Date: Sat, 13 Jan 2024 06:39:56 +0000
From: Douglas DD <thehakaanen@hotmail.com>
Subject: Mayfield Magic Chapter 38

Greetings and welcome back. I hope you enjoy the ride the next few chapters
will provide.

Please give to the Nifty Archive to keep the stories on the rails.

Emails are always appreciated. TheHakaanen@hotmail.com.

Douglas

READER NOTES: First, a word about the California Zephyr cars. I am using
actual original CZ cars. I have ridden these cars numerous times as private
cars. My descriptions are as accurate as I can make them right down the
menus. I used the menus I had saved for those meals. The cars were usually
coupled to an Amtrak train when I rode them, although they were part of a
train of private cars on two of my trips. The cars were sold a couple of
years ago and are now owned by a rail park in Ohio. Any errors in my
descriptions are entirely mine.

Those of you who have followed the Mayfield saga since the beginning know
that quite a few years have passed since the series started. Amtrak has
plans to replace their ancient bilevel long distance trains with new
equipment. I've seen copies of the plans being sent out to car building
companies in one of my rail magazines. Since this is all in the initial
planning stage, I picked the idea I like best as my replacement
equipment. Even if this plan is chosen it is unlikely that the final plan
will be the same. But they are the equipment that Alex and Jaden are
riding.

Finally, Landon's history lessons are brief summaries of what
happened. They are accurate as far as they go. Please blame me and not
Landon for any inaccuracies.

CHAPTER 38

RIDING THE RAILS

FRIDAY, AUGUST 7

<Amtrak "Coast Starlight">

Alex woke up a little after seven. He wondered why his bed seemed to be
moving before he managed to orient himself. Because he was in the upper
bunk, he had no way of seeing where the train was and what the weather was
like.

He did know that he had to piss really bad. He pulled back the covers, sat
up in the bed, and grabbed his lounge pants and t-shirt which were at the
foot of the bed. He stepped down off the bed. As his right foot touched the
floor he flinched when Jaden said, "Hey, good morning sleepyhead."

"Who are you calling sleepyhead?" Alex retorted. "I was up before you."

Jaden turned on the ceiling light. "If you look at me, you'll see that I am
dressed and soooooooooo ready for breakfast."

"Damn. Now I have to change your name from sleepyhead to
Mr. Ambitious. Okay, I gotta hop over to the bathroom to take a piss and
then I'll get dressed and we'll head for breakfast."

Alex stepped into his crocs, slid the door open, headed to the upper-level
bathroom. When he returned, he quickly dressed. "I wonder if George has
ever had to pull off cum stained sheets," he mused.

"I'm guessing ours won't be the first and won't be the last."

"And I'm guessing you have a one hundred percent chance of being right."

"And I'm thinking we both had a pretty awesome time leaving the stains,"
Alex said.

"Judging by the way you were moaning and groaning and bouncing on your bed,
I'd say you were right."

They sought out George and found him removing the bedding in Room 7. They
told him they were heading to the diner for breakfast and that he could
take down their beds.

"Remember that you need to tell me if you go anywhere else," George chided
them.

"We were both good yesterday and did exactly what everybody told us to do,"
Alex responded. "And we'll be just as good today, or we'll hear from
Jaden's dad for sure."

"Well, you did just leave a note that one time."

"Yeah, because we couldn't find you and leaving a note is okay if that
happens."

"Point made, but just don't make a habit of it."

Alex and Jaden nodded and then headed through the 32 car to the
diner. Unlike lunch and dinner, which were by reservation, breakfast was
first come,first served. Sandy, the lead attendant, saw them enter and
pointed to the second table to their right, which was empty. They were soon
joined by Ralph and Cy, who they soon learned were a gay couple who had
been married for six years.

"Wow, it's cool that you're sitting with us," Alex said as they perused
their menus. "We've both got gay friends and we know a couple of married
couples. Both those couples got kids, too."

"We don't yet, but we're thinking of adopting," Ralph said. Both men
elected not to inquire into the boys' sexual identity thinking it would be
presumptuous of them as gay men to ask young teenage boys.

