🔊 Riding the Rhythm of the Rails

There’s a particular rhythm that settles in when you travel by train — steady, patient, and impossible to rush. Our attention turned from our handheld screens to large windows with a different kind of mesmerizing scroll — landscapes moving past us, melting into each other in almost imperceptible increments from desert to mountains to plains to forests. Meanwhile, clacking tracks, distant horns, and the occasional rumbles of train cars shifting weight, made for the soundtrack.

Naturalist’s Notebook

Count the sounds

The sound of the train can easily get repetitive and drone-like, but it is made up of many sounds. Set a timer for one minute and try to count the sounds – the blowing of the horn, the rhythmic clacking of the wheels on the track.

Watch for a color

Instead of a color walk, here you let the color come to you. Pick a color and watch for it out your train window. You won’t be able to seek it out, like if you were on foot. But it will give you a chance to watch the passing scenery with a new focus.