Part 2 of cross country trip (DEN-SAC-SEA-WGL-CHI-WAS-ORL)
After arriving in Denver on the CZ Sunday morning, 8/29, I did some sightseeing and hanging around Denver. As a Floridian, it took me several hours to get used to the altitude. It was over 90 degrees in Denver and, as a result, I took it kind of easy.
Monday morning, 8/30, I walked across the street to Denver Union Station where I waited for the westbound CZ. In the waiting room, I befriended a very cute, very young (Will) who was doing yoga. He was from the Denver area on his way to a wedding in San Francisco. The CZ was a little late into Denver, but not too bad for the CZ.
I was in car 531, room E (couch facing backwards) and my SCA was Linda. The car was a refurbished Superliner I. Upon boarding, I immediately went and had breakfast in the dining car where I sat with Jack and Lynn from Annapolis, Maryland. They were on their first long distance train trip and were going to Portland on vacation. They were obviously very wealthy and were used to the finer things in life – but they were extremely nice and pleasant despite their being wealthy (LOL).
After breakfast, I sat with Will in the sightseer lounge car. Jack and Lynn were at a table across the aisle. Will provided a fantastic narrative of where we were and what we were seeing. I had my gps with me as did Jack. We were providing updates as to our elevation and speed. Jack did not have a plug in adapter, so we shared mine. The scenery was so beautiful, it is hard to describe.
I spent the afternoon taking in the magnificent scenery. I had an early dinner and then hung out in the lounge with Will and the 20-30 somethings. Around midnight, after I was in my room, the train hit a rough spot and the ice chest in the hallway (next to my room E) fell over. I could hear Linda’s grumblings as she was cleaning it up. The next morning, the toilets in my car were not working for a few hours. At 6:30am, several of us were waiting to be seated in the dining car for breakfast. We were told that they were having problems and they would open soon. They opened about 15 minutes later, and we were told that a water pipe had burst and there was no water in the dining car. However, they would still serve breakfast – on plastic ware with plastic utensils. They served coffee, but no tea or decaf. The coffee was made from water carried from the lounge car. Breakfast was fine. We were told that we probably would not be having lunch in the diner, but the sleeper passengers would be able to get sandwiches and chips from the lounge car café.
During the smoking/fresh air stop in Reno, I got off the train and noticed no police (unlike Jeff’s awful experience the day before). Around 11:20 am, they started calling sleeper pax (by car number) to the café to pick up our sandwiches. It was a very slow process. The attendant apparently was not used to doing anything like this and he had to record everything with receipts. I ordered a turkey sandwich (big mistake). The attendant told me that he would microwave it because it may be frozen. I sat down to eat in the lounge car with Jack and Lynn. After opening my sandwich, I could tell it was still frozen. Then I read the ingredients and decided that my lunch would be chips and soda. I gave my sandwich to one of the coach pax who did not have any money for food and was eating trail mix. Jack and Lynn gave their sandwiches to other coach pax. We made some hungry people very happy.
My SCA Linda spent the entire morning in the dining car chatting with the dining car staff (and complaining about the toilets, etc). I do not think she helped anyone detrain in SAC.
We arrived in SAC pretty much on time. Jack, Lynn and I decided to go to the rail museum, so we stored our luggage at the station at $3/bag. The SAC station is not air conditioned and it was very hot outside. The rail museum was wonderful and the temperature was cool. After the rail museum closed at 5pm, I went off exploring and Jack and Lynn went to find a restaurant/bar. Because of the heat, I did not spend more than a couple more hours outside before I returned to the station. I sat with an elderly couple who had been on the CZ and were waiting for the midnight arrival of the Coast Starlight. We were sitting on VERY hard wooden benches. After about 10 minutes, I had to but some padding under my butt because it had become very uncomfortable. About that time, the elderly couple discovered some tables with padded chairs in the rear of the station and we moved there. They sat with an even older couple, who had been traveling in coach. I had a table to myself (until Jack and Lynn returned) and I went on-line. The ten hour layover went very slowly. Fortunately, when the sun went down, it cooled off a bit. Everyone was very tired and weary. A drunken Native American came into the station and sat with the elderly couples for a while (both men were wearing cowboy hats). The drunk was ranting about cowboys and Indians and then he started chanting and left. That relieved some of the boredom for a while, even though it scared the “cowboys.” I thought the layover was way too long – if I had it to do over again, I would have rented a motel room for the time period so I would have been more comfortable. I believe that I have read a post that some AU members have done that. Jack and Lynn felt the same way I did.
