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Show Oregon trip leaves no complaints p.g. Jblcub By MARCELLA WALKER Jack Hill had a sign up above his table at Parent-Teacher Conferences at the high school Friday. It was very helpful and said, "See me to complain about: 1. Sophomore football (he is the coach) 2. Yearbook (he is the advisor) 3. School newspaper (he is the advisor) 4. Low district test scores 5. Grenada invasion 6. Greyhound bus strike 7. Hooding around Utah Lake 8. American History grades 9. Nepotism policy . 10. Christmas decorations being put up too early." He missed one item; the weather this past week in Oregon. As you may already know, I took a Little trip to Oregon this past week and it was pouring when I arrived in Portland, it poured the entire time 1 was there, and it was pouring when we arrived at the train station to depart for Utah. Everyone was complaining about it, including the weatherman on the newscast each night. They said it was the rainy season but this ! was ridiculous. It didn't just rain, it '' poured buckets upon buckets. The skiers were happy because with each raindrop in the valley a snowflake was landing on Mt. Hood. He said that some of the short lines in Utah were the subject of their trip last year. Maybe the trains here, the Amtrak, doesn't travel 120 miles per hour like some of them do in Japan, but it was fast enough for me and very relaxing. Besides seeing the rain in Portland and surrounding country, we also saw a lot of relatives. I have more relatives in Oregon than anywhere else, with Missouri running a close second. Our immediate family (on my side) is all there. Of course, the Walkers on my husbands side make up a good portion of this town so we have lots of good relatives to see regularly. Fortunately, Mt. St. Helens kept her cool while I was there and did not disturb the tranquility of the falling rain. One day a tiny glimmer of sun came out for a second and it nearly blinded us but by the time we opened our eyes again, it was gone. Would you believe that when the train pulled out of the Portland station the rain had stopped? Within five minutes the sun had come out and we had sunshine all the way up the Gorge and nearly to the Blue Mountains where night fell and no sun was available. It did not rain on the way home. If you have a complaint, go see Jack Hill. We tried to dodge the raindrops so that we could leave the house once or twice but we were not too successful. You want to hear about my trip? Other than the rain it was very nice. It was totally relaxing and my aunt and I had lots of time to gab. We made wise use of the time. We also played lots of Yahtzee which is the favorite game of both of us. We probably played about 20 games and it was great. I rode up on the Amtrak because, believe it or not, it is cheaper than driving, the bus and the plane. My mom said, "You'll hate it." Delia said, "You'll love it." Delia was right. If you haven't yet ridden the Amtrak I suggest that you do. It was extremely pleasant. The ride was very smooth, very quiet, the seats were very comfortable. The train went through Idaho both times at night, thank goodness, and it was so easy to sleep, even in a seat. I got a full seven hours sleep on the way up and six on the way home. The reason is thnt I woke up when the train stoppr ' at Ogden coming back and I wat ; raid to go to sleep again for fear I would miss Salt Lake. The windows are big and spacious and you can see some of the most beautiful scenery in the world. The ride down the Columbia Gorge is breathtaking anyway and on Amtrak you are right next to the water much of the time and it was neat. I had a delicious supper of roast turkey with all the trimmings, stuffing, gravy, tossed green salad, sweet potatoes, peas and carrots, cranberries, rolls and butter and milk. The cost was only $4.74 and it was a generous serving, too. I was seated at a table for dinner with a couple traveling to Indianapolis. They had a dinner wine with their meal. The other person was a retired army officer who lives in Boise. He is a railroad buff and travels all over America and Canada looking at railroads with his friend, a parish priest from Chicago. |
