Wednesday, April 14, 2010

Traveling On

Last year I received an invitation to be the keynote speaker at an Embroiderers Guild of America regional meeting in Salt Lake City. I’ve never been to Salt Lake City so I thought it would be fun to go. Then I got this grand idea that it would be fun to take a train rather than fly. Many years ago I took the California Zephyr from San Francisco to Milwaukee so I wanted to go a different way. I looked up routes and decided on the Empire Builder which goes along the northern tier of the country. And so long as I was going, I decided it would be fun to make a book tour of it, even though I won’t have a new book to publicize. I asked a friend to come along and we're leaving June 1, arriving in Salt Lake City June 15.

I spent a number of hours this past Sunday in the company of that friend, going over the details. We have the itinerary fixed at this point, but hadn’t arranged for hotel accommodations at the various stops. So we sat down and called up the locations on my computer and began possibilities and room rates. On Thursday, June 3, for example, we’re stopping at Wolf Point, Montana, arriving at 11:41, according to the Amtrak schedule. That evening I’ll give a talk at the Roosevelt County Public Library and then we’re free until 11:41 June 4, when the Empire Builder comes through again and we get back on board. According to the Internet, there are several motels in town, and the one nearest the railroad depot is Homestead Inn. So we called Homestead Inn and made a reservation for two.

That doesn’t sound difficult, and it wasn’t. But if you will go to my web site, Monica-Ferris.com, you will see that Wolf Point is the second stop of ten. The schedule is a complex of reserved coach seats, hotel rooms, and Superliner Roomettes along the way. Sometimes the train arrives at highly inconvenient hours, such as at Spokane (1:40 am!). I will be appearing at libraries, needlework shops, and bookstores at the stops -- except at East Glacier Park, Montana, and Reno, Nevada, where we will take a break to recoup and do a little sight-seeing. (We're staying at the Dancing Bears Inn in East Glacier Park, isn't that cute?)

Please, if you live in Fargo; Wolf Point or Cut Bank, Montana; Spokane; Seattle; Portland, Oregon; Sacramento, or Salt Lake City, check out my web site to see where and when I’ll be in your city. If you do needlework, bring a sample along, I love to look at needlework. If you don’t do needlework, come anyway; I’ll be very glad to see you!

So long as we’re talking about appearances, I’m going to be at the Myrtle Mabee Public Library in Belgrade, Minnesota, on Friday at 6:30. Then I’m driving to Rosemont, Illinois (a suburb of Chicago near O’Hare Airport), to the huge Donald E. Stevens Convention Center for the International Quilt Show. I’ll be sitting at The Craftsman’s Touch booth from noon to seven on Saturday and from ten to two on Sunday.

In any of these locations, look for the woman in the fancy hat, and hope along with me that it doesn’t get crushed on the long train trip.

4 comments:

Linda O. Johnston said...

What a busy upcoming schedule, Monica! Sounds like fun... but will you have any time to write?

Camille Minichino said...

Lots of logistics! It all takes time but in the end I hope it will be a fun and fruitful trip.

Monica Ferris said...

I'm bringing my laptop along and taking extensive notes (I hope) because I want to send my sleuth on a train trip in a future book. I'm also hoping to be looking out the window between working on Threadbare. Ambitious, aren't I?

Beadknitter said...

I am so excited that you're coming to Spokane! YAY!

However, you don't list on your web site what time you'll be at the Shadle library. When are you going to be there?