AMERICAN EXPERIENCES

Opotiki News, Volume I, Issue 12, 18 March 1938, Page 3

AMERICAN EXPERIENCES

TEACH'EiR ON EXCHANGE MARVELLOUS GRAND CANYON 3liss Mijdred Nicol, whose mother resides at Gisborne, and who is at -present op exchange in Winnipeg, Canada, in a recent letter gives some interesting notes on a visit to California. Alter describing a wonderful Christmas -spent in Winnipeg, with presentations from her pupils, three jolly parties and numerous gifts, 31iss Nicol writes of her departure at 6.35 p. m. by a train while a blizzard Was raging and the temperature 'M degrees below zero.

“I had a good night on the train and reached 3iinneapolis at 8 in the morning, got a taxi and drove to some friends • ■ . who had breakfast waiting for me,” writes 31,iss Nicol. “They arranged to take me for a drive to show me the city, which was snowbound, though not as cold as Winnipeg. When we reached tlie station at 12.30 they to]d me the train (the Rocket and a super streamlined model) had left at 12.20. Imagine my dismay as I would then have missed all my connections and reservations right through. “Well, I got a taxi and asked him to catch the train at St. Paul, which is a twin city to Minneapolis and 11 miles distant from station toi station. He said he could not do it as the roads were like glue, hut luck was with us and by running the length of the station with a negro porter running wildly in front of me I caught the Rocket with nothing to spare. 3ly ticket was made out to St. Paul and the Pullman porter told me the wrong time, that is how the mistake occurred. j “Well, the Rocket is. a wonderful train with seats jiist like a‘ first class hotel Ibunge, and :ocktail bars and dining saloon —everything 1 you could think of. Comfortable Train Travelling. “After L calmed down I enjoyed the trip and reached Kansas City at 10 p.m. . . .. the station .... I wish 1 could adequately describe the scene there. It was simply crowded with people, seething is really the word, ot all, colours and all nationalities. To me it was fascinating. 1 found my train was in so got oil about 11 p.m. and went to bed. 1. am getting quite used to sleeping in a Pullman now and managed to get a good night s rest. The onlv drawback is the diessing and undressing. You do your best on the bed and behind the curtains and then finish in the ladies’ dressingroom. “They have chairs for you to sit on before the mirrors, hut the trains are so rapid that they rock about •' lot. The first thing the porter asked me was if I wanted to be called for breakfast at 6.40 a.m. There was no dining-car on the train (most unusual) and we had to get off at a dining stop. I said “Yes.” and was awakened by him gently shaking the mattress—and do you believe everyone on that train was up for breakfast. y One cf Nature’s Marvels. 4 ‘They look after you very well on the trains. The officials are wonderfully courteous. I was on that tiain aH that day and the next morning at 7 o’clock I got off to transfer at t\ illiams, Arizona, for the Grand Canyon, where 1 stayed overnight and did two of the trips around the rim of the Canyon. The weather by now was wonderful, with beautiful sunshine and clear air and warm. “The -Canyon is one of ’Nature’s marvels and like nothing I can describe to you in New Zealand. I saw it under the best of conditions both at sunrise and sunset and in brilliant- sunshine. I also saw the hoar frost glittering on the trees, -which made them look fairylike. “After we came back from our afternoon drive we visited tin 4 Hn-pi House and saw the Indians dance the Buffalo, Eagle and Hoop dances, all fast movements and most unlike the Maoris’. I caught the train at Williams at 6 p.m*, and arrived at Los, Angeles at 8 a.m. next- day. The writer proceeds to tell of her good fortune in securing good accommodation and meeting friends.. one\ of whom took 3liss Nicol sight-seeing by i car. (To be Continued.) .