Both boys debated coming out to the two men but didn't want to say anything
without the okay of the other, so they ended up saying nothing on the
subject. They also learned that the train was about a half hour south of
Klamath Falls, Oregon and that they would be spending a lot of time
traveling through mountain, lake, and forest land.

"Keep your eyes out for Mt. Shasta, which is on the other side of us," Cy
told them. Jaden and Alex did and caught some glimpses.

After they finished their breakfasts of Railroad French Toast and bacon
with orange juice, the boys excused themselves and went back to their
roomette just as the train came into the Klamath Falls station. The stop
was a crew change point and was scheduled for 15 minutes. They left the car
to get some fresh air. As with the other fresh air stops, George told them
to stay within a car length of the 31 car. They did as they were instructed
and were ready to hop on the train when the engineer gave two long blasts
of the horn to indicate it was time for the fresh air walkers to board the
train. The boys quickly stepped past George as the conductor called out,
"All Aboard!" to emphasize the point.

The boys boarded the car, went up the steps to the upper level, and headed
for the Sightseer Lounge. They had received George's permission to do so a
couple of minutes before the blasts of the horn.

A few miles after departing Klamath Falls, the "Coast Starlight" was
traveling along Lake Klamath. Alex and Jaden were fortunate to get seats on
the left side of the train, which was the water side. From the big windows
of the lounge car, they ogled the many species of birds along the lake, the
mountains across the lake, and in particular the views of
Mt. Shasta. Depending on the angle of the train as it negotiated the curvy
track along the lake, the mountain appeared at times toward the rear of the
train, partly shrouded by the foothills between Klamath Falls and the
mountain.

After leaving the Lake Klamath area, the train made a stop in the small
town of Chemult. The town no longer had a train station and the stop
consisted of a raised platform long enough to service the train. After the
brief station stop, the train headed down Willamette Pass through heavily
forested lands. It was nice and green but, as Alex told Jaden, "I've seen
enough trees to last us a lifetime going down this pass."

"They look great to me," Jaden said. "You know that we don't see forest
like this around East Harbor. Hell, we don't even see forests at all, you
know what I'm saying?"

"Having lived there awhile now, I can see your point. What I said doesn't
mean I don't like them; it just means living in Mayfield a guy can ride his
bike into a small forest in less than an hour and day trip has him up in
the hills and a forest like what we're seeing outside."

What they could see was often interrupted by a tunnel since the line passed
through 24 tunnels until it reached the town of Oakridge. After 45 minutes
of trees, trees, and more trees, they returned to their roomette. To make
things worse, they couldn't even do anything on their phones since they
couldn't get a signal for almost two hours. They were able to make a lunch
reservation, however, when Sandy came by taking reservations.

Their reservation time of 12:15 was called when they were out of the
mountains and about a half hour out of Eugene. Once they left Eugene, the
trip north to Portland would be through the Willamette Valley. The view was
mostly of farmland and even more boring than the forest, but at least they
had phone service. The train arrived in Portland on time at 3:40.

The train came into Union Station on Track 3, which was on the station side
of Platform 2. The "Empire Builder" was parked on Track 2, which was along
Platform 1. What caught the boys' attention wasn't the Amtrak train,
however, but the silver dome cars coupled behind it.

Alex read "California Zephyr" on the cars' nameboard. "California?" he said
to Jaden. "What's a California train doing in Oregon? And it's not even an
Amtrak train."

"I wonder if those are the private cars that Aiden and Nolan were supposed
to be riding in?" Jaden asked.

"And they just happened to be here when we are? That's a pretty big
coincidence."

"Maybe, but who knows."

"This is a fresh air stop, so let's go out on the platform and see if we
can find out anything."

What they learned from George was the "California Zephyr" cars were private
cars that would be going all the way to Chicago coupled to the "Empire
Builder."

"Whoa, from what Michael and them were saying, that just might be the train
they're riding," Jaden said. "We can't walk very far or I'd say let's go
into the station."

"Let's go anyway. We're just a couple of hours from Centralia, so how much
trouble can we get into?" Alex asked.

"I thought you were working to stay out of trouble and be trusted."

