Day 35

Looking back at fifty, I remember Day 35 as a day of profound stillness. We spent the morning at The Forks, just sitting on a bench and watching the Assiniboine flow into the Red River. It was a quiet, meditative start to what would be a long, passive journey home. After weeks of checking our odometers and fighting the wind, there was a strange weightlessness to just sitting and watching the water move.

The three-hour train delay at the station felt like a final test of our patience, but once we boarded, the transition was jarring. We managed to snag four seats for the three of us, allowing us to spread out in a way we never could on the bikes. Moving through the landscape at 100kph felt like cheating; in a single afternoon, we covered distances that would have taken us days of grueling physical effort.

I spent a good portion of the evening in the observation car with Shayne, who was determined to stay awake for the whole ride. Entering Ontario brought a spectacular welcome: a massive storm with 360-degree lightning and hail that hammered against the glass canopy. Watching that violence from the safety of a climate-controlled train car was a surreal contrast to the days we spent huddled in gas stations waiting for Prairie squalls to pass. The "Trial" was truly over, and the Shield was passing by in a blur of rock, pine, and electricity.

After waking up, we pack the leftover bits and pieces and go over to The Forks for breakfast. I sit on a bench watching the Assiniboine River flow into the Red River. It feels good to just sit in the sunshine and relax.

We go over to the train station and discover that the train will be arriving late. Then they announce that the train will be arriving even later. Eventually, close to three hours late, the train finally arrives and we board. We manage to get four seats to ourselves again. I have decided that I want to spend the entire trip home on the observation deck. I also do not plan to get any sleep. I want to enjoy these last hours of our trip to the fullest while not having to endure an uncomfortable attempt at sleeping.

As we ride into Ontario, the skies get darker and darker and become downright stormy. The railway at this point is actually the highest point in the surrounding terrain and the observation deck is the highest point on the train. We are treated to a spectacular three hundred sixty degree display of lightning. It is amazing as hail stones begin to smash against the glass canopy.

Eventually the sun returns and we are treated to a gorgeous sunset. To keep myself amused, late into the night, I have been watching the train stations we pass by and stop at and comparing the current time with the time on the schedule. We are slowly reducing the three hour delay.