My train ride was long and somewhat cramped, but very interesting, as I got to see two major cities and a lot of different scenery along the way. I traveled across the bulk of the United States, taking a mostly northern route and passing through a number of east coast states along with Wisconsin, Minnesota, North Dakota, Montana, Washington, and of course Oregon. My mom was with me for the first few days of the trip, and we wandered around both New York City and Chicago for the few hours that we were held over in those cities. I felt that there was an interesting difference between the two-- New York seemed more fast-paced and crowded, while Chicago was more open and less full of the sounds of taxis honking their horns. This may just have been a skewed perception based on the time of day, though, and both cities were very interesting to see. It was also nice to have a chance to stretch our legs and walk around after our long train rides.
My longest train ride was by myself. I was on the "Empire Builder" train route for its entire length from Chicago to Portland, which took 44 hours to complete. I must say, though, that Amtrak was never late during my trip, so at least no extra time was added to that long sit on the train.
When I got to Portland, I was told by an Amtrak employee that there was a bus leaving for Baker City at an earlier time than the one I had scheduled. I called my farm hosts and asked if an earlier arrival (in the evening of that day instead of the early morning of the next) would work for them, and they said that it would be much preferable. Thus I made my way over to the grey hound to get on the bus, which left conveniently soon after my train's arrival.
The bus ride was interesting, as the change between the wetter Portland area and the drier Baker City area was easy to see as I traveled farther into Oregon's interior. It was clear to me that the plants changed from trees to bushes and grasses, though I know nothing about what species I saw.
When I got to Baker City, I was greeted by Deborah, the woman of the couple who own the farm where I am staying. It was a longer drive to Halfway (where their farm is) than I expected; I guess I am not used to the long distances that seem to separate everything in the more arid parts of the West.
I have been on the farm for a week--a very busy and sometimes difficult, but always educational week, I might add. My first day was rather hectic, as the horses in a four-horse hitch that one intern who is starting his own farm was using to plow his fields broke apart and ran. One of the horses evidently got startled and caused the others to follow, causing damage to the plow but sparing people and other horses (there were no injuries, luckily). After that, however, things improved, and I feel that I have settled in somewhat.
I started out driving horses on my second day, though I was only holding the reins along with a more experienced driver to get a feel for it. I have subsequently driven on my own (though always with an experienced person present) several times, and though there have been some frustrating experiences in which the horses knew that I was not really in charge, I think that I have gotten somewhat better at it. I did crash the front part of a wagon into a piece of farm machinery the other day, but it is fixable and no severe damage was done.
For those that may not know, you must "catch" and halter a horse that is out in a field or pen before you can harness and drive. Catching consists of getting the horse to stop for you so you can put a halter and lead rope on it to lead it into the stable where the harness is. It is surprisingly difficult for a beginner if the horse does not feel like cooperating, as the trick lies in the timing and posture that you use to approach the animal.
Once a horse has been caught, it is necessary to harness. The harness for a heavy draft horse consists of a large leather collar, two metal sticks that attach to the collar (the "hames"), and a jumble of lines and buckles that attach to the hames and cross over the animal's body. You have to lift the hames and the rest of the harness onto the animal after putting the collar on, which is no easy feet on an animal whose back reaches over your head. The rest of the harnessing process consists of buckling various straps and securing various lines in the correct place.
I hope that none of that discussion was too confusing or obscure. It is a difficult thing to explain, and it helps to see it to understand, which is why I am here.
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