Alex decided the chances were good that this was the train Aiden was
on. `Fuck Jaden,' he thought. `I don't want to miss a chance to see my
friend'. He turned toward the platform extension that crossed Tracks 1 and
2 and led to the station doors. He stopped after a dozen steps and turned
around. `Jaden's right. I better listen to him instead of me.'

Alex walked back to Jaden who breathed a sigh of relief. Before either boy
could say anything, George said, "It's almost five minutes before departure
time, so let's get on board boys." The conductor had announced as they came
into the station that departure time was at 3:56 and passengers continuing
north needed to board the train five minutes before departure time.

When they got to their roomette and sat in their facing seats, Alex looked
Jaden in the eye and said, "Thanks for being honest with me and keeping me
from being stupid."

"Hey, it's what friends are for. Besides, you turned yourself around,"
Jaden responded.

"I guess I could send him a friggen text. Sheesh, why do the simple thing
when I get presented with a chance to get in trouble." Alex's text was
simple. "hey aiden if ur on the train with all the dome thingies i'm next 2
u." He pressed send and wondered what he'd hear in return.

The train left on time at 3:56. The boys had been given an early 4:15
dinner reservation since they would be arriving in Centralia at 5:15. They
had their carryon bags packed and ready when their call to dinner came.

Just a couple of minutes after leaving the station, Alex received a
text. He saw it was from Aiden and opened it. "We're on the dome
train. Sorry we missed you. (heart) Aiden."

"Holy crap, Aiden is on that train," Alex said. "Can you believe how close
were to seeing each other? Looks like the big coincidence was real."

"message received" he texted back. He decided to save saying more until
they got to Mayfield. It was time to be ready for their call to dinner.

The boys had plenty of time to enjoy steaks and mashed potatoes (they
skipped the string beans) along with a piece of lemon cake for dessert. The
service by Alan, their waiter, was fast and efficient and they were in
their roomette ten minutes before the arrival time.

When they got off the train in Centralia, they saw Grant and his parents on
the platform to meet them and take them to Mayfield. Hugs were exchanged
all around (the three boys silently agreed that the kisses could wait until
later). Alex and Jaden were starting the goal of their trip—the visit to
Mayfield. Alex wished Aiden was there, but there were a lot of boys he knew
he needed to see and make amends to. He was willing to talk to them. The
question was, were they willing to talk to him?

"How was the trip?" Grant asked after all of the greetings were exchanged.

Jaden and Alex started talking over each other in their excitement to share
their thoughts. "Whoa, hold on," Carla Grant grinned. "We can only
understand one of you at a time up here in the front."

"Sorry, Aunt Carla" Jaden said. "You go ahead, Alex."

"I'm sorry, too, Mrs. Foster," Alex said. "But you go Jaden. I think your
cousin, and your aunt, and your uncle should hear it from you. I'll fill in
the gaps after you're done."

Jaden and Alex did a great job of telling the story of their train
adventure as well as answering the questions Grant and his parents had.

"I imagine you two behaved perfectly during your trip," Carla said with a
smile.

"Oh yeah, we had to," Jaden responded. "Cuz if we didn't they would've made
sure my dad found out about it and I don't know about Alex, but I know he
would have killed me."

That night Alex and Jaden learned that they could either share the queen
bed in the guest room or one could have the bed and the other could sleep
on the pullout sofa bed in the den. They elected to share the queen bed.

"It's not like we haven't slept with other boys before," Jaden said
matter-of-factly. Grant's mom and dad looked at each other and smirked.

Jaden and Alex were in bed by nine-thirty. They slept in their underwear
and t-shirts. They were too tired to be horny and since their relationship
was one of good friends, they didn't feel the need to get each other off
because that's what boyfriends did. They each wondered if they would be
chaste for the entire visit.

SATURDAY, AUGUST 8

<The California Zephyr cars>

While everyone slept, the Portland section of the "Empire Builder" arrived
in Spokane. This was the section the CZ cars were coupled to. A few minutes
later the Seattle section arrived. After some switching and maneuvering the
four-car Portland section, along with the three Zephyr cars, was coupled to
the seven-car Seattle section making a fourteen-car train.

The alarm on Aiden's phone sounded at precisely 6:15. Aiden groaned and
tried to figure where he was and why he had set his fucking alarm. The
movement of the train gently shook him to his senses. He had set his alarm
so he, Nolan, and Landon could get up early and enjoy the early morning
light in the mountains while sitting in the dome.

"Fuck, whose idea was this?" Nolan moaned following a long yawn.

"I think it was a unanimous idea from the three of us."

"That it was," came Landon's voice from the other bed. "I'm just glad we
went to bed before ten, cuz now I feel ready to get some morning mountain
pics."

"You two are certifiably crazy," Nolan said.

"No, we're not, we're certifiable foamers."

"Same difference. You guys know I love trains, but I'm nowhere near your
league."

"You can sleep in if you need to," Aiden said as he got out of bed and
pulled on his shorts. He had slept in his underwear, as had Nolan and
Landon. The boys quickly dressed. Aiden, Landon, and Nolan grabbed their
cameras and left the bedroom. Showers would wait until before lunch when
they were out in the flat land of eastern Montana.

They passed the buffet which was being set up in the bar seating area which
was under the dome. It didn't open for breakfast until 6:30. After climbing
the stairs up to the dome, they were pleased that only one table had been
taken. Both of the front tables were empty. On the advice of William, they
took the table on the left side because that was where the best mountain
scenery would be.

Sunrise for the day was at 6:11 and the light from the early morning sun
off the mountains was amazing. The cameras quickly came out.

"I didn't even know you brought a camera," Landon said to Nolan. "I mean,
you didn't use it yesterday."

"I figured I'd eat dinner and let you two take the shots since you're both
better photographers than I am. If I'd known you'd be coming I wouldn't
have even brought my camera. I'd do what I did yesterday and be happy with
a couple of shots on my phone."

"No offense, Nolan, but that's silly," Landon said. "You take good pictures
and good video."

"I know, but you two take great pictures."

"Speaking of silly, how about we check out the scenery and photograph it
and forget who's better than who," Aiden said. "We're all good at it and
we'll all get good pictures and like everybody who takes pictures we'll
have more than our share of clunkers, since you gotta take some of those to
get the great ones."

"As he does so often, my boyfriend speaks the truth," Nolan said.

After the chatter ended the clicking of shutters took over. Pictures were
taken not only out of the dome windows, but inside the dome as the boys
took pictures of each other taking pictures. That stretch ended just after
seven when Larry, Phil, and Michael came upstairs and sat at the table
behind the boys.

"Proof our boys are true foamers—they're up before ten, and taking
pictures of it," Larry chuckled.

"Pop, please," Aiden responded.

"Well, if he insists on me being a foamer, then I gotta say that I'm doing
more than foam," Nolan said. "Not only am I foaming, but my stomach is
grumbling." Nolan and Landon went downstairs to get their breakfast, but
Aiden stayed at the table to help the dads save the seats. The dome was
starting to fill.

"Shouldn't we be arriving in Whitefish right now?" Michael asked.

"Yes, we should," Larry answered. "We seem to be running a little late."

Nolan returned with his breakfast. He had a plate with two pieces of French
Toast, scrambled eggs, hash browns, bacon, a jelly donut, and a glass of
orange juice that he balanced on a tray.

Landon was right behind him with a tray of his own. He had everything that
Nolan had except for the potatoes and the donut. He conceded that it would
simply be too much. "Burt said we'd be in Whitefish in about ten minutes,"
he told everyone. Burt was one of the two owners of the Zephyr cars.

Aiden and Phil went downstairs next. Aiden soon returned with a tray of
food matching Nolan's. Phil decided to stay downstairs with Paul and Vivian
and have breakfast with them. "I can see where a big boy like Nolan will
put his food, but I have no clue how Aiden will get it all in," Larry said.

While the boys started digging into their breakfasts, Larry and Michael
went downstairs where they met Paul, Phil, and Vivian in the buffet with
their plates full. "We have two seats set aside in the observation lounge,"
Vivian said. "We'll eat and admire the scenery from there."

"There are still seats up in the dome. Our table and the boys' table each
have an extra seat," Larry told them.

"Don't forget the surprise guest," Paul reminded him.

"Whoops you're right."

 Burt then announced that they were entering Whitefish and William would be
opening a door on the Silver Rapids for anybody wishing to take a quick
fresh air break. "Since we're running a little late, don't wander far from
the car because we'll be on the way once the train has been serviced. We
also have a passenger we'll be taking on here. But do take advantage of
seeing the Whitefish station and getting pictures. It is without a doubt
the most beautiful station in Montana, and one of the most beautiful
smalltown stations in America."

Having taken the "Empire Builder" to Whitefish the previous summer, Nolan
and Aiden knew about the beautiful station. This time they had good cameras
to shoot some pictures of the depot. As the train pulled into the station
the three boys asked Larry and Phil to give them access to the front
windows on the right-hand side. Larry and Phil got up, told the boys to be
quick because their food was getting cold, and then patiently watched the
trio take their photos.

As soon as the train stopped, the boys returned at their own table and
continued their breakfasts.  They barely got a mouthful chewed when a
white-haired Native American man sat in the empty seat next to Landon and
set his breakfast on the table without so much as an "Excuse me".  Landon
was going to say something as soon as he finished swallowing when Aiden
shouted out, "Espowyes! Oh my God, Espowyes!" he repeated. Landon thought
Aiden was shouting out some kind of Native American cuss word.

Then Nolan looked up and shouted out the same `word', "Espowyes! What are
you doing here?"

"I believe I am doing the same as you and Young Master Aiden. I am eating
breakfast in one of the most beautiful railcars in the world," the elderly
man replied. He looked over at Landon, who looked more confused than his
two friends. "My name is Robert, but I go by my Native American name of
Espowyes. And you would be?"

"Um...my name is Landon, and, I have no idea what's going on, but it's nice
to meet you, Robert." Espowyes held out his right hand and Landon shook it,
embarrassed that he couldn't remember the Native American name the elderly
man had just given him. It was obvious the man and Aiden and Nolan knew
each other. Landon was eager to hear the story.

"The pleasure is mine, young man. You must be a special young man to be
friends with the two other boys at the table. I hold them in high regard."

"I can't believe you're here on the train with us," Aiden said. "How did
you even know we were riding these cars?"

Espowyes pointed to Larry and Phil. "Some fathers have big mouths," he
grinned.

"I should have figured that seeing as they surprised us yesterday when
Landon and his dad showed up at the Centralia station to ride the Zephyr
cars." Aiden looked across the aisle at his dads. "You guys are too much."

"But you've gotta admit, the surprises were pretty special," Larry said.

"Oh, heck yeah. I mean, they were even more than special, they were epic."

"I am under the assumption that Aiden and Nolan were not expecting you on
this trip," Espowyes said to Landon.

"Nope. Even I didn't know until it was close to time to go. We've got dads
who are good at keeping secrets, that's for sure," Landon said.

"Are you going the rest of the way with us?" Aiden asked Espowyes.

"Since I was told you would be riding these cars to Los Angeles, my answer
would be a partial no. I will ride to Chicago and visit some old friends
while you boys and your families enjoy your day in the Windy City. I will
then ride back with you to Salt Lake City so I can enjoy the spectacular
trip through the Colorado Rockies. I will rent a car there and drive home
the next day."

"I guess home must be Whitefish," Landon said.

"You are right, my young friend."

"So how did you get to know Aiden and Nolan?"

"I think I will let your friends answer that question."

They heard two long blasts from the train's horn, and the "Empire Builder"
and its three extra cars started out of the station. The journey through
Glacier National Park and over the Continental Divide was beginning.

"Marty met Espowyes back when he was in high school. Plus, Eric and Noah
knew him," Aiden said. "I don't think you know Eric."

"I know who Eric is because he works for BSNF as a signal maintenance man
and sometimes as an engineer with the Centralia short line," Landon said.

"I guess you would know a lot of peeps who work for the railroads. Anyway,
long story short, last August Nolan and I were lost. I was in a dark place
from shit that was bugging me, and we just weren't hitting it off. Through
Marty and my dads, we ended up riding the Builder to Whitefish where, well,
Espowyes worked with Nolan and me and pulled off what we call a
miracle. Right Nolan?"

