Moose Day

The second day of our train trip started off slow, as we made it to the diner car barely in time for breakfast.

Alas, our plan for French toast was brutally thwarted when we learned that they had run out. No amount of fluffy pancakes, made-to-order omelettes, breakfast quesadillas or fruity Chobani yogurt could come even close to making it up to Gaius. It was French toast or else.

Luckily we soon recovered, bellies full and getting all crafty in the observation car. We made little fairy mail boxes with messages for fairies and leprechauns to invite them in our home:

and weaved miniature Ojos de Dio:

[This is Mara's self-driven photography posing, I did not give her any direction other than mentioning I was going to take a photo of her with her craft. She got seriously intense with the lens...]

Soon, the views outside became too overwhelming to ignore. Our photos barely do them justice, but our memories will hold for a while.

Fae had the most wondrous time, spending it haughtily up in Daddy's arms and practicing eyebrow raising:

or cuddling up to her siblings and pretending to do tummy-time (but really, using the opportunity to peak out the window instead)

We saw tons of wildlife, and every single sighting was breath taking. From a lonesome fox pouncing up on a snowmound to watch the train go by, to black-and-white magpies flying along with the train's wind as if to catch an easy ride, to multiple bald eagles soaring above the cliffs. We saw several herds of elk and deer - definitely two different species, some getting extremely close to the tracks - and a single majestic Moose climbing up on the snowy hill.

We loved every moment of it, and barely got a chance to capture them in photos, except for the moose, which I snapped way after the fact, when it was already far away. Here it is, in roughly twenty pixels: