10 Years Ago I flagged a train... in Roundtrip Ticket to Paradise 2

I think I wrote about it in my old Open Diary… but I forget whether or not. I do know I was going down to Anchorage to visit with ND. She, by the way, was the first woman not related to me to say, “I love you” to me… not in the fake plastic Hollywood way of “Thanks, babe, I love ya!” but rather in the sense of affirming me.

She is gay.

On the Sunday morning in question, I ate breakfast at Sam’s Sourdough Cafe, then ambled out to the University Avenue railroad crossing. A little while later, I saw the headlights of the approaching train. I had a copy of the Fairbanks Sunday newspaper, and waved it at the engineer. He responded with three blasts on the horn (on the train while underway, three blasts means “obstruction on the track, STOPPING NOW”), then whistled for the crossing, two long blasts, a short, and then a long.

The train stopped right atop the crossing, and the conductor, busy with punching tickets, noticed me standing there waiting to board. He signed to ask if I was boarding, I replied that I was, then he opened the door and lowered the stairs.

I entered the coach, and a bunch of Japanese tourists noticed me. One said, “Oh, Alaskan… flagged train!” and with a bunch of clicks I am now in a fair number of Japanese photo albums.

ND is gay. I sent her a Valentine Day card yesterday in which I noted, “In your darkest hours, please do note I care for you and I care about you.”

Such is life.