"Absolutely," Nolan said. "He is a very wise man."

"If I may interject, there would be no miracle, as you two call it, if I
hadn't had willing ears for my teaching," Espowyes said. "And my next bit
of wisdom is, let's finish our breakfasts so we can revel in God's glory
from this beautiful rooftop location."

He got no argument from the boys. Within ten minutes they had finished
their meals and Marshawn had cleared their tables. The cameras came out and
took pictures of the Glacier Park mountains that landed in their memory
cards. Nolan and Landon also took video, but Aiden stayed with his still
photography.

"You do not do video?" Espowyes asked him.

"I like still pictures better," Aiden replied. "I can tell a story with the
pics better than I can with the vids." Aiden loved writing stories and had
learned he could tell them with his camera just like he could with his
keyboard.

"I have read the stories you sent to me. I found them to be interesting and
well-written. You are a fine storyteller."

Larry, who could overhear the conversation, realized that what Espowyes
didn't say was as informative as what he did say. What he said was that
Aiden was a fine storyteller. What he didn't say was that he was a fine
storyteller for his age. That pleased Larry, because he felt the same way--
that his son was an excellent storyteller for any age. There was a good
reason that Aiden had won awards at creative writing contests, he simply
was a fine storyteller.

The last stop before the railroad crossed the Continental Divide was Essex,
whose main feature was a beautiful log lodge. "That lodge was built by the
Great Northern Railway," Landon said. "In fact, they founded Glacier Park
before it became a National Park and built all of the log lodges in the
park.

"James J. Hill, who built the Great Northern and was the railway's first
president, wasn't a fan of running passenger trains since there was more
money in freight trains. But Hill's son, Luis, was a force behind the
railroad crossing the Rockies and going to Washington. He was behind the
idea of creating a park as a way to get more people to ride their trains by
giving them a place in the mountains to ride to. James Hill may not have
been a fan of passenger trains, but he was never one to turn down a chance
to make more money. Luis succeeded his father as president of the railway.

"Anyway, Essex used to be a crew change point and the lodge was for the
crews getting their rest. Since diesels took over trains moved faster over
the mountains and the G-N no longer needed to change crews there. Plus,
helper engines were no longer needed."

"And see that blue Great Northern locomotive and the caboose over there?"
Aiden said as the train stopped at the platform that constituted the Essex
station. "Those are now expensive rooms. You can spend a small fortune and
spend a night in the locomotive. Everything was taken out and a first-class
hotel room replaced the interior."

"Except for the locomotive cab," Landon reminded him.

"Oh yeah, the locomotive cab still has all the dials and controls, except
none of them work, of course."

"My, oh, my, you boys should go down to the lounge and become paid
lecturers or something," came a woman's voice from the second table on the
left. The woman was Lois.

Marias Pass was a disappointment to the boys. The pass marked the crossing
of the Continental Divide. At 5,213 feet it is the lowest crossing of the
Continental Divide in the Rockies. The boys were hoping to be in a box
canyon through the mountains, or way above the surrounding scenery, but it
ended up being a slight rise changing to a slight decline. Still, the
scenery to the north was one of spectacular mountains which were a good
distance off but were much higher than the pass. The tracks were running
along the southern border of Glacier National Park.

"Old Jim Hill knew what he was doing when he had the Great Northern cross
this pass," Phil noted.

"Yep, the Northern Pacific had a much more difficult trip through the
Rockies," Landon said. "They built over Homestake Pass which is over 6,000
feet. But remember, the NP kind of followed the route of Lewis & Clark when
they surveyed their route."

"Your knowledge is impressive," Espowyes said.

"Learning all I can about trains and railways means knowing their history
and their geography," Landon responded modestly.

The trip down Marias Pass soon turned from mountains, to foothills, to the
high prairie. After the Shelby stop, which allowed for a quick fresh air
break, the three boys settled back into their seats at the left front
table. Lois, who had taken a smoke break the specified distance from the
train, sat behind the boys. She turned her head and said she had a question
for them. Aiden could smell the smoke on her breath, which disgusted
him. He was tempted to go to his room and bring his can of Altoids so she
could pop a mint. He had always hated the smell and was eternally grateful
his dads didn't smoke.

