Back to School . . . perhaps

                Jenna is supposed to return to school this morning.  Thus far the buses have been delayed for two hours because of the frozen roads.  Last time I got the same message (over a year ago) school ended up being canceled altogether.  It's hard being off for two weeks and try to go back to a routine - at least for me.  Roland didn't seem to have a problem with it, and Jenna has been ready to return to school since before her vacation was over.  She was dressed and ready to leave the house since 5:30 this morning.

                I checked on my class just once yesterday.  I decided to save the lectures and posting for today.  I planned to do so just after she left the house, which she hasn't done yet and may not depending on the conditions on the road.  I'm afraid she may feel abandonment today if she should stay home.  I'm half-heartedly listening to the first lecture right now and will be returning back to it several times.

                During the holiday, the school offered a fun class of sharing recipes, gratitude, pictures and new year's  resolutions.  I participated in posting to a discussion.  It was fun.  We didn't have to have stupid references for every little thought.  But now that I'm back to an actual class, I realize I have to do some research again.  Bah, humbug.  I am so not in the mood.

                Jenna and I shared a fun day yesterday.  To start the day off, we looked up the speed limit on this site and found that only 14 states and Washington DC acknowledge that there is a speed limit low enough to be 55.  I don't think DC really has to enforce the speed limit.  It's always bumper to bumper and it's hard to believe that anyone could even drive as fast as 55.  Vermont is the only state that actually recorded a speed limit lower than 55.

                Later in the day, Jenna asked both Roland and me if we would like to go for a walk with her.  I did not mind going for a walk - but a level walk, not a climb.  I told Jenna I would drive us to the park so that we could walk an actual path (no climbing) but passed the park going downtown and headed for a coffee shop to say hello to my water aerobic friends who have decided to meet once a month just to keep in touch. I parked by the coffee shop and Jenna and I walked toward the park, but took a detour and explored the area in which the train tracks run along the river.  We had never been there before but had seen the tracks from the other side of the river.  Jenna had seen a cave near the tracks and wondered if we could explore.

                My camera was being charged, but I did have my granny cell phone.  I took a boat load of pictures, not even knowing if any would turn out.  I was pleased that many came out clear.  There are many that are fuzzy.  Some look more like paintings than photographs.

south Umpqua bridge in background

the cave too narrow to walk through

south Umpqua river

treasures found along the way

                I didn't even realize until after we'd been home for several hours that  our calendar has given  January the name of "Creativity Month"  so here are my "creative" pictures:

          Perhaps I should have taken the time to drive to Canyonville yesterday to honor the 55 mph and take some packages to the post office as Roland said it was open; the one in Myrtle Creek was not.  I don't know if I am willing to drive on the roads right now.  I was planning on going to Dollar General after I go to the post office and school.  I need to pick up some chocolate covered cherries and some whipping cream.  Today is chocolate covered cherry day and Thursday is whipping cream day.

                       Happy Holidays (real or not) everybody!

Thank You Budda and Freedom Fighter

            A week after Jenna’s first art class had finished, UTA had a problem when one of its trains derailed downtown.  The same train we would have been on had we still been commuting downtown.

I guess it wasn’t just UTAs problem, but anyone driving that particular path downtown.  It appears that it was covered by all of the media during some point of day.  But I hadn’t heard about it until after 6:00 p.m.  I guess by then it had become “old news” and I didn’t know anything more about it until the following day when I typed “UTA derailment” on Google. 

            The Tribune article was the first one that I came across.  Comments can be submitted and read at the end of the article. Many hurtful comments were made toward UTA and thus UTA passengers, but just as many had come to the defense of UTA and those who may have no choice other than public transportation.  I admire the courage of those who submitted their comments in defense of the passengers – many who do not choose to use public transportation but are empathetic to those who do.

            I didn’t read even half the comments.  It was hard to read the ones that ripped into the inconvenience of having to put up with rails and public transportation in the first place.  They are the ones who should be most grateful, I would think.  Certainly they have been inconvenienced by the construction and the building of UTA and perhaps getting behind a bus once in a while – but really, if they would look at the whole picture and consider the many passengers who use public transportation as a convenience so that they don’t have to drive or park downtown, public transportation makes it so much easier for those who do choose to drive because there are less cars to deal with.  Daily traffic could be so much worse.

            Slow moving or rerouted or stand still is an inconvenience.  Generally the traffic itself is not life threatening.  It doesn’t rob us of possessions or health.  It’s an inconvenience.  I’d much rather deal with horrible traffic situations than vandalism, or a tornado, or being shot.  Be grateful for public transportation and traffic lights and stop signs and traffic cops and so forth because when they aren’t present, things go awry. 

