23 December, 2009
Amtrak Adventure -- 20-21 Dec Train 98 to WAS
14 August, 2009
When You’ve Come to the End of the Road
12 & 13 August, 2009
This is the story of the final journey, the final train to the final stop (technically, Hollywood is the penultimate stop, but you get the drift) on the final day of travel – the end of the road. Our train, the southbound Silver Meteor #97 departed Washington, DC on time, and the crew seems eager to throw us off the train at the end of the road (read West Palm to Miami, where the train stops only to disburse passengers) ON TIME.
This would be an exception for the trains I've ridden this trip. The only one that met or exceeded its ETA, IIRC, was the westbound Empire Builder – and I have it on the good authority of one of the engineer's wives out there that they have the schedule sufficiently padded to allow such a thing. Oh, I must not forget Train 4, the Southwest Chief, which is always early to Albuquerque because they have an extra 30 minutes built into the schedule to allow lots of time for refueling.
Other trains, though, have been anywhere from 15 minutes to up to two hours behind schedule when I got off. Nevertheless, this record represents a serious improvement for Amtrak trains system-wide, since most of the trains arrived within an hour of the scheduled time, and none so late that my connections were threatened. On previous occasions, I've been much more extensively delayed by late arrivals.
Another thing I've noticed about this trip so far is that it typifies the professional, pleasant and overall improved service I've seen on most trains throughout my trip. In fact, the only train where I didn't feel satisfied with the quality of service was, surprisingly, train 30. On this train attendants seemed confused; passengers in coaches were basically ignored; at one stop six passengers were unable to get off because the conductor did not appropriately announce which doors would open and his assistants never got a chance to aid passengers in disembarking before the train pulled off.
Other trains however, were run in an orderly fashion; attendants and conductors interacted politely and even jovially with passengers; information was disbursed in a timely and ear-catching fashion. It was also obvious that some attention was being paid to customer comfort. People rarely had to ask for pillows, and the restrooms on all the trains were not only functional but CLEAN and constantly well stocked with the needed supplies. On one train, the #6 California Zephyr, the attendant in our coach, Tim Noel, made a point of providing informational comments at interesting moments in the trip, and he kept a very full train of people feeling like he was dealing with each individual and group on a personal level.
The service in Amtrak diners is usually very good, but even the snack bars, where one can sometimes receive very indifferent service, were mostly efficiently and cheerfully run. I observed a more positive attitude generally among Amtrak workers, and very little in the way of the slatternly, indifferent or overwhelmed attitudes I have seen among the employees on some train sets in the past. Little things can mean a lot, and the little things this time around made my travel more enjoyable.
It's now shortly after three p.m. on Thursday 13th August. My train, the southbound Silver Meteor, is actually approximating its name as we head south towards the Tri-County area. At this rate, we may even be early! We continued to run on time all night, when I got little sleep. I am beginning to think the lighting in the car is what is keeping me awake. I did much better when I was beside the window, and therefore not directly under the track lighting that helps people pass through the cars without tripping. Besides that, CSX seems to have the worst track quality of the four track owners whose tracks Amtrak makes use of to run its non" northeast corridor trains. All night long the train rattled and shuddered because the engineer was running the tracks at what is considered optimal safe speed.
Nevertheless I managed to doze off a few times, and as a result remember nothing between Fayetteville NC and Savannah GA. We were on time into Savannah and early into Jacksonville, which gave me a chance to stretch my legs and take a couple pictures of our train's engines. Later, as we neared Orlando, I had an opportunity to bid farewell to my friend, who was so excited to finally be at home, or almost there, that she nearly got off one stop too early. Sometime this afternoon she should get off a bus from Orlando to Port Charlotte.
While I may not be as eager as she was to get off, I'm looking forward to a warm shower and a real bed - and internet access - after more than three continuous days of train travel. But I admit the journey has been a lot of fun, a great adventure in some ways, if you will. I feel reenergized, despite the lack of sleep, and mentally I have found the travel and exposure to unfamiliar sights, experiences, and people to be stimulating.
