Up to date travel recap

I must've fallen asleep, didn't feel like I slept but I was tired and the wait didn't feel very long before we started moving again... Through the yard and we kept moving...

But this was just going to be me catching up with the travel recap...

I'm the tale of the train moving while I'm moving back to the unit and having to get on the moving train and crawl along the side of the car.

Off the train in Kansas city, yea not Chicago, sleeping in a ravine behind a house, riding 20 miles to a truck... stop getting kicked out of two separate truck stops

Three rides in cars

Picked up by a truck that took me to Atlanta, one night in the truck

One hitch ride, spent the night at new friends house, they gave me a ride to the other side of Atlanta, 40 mile bike ride because that spot was impossible to hitch out of, ride on truck to lake city Florida.

Two days until boat so I bought a bus ticket to Miami.

One night in Jacksonville where I met some nice people and was even hosted for the night by a very nice person that I met

So after a night in the bus station learning that greyhound lost my gear trying to find my gear I walked to the boat, stopping on the way to buy a scarf.

11 days in the Vegas like luxury of shows, pools, buffets, restaurants dancing and sun of the cruise ship ( not to mention one day of motion sickness)

I took as much food from the cruise ship as I could pack, bread cheese, salami and apples.

Barcelona, a night in a hostel after my CouchSurfing hookup didn't pan out, metro out of town to a freeway on ramp. I got information about where to hitch out of from the desk clerk at the hostel.

All day waiting then three rides up into the mountains, a night in the hills,

A ride to the next town walked across town a different road caught a ride to a main freeway, but I had to walk through a big field, through a big culvert under train tracks, jumped a fence to a gas station on the main free way

Ride with a trucker to Lion.

Ride to airport train to Geneva...where I'm staying with Atali.

Reddit...Is this proof?

http://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/1eoqit/around_the_world_bywalking_riding_bike/

Back to the train narrative, in North Platte

24 hours later we stopped at what I assumed was outside the north platte yard, several sets of tracks to the right and left of us, but the north platte train yard was supposed to be the busiest train yard in the world, and this did not seem all that busy...seemed we must be waiting clearance to enter, or maybe this is were the crew change took place... I contemplated a move to a rideable train car further up the train because the word was that North Platte was "hot" there were even claims of dog searches and infrared scanners. The advice was to leave the train, walk, or ride my bike to the far side of the yard and catch out on that side. But was that posable? Was there security that would catch me if I wandered off in the open, would I be able to find roads that paralleled the main line, would I be able to find the main line, do trains stop in a convenient spot to catch out on? If I stayed in the unit would I be able to get off and hide again....

Another train traveling the same direction pulled up on the track next to us. I think it is a train that we passed on a siding, I think we are waiting to pull into the yard, I decided to wait.

We move forward picking up speed, it's surprising how fast the train accelerates, past a light tower... We slow... More tracks and trains and lights up high and everywhere... The instruments inside seem to indicate fuel quantity at empty... A pickup truck drives past, and another seems to be following us, then turns off and drives away. I wonder if I've been seen, if anyone cares, if they've called the police, if the yard is "hot"

We stop... Another truck drives past, I climb down, with gear, on the side of the unit opposite where all of the trucks have been driving and walk up the train to the 48 that has a floor, set out a tarp, get my things as low and out of sight as possible and curl up with the tarp folded over me and wait to get moving.

Rainy day in Geneva

Off and on rain, stayed inside looked for work, some new friends suggest it is easy here and the pay is good, but I'm not having any luck.

Sunny yesterday I met a French girl from Africa who was far cuter then she looked, happy and alive, different than normal Geneva people, she insisted that I get out of Geneva, she kept saying Vellee, go to Vellee.

I need more comfortable shoes if I'm going to hike thought the Alps

Visited the apple store, played patenque, went to a bar and met a man from Kosovo who said, and believed " America saved my country" ( i shed a tear) and I think he is right. Then had a beer at a underground bar on the second floor, called Pachinko, with a particle physicists that works at CERN who said " it quacks like a duck and smells like a duck and we are sure we have a bird" in regards to the Higgs Bosan.

The first day of trains

Travel recap.

After spending a night under the 42nd street over pass and traveling back and forth between that spot and Jewbitz truck stop, several hours talking to truck drivers, getting kicked out of said truck stop, eating fabulous goat soup at a Mexican dive, drinking beer and chatting with ted under said overpass, hunting around portland with Ted, at about 10:00 pm I caught a west bound train to Chicago.

Rode in the pusher Unit through Oregon and Idaho ( an engine that is on the back of the train.) it is heated has a toilet, drinking water and an instrument that tells speed and other things that are interesting to me. The views were spectacular, and I could climb outside and ride in the open air. I had MRE's to eat and made a little bed on the floor. I suspected that the unit need to be inspected once a day ( there was an inspection sheet on the wall that was per printed for the year with a space for each day. Ted told me that he thought there was an inspection in Pocatello, I did the math.

It felt like we were making good time, the train never stopped, it often slowed while either on a siding track or while another train was on a siding track so the two could pass each other in opposite directions.

At about midnight of the second day a truck started following us as we pulled into the freight yard in what I thought was Pocatello yard. the train was still moving but I took all my stuff with me out the side of the train opposite the truck... Waited for complete stop then climbed down and into the shadow of the train sitting on the track next to us... I was wearing all black. I watched the truck and realized that the light was such that the truck driver probably couldn't see me. I set my bike and backpack down in the shadows and walked up to the truck making sure to now be as visible and non threatening as possible, i.e. stayed 10 feet or so away from the truck and stood still, stooping over as to ask a question. The man in the truck opened his door and got out, he was wearing thick heavy clothes and put a flip down full face safety shield on his head and said

yes?

Are you inspecting this train?

Yes

He did not appeared concerned by my presence

Listen... I don't want to be trouble, but I just got off that train... And I'm planning on getting back on...

Don't touch anything, I didn't see you... See that blue flashing light on the train, I will take it off when I'm done, there is another guy inspecting the rest of the train, he will take off the other blue light when he is done. I'm the only one who will get in the train.

I retreated back into the shadows. Then climbed up into the unit and set up my bed as soon as he drove off.

Geneva

Hitchhiked to Geneva Switzerland, I'm staying with Atali for a bit

Hitchhiked all the way to Aiguafreda Catalonia Spain

Three rides in 7 hours for total of about 50K. I'm in the mountains north of Barcelona. Learned today that Tapas refers to the little plate placed on top of a beer to keep flys out of it

Ocean view

The simple realization that I had a room steward made me feel like a genius, yea I felt bad, it's a job no one should have to do, but gloves and a vacuum... Not too bad really... After that I took the maximum dosage of meclizine... And room service which brought said meclizine and dinner and breakfast became my favorite thing. And all that the first day at sea, long before the 50 foot waves, the biggest seas the Epic had ever seen...

All that conspired and the wind rain and cold to keep me from using the.giant water slides, pools and hot tubs on board. I did make it to shows i.e. Blueman group and Legends in concert, a magic show, an a cappella singing group... I don't remember everything right now...

Once I started feling better I also spent more time with friends I met aboard. Michael and Dorcas, Theo and assorted other people.

Once in the Mediterranean the seas got calm mad the sun came out...