May 7 - 8 - Amtrak from Emeryville to Denver - Ann's cousin Greg Hine and how wife Ilse came to visit us a while back. They arrived form Denver on Amtrak's California Zephyr. They raved about the scenery along the way and the hidden valleys that they had never seen before. Based on their enthusiasm, Ann and I decided to try it. ​

We had dropped Fripp at the Wag Hotel in the evening of May 6, so we wouldn't be in a panic to get him there early on May 7. Uber picked us up and took us to the Emeryville Amtrak station. We had our pre-printed boarding passes, but because we were rookies riding the train we had to chat with the man at the information booth to learn procedures about boarding. Once that was out of the way, the train pulled into the station. We found our car and our cozy roomette and the main deck. The train left the station on time at 9:10 AM. ​

Our roomette was small with comfortable seats facing each other and a large window so that we could easily see the view from our side of the train. We stowed our luggage down the passageway on a large rack. Our end of the car had four roomettes and a larger family room at the end. The other end of the car had three toilettes and one shower room (soap and towels included). This proved to be plenty. Here is a link where you can see the Sleeper Car configuration. ​

We headed to the observation car which was up one level and over two cars. We found seats next to each other and sat down to see the scenery as we passed San Pablo Bay, the Carquinez Strait, Sacramento, Roseville, Truckee, Reno and Winnemucca. The Sierra sights were beautiful. Of course we did not sit in the observation deck the whole time. Some of the time we were in our roomette and some of the time we got off of the train and stretched our legs at a few stations.

Lunch was after Sacramento, where we sat with two train buffs - one doing a long multi-day loop - the other going to Spike 150 out of Salt Lake City which celebrates the completion of the transcontinental railway. Ann and I ate adequate hamburgers. Dinner was with a couple from San Ramon. I had a too large serving of chicken. Ann had pasta. We split 1/2 bottle of Pinot Grigio. ​

Our cabin attendant turned down our beds. Ann took the top bunk which had straps to hold her onto the bed if the ride got too rough. The ceiling was very close to her. My lower bunk was a bit more comfortable and easier to get out of during the night. We rocked and rolled to an uncomfortable night where our room temperature went from hot to cold overnight. Passengers leaving the train in Salt Lake City at 3:30 AM were noisy. ​

We had a restless sleep in our cramped quarters. I had to put on socks and pull up my blanket to get warm. Ann gave up at 4:00 to take a shower. I woke up at 7:00 with the breakfast announcement over the intercom. We were in Utah and approaching the Rockies. ​

We made our way to the dining car and sat with a couple from Florida. I had scrambled eggs while Ann ate oatmeal. ​

We spent the rest of the morning in the observation car. I had an interesting conversation with a Mormon couple who grew up in the area we were traveling through. They gave me a little insight of local history. We also talked about genealogy and how ancestry.com is the best tool to use to trace ancestry. It uses the huge Mormon database. ​

As we gradually climbed the foothills, we watched the scenery in the dining car while we had lunch with two women who had disabled children. One of them is an activist for rights and care. We had an interesting discussion while we ate chicken salad and taco salad. ​

It was snowing in Winter Park at 4:00 as we traveled through very rugged countryside. The snow continued into Denver where we arrived sometime after 6:00 after we had an early dinner. The train jockeyed around the yard for a while until it finally settled at our platform and let us debark around 6:45 at the beautiful Union Station. Karen was waiting for us with a big smile on her face. We walked to her car and drove to her house in Lafayette. Matt was at work but he left us a welcoming sign. ​ ​ ​

May 9 - Graduation - We awoke at Mortons with a nice breakfast of melon, muffins and eggs on English muffins. It was strange to us to see snow on the ground in early May. It was not so strange to Coloradans. Soon after breakfast Karen, Ann and I walked Otis around the block in the snow.