The CS was a few minutes late into SAC and I boarded my car. My SCA Bob informed us that of the 4 rooms that were boarding, 2 of them were not cleaned yet and we would be delayed a bit. I was in room E again and waited only a short while for Bob to get my room ready. The car was a superliner 2, and was couch was facing backwards, again. I slept very well and awoke very early and took a shower. The shower would not turn off, so I had to summon Bob around 6:15am. He could not turn it off either, so he summoned the conductor, who could not turn it off at the shower, but was able to turn off the hot water under the sink. It still driped at bit, but it seemed to be ok and I was able to use the water in the sink for washing hands. I was ready for breakfast around 6:45. Because the Parlour car does not start serving that early, I had breakfast in the dining car. I stayed in the PPC most of the day. The wi-fi was not working in the morning, so I used my own Verizon broadband. Because of my allergy to garlic and the limited choices in the PPC for lunch, I ate a turkey sandwich in the dining car for lunch, but returned to the PPC afterwards. The wi-fi was working then. I participated in the wine tasting in the PPC. Sean was the attendant and he did a great job, even though there were only 6 of us. He told us that we were his smallest group. I was the only person of the 6 not from California.
I ate dinner in the PPC and had a wonderful salad with salmon topping and a fruit tart for dessert. Very yummy.
Wednesday, 9/1, we arrived in Seattle about 40 minutes early – which I hear is very unusual. I spent 2 days in Seattle and had a great time doing semi-tourist stuff. The weather was perfect as was the Hotel (Alexis).
On Friday, 9/3, I checked out the Alexis Hotel and brought my luggage to the King Street Station to be stored. There is no charge to store luggage for sleeping car pax. I walked several blocks and went on the Underground Tour which was very interesting. I made my way back to the station in plenty of time to catch the Empire Builder 8. The Empire Builder left Seattle on time. I was in room E, car 830, Superliner 2. Again my couch faced backwards. Isaac with my SCA and he was very efficient. He made my day when he brought my chilled champagne and (jokingly) asked to see my id. I had dinner, and before, I knew it, it was time for breakfast. I ate breakfast at 6:30am – the omelet (plain) with grits and cinnamon raison bread. The raison bread was a big treat on the Empire Builder since I am not particularly fond of the biscuits and really do not like the croissants.
We arrived in West Glacier pretty much on time and the shuttle ($10 each way) that I had arranged in advance was there to pick me up. The shuttle driver transported me to Lake McDonald Lodge. When entering Glacier National Park, I paid a “walk-in” admission fee of $12.00. If I had been in a private vehicle (not owned by the Park), I believe the admission would have been around $25.00.
Lake McDonald Lodge was everything I thought it would be, plus some. My room in the lodge was very basic, but comfortable. I took a boat tour of Lake McDonald at 11am. I had lunch in the bar (with a window seat overlooking the Lake) and had one of the local micro brews with my lunch. In the afternoon, I took a 3 hour Red Bus Tour up the Going to the Sun Road to Logan Pass. The scenery was magnificent. After the tour, I opted to eat in the Lodge restaurant, which was pretty crowded. I was put on a waiting list and got a different local micro brew and sat on the back porch. I was drinking great beer and taking in great scenery – I was in hog heaven. I ate a very good dinner in the restaurant and went to bed early because the shuttle was scheduled to pick us up at 7:30am.
There was a group of 8 men who had been hiking/camping in the Park who were on my shuttle to the West Glacier Amtrak Station Sunday morning 9/5. The men were part of a church group in suburban Chicago. While hiking, they were surprised to encounter snow flurries. Snow was predicted for 9/5 also, the day I left Glacier.
Because there were so many of us, with a lot of luggage, going to the station, instead of taking a Park Shuttle, we were transported in the Red Bus. After the 9 of us were loaded in the bus, we went to the Village Inn at Apgar and picked up 2 more passengers going to the station. When we arrived at the station, around 8am for an 8:16am train, there were plenty of people there waiting for the train. After a while standing outside (in 40+ degree weather), we were told that the train would be 20 minutes late. We went inside for 15 minutes, then went outside again for a while. We were then told the train would be another 20 minutes, so we went inside again. The train was ultimately 45 minutes late (which was not so bad). If I would have known in advance, I would have worn gloves and thicker socks. Some of the 8 hikers were wearing shorts (but they were not Floridians like I am).
I found out later one of the reasons for the late train. In Whitefish, the EB, picked up 5 BSNF private cars, which had been dropped there from MSP with someone important. One of the cars was the personal car of the BNSF CEO. They were returning to MSP with just the crew. According to a pax, with whom I ate breakfast the next day, (who was an inspector for the National Railroad Administration - or something like that) , one of the cars was a power car.
