I had to listen to Akatsuki. I was a fool to think I could get away with riding the Greyhound to head to Canada without having a ride from hell. In a vision, so the story goes, Lady Akatsuki, in her experience, unbeatable state with a conduct worthy of a heavy cruiser or battleship, told me this, and I quote...
"You need to back my sister ship Inazuma. She'll take you there. She's done it before. As a train called the Coast Starlight, she can take you to Seattle and let her sister Ikazuchi carry you the rest of the way to Vancouver as a bus. Going Greyhound," she says, "is wasted money and is a ride for fools and plebs who steal a living being talentless autistes on the lam. Besides, you always wanted a peachful ride, right? Destiny awaits you at Union Station. I know this for a fact. If you choose to be stubborn, I have an anchor that I can put to use on someone other than...you know who.
"Commander! I'm making you take the train, and you'll love me for it so much that you'll never want to let me down ever again...in fact, when you come home fully refreshed, you'll let me do whatever I want with you so you can enjoy my company more!!! And...I'll even let you pat my head. Ufufu..."
That's what she told me in my vision. The sweetener at the end closed the deal, big. And the person she referred to, if you already figured, is her ladyfriend Hibiki, or Verniy. A bilingual phoenix that plays the foil, the fool, the uke...I had to change my choice once the funds were available. I leave on Oct. 5, return on Oct. 11, four nights of lodging, and now, an itinerary to build.
I never wanted to do Greyhound, anyway. What the hell was I thinking, brushing with the possibility of taking the hound to Vancouver and back? What's up with that? Actaully, the Amtrak Thruway Coach is all the Greyhound I really need. And I have never ridden Coast Starlight, ever. This train is too important and is akin to melting all over Inazuma as an admiral in KanColler. I need a long-distance train ride in my life so that I can realize how important America and Canada are to me. I want to melt all over the amazing scenery and slices of life.
So I am extremely pleased that I made the right choice and reserved the train. It is my hope that I can muster enough money from my work to cover for lodging, foot, and visiting a few other towns, like, perhaps, Nanaimo. Something like that.
Thus, to Lady Akatsuki, I offer you my thanks for pointing me in the right direction. In the end, Amtrak was what I always wanted to use. Richie Havens was right all along: "There's something about a train that's magic. All Aboard America. All Aboard Amtrak." And Akatsuki simply is unbeatable.