I woke up about an hour ago. The train had stopped. I climbed down from my bunk and checked my watch. 6:30 am MT. Peered out the window into complete darkness. Ok, we're somewhere. This is probably not Salt Lake City (which we probably stopped at around 4 am). I noticed after a moment that there were tracks alongside our train, and figured we were probably on a siding waiting for a train to pass by. I pulled on my shoes, went to the bathroom, and in a little while I heard/felt the passing train. By the time I returned to my compartment we'd begun to move again. Assured that at least we weren't stuck somewhere, I gathered my things and took a shower. Actually the shower is not bad. The stall is very cozy, but the water was warm and the handheld showerhead made it easy. I suspect we're on a long straight stretch of track and therefore standing in the shower was no problem. I returned to #12 and started downloading yesterday's pictures from my camera in order to annotate them. The sun is starting to rise, and I can now see across the plain some craggy mountain peaks. The Sierra Nevadas? The mountain range draws closer and closer. I'm surprised to see the green light on the modem card indicating cell service, so I'm quickly posting this before it winks away. We just passed some casinos, so we must be in Nevada. More later, including pix and such.
posted at 6:42 AM ... LINK