On the EB from WGL to CHI, I was in bedroom E, car 830, a Superliner 2. This time my couch was facing forwards. My SCA was Said, who was fairly quiet and pretty efficient. Upon boarding, I had breakfast (same plain omelet, raison bread and grits). I spent the entire day (when I was not eating) looking out the window. Lunch started at 11:30 and I was in the lounge looking at scenery and talking to one of the 8 hikers. Around noon, I attempted to eat lunch and there was a long wait list. I was called around 1:00pm. I had not listed to Jim Hudson’s advice to me to eat at the earliest possible time because the diner fills up. (sorry Jim, but I took your advice every other time). I ate lunch (most likely turkey sandwich) with a woman who grew up in New Jersey, then moved to Montana to live a minimalist life. She lives in a cabin without electricity – she has propane for light, heat and cooking. She now has indoor plumbing, but did not for years. She was on her way to her 50th high school reunion and to spend 3 months with her children in NJ.
During the day, I spent some time in coach chatting with some of the 8 Chicago hikers and their attendant. Apparently there was a woman sitting a few rows up from my new friends who had been drinking a little too much and was being extremely loud. The next stop was Minot, ND. The woman was either asked to leave the train in Minot or she was getting off anyway. It is good to know that Amtrak is not sexist in that conductors request drunken women as well as drunken men to behave themselves.
I ate dinner at 5:30 and cannot remember with whom I sat, but I am sure they were interesting. Breakfast the next morning was with the railroad guy, who was absolutely fascinating. He was not on the job – he was returning from a vacation in Oregon (I think). When we were close to MSP, he pointed out that the signals were “his.” Before he became an inspector, he worked for BN.
We had a service stop in MSP and I got off the train and watched with amazement as the 5 deadhead cars were removed and one coach was attached. I think half our train was outside watching. After we left MSP, I emailed friends and watched the scenery go by (from my room with the couch facing forward).
When the Trails and Rails volunteers got on the train later that morning, (Monday 9/6), I looked out the window and I determined that neither was rtabern (who I think is the AU member who handles that route occasionally). Since I had traveled on the EB twice before between MSP and CHI, I did not go to the lounge car to hear the narrative on Monday. (I would have gone to the lounge car if the volunteer had been rtabern).
The EB arrived in Chicago a little late. I hung out in the Metropolitan Lounge and met up again with Judy, who I had met on the Cardinal the week before. She had been to a family wedding in the Chicago area and was returning to Florida. She was concerned about the CL being on time into WAS because she had a 2 hour window before she needed to catch the Silver Star. I was taking the Silver Meteor and had a very long layover.
Taking Jim’s advice again, I made an early dinner reservation while I was in the lounge. We boarded the Capitol Limited on time (Monday, 9/6). I was in bedroom E, car 3000. The train was a refurbished Superliner 1 and my couch was facing forward again. Of the 9 trains I had taken on this trip, this room was the nicest and cleanest of them all. My SCA was Darrell. Darrell was a big guy (heavy). I do not know how he was able to get up and down the stairs, in and out of the roomettes and bedrooms, but he did and did it well. I could hear him breathing hard when he was carrying the luggage – and he carried everyone’s down stairs – but he kept on going. I am very impressed and gave him double my standard tip. The one downside of my trip on the CL was the crying baby in bedroom D. I was very tired that night and either I was too tired to hear the baby or the baby stopped crying. The baby got off (with his parents) in Pittsburgh. Some people on the train complained about the rough track – I did not notice it.
I had my normal 6:30 am breakfast and sat with a gentleman who claimed to be a train expert. He was comparing European trains to Amtrak and was comparing US passenger trains of the 1950’s and 1960’s to Amtrak of today. Not a fair comparison, in my opinion. I went back to the diner for brunch/lunch around 11am. The choices were limited and there was no dessert. We arrived in WAS a little late, but not late enough to cause Judy any distress about catching the Silver Star (to JAX, then bus to Wildwood).
It was hot in WAS, so I did not do much walking around. I found a grocery store and purchased my favorite snack (Greek yogurt) and hung out the CA – answering emails, etc.
While in the Club Acela in WAS, the people in the waiting room were watching CNN and their reporting about the crazy Gainesville minister who threatened to burn the Koran. In the waiting room was a couple from Gainesville who live in the same neighborhood as the minister’s church. They were familiar with the minister and agreed that he is crazy. In the waiting room I befriended Jeanette, who was traveling with her twin sister, her husband Fred, and her son and daughter-in-law (the couple from Gainesville). Jeanette and Fred live in Pensacola, but had left their car in Palatka (which is not too far from Gainesville). They were traveling on AGR points. Jeanette and her sister were in Bedroom A, the son and daughter-in-law were in Bedroom B, Fred was in roomette 2, and I was in roomette 1 (car 9710). They pretty much adopted me as part of their family. We boarded the Silver Meteor on time (Tuesday, 9/7/10). Our SCA, Alan, had made dining car reservations for all of us for 7:30. I sat with Jeanette, Fred and the sister. The son and daughter-in-law sat with another couple across the way. At dinner, I learned that Fred was a retired Army doctor who had served with John McCain. He is a bit younger than McCain, but not much. He and McCain are still in contact and, although we did not talk politics, we both agreed that we liked the old John McCain better and that Sarah Palin was a poor VP choice. My guess is that is probably the only political issue that we could agree on.
