a Mormon, someone who learned and felt more religion on their own and a guy who was a Eastern Religion believer.  What I heard those three agree upon and decide what was right was enough to make one say "enough."  Basically, if you ate meat, used vitamins, and trusted your doctor's to prescribe medicine then you were doomed.  Being a vegetarian, using natural organic herbs and using mantras to focus yourself was the way to go.  Then the hogwash really got deep.  Did you know the Church is intentionally repressing you to a state of a child so that you can never reached the highest state of "I am God."  The enlightened ones believe being God is the ultimate.  He believed if I have a strong faith then I was a strong child for faith is something only children use.  Therefore I missed the level of adulthood because I never gained the "knowledge that transcends faith." Then he compared the Holy Ghost to a dirty mirror therefore all we see or feel is illusions.  Also that the Holy Spirit was female since the Bible said God and Jesus were man and the female balanced the trinity.  So needless to say when I stated my "This I believe" they cleared out.  Did I accomplish anything ... no ... but at least the people around me heard the truth and surprisingly I heard a few amens!  Surely these are the end times because all manner of lies will be accepted as truth.  So now I must find a way to fall asleep for my mind is whirling with God's truths.

Bubba's Road Trip - Day 2

Breakfast with a couple of Swedes and then Chicago.  This was how my day started.  Definitely the top bunk of the sleeper is out of the question.  Too hard to get in and it seems too small or perhaps I have gotten too big for it.  Since I had a 5 hour layover in Chicago till the next train, I was able to wander all over the train station and partake of my favorite activity ... watching people walk by.  Chili and Cheese hotdog for lunch and I am ready for the next leg of the journey.  The train was 30 minutes late leaving because of mechanical problems to which we made up by Ottumwa Iowa.  Dinner was great and I shared it with a gentleman who was a oil pipeline welder.  Funny thing was half way through dinner he received a call wanting him to come and repair a piece of pipe in Alaska.  So he will be off as soon as he gets home.  Of course his stories of life as a trouble welder for 43 years was very interesting and might I say highly profitable.  Alaska, Gulf of Mexico, Africa, Middle East, and Chile were a few of the luxury spots he has worked at.  Tomorrow we should be in the Rockies and have lots of wildlife to see.

Bubba's Road trip - Day 1

 
Well, Bubba is off and running again. This time I am heading for Reno and my 23rd National Tournament. I have done this so much now that nothing comes as a surprise.  My day started early as I went to work to finish up some last minute tasks.  Lunch was at our usual Chinese restaurant on Glebe Road. Then it was off to Union Station and the train.  Sitting in the ACELA Lounge was very relaxing.  Sometimes when I sit in the coach class waiting area, the panhandlers are always trying to touch you for some money or help.  Riding along the Potomac with a light snow falling was beautiful.  As usual AMTRAK's steak dinner was delicious and when topped off with ice cream and coffee, well, I am ready to just chill out and sleep some. Not that I haven't already been doing that.  Cat naps are the order of the day for the next couple of days.  Yes mom, they did have "Death by Chocolate." Too bad I am not a chocolate fanatic or I would have got it and told you how great it was!

My God moment today was while I was eating.  The two ladies sitting with me were talking about life. One Lady said she missed her friend who had recently died.  The other lady recited the first verse of the song "Precious Memories." Not long after that a comment was made about the Potomac River and the Lady recited the first verse of "Peace like a River."  The whole meal was interspersed with song lyrics.  She worshipped God by reciting his praises in song.  My thought was of David and how he used the Psalms to voice his feelings to God.  To me it was a blessing as I listened to her recite these verses.  I pondered this way of worshiping God as I know a lot of times we don't praise him because we can't sing good much less carry a tune, but we can recite the words because most songs are scripture based.  So my evening ended of a high note as my mind reviewed the many songs I had rumbling around in my mind.