Sunny River Writings

I can’t believe we are still on the road. We have now gone through 26 states. Day 8 we awoke in Iowa nothing but brown fields, lots of white-tailed deer and an alpaca farm. The cows all have calves. Fun to see them hopping around in the pasture.

Day 9 woke up in southeast Colorado. We saw both mule deer and white-tailed deer. The railroad followed the Santa Fe Trail for quite awhile. Lots of free range cattle, some Sandhill Cranes and 1 llama standing in a field all alone. We passed several tall peaks of the Rocky Mountains. In one field were a dozen wild turkeys. We entered New Mexico and passed a sign saying highest peak on the Santa Fe Trail. Here we saw Mule deer, Pronghorn, wild horses, llamas, Turkeys, Elk and Longhorn cattle. The land was mostly red dirt. Lots of adobe houses. In Albuquerque we passed black lava rocks. As the sun was setting there was a group of goats gathered on a ridge.

Day 10 we arrived in Los Angeles with lots of Psalm trees, everything green and the flowers are in bloom. The train station was beautiful and old. The walls and ceilings covered with Mexican tile designs. Had an overnight wait here for our next train. Left late at night on Day 11.

Day 12 woke up in Arizona. Traveled through Saguaro National Park, saw eleven different type of cacti. The Saguaro cacti is the tallest reaching heights of 50 feet. Here it is mostly desert. The train stopped at a huge fueling station in the middle of nowhere to fuel up. What a surprise! At one point we came withing feet of ‘the boarder wall’. Another surprise. It looked old and rusty.

Day 13 we woke in San Antonio, Texas. Lots of grassy fields with cows and goats. There was a field full of Turkey Vultures. Once a dog sat howling at the train as the whistle blew. More deer, Egrets and Herons on the streams and one lone Coyote. We also saw Pronghorn and lots of Brant Geese. The swampy areas were full of Bald Cypress trees. We arrived at 10pm in New Orleans.

Day 14 we spent the day in New Orleans. We took a tour bus and saw the French Quarter and Jackson Square. Lots of beads in the trees left from Mardi Gras. Amazing architecture and beautiful murals were everywhere. Some as tall as 13 stories high. That night we road on the Creole Queen Paddleboat where we had a Cajun dinner and listened to a Dixieland Band.

Now we are off where we will pass through Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, South and North Carolina, Virginia and up the coast to our next stop, New York City.