California Zephyr No. 5

The train ride across the country was fascinating. First climbing into the Sierras and seeing the snow clinging to the sides of the scrubby mountain sides, then the vast wastelands of Nevada, a study in greyscale. Through the magnificent canyons of Colorado and high in to the breathtaking Rockies. Waking up to a flat green expansive horizon with meandering rivers and vivid green trees.

I saw an actual American Eagle, he was surveying a favorite fishing spot, from his perch on an old snag. I also saw a white deer, and a herd of wild horses, their manes tattered, their fur shaggy. Many birds, deer and cattle.

And little houses, alone in wilderness, or grouped with fellow denizens. I wondered what these people did. It seemed a meager existence.

I'll never forget that experience. In a word, America is majestic.