01 July 2012

from the window of a moving train


portland to chicago! via the empire builder a few weeks ago. two days on the great rail system, forty-eight hours spent looking out the window at a million different things. pretty rad, I tell you. pretty rad.



(somewhere in the great state of washington, along the columbia gorge)




(somewhere in the great state of montana, the great big crazy wide open state of montana)






(sunset in north dakota on the left, sunrise in minnesota on the right)





(the great state of wisconsin, folks)



and then finally, chicago. where we wandered the great hall and wolfed down a few classic chicago style hot dogs before getting on yet another train that took us deeper into the land of lincoln, closer to the town where my folks live. couldn't help but think of last summer, when I dreamt of the sound of cicadas and lightning bugs and thick air.  and now here we are. home.

24 comments:

  1. LOVE these photos! They are so evocative and interesting. I love taking photos from moving trains too - you always seem to get a different perspective on things than if you were just standing still. :-)

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  2. Oh I love this post so much. Love seeing the photos of your trip. Love seeing the sights, the skies, the kids. Thank you, babe, for this. Much needed on a day like today. Missing you guys and wishing it were a bit less cloudy here in Portland.

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  3. This looks AMAZING. I want to travel cross country with the whole fam someday and doing it by train seems kind of fantastic. This is something your kids will always remember as a really cool childhood memory. Love it.

    Have fun in Chicago!

    xo
    cortnie

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  4. Your photos are amazing. I love seeing different things at one time or in one sitting. I get to think a lot and more importantly, I get to be grateful about how beautiful this world is. :)

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  5. 1. I love that you take overnight train rides. they are the best and I'm glad ava and ezra are getting to enjoy them.
    2. a tree grows in brooklyn changed my young life. I hope ava just eats it up.
    3. please tell me you are not done with your nashville adventures. the u-haul is packed and the drive is tomorrow and the living is soon to come. come visit me!
    4. you're the best and I hope time with the family and at home is energizing and relaxing at the same time.

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  6. I agree with everybody else. You have a really distinctive style of photography.

    One photo I found interesting was -- it looks like you were taking a photo of someone taking a photo of the sky outside the train window with a phone. The sky from the main photo's perspective was bright white. But the sky from the phone's perspective was blue with clouds. I'd never thought of that before.

    The other two photos I liked were the black Converses with the red toes and the solitary coal train in front of the river and cliff.

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  7. yay! for being home! looks like another epic adventure. you guys sure know how to travel. :)
    -Tina

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  8. I took this train trip form Milwaukee to Portland, then from Portland to Los Angeles in 1991 and met the greatest bunch of people. Lots of card games in the smoking car (that was a long time ago, probably don't have a smoking car anymore, it was the 90's after all).

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  9. i wish you could come up to madison for a day or two....i'd have lots of fun things to show you and places to take you....just a thought :)

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  10. What an adventure, looks like fun!

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  11. This looks like a great way to travel!

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  12. wow - great photos and adventure with the kids! awesome stuff my friend!

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  13. I love traveling by train. Great pictures! Always inspired.

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  14. hope you don't mind, i've posted a couple of your pics with attribution and link over at my blog http://mlleparadis.blogspot.com. (will take them down if/as desired.)

    what a great train trip - did the zephyr from sf to chicago years ago. memories....

    hope you're having a great 4th!

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  15. Lovely, lovely. I am dreaming of your journey of the pace of a train as it crosses the plains and the worlds unravelling outside the window, on and on and on. I am leaving soon, to travel with my family to Eastern Europe, to chug across borders in our VW van. We are waiting for lakes, the stink of hot sunshine, a beer in hand, cold toes in water. I have dreams of singing folk songs, cafe on terraces, summer time, spinning slowly, gently. Unprepared in a yellow breeze.

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  16. Train rides are the best! looks like you had a great time!

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  17. This is just amazing! I am completely inspired to get on a train now.

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  18. such an amazing adventure. thank you so much for sharing your words and photos with us.

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  19. Amazing lady! An unforgettable journey cheers! What a wonderful way to make your way home.

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  20. cross-country train trip has been on my list for years. Glad you had this time...

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  21. growing up with a train-loving dad, I've traveled on both the Empire Builder and the California Zepher from East to West. loved it. someday we'll do it with our own two...

    (ps. you passed within 2 1/2 miles of my house. sometimes I get stopped by the train when I run in the morning, and I love to wave, even if I can't see the people inside.)

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  22. WOW. Great shots. This is on my "bucket list" to do (either in your country or mine-Canada). I would love to do a cross country train ride.

    I just completed another "bucket list" item & drove from Calgary to Houston so now I need to start working on east-west or west-east travel.

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  23. just came across your blog and i'm truly inspired by your photography!

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