"Ask away," Landon said. He was eager to display more of his railroading
knowledge.

"Why is the Amtrak train called the `Empire Builder'? What does it mean?
What empire and who is the builder?"

Aiden knew the answer, but he also knew that Landon loved talking about
railroading more than anything. He gave his new friend a nod, signaling him
to answer away.

"Well, like I said earlier, James J. Hill founded the Great Northern
Railway. The railway opened up the northern tier to settlement and it grew
in a hurry. So, in a way, he created an empire in the west and became known
as the Empire Builder. The Great Northern's best train was called the
`Oriental Limited'. But in, I think it was 1929, a new train became the
best train on the railway, and it was named for James J. Hill, the Empire
Builder."

"Thank you again, Landon. Sitting with you has been a real education," Lois
said.

"Well, I kinda hogged the show. Aiden knows just as much or more about
trains and railroad history as I do. He was nice enough to let me blabber,
which is why he's become one of my best friends," Landon said.

"Well, I'm going to go back to the observation lounge to sit with my
husband." Lois rose from her seat, stepped down into the aisle, and walked
to the back of the dome and down the stairs.

A half hour after Shelby, the dome was prepared for lunch. The boys once
again claimed the front left table, not that it made that much difference
since the Rockies were now behind them. They would be spending the rest of
the day traversing the great plains.

"Is that Robert Espowyes dude gonna sit with us?" Landon asked. "I like
him—he's really interesting and fun to talk to."

"Then let's make sure he does by inviting him over," Aiden said. "And
Espowyes is his Native American name and the one he goes by."

Espowyes was sitting at the middle-left table with Larry, Paul, Phil, and
Michael. Vivian was sitting in the observation area with a couple of the
women she had befriended.

Nolan invited Espowyes to sit with them at their table. Espowyes gladly
accepted the invitation and joined the boys. Lunch was beef salad and bread
with sugar cookies and sorbet for dessert. The boys enjoyed talking with
Espowyes as he discussed the history and culture of Native American tribes
of the region they had travelled through. The way the boys saw it, Espowyes
knew how to communicate by making his topics interesting and relevant. As
Aiden had told Nolan after they first met him, he didn't talk over their
heads, nor did he talk beneath them. Instead, he spoke to them on their
level which appealed to the three well-read and educated boys.

Landon asked how the coming of the railroads affected the indigenous
people. All three boys were engrossed in Espowyes' history lesson, one he
kept the boys involved in by asking them frequent questions and inviting
them to ask questions of their own. He had received an MBA as well as a PhD
in psychology from Stanford. He then returned to his native Montana. He
taught Psychology for ten years before returning to Whitefish where he put
his MBA to use and took over the management of a resort hotel. He also
became reacquainted with his Native culture.

Another question Landon asked was what his name meant. "It means `Light on
the Mountain' in my native Nez Perce," Espowyes responded.

While the scenery wasn't at all spectacular after leaving the mountains, it
was interesting. The boys learned that Burt, one of the two owners of the
Zephyr cars and the one making the trip, was another interesting person to
listen to. He was a great storyteller, and all his stories dealt with his
experience with railroads, trains, and most of all, his beloved Zephyr
cars.

Dinner was another delicious three course meal. "At least this time, we
don't have to interrupt our eating to take pictures," Landon joked.

"Except to take pictures of all of us eating," Nolan grinned. "But, I'm
gonna use my phone instead of my camera."

"Exactly. Save the camera for the important stuff like trains and the view
from the trains," Aiden said. "Just treat your friends like they're chopped
liver." He looked down at his plate. "Thank heavens the dinner isn't
chopped liver."

"In some cases the phone is better for stuff like people sitting at a
table. I mean, it has a good camera, just not as good as a camera, camera."

"A camera, camera? I like it," Landon said.

