I don’t know the date, but I was seven or eight when we moved from the Midwest plains to the Cascade Range, where the foothills boast tall mountains, like Shuksan. We found a home out there, amidst fresh mountain air, where pine forests never end, In a western land, with a vista grand, Where the clouds and the mountains blend. Its deceptive skies fill your mind with lies. The horizon seems to flow. Your eyes can’t tell the ocean’s swell from the clouds, or the mountain snow. We traveled out west on my mother’s quest to leave our city life of ease. She believed in her heart, that with a brand new start She might heal from a dread disease. She sought cleaner air, because her lungs were frail, With disease, which soon would kill her. And we rode on a train you will know by name; It was the mighty Empire Builder. The scenes I saw from the railroad car Filled my heart with boyish wonder. I saw wolves and elk and mountain goats, As I rode those wheels of thunder. I was nearly asleep as we reached a peak At a place they call Gold Basin. But when our porter spoke I became alert  To a marvelous revelation. There’s a nine-mile tunnel that goes through the heart Of a mountain of solid stone, Which he wanted me to witness for my own self; It's a sight some have never known. Porter came back around when we stopped at a town, Where he said we would stay until nine. So, should we leave the train, to hurry back again, Or we'd risk getting left behind. I stayed on the train, seeing nothing gained,  With only ten minutes to roam. There was mom and me, and my sister Sharee’, But my brother went off all alone! Why Danny left the train is still not plain; I guess he wanted to scout things out. He was in a shop filled with souvenirs When they gave the “All aboard!” shout. But my brother, Dan, never heard a thing He was awed with rich emotion. His mind was filled with strange new sights, Not the sound of a train in motion. When we saw him from the dining car;  Mother called to pull the brake chain. some folks took bets that a boy of ten Could never outrun a train. Have you ever felt fear like a winter's chill On a dog day summer night? Have you lost all hope, knew you couldn’t cope, In the face of terrible fright? Have your knees ever swayed in a rubbery way, Have you paled thinking all's in vain? Then you know about the fright a boy felt that night, When he raced to catch a train. Danny nearly fell, but he ran quite well,  As he sprinted for the gate Of the train’s caboose, where the porters roost; They pulled him in like he had no weight. I was proud that day when folks had to pay Money lost, when they bet on the train. Because my brother had won his race against time, While  I basked in the glow of his fame. And I bask today in a similar way, when my world gets out of kilter. I remember how a boy once raced a train,  And beat the mighty Empire Builder.