As we head further south, approaching the orange grove town of Sebring, I notice the sky is becoming increasingly overcast. To the west it actually looks like it might be raining. I hope this is just a regular afternoon shower that will be gone by the time I get back to Fort Lauderdale, and not a lingering line of showers. Fortunately for me, aside from a brief shower through which the train rides without slowing, the threatening weather stays off to the west. Its only effect is to keep the evening sun from heating up the South Florida afternoon.
At about 6:15 or so, my train pulled into the Hollywood station. Once it pulled away, only those who were getting off at that final stop, Miami, were left on board. I gathered my things and went around to the other side of the station to wait for my ride. My trip was over, but I was looking forward to an evening of good food and conversation with friends, a warm shower and a comfortable bed, and within 48 hours, a brief flight that would bring me within sight of the glittering lights of my island home. Contentment personified, that's me.
12 August, 2009
Transition Station
It is about 4:10 p.m. and I am sitting in Washington's Union Station. I'm sitting in the Corner Bakery with a friend from Colombia.
We are waiting for our train to Florida.
Now I know you think I should be outside looking at the White House and the Capitol and the Mall and the Lincoln Memorial. But I have all this luggage I would have to drag behind me! Besides, there's no internet out there.
I did sleep on the train last night. I think it was because the car I was sitting in was so COLD. I think it was colder in that car than it was in any other location I've been in this summer, and this includes all the parts of the Rocky Mountains I've visited. Lucky for us we were able to convince the train attendant to turn the temperature up a bit; otherwise we would have come off the train looking like walking icicles. We were all there with jacket, blanket, and little hats, trying to stay warm.
I slept through all but three of the stops on the train: Martinsburg, Harper's Ferry, and Rockville. Rockville was interesting because the conductor announced the stop and told all the people who were getting off there to get off, then let the train pull off without opening any of the doors! So they all had to go all the way to DC then go back. Good thing Rockville is only 20 minutes ride from DC, and that this guy didn't do that say, between Denver and Glenwood Springs, which is a 6 hour ride…..
After I got off, I went downstairs with a couple of the other people who had been on my train to look for some food. I had some excellent sushi from the place I ate at before, the Kabuki Sushi. I even ordered some extra cucumber rolls. If u are ever in the Union Place Mall, and if u like Japanese food, these guys do a good job, and the rolls are made fresh to order. My big "sin" for the day was the cream-filled cannoli I bought down at the Sweet Treats stall. It is really too much for one person to eat in one sitting. I have been nibbling on it all afternoon. At the Corner Bakery I couldn't resist the cream cheese brownie, which will just have to go with coffee tomorrow morning. I have to walk a great deal for the next two days to keep off all that weight I walked off in the mountains…. LOL
In a little while I will prolly go in the B. Dalton right over there.
I don't NEED to buy a new book for tomorrow's ride, but when has NOT needing a book been a deterrent to actually buying one? J
This is the last night of the trip for me. Tomorrow night I will be in South Florida again. Hopefully I can use some of the time tomorrow to catch up on some of the "missing" blog entries and maybe even start to figure out my pictures.
Sleepless Somewhere in the Heartland
Today was kinda weird.
I logged off last night after Denver, going into the dark of Nebraska and points east, having lost the hour with which the Rockies had gifted me two weeks earlier. I don’t have a good track record when it comes to sleeping on moving vehicles, but on the way out I managed a good couple of hours of sleep without too much difficulty. This was not the case last night.
I don’t know if it was my seat partner, who seemed to take up a lot of mental space, even though she actually stayed completely in her seat the whole time, or if it was just me. I just know that I was the only person in the whole entire car by 10 p.m. with a light still on. (Contrast that with right now, on a different train, when at least half of the lights are still on at 10:15.) I felt so restless that I took my AcerBaby (the Acer Aspire I bought to use on this trip), along with a Subway ham sandwich, a double chocolate chip cookie and what was left of this morning’s coffee, and walked up to the lounge car.