The evening was taken up by talking, listening, and playing cards until the
train reached Minot at 10:08, which was right on time. It was a
forty-five-minute stop for a crew change, watering the cars, getting bags
of garbage off the train, and simply having some padding in the
schedule. The boys went outside for fresh air. They reboarded the Silver
Solarium at 10:30, prepared for bed, and were sound asleep by 10:50.

<Gordy's House>

 As Gordy and his friends dug into the birthday cake and ice cream, he
looked around him and felt a surge of happiness. He thought his birthday
party was a big success. He had worried all morning about who would come
and then he worried that whoever came wouldn't have any fun as his lack of
social confidence played with his mind. Despite his popularity at school
and with his teammates in sports, he often worried that nobody really liked
him, even though the evidence said otherwise.

Almost everybody he invited to his birthday party came. It was great to
have Alex there as well as Grant's cousin Jaden. Even Calvin came all the
way from Clark Pass. It was like the little party at Michael's house in
East Harbor only a hundred times better. The only Goats who didn't attend
were Aiden and Nolan because they were on their train trip, Mason because
of his recording gig in East Harbor, and Max. Gordy didn't think Max was
going to come. Gordy wasn't alone in thinking that Max never seemed to be a
true Goat.

Kaylie came, of course, along with her cousin, Gretchen, who was visiting
from Eugene. Heather and Christy were the only other girls Gordy had
invited, and they showed hoping to see Aiden and Nolan. Nobody had told
them that the two of them were away traveling. They both sighed and set
their eyes on Trent and Mac, both of whom eagerly accepted their not very
subtle advances. Before the party ended, Mac and Trent invited Heather and
Christy to Trent's house on Monday. Both girls giggled nervously and
accepted.

Scott's cousin, Ronnie, came with Scott. Gordy had sent Ronnie an
invitation since he had become friends with many of the Goats at the
Brawl. Ronnie eagerly accepted and then set to work getting his parents to
drive him to Mayfield, which they had no problem doing. They figured they
could enjoy a visit with Scott's parents while the boys were at the party.

The menu had been barbecued hamburgers and brats, potato salad, with
lettuce, tomatoes, and onions along with the usual condiments. Birthday
cake and ice cream were the dessert.

When dessert time came, the party goers sang Happy Birthday to Gordy, who
blew out all 13 candles in one long breath. It was his second birthday
party. `Life is truly good', Gordy thought as he surveyed a room full of
friends.

Alex was surprised that he ended up having a good time at the party. He
worked the room, talking to the Goat players. He felt comfortable with them
after being worried they would reject him. But he had worked hard to mend
fences during the Brawl. Plus, his cookies had endeared him to the
Goats. They saw them as a highlight of their days at the athletic
park. Even the girls were nice to him, with Heather in particular virtually
hanging on to him. Alex couldn't decide whether or not that was a good
thing.

That night things loosened up a bit between Alex and Jaden. After getting
to bed, they talked about who at the party was sexy, the girls not
counting. They both liked Trent and Mac's mature good looks, as well as the
blatant sexiness of Lenny and Lance. But they ended up agreeing that there
was a tie for the cutest, sexiest boy at the party between Gordy, the host,
and Calvin, the out-of-town Goat.

They both were hard and playing with their cocks. It didn't take long for
them to detect the movement under the covers. Alex wordlessly flipped the
covers off his body and quickly pulled down his boxers, revealing his hard
cock. Jaden followed suit and the two went to work jerking off. They
pretended they weren't looking at each other even though they couldn't take
their eyes off of their bedmate's ministrations.

Alex spit on his hands and went at his cock full speed, wishing he had some
lube. Jaden followed his friend's lead. As Alex got close to orgasm, he
pulled the hem of his t-shirt up, exposing his hard abdomen. He soon was
squirting his light teen cum over his belly after shooting the first drop
onto his t-shirt. Twenty seconds later Jaden covered his belly with his own
emissions.

"Fuck, I needed that," Alex said.

"Ditto," Jaden agreed.

The two friends rose from the bed and cleaned up the mess they had made on
themselves. Soon they were back in bed, the lights out, and their young
teen bodies snugly covered. Within a couple of minutes, they were both
asleep.

Next: The Windy City