FAREWELL TO THE OLSONS

Here we are the day before they leave back to Washington and a snowstorm is moving in. The weather has been really quite nice for this time of year. We went swimming and hot tubbing to relax. All the packing and laundry were done. Our special shirts from Mall of America. A Swede sandwiched between two Norwegians

One of the downsides to taking the train is the time they arrive and depart. Here in Saint Cloud it is suppose to arrive at 5:14 am but they were about 4 hours late. They depart at 12:40 am, which for some of us is considered the middle of the night. The train was on time but that was the last of being on time. My sister told me later there had been a crash( freight train and car) shortly after leaving the Saint Cloud Station so they had to clear that up before they contined , this put them behind for about an hour I think.

The snow had been moving in all night and we had a couple of inches before they left. The wind was blowing which makes it more like a BLIZZARD. The roads were slippery and compacted with snow. The plows were not out yet so road conditions were not good. We were thankful we live about 15 minutes from the station and that we didn't have to go to the airport. (2hours away) The train arrives!

Now it was time to brave the storm and get on the train. The lady in the station said they would be last on because they had a sleeper but of course this was false.

They were first on so we had to hurry and say our goodbys

At least they got a hint of what it is really like living here in Minnesota. After a fairly nice week and the idea Spring was almost here we always get some kind of snowstorm. This train ended up being over 6 hours late and when they reached Spokane Washington they had to bus them into Seattle...Sorry but at least you will remember your trip and have lots of stories to tell everyone for sometime to come.

The blizzard like snow in the Dakotas covered the train signs so they had to go really slow, this put them behind then the crew had to be changed because the law does not allow them to work more than 12 hours a shift, this put them farther behind and before you know it they were 6 hours behind and riding a bus.

Goodby Jim and Jean

Hunter keeps asking about you. He wants to go with grammy to see you guys but grammy is taking a vacation without the grandbabies. He is just to young yet. Ellie looks at your picture and points to who's name I say. She laughs each time. They really liked your gifts. We are purchasing our tickets at the end of the month. See you in November(I hope) There is snow that time of year and you never know what the weather will be like in North Dakota. I hope we don't have to ride a bus...we already had that experience and we didn't like it.

Here is a short video before the train arrived ( it is so quiet when it snows)