Unlike just about every other train I’ve been on, the lounge / sightseer car was practically deserted when I got up there. There were about 4 people sleeping on the floor and sofa-like benches at one end. At the other end, nearest the dining car, the cafeteria style tables waited in ghostly silence. It felt like I was the only one awake on the entire train.
Of course this wasn’t literally true; the conductors and other train personnel were around, and every now and again one of them walked through the lounge. I sat there eating my food and looking at my mostly bad photos. Later one guy who also couldn’t sleep came to sit at a parallel table and shoot the breeze about his weekend driving trip from eastern Nebraska to Southeastern Montana, through the Black Hills and the Grasslands. Nevertheless it was surreal to be sitting there looking at the pics I’d taken earlier that week and just being too awake to even begin to sleep.
I counted off two towns before I started to feel drowsy enough to attempt sleep. Around 3 a.m. I wrapped myself in my coat, reclined my chair, and tried to drop off. Then I twisted and turned and fidgeted, and after some trial and error discovered that my seat was just broken enough to keep me from pulling the bottom all the way up. At 5 a.m. when a smoke break was called for Lincoln, Nebraska, I was alert enough to get up, go downstairs, and take a picture of a train car in the still-dark station.
Finally the lady in the seat across from me (waves at Alana) who was getting off in Omaha, the next stop, suggested that I move over to her seat. Perhaps if I could stretch out across the two seats I might be able to rest a bit. When she got off, I took her advice. It took me another hour to doze off, but after putting my mini-blanket over my head, I finally managed to take a few cat naps during the morning. However, all day I’ve been feeling drowsy and not even much interested in taking pics. I only snapped some pictures of the major rivers crossed, and a few others illustrating the remarkable greenness of the IA / IL grainbelt.
I did eventually get up, but it was more because the train ride was ending than because I was excited about getting up. Once we got into Chicago Union Station, I made certain to get a good meal and post a few things on the internet.
But I’m still sleepy. In fact, I think I’ll try to go to sleep right now. If it works for me, I may actually get a couple hours sleep tonight…..
Spectacular State of Mind Part Two
10 August 2009
Well, it's been another interesting day. I'm currently sitting on Amtrak's train 6, the eastbound California Zephyr, somewhere between Denver and Fort Morgan, CO. I got on this morning at Grand Junction. It's been an interesting two days, since I got onto my bus in Albuquerque, New Mexico after 7 a.m. Sunday morning………….
In booking my ticket a few weeks ago, I discovered it was almost 20 dollars cheaper to get a ticket all the way to Denver rather than just to Grand Junction, so I did that. When I got to Grand Junction, though, I discovered that because my bus had been so late that I had missed my supposed connection to Denver, Greyhound was going to put me up in a hotel for free. Now I already had a room booked, albeit at a less upscale hotel closer to the bus and train stations, but fool that I am, I went along with all the other bus people to the "free" hotel. This was fine – until it was time to get back into town this morning. I was forced to take the hotel shuttle, and the driver decided to wait until she had an almost full load before she left.
Now this was at 11 a.m., and my train was scheduled to leave at 11:23 a.m. At that point it was so late, there was no way I could walk down from the bus station to the train station in time, so I had to get her to drop me at the Amtrak station instead. Of course since she didn't know I was actually catching the train, she decided to give us the "scenic" tour of Main St, Grand Junction, instead of just dropping me off, already! What was worse was that I couldn't tell any of the other bus passengers, with whom I'd become "passengers of fate" friendly, that I wasn't going by bus. After all, if I DID miss the train, I would still have to get to Denver, and I already had a bus ticket!
So there I was, refusing the kindly offer of one of the other passengers to watch my luggage at the bus station, dashing around the station corner, and breathing an immense sigh of relief to discover that the train was still there. I was probably the last passenger on the train, but I did make it.