We drove over to Boulder and picked up Tim and had lunch at Lucky Pie. I thought that we were going to eat some special Colorado pies. We did, but they were pizza pies. They were very good especially with local beer. Later we shopped for some goodies and took them to Tim's house for a pre-graduation party. His housemates (I can't remember how many, but there were several) invited their family and friends. It was fun to see how his generation interacted with his parent's and grandparent's generation. It was all good. One of his housemates from Spain had his father and sister there to see him graduate.

We drove Tim to his graduation at 5:00. The ceremony was in the school's basketball arena. Tim's diploma was in Sports Medicine. There were a few hundred in his class and it took awhile for all of them to come to the stage to pick up their diplomas.

After the ceremony, we took tim back to his house and went out to dinner at a fast food restaurant called Reel Fish. It had decent shrimp baskets, fish and chips and Mahi salad. We felt a little uncomfortable because they were about to close and we were keeping them past their quitting time. They were gracious, though.

May 10 - Lazy Day - Trying to keep my waistline under control, I only had a couple of muffins for breakfast. After that we went on a long walk with Karen and Otis. The snow was gone and it was a cool, bright day. We saw a lot more of the neighborhood that the Mortons live in.

I was complaining, as usual, about my sore feet and how I could never find shoes that fit me comfortably. So Karen suggested that we go to one of the local malls to see if I could find a good fit at The Walking Company. The salesman had me walk over a pad that digitized my feet while they were in motion. He thought that I should choose size 10 1/2. I wear size 12. I lost confidence and couldn't find any 12s that felt good. Ann found some sneakers that she liked, so the trip wasn't wasted.

Later that day, Karen took Ann and me to the Lafayette Art Show. We wandered up and down the blocked off street looking at the crafts and food booths. Ann bought gifts for Lynne and Ellen for their work in arranging our Dakota road trip. We also had beer, pizza and ice cream. There was a good salsa band playing on the street creating a festive atmosphere. Back at the Mortons, we watched the Warriors beat the Rockets to win the Western Conference semi finals.

May 11 - Another Lazy Day - I had another light breakfast - granola and cinnamon toast. After Tim arrived, Karen drove us over to a large parking lot where she turned in their old gas-driven lawn mower for a new electric one.There was a special trade-in deal that she couldn't pass up. Tim and I helped her set up the new mower when we got back to her house. We were rewarded with good homemade tortilla soup for our efforts.

After Erica and Nick arrived, the girls left to have their nails done. The boys went to the Y where Matt drives the Zamboni and watched Matt play in an amateur hockey game. It was fun to watch him skate around all of the other players. It was also fun to watch him get into a mock hockey fight. When the game was over, there was an awards ceremony where Matt was named the Coach of the Year for coaching the Y's kid's hockey team.

After the ceremony, we gathered in the Y's parking lot for a tailgate party featuring beer and snacks most of which Matt brought over. (I hope that the Y doesn't find out). We talked to a few of the players.

We reunited with the girls at the Mortons where we played drinking games. Then Karen prepared a yummy pasta dish with asparagus along with a good salad.

May 12 - Mothers' Day - We had waffles for breakfast. This is the traditional breakfast for Ann and me and we were very pleased. We passed the rest of the morning watching Tim and Karen test the new lawnmower.

For Mothers' Day lunch we drove up to Loveland and met Erica at mo 'Betta Gumbo for some excellent Cajun and Creole cuisine. I can vouch for the blackened catfish and the cornmeal pudding. It was a fun time eating in a uniquely decorated restaurant.

After lunch, we drove past a house where Erica made a bid to buy. (She didn't get this house but bought another one in Ft Collins).

The traffic on the drive back to Lafayette was pretty bad. Matt took some side roads but it didn't help.

Matt took over at dinnertime and grilled lamb, potatoes and broccoli. The weather was so nice that we ate outside on the deck. This was quite a contrast form the snowy weather when we arrived a few days ago. We were told that weather swings are common here.

Before going to bed, we had a long Mothers' Day phone call with Suellen.