Icy cool morning, numbing to the average Arizonan who is accustomed to spending the fall in a blazing oven. The cold creeped down my limbs slowly losing sensation. skin feeling so smooth, too smooth as it does when one is cold, to the point where one wonders if it truly does feel this way or if really no feeling at all. In that moment one can feel everything but also nothing at all. My face and nose sting, slowly turning more and more red. Still there was a calmness to it, the world was at a stand still around me as I took in my surroundings. There was such a peaceful feeling to the moment, tranquility that was almost tangible, that the sound of the train slowly chugging along the old wooden tracks was nearly unnoticeable. As the large blanket I had wrapped around me swallowed my icy limbs I observed the open windows framing the painting surrounding me. Everything was so clear, nothing standing between me and the enchanting woods other than the steel frame of the Starlight train car. The temptation to reach out and grasp at the almost magnetic beauty of the forest, pulling me closer and closer was nearly impossible to resist.

The stillness of the magical woodland putting one into a trance, unable to take one's eyes away for a single moment or so much beauty could go neglected and unnoticed. Resting my weight and all of my attention on the frozen frame of the windowsill, eyes glued to the scenery moving by outside. It was a new sensation I had never experienced; one of pure peace. Nothing could pull me away or snap me out of my hypnotized state. Even the blaring, ear piercing sound of the horn warning those in the upcoming town of the train's presence could not disturb my peace. The outside world felt numb, just me and nature together as one. 

As our guide spoke I tried to catch onto every detail of the land's past. The lands past, present and future all told through the guide. I felt great sadness as they explained the loss of thousands of trees over the years. The sight of this was painful to witness. Slowly we watched as mountains topped with thousands of white spikes sat in front of us. These spikes, once beautiful trees now ripped of all life, standing bare. These trees victims of invasive species in the area now just stood there void of all signs of life. The tops of the mountains are almost like a graveyard full of skeletons of the deceased, which in this place are the trees. It was a brief time of sadness on this journey but we were all filled with some hope for rehabilitating the area and restoring it to its former beauty in future. 

As the sun rose, getting brighter against the sky that glowed a soft blue across the mountains, the town disappeared from sight and nature truly engulfed the train. The rays of light fell down on me bringing some warmth. Melting into the seat I was ready to stay there forever. Leaving was not something to worry about for now, still there were a few hours more to get to our destination. Going along I just watched around me, my eyes floating around the car from one side to the other taking in the greenery. My mind became clear as I just sat and took it all in. not a single worry came flooding through my mind. Just the overwhelming sensation of everything around me, being stunning earthy tones, when all I've ever known were the fiery warm tones of Arizona. Each moment is different as it passes by this place that I would never see in this exact state again. Maybe I would be the only person ever who would see it as I did at this moment. This instilled a deep feeling of appreciation for everything I was seeing around me. Each and every leaf, rock and plant was full of beauty that before now I would never have seen. I was more relaxed and at peace with myself than I had ever been in my whole life.