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Well, I woke up at 7am, and wonder what I'll do with myself today. The train's not supposed to leave until 1655, so I've got a lot of day to kill, but I'm not sure how early I need to check in, whether I can leave my bags at the hotel while I run around, or maybe I should check them at the train station. Lots of unknowns at the moment. I'm thinking I may decide to go to the Museum of Nature and Man, but it doesn't sound all that exciting. Since it opens at 10am, I'll have to be checked out of my room before I head there. Oh well, I guess I'll get some breakfast in me and see what happens from there.
D'Ohh! Turns out the Goldeyes are still playing. The workers on the field yesterday were setting up for the James Brown concert. Monday night was a game I could've gone to, and I probably would've enjoyed seeing them win, but I guess it's just as well. I think I need a break from baseball, too.
The Downtown Spirit 3 bus takes a guy straight to the museum. That turns out to be a handy route again. The only problem is that I'm at the museum fifteen minutes before they open, so I've got a bit of time to kill. At least the lobby is open so I can sit inside. Outside has construction going on, naturally.
Thinking back on the morning paper, they set up the stage for the James Brown show on the basepath between first and second bases. About 3000 people there, and the review says it was a good show. Two things missed, but I only feel a vague sense of disappointment - both evenings were relaxing just sitting in the hotel watching TV and doing some typing. I didn't even thing to try and find Buffy on the TV last night. I guess my taking a break from routine is more all-encompassing than I originally expected.
I have a thought that maybe I should check in on my server and make sure that everything's still running, and check my email before leaving town, but I'd be tempted to work on Dave's Picks too. I'm still not sure when I'm going to reveal that I'm out of town. I wasn't exactly keeping it a secret, but I haven't made a lot of noise about it either.
Uh-oh. I stopped by the VIA Rail station and discovered that the train's running late. They're saying 8-10 hours late at this point, but they're going to try and make up time. Via's going to put me up for the afternoon in a hotel. Yeah, I'll be checking out around midnight.
So I check into the Ramada, then over to Tourism Winnipeg to get a new copy of the Downtown Spirit schedule (I gave the other to some folks waiting for the train like me), then down to CanWest park to buy a ticket for the Goldeyes game. The baseball gods seem to have consipired with the railroad gods to get me to a ballgame. The forecast is for rain, so I'll probably end up buying a jacket or something, too. The game should be done by midnight, so I shouldn't have any trouble catching the train. For now (2pm), I'm going to try and catch a nap before gametime.
Well, that didn't much work. I got about an hour nap until 3:30, and now it's 6:30. I've been plowing through the book that was supposed to last the whole trip, and it's looking like I'll be lucky to make it out of Manitoba with anything left to read. It's started raining harder, and the ATM in the hotel doesn't like my card, so I'm short on cash. Bleh. If it were a Saints game, I'd be there for sure, but I'm not excited enough about the Goldeyes to go sit in the rain for three hours (plus possible rain delays) and have to spend money on a jacket for a team that beat us during the regular season. Guess it's a good thing I didn't check out.
Got an update on the train. They're still saying 1AM. The big trick at this point is going to be staying awake until it's time to get on the train. But I'll grab some dinner at the hotel pub, which seems a lot more authentic than the Elephant & Castle did.
Oh, and stores in downtown Winnipeg pretty much all close at 6pm. Looks like they're saving me from buying a jacket and even thinking about going to sit in the rain to watch a ballgame. The baseball and railroad gods may have conspired, but the weather gods have won this round.
Now it's 11:30pm. The train is now due in at 1:50, so it's about an hour later than originally projected. So I'm stuck waiting at the train station. The ATM here doesn't like my card either, and tells me to call my bank. Feh. Guess I'll cash advance the credit card so I have some money for on the train.
While waiting in the terminal, I strike up a conversation with a gal, Elizabeth, who's getting onto the train (but riding in coach), and a guy who runs the only Internet Cafe still open in Winnipeg
. There were a half-dozen listed in the phone-book, but the ones I walked past seem to have been closed, so I take his word that he's the only survivor.
2:20 am - finally board. The 10 minute stop in Winnipeg is going to be at least a half-hour.
2:25 am - Finally get to my car. It's the second to last one on the train, and there's someone sleeping where I'm supposed to go.
Looking out the window, the car I'm in is at CanWest Park. It's a pretty good haul, and all the passengers in sleeper compartments getting on here are in the last four cars on the train. Lots of people walking to the far end of the platform, and then through a dozen cars or so on the train.
Finally, about 6:20 we pull out. There were a party of four who got off the train an hour or two ago (and not in very good spirits), but other than that, everyone seems to have toughed it out. The delay was caused by switching an engine on the train, but now we're 14 hours late, rather than just 8.
And on that note, I finally went to sleep.
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