For our honeymoon Celia and I took the Amtrak train from Eugene to Seattle to visit her older daughter in October of 2000. Over the years that followed we took it three or four more times to Seattle. It was always an adventure and usually never on time. The trip from Eugene to Seattle involved 9 stops, including a 20 minute layover in Portland to switch trains. Since the rail lines are own by freight trains, such as Union Pacific and Burlington Northern/Santa Fe, Amtrak had to yield to freight traffic and sometimes that involved sitting on a siding waiting for the freight trains to go by. It usually was a six or seven hour train ride depending on stops for freight trains, which is about the same amount of time it takes to drive it. The big difference was no stress from driving and the biggest thrill was looking out the train window and seeing all those poor souls stuck in bumper to bumper traffic on the Tacoma/Seattle freeways.
A collection of stories from the life of Michael Burke. He worked for the Forest Service in Alaska, California, and Oregon. He lives in Oakland, OR. His wonderful wife, Celia, passed in May of 2021
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THE HOLIDAY SEASON
This time of year living alone with no family nearby can be depressing. Being alone one can lose track of what's happening during the...
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It is four years today when Celia left this word, something I think about every day. It is not all sorrow as I think back on her humor, w...
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My old friend Arthritis showed up last weekend and took advantage of my right knee. By Sunday afternoon I was confined to my chair in pain...
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This time of year living alone with no family nearby can be depressing. Being alone one can lose track of what's happening during the...
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