The moral of this story? I ended up paying for a hotel room that I didn't sleep in at all. (It was too late to cancel the reservation by the time I got to Grand Junction.) And because I didn't stay at the hotel (which I had originally selected because of its proximity to the train station), I almost missed my train. Let's just say that being a smart aleck isn't always so smart.
Because I got on the train in between major stops, I wasn't fortunate enough to get a window seat. However, my seatmate spent the majority of the day in the sightseer car – not a big surprise given the sights to be seen on the day's ride – so I was able to take quite a few pictures from my seat. I also got up and stood at the back of the coach car several times when I wanted a closer shot of what was on the other side of the train or when I wanted to get a better shot of the train itself going around one of the many sharp curves we encountered running along the picturesque Colorado River.
We went through four canyons, most notably Glen Canyon, through which I passed last Tuesday on my way to ABQ, and, after stopping briefly at Winter Park Resort, we passed through Moffat Tunnel, which crosses under the Continental Divide and shaves all but 12 minutes off the old six-hour long trip over Rawlins Pass. The 6.2 mile long tunnel is the 4th longest in the Western Hemisphere, according to our very informative coach attendant. Coming down the eastern flank of the Front Range, we passed through 29 more tunnels and around some seriously twisty curves. I think this trip for me was spectacular as much because of the remarkable feats of engineering which made it possible as it was for the natural beauty which lined its route.
As I bring this entry to a close, we getting ready to cross the Colorado – Nebraska state line, where I will have to remember to turn my watch forward one hour. They say that trains were the original time machines, and at moments like this I can see why people might think so.
11 August, 2009
Spectacular State of Mind, Part One
Well, it’s been another interesting day. I’m currently sitting on Amtrak’s train 6, the eastbound California Zephyr, somewhere between Denver and Fort Morgan, CO. I got on this morning at Grand Junction. It’s been an interesting two days, since I got onto my bus in Albuquerque, New Mexico after 7 a.m. Sunday morning.
As I posted before, I stayed out fairly late on Saturday night to go salsa dancing with a friend of mine who is living in Albuquerque. I got back to my hotel with just enough time, basically, to pack and get dressed. So I did finally get everything together and called a cab. (My original plan had been to catch the city bus, but I’d forgotten that the schedule starts later on Sundays.) Imagine my annoyance when the first city bus passed me – and my taxi still wasn’t there!
So I finally got to the bus station a little less than ½ hour before we were scheduled to depart. What happened? You know it; the bus didn’t leave until after 7:45 a.m. This of course, did little to impede my enjoyment of the day. Hey, sue me; I’m on vacation. I’m having a hard time being sure what day it is.
I was able to take some of the most spectacular photos of my entire trip on this bus ride, and I’m pretty sure I snapped as many as 3000 yesterday alone. I haven’t had a chance to wade through them all as yet – will likely do that tomorrow – but I recommend to anyone who wants to see some dramatic mountain pass scenery to try the US 550 stretch from Montrose, CO to Aztec, NM. Less confident drives should take the bus; this is not a drive for the faint of heart, and all of the passes top out at over 10,000 feet. All around are the San Juan and Uncompaghre Mountains, some of the most strikingly beautiful in Colorado. The few towns – Durango, Silverton, Ouray, Ridgeway – are strung out along the highway like jewels.
This is the same route I rode out to ABQ on last Tuesday, with the same driver, and the people were as interesting as the last trip. (Maybe I’m turning into a people-watcher; I’ve a separate entry called “The People u meet each day” because I’ve met so many interesting people.) What made today’s trip more visually stimulating is partially the weather, which was fantastically clear, and partially the fact that I had a better seat. Either way, it never seemed to matter that I was getting into Grand Junction late.
And thereby hangs a tale, as the old people would say.
…… continued in Part Two.
