Another Slab Tale

I finished my train trip over two weeks ago, but I still have material to put up. Here is another story from Slab City. Ken is the first person I met in Slab City. This is a slice of his life.

The Millsap family and the many folks of the first leg

I've been spending the week in Minneapolis with my dear sister Beth. While Beth, a Real Adult with a Real Job, was at work this week, I edited the audio material from my train trip thus far. So, for your listening pleasure, here are two new pieces. The first is "The First Leg" about my ride to Oregon on the Coast Starlight train. The second piece, "The Millsap Family" is about a family I met in Montana on the Empire Builder.

Oh, and just for fun, you may want to actually watch (with your eyes!) the last forty seconds of the "The First Leg" video.

The First Leg

Yesterday I took Amtrak's Coast Starlight line from Sacramento, CA to Eugene, OR. It was magnificent. The train left Sacramento at midnight, and I woke up (a bit disoriented ) as the sun was rising over beautiful mountain-ringed meadows in southern Oregon. I spent most of the day in the observation car, where I met all kinds of interesting people: a Scottish cowboy, a dreamcatcher maker, a classics professor, a law student. Even as the train creaked to a halt over a rickety bridge, almost everyone around me seemed to be singing the praises of rail travel. Audio piece to follow!
Today I begin the longest leg of my journey, about 39 hours in total, on Amtrak's most grandly named route. I'm taking the Empire Builder to St. Paul/Minneapolis.

Desert Water

In the second installment of Rail Tales, I document Slab City's New Year's Day polar bear plunge into the Coachella Canal. Cosmetic gynecology and the etymology of the word "oot" are discussed.

First Piece!

I started my project with a trip down to Slab City, an informal campground where I spent last January. I must admit that, due to some logistical issues, I traveled there by mini-van, not train. I spoke to my friend Robin about starting the Slab City Prom. Here is her story.

If you can also find it on youtube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zeZGpvmBHXE
Read about my experience in Slab City last year at http://www.colby.edu/academics_cs/acaddept/anthropology/studentresearch.cfm