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The report on my westbound EB trip to the Izaak Walton Inn at Essex, Montana, is at www.henrykisor.com/blog.
20th Century Member # 2196
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Thanks Mr.Kisor. I am happy to read that you are enjoying your trip and making literary progress at the same time. I also like the photo you included.
Henry Kisor Member # 4776
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I'm taking a bunch of photos and will post them when I get back to Chicago this weekend. The Izaak Walton's wireless Internet access appears to be attached to a landline dialup -- it is painfully slow and sometimes cuts out. After all, Essex is way out in the boonies and I don't think cable or DSL has gotten this far from Whitefish or Kalispell.
notelvis Member # 3071
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Wow -
wireless internet at the Izaak Walton? They didn't have that when I spent my honeymoon there!
Of course between trains and the honeymoon I didn't have time to think about the internet!
train lady Member # 3920
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Henry, when I click on the url you have given I get a message that the page I want does not exist.
Henry Kisor Member # 4776
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Train lady, there's something fishy with the blog software. I can't see the 3/7 entry, either, when I go to http://www.henrykisor.com/blog -- it stops with the 3/5 entry.
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I got the page does not exist message too but it also listed the various parts of Henry's website. Click on blog and you get there. Nice report Henry, I will be at the Inn in June for my first time. David - nice work taking your wife to a train place on your honeymoon. Once you got there did you say "Oh look, there are trains here, what a surprise?"
notelvis Member # 3071
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quote:Originally posted by HopefulRailUser: I got the page does not exist message too but it also listed the various parts of Henry's website. Click on blog and you get there. Nice report Henry, I will be at the Inn in June for my first time. David - nice work taking your wife to a train place on your honeymoon. Once you got there did you say "Oh look, there are trains here, what a surprise?"
My wife is a little too savvy for that and realized what she was getting into when on drives while dating I seemed to arrive at train stations in every new town that we were exploring!
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Thanks for the fix on the link Henry. Your trip report reminds me of a rail trip that I made in that pre-dawn period before most everyone had laptops and internet access......back when Amtrak's Capitol Limited had a dome car!
As spring break approached, I booked a roundtrip from Washington, DC to Denver....Capitol out, Cardinal back. I had been working in spurts preparing to write a 60-page seminar paper, one of the few remaining requirements for my Masters Degree.
I boarded the train, found my roomette, and immediately began taping note cards (yes, note cards.....that's how we learned to do it back then) to the walls around me......lot's of note cards.
To make the long story of a long paper a little shorter, in the four nights I spent on the train, I managed to write (longhand.....pencil on composition book paper) a complete first draft of my paper.
True.....I had been playing with ideas in my mind for several weeks BUT the process of actually writing....sitting uninterrupted in my room....on a moving train seemed much easier than it would have in my apartment for some reason.
Henry Kisor Member # 4776
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David:
My theory is that a train's gentle rocking and pitching as the endless scenery slides by somehow lubricates the brain, smoothing the action of its pistons and wheels and causing the tubs of creativity to slosh over into the nerves, enabling the words to flow. Or something like that.
George Harris Member # 2077
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quote:Originally posted by Henry Kisor: David:
My theory is that a train's gentle rocking and pitching as the endless scenery slides by somehow lubricates the brain, smoothing the action of its pistons and wheels and causing the tubs of creativity to slosh over into the nerves, enabling the words to flow. Or something like that.
Exactly! Precisely! Can't be expressed better. Conversely, riding in airplanes causes the contents of the tubs of creativity to evaporate into the thin dry air prevailing in airplane cabins. With the lack of lubrication due to dry creativity tubs, the pistons and wheels in the brain then sieze up and cease functioning.
This is an excellent explanation for the failures in our society, particularly in the political process. All politicians, business leaders, scientists, any anyone for who critical thinking and creativity is important should be required to spend no less than four 48 hour plus sessions in a train per year. Any politician who refuses to do so should be forthwith removed from office.
Cozyharbor Member # 4868
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Thanks so much for the link to your blog. I thoroughly enjoyed reading all about your recent experience on the Empire Builder since I'll be boarding it myself in just 2 days!
Re: the EB. I guess I'm very lucky to have had my first major rail experience aboard it, almost exactly one year ago today.
While on, I couldn't believe how nice the train was; how well kept my room; how helpful the attendant (unfortunately I can't remember his name but it might have been Louis); how delicious the food was; and how much fun it was attending a wine and cheese tasting while speeding along at a rapid pace!
I think what I like the most about train travel is the wonderful feeling of being suspended in time with no cares or responsibilities other than enjoying the scenery, chatting with newly made friends, and just relaxing.
I sometimes wonder if I had boarded any other line, if I would have had such a good time and booked 2 more trips. Though the Lake Shore Ltd's scenery wasn't as stunning as the EB's, it was still a pleasant experience and one I'll never forget.
Anyway, in two days I'll once again be on the LSL and the EB and am looking foward to it. However, this time I plan on keeping a journal on my laptop. I had done a little bit of that during the last two trips but just a few pages here and there. This time it'll be different thanks to reading the inspirational posts and blogs I discovered right here!
Cozyharbor
notelvis Member # 3071
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quote:Originally posted by Henry Kisor: David:
My theory is that a train's gentle rocking and pitching as the endless scenery slides by somehow lubricates the brain, smoothing the action of its pistons and wheels and causing the tubs of creativity to slosh over into the nerves, enabling the words to flow. Or something like that.
If anyone would know this to be true, that would be you! I'll take your word for it!
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