Baila Que Baila (Whoever Can Dance, Dance) Albuquerque Style
Well, if I’d known I’d get to go dancing on this trip, I would have packed some different shoes.
I’m starting this on Sunday morning, but the whole post is really about Saturday. I have a bus to catch in about 2 hours, and since I’m already awake….
Well, my Saturday went well. Two good things happened today. First, I got to ride the New Mexico RailRunner, and second I got to hear a live Latin band and go dancing with a friend of mine. I’m going to be wiped out tomorrow, but why worry about that?
My friend and I agreed yesterday that we would go out tonight, since there is a live band at a local club called The Cooperage on Saturday nights. It’s also a local weekend hangout for whatever passes for the “Cuban community” out here. So my plan for the day was to ride the RailRunner to Santa Fe at 9:30 a.m. so that I could be back by about 2 p.m. Then I would have lots of time to shop for a dancing outfit; I really didn’t have anything suitable. I also planned to get a good amount of my packing done before we went anywhere, so I could snooze once I got back this morning.
You know what they say about the best laid plans of mice and [wo]men……. I didn’t even get out of bed until after 9 a.m. this morning. Then I needed to wash my hair. So I caught the 11:30 train instead. What a great experience!
Everywhere I’ve gone so far on this trip I’ve met wonderfully comforting crowds on trains, and this was no exception. Even the train attendants were commenting on how unusually full the train was. I think quite a few of the passengers were first time riders like me, and some were tourists like me, too.
However, other first-timers were obviously New Mexican residents. There seems to be quite a lot of interest in the whole Rail Runner concept here, and people seem quite knowledgeable about the train, the route and future plans. There was talk of WiFi to be implemented shortly on all trains, and one man was talking about the train eventually running from Santa Fe to El Paso, TX!
The scenery was pretty fantastic the whole way, and the trains themselves were both fast and comfy. The ride south to Belen wasn’t as crowded, and I had a whole car to myself on the afternoon ride back to Albuquerque. This gave me the opportunity to talk with the conductor and two attendants, who were almost as fascinating as the ride itself. Whenever I get back to Albuquerque again, I’m going to make a point of going up to Santa Fe this way.
I got back to ABQ after 4:30, and I was supposed to be ready to go after 9:00 p.m. And I had NO dress! I tossed a coin, and two bus rides later ended up at a local Ross Dress-For-Less. Now u ladies out there who are familiar with this store know that it can be BIG hit, or BIG miss in Ross, depending on what u want to buy and even sometimes what time of day u go in there. Well, I got lucky, in that I found three possible things to wear. I bought them all (well, at Ross that was actually financially possible LOL) figuring I’d make a final decision – later.
Now it was out to wait for another two buses and hope that I would get back to the hotel with enough time to titivate. I am fortunate in having a friend who has a good grasp of time – and who knows well enough that I’m not likely to be ready EARLY…..LOL) So by the time he got there, I was mostly ready, and we were able to arrive at the club by 10 p.m.
I admit I enjoyed myself immensely. This despite the fact that the band was….barely adequate, and the waitress quite inadequate. Of course this is much more possible in the company of good friend[s], and I was very fortunate to be in good company. But I really haven’t been dancing for a while, either, so there was a pleasure in that as well. I’m usually not that much of a “people watcher”, but it was pretty cool watching all the different styles – and ability levels – of dancers out there on the floor.
Unfortunately my dancing wasn’t as cool. Ladies, let me remind u of the importance of shoes that FIT PROPERLY when u go out for a night of serious hoofing it. My little strappy heels looked great, but were awful for doing anything more than the most rudimentary turns. My good friend knows much more than the rudimentary salsa moves, and he executes with style and grace. I, on the other hand, felt more like a heifer on stilts – wobbly ones. Also I’m a lot more out of practice, and frankly out of shape, too, than I was the last time we danced together, which was, admittedly, a couple of years ago.
