Leaving

Leaving America behind after 6 years was not at all difficult. And taking the train through the northeast into Montreal could not have made it any more painless. What a great ride the Adirondack Line is. It takes you upstate alongside the mighty Hudson River as it meanders upstream towards its source in the Adirondacks. Its as if the river herself takes you by the hand on a historical tour of where and whence it came. As you pass West point and marvel at the old buildings of the oldest military academy in the US, it reminds you of the old depictions of the academy when the first fortifications were constructed on the bluff so that advancing intruders coming up the Hudson would be clearly seen and targeted. Compared to the modern highways system which zips you efficiently through middle America without ever seeing anything, the train takes you through paths only you and the train will ever get to witness. Through old towns, it passes the mains streets and backyards of century old houses. Through the Adirondacks it shows you sweeping and majestic vistas of the rivers and mountains. Wildlife including ducks, deer, herons, (and the occasional guy standing in his boat fishing buck-naked) scatter away as the train rumbles through disrupting their peace. Towards the end of the journey, Lake Champlain shimmers in the afternoon light as the train hugs her alongside and beholds her from above the hills as if to proudly show you the depth and breadth of her beauty from every angle. Locomotives as transportation, I think, is an asset highly under appreciated by a lot of travellers. The Adirondack line of Amtrak certainly is a shining example.