IF we were ALL the Same, What Fun Would THAT Be?

 I usually do jump to conclusions quite quickly, and this may indeed be one of those times; but, here goes. 

There are A LOT of different KINDS of people in this world and many of them ride the train. Let's start with those who do not ride the train: rich people, especially nuevo rich people, and that is a good thing in my mind. Rich people, especially nuevo and young rich people, seem to be very self absorbed - "instagramers" if you will. That's not to say there are no instagramers on the train, but the ones that are seem to be more genuine than the ones that go to a place, pose, snap and leave,. The instagramers on the train do pose and snap, but they then go back to doing whatever it was they were doing before they compose and framed their post - to me, that is a good thing if you're going to have instagramers. Other than those pesky rich people it seems that EVERYONE else rides the train, and I mean EVERYONE else. There are old people, unhealthy people, young people, and tied for most of all - retired people and people who seem to be less well off. They both want to travel on the cheap and both seem to have plenty of time to do so. I suppose I fall into a crossover between those two groups :) 

There are also "Train People", and what an interesting subset of society they are! I met a young couple that have traveled around on Rail Passes for several years and always try to find train related things to see and do in the towns along the rail lines. They had good records from train engines they've seen and a spreadsheet showing the different rail routes and lines they've ridden. I think they've used at least one pass each year over the last several years and don't seem like they're giving up on the hobby anytime soon. Then there were the retired guys who have time and inclination to seek out bucket list things such as long distance train travel, and I suppose I also fall into that category. Some are experts at train riding and admit to have used  Rail Passes every year for years and ridden a high percentage of the rail lines. Oddly enough, they are not all widowers, while many are, many are just using time away from their spouses to do what they like and see the back yards of the US (more on that in a later blog) while getting some time to read, relax, and just sit and stare out of the window of the observation car.  

So yeah, there are different people on the train...different than a plane, different from a car and different from those that don't travel at all. One thing they all see to have in common is that they're enjoying the journey (and it's challenges) as much as their destinations. And that's a good thing - for a bumper sticker, a t-shirt AND life in general.  

And for those of you without access to the Book of Faces, here are a few photos from the observation car, mostly of landscapes in Texas and sunsets in western New Mexico and eastern Arizona along with a few of the railway stations.