Wednesday, March 4, 2009

Day Three (Desolation Snow Angels)

Welcome To The Geographical Center Of North America.
(Otherwise known as Nowhere... keep going, until you are in the middle of it!)

































I had a pretty crappy night's sleep. One night across two train seats is fine, but two is asking too much in return. At least I had my eyes closed.

We stopped in Minneapolis for an hour, and the train had to switch engines, re-fuel, or something. I woke up again, and we were in Fargo. Woke up again, and it was somewhere called Devil's Lake.







































Not too many people on the train at this point, since many of them got off in Fargo and Grand Forks. As the sun rises, I see a few shapes on the frozen prairie, that turn out to be foxes. It looks brutal outside. When the Weather Channel talks about the arctic high that keeps pushing into the country... they are talking about here.

After what seems like forever, we leave North Dakota. I notice that the geography starts to change and some cliffs appear in the distance. This is the start of Montana, and the next phase of my journey.







The Fort Peck Lake and the Missouri River are down there somewhere.









Badlands, and low lying mountains appear. I start furiously taking snapshots. The snow is starting to melt away in places. Mule Deer are seen running away from the train, and Pronghorn Antelope are seen grazing unfazed near the tracks. Soon, I encounter the town of Glasgow.

Not at all like the one in Scotland.



























I only have a few more hours before I reach Havre, Montana. On the edge of the horizon, I spot the Little Rocky Mountains, and the Bear Paw Mountains.
















I say goodbye to my friend Anthony, and I gather my belongings (banjo and laptop included) and prepare to disembark from this incredible train ride.

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