Even so, I managed not to step on anybody, and we actually did cut at least part of a rug tonight. I was actually quite disappointed when the club rolled up its welcome and turfed out the customers before 2 a.m. Do u think somebody told them I’m supposed to be catching a bus this morning and they put everybody else out so I wouldn’t be obvious in leaving?
Anyway, my friend dropped me off sometime between 2 and 3 a.m., and I’ve been up packing since then. (Well, I admit to a nap around 4 a.m.) Now I have to go get ready so I don’t miss my bus, and therefore all my trains for the next four days…..
[NOTE: I filled in a lot of the details on this post MUCH later than the 5 a.m. original post time….]
01 August, 2009
I Had a Great Day
Fremont County, WY
31st July, 2009
Today I did most of the things I came to WY to do.
I slept as late as I wanted, read a little from two different books. I ate a healthy breakfast and packed a healthy lunch. I left my hotel only half an hour later than I originally intended, and I put gas in my little rental car. I had my walkman plugged into the car radio and my
I had two potential road trips in mind. One, a Circle Tour all the way around the
Instead, I decided to make two smaller trips. First, I would travel to Lander, WY, which is the gateway to
Later I would drive southeast down part of US 287, which runs from Yellowstone to Laramie, WY, then north on WY 135 back to Riverton. The attraction of this drive was that it would take me along and over Beaver Rim, which has both geological and historical interest.
So I headed down WY 789 to Lander, then up WY 131 into the park. It was a great day for this; the weather was very sunny, with some fluffy clouds to accent the clarity of the blue sky. I drove in a leisurely fashion as far up the canyon as the road allowed. Then, in a moment of inspiration, I decided to walk a short way up the foot trail to the
I didn’t feel brave enough – nor was I properly equipped – to walk all the way to the falls, but I wanted to at least get around one bend to see what another part of the valley looked like. 
I intended to spend only about half an hour doing this because I wanted to stop at the Sinks and the Rise on the way down. However, I had to force myself to turn back after 25 minutes or so, and the round trip ended up taking practically an hour.
Nevertheless, this was a particularly exhilarating part of the day for me, because instead of becoming increasingly short of breath, I seemed to breathe more easily as my walk progressed. I experienced a liberating sense of adventure and a correspondingly keen awareness of the natural world around me. By the time I returned to the car, I was in possession of twin feelings of self-accomplishment and a keen appetite for my lunch.
Driving down the park to find a picnic table at which I could consume my sandwich, fruit and water, I ended up in the upper campground of the park. After all, it’s a logical place for a picnic table. I spotted the table – at the same time I also spotted the bighorn ram standing beside the road! I quickly decided this was not the table for me, but less than five minutes later I found myself forced to pass the ram again, this time in HIS lane. He gave me the “are u invading my territory or just passing through” stare as I drove by in as non-aggressive a manner as possible. I did, however, manage to get one decent shot of him once I had gone by.
This, as u can imagine, was a major highlight of the day…..I did eventually leave
Unfortunately, as I began to drive up WY 135, I got rained out for the second time this week (the first was on Monday afternoon, when I drove from 
The views of the
I got back to Riverton in lots of time to enjoy the third part of my day, which was the Rancher’s Rodeo. Unlike the earlier PRCA competitions, the Ranchers’ Rodeo is a team competition, with teams from local ranches (ten this year) taking part in a variety of events. Each event has individual winners, and points are also accrued so that at the end of the evening an overall winner is selected. Tonight’s rodeo also differed from the PRCA events because men and women competed equally as part of the teams. Best of all, though, there were novel events like Wild Cow Milking and Team Branding which were hilarious and exciting. Even the wild bronc riding was different from the norm because each team was expected to come up with some unusual costume idea as well as have a good bronc ride. One team had a feather trail; another had a bride and groom, with the groom as the bronc rider!
In terms of what I got to do today, this was probably the best day of my trip so far.