            So thank you budda and freedomfighter and for others who came to the defense of public transportation because (as pointed by some users of public transportation) there really are several who don’t have a choice.  We ALL need public transportation.  It does make a positive difference overall.



             For other coverage you can click here or here.  There is even a video on youtube.

Riding Utah Transit Authority

From my childhood, I remember seeing and hearing trains.  I remember being excited whenever a train would pass on the road and we would have to stop and wait for it.  My brother, Patrick, and I would often count how many cars were on each train.  My parents didn’t seem to be as excited whenever the arms of the railroad came down. A child’s perspective is so much different than that of an adult.

 Mostly what we saw were cargo trains.  There were few encounters with passenger trains.   My grandma who lived in San Francisco would sometimes take the train.  We would go to pick her up downtown at the train station.  
 

 Patrick and I had also ridden on a train from Utah to Colorado.   We’d gone with my mom and my other grandma. I thought that it was exciting!  Especially going through tunnels.  And there were some LOOONNNGGG tunnels. 

As I got older, I don’t recall having seen or heard trains much anymore – and I don’t think it’s because I tuned them out.  I think, after a while, the trains didn’t run through our county like they used to. Salt Lake saw a lot of dead railroads. At least that’s my opinion.

It appears to me that UTA decided to make good use of the existing rails and add to them and build another form of transportation in addition to the bus.  The Blue Line train was up and running in 1999.  The public was given the opportunity to ride the new form of transportation for free.  Lines were long – but it was somewhat thrilling to be able to ride the train just to see where it went.  But we were allowed to go in only one direction.  Once we reached the end of the line, we either had to get back in line for the return or find another way.

 

I remember how crowded it was during the Christmas season.  All of the seats were full.  People were standing in the isles and hanging on.  The state street buses became deserted.  I remember my sister, Kayla and I had taken the train downtown, but decided we would bus it back as the train was so crowded.  I counted a total of five passengers the entire way from downtown to our street.  I don’t think it took any longer than the train did as I think the bus had only stopped twice between where Kayla and I had got on to the time we had gotten off.  I almost preferred the bus.

 

When we walked through the doors of the blue line train (though I don’t remember it being called blue line at the time) we had to walk up some stairs to get to the seats.  Ramps were located at each stop for the passengers in wheelchairs.  They would have to go to the top of the ramp to be let into the bus and avoid the stairs. 

TRAX didn't exist before Corey left for his mission.  I don't know how long it had been up and running before he returned.  I remember we were headed toward Patrick and Sunny's house.  Corey was driving when the arms came down.

"Oh, great!" he commented.
"It's not that bad." I replied. "The train is only two or three cars long.  It's not a big deal." Not like the cargo trains my dad had waited for.

It wasn’t until ten years later that the green line and red line were up and running.

Red Line goes from Daybreak – a point in South Jordan – to the University of Utah (which part was built in 2001 – but just from downtown at that time) and the Green Line (the one I use most) goes from West Valley to the Airport (Salt Lake International) and the Blue line is now extended out to Draper.

I take the train on occasion.  Mostly I’ve gone on the red line or green line, but on occasion have switched to the blue line (that is the one I needed when mom was still living in Midvale; I’ve also used the blue line to get to Sunny’s house and the post office) but have gotten quite spoiled with the other two lines as they don’t require ramps or stairs.  You walk in and sit down.  There is a ramp that folds out for those that need it.  I prefer not having to walk up the stairs to get to my seat.

I was told that on Saturdays the trains with the stairs are not used – that even the blue line passengers have the opportunity of using the trains that don’t require ramps and are all one level. 

I now prefer the train to the bus, but the train still does not go everywhere that the bus does.  But transportation in Utah has definitely improved over what it used to be.  And I am becoming more familiar with making connections and finding my way around.  I’m grateful to the improvements that have been made and continue.

UTA is offering a summer pass for the youth between 5 and 17.  Wish they had one for adults. Jenna has the option of using the front runner from what I understand.  I personally have never used it.  And I don’t know when we’ll get around to it.  I plan to spend the majority of our summer commuting to my sister’s house.  Kayla is expecting her third child in August.  It’s been a hard pregnancy for her and trying to keep her other two (almost four and two) in addition to pregnancy sickness IN SUMMER is a challenge and I would like to help ease some of that if I’m able.

Tonight UTA is sponsoring a bike bonanza which Jenna would like to attend.  As of now, I don't know if we'll be going or not.