29 July, 2009
It's about the Journey, Not the Destination
Hollywood, FL to Washington, DC
Someone somewhere once said, "It's not about the destination, it's about how you get there". For me, "getting there" involves a three-train, two-bus, one-car trip from South Florida to Central Wyoming. This year's trip took six travel days, crossed parts of 16 US states, and covered in excess of 4000 miles. So torturous a trip, you marvel! Have I found the evidence of the TravelHaunter's inherent mental instability which I have been seeking? But of course, as usual, there is madness, but method also to it all.
I've discovered from experience - both mine and others' - that a sea-level dweller like me is usually better off taking time with a journey to 7000+ feet above sea level. So my pragmatic reason for the lengthy trip is that by allowing my body to become acclimatized to the changes in height gradually, I can avoid the nefarious effects of altitude sickness, which has been known to ruin many a mountain visitor's best vacation days.
But that's really just the excuse. The REAL reasons for the long trip are first so I get to ride trains, Trains, TRAINS!!! and second, so I can take as many pictures of interesting sights and sites as I possibly can. So the first week of my vacation was spent doing just that: riding trains (well, I admit to the buses also, but only because I couldn't get Amtrak to take me any closer to my destination), taking pictures, and, well, just "soaking up the local colour".
I started my journey on Tuesday 21 July at Amtrak's Hollywood, FL station.
My first train, the Silver Meteor #98, was scheduled to depart shortly after 9 a.m., and I was on time and ready to go. I'd checked a couple of my fave websites and found that this train had been either on time or early in both its departure from Hollywood and its arrival in Washington, DC early the next morning. I had wonderful plans of riding the DC Metrorail and glimpsing the Lincoln Memorial, the White House, and walking on the Mall.
So of course the train was three hours late due to equipment failure.
We did leave that morning, but only barely - at 11:55 a.m. - and we never really picked up any time. Our arrival at Union Station in Washington the next morning was closer to 10 a.m. than the scheduled 7 a.m., putting paid to my fancy plans for the capital and the Capitol. Instead I wondered the wonderful mall they had there, eating some excellent suchi and buying the latest Nalini Singh.
That didn't mean the train ride itself was bad. On the contrary! I've ridden train 98 almost every time I've departed Florida by train, and this most recent trip was genuinely excellent. Once the train got going, the crew made our trip as comfortable and pleasant as possible. We got some complementary snack packets, and the cars themselves were clean, well appointed (power outlets at every seat!) and ran well along obviously well maintained tracks. I couldn't complain about my number one pet peeve, the restrooms, because they were very clean and actually smelled good all the way through the trip. This despite the fact that my car was almost always full of passengers.
That was another good thing. When I rode the train for the first time in 2004, I had no difficulty in keeping the seat beside me empty. This trip, there were very few empty seats, and they were usually not empty for long. It's more comfortable to have that extra seat to put stuff on, sure. But I'd rather see the full train; it gives me hope that the next time I want to take a train ride there will actually be a train there for me to ride.
Because I've ridden train 98 many times before (most recently this past February) I didn't take so many pictures as I had in the past. However, I did get a few decent shots of some of the more interesting and picturesque things I saw, and I will add those to the slideshow as I get them uploaded.
26 July, 2009
First Blog of the 2009 Trip
I started my travels on Tuesday last, departing Fort Lauderdale, FL via Amtrak train 98, the Silver Meteor. Since then I have passed through Washington DC, Chicago, IL, and Glacier National Park, among other places. I've had some very enjoyable moments so far, some awe-inspiring ones, and some downright annoying ones as well. So the first few blogs will mostly be about what has happened between Tuesday, 21st July, and Monday, 27 July. By the end of this week I should be caught up with photo editing, and I will try to add some kind of slideshow of the trip so far in the bar to the right. (Hopefully that works.)
I'd like to say a special thanks to some friends out there (no name, no blame :o) who encouraged me to start this blog and who I hope will read and enjoy it.
Casper, WY