The a/c was not working well in the sleeper car. SCA Alan suggested turning off all the lights to make it cooler. Since I was working on my computer or reading, that was not a great option. The conductor came by and said they would try to do something. I think it got a bit cooler, but not much. In spite of the warm temperature, I slept very well. In fact, I slept until almost 7am. I went to the diner shortly after waking and was very happy that I brought my hoodie with me. It was frigid in the diner. I had the continental with oatmeal and it was very good.
We arrived in JAX a little early and I got off the train for a fresh air break. I noticed 2 Border Patrol agents watching passengers detrain. It appeared that they were looking for someone or something. After a while, they boarded the last coach and apparently the walked the train. According to Fred, who stayed in the train, they walked through the sleepers. Jeanette, her sister and I were watching for the border patrol agents and doing stretching exercises on the platform. The border patrol agents left empty handed.
I had an early lunch 11:45 with a woman who winters in Orlando and happened to be a friend of a friend of mine. Because my ride lives closer to the Winter Park station, I got off in Winter Park, instead of Orlando (after coordinating with the SCA and the conductor).
After 2 weeks on a train (10 nights on the train and 4 nights in hotels), I am happy to be home and eat my normal bland food. I had a great vacation and saw parts of the country that I would have never seen, but for traveling by train. I had absolutely no problems being a middle-aged woman traveling alone. (the only downside I encountered traveling alone was that I did not have anyone to hike with me in Glacier National Park – I was not there long enough to go on a long hike, but would have liked to hiked for about an hour, which I would not do alone).
I had 9 tickets for this trip. One segment (2 tickets) DEN-SEA was paid for with AGR points, the rest was paid for with money (earning a bunch of points, some of them are double). I am close to Select Plus for 2011 now.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the AU members (especially Jim) who offered me advice while I was planning and taking this trip. I discovered AU during summer 2009, when I was doing research on planning this trip. The advice I received was priceless. THANK YOU!!! :wub: This trip was item number 1 on my bucket list and I still am having a hard believing that I actually did it.
After arriving in Denver on the CZ Sunday morning, 8/29, I did some sightseeing and hanging around Denver. As a Floridian, it took me several hours to get used to the altitude. It was over 90 degrees in Denver and, as a result, I took it kind of easy.
Monday morning, 8/30, I walked across the street to Denver Union Station where I waited for the westbound CZ. In the waiting room, I befriended a very cute, very young (Will) who was doing yoga. He was from the Denver area on his way to a wedding in San Francisco. The CZ was a little late into Denver, but not too bad for the CZ.
I was in car 531, room E (couch facing backwards) and my SCA was Linda. The car was a refurbished Superliner I. Upon boarding, I immediately went and had breakfast in the dining car where I sat with Jack and Lynn from Annapolis, Maryland. They were on their first long distance train trip and were going to Portland on vacation. They were obviously very wealthy and were used to the finer things in life – but they were extremely nice and pleasant despite their being wealthy (LOL).
After breakfast, I sat with Will in the sightseer lounge car. Jack and Lynn were at a table across the aisle. Will provided a fantastic narrative of where we were and what we were seeing. I had my gps with me as did Jack. We were providing updates as to our elevation and speed. Jack did not have a plug in adapter, so we shared mine. The scenery was so beautiful, it is hard to describe.
I spent the afternoon taking in the magnificent scenery. I had an early dinner and then hung out in the lounge with Will and the 20-30 somethings. Around midnight, after I was in my room, the train hit a rough spot and the ice chest in the hallway (next to my room E) fell over. I could hear Linda’s grumblings as she was cleaning it up. The next morning, the toilets in my car were not working for a few hours. At 6:30am, several of us were waiting to be seated in the dining car for breakfast. We were told that they were having problems and they would open soon. They opened about 15 minutes later, and we were told that a water pipe had burst and there was no water in the dining car. However, they would still serve breakfast – on plastic ware with plastic utensils. They served coffee, but no tea or decaf. The coffee was made from water carried from the lounge car. Breakfast was fine. We were told that we probably would not be having lunch in the diner, but the sleeper passengers would be able to get sandwiches and chips from the lounge car café.
During the smoking/fresh air stop in Reno, I got off the train and noticed no police (unlike Jeff’s awful experience the day before). Around 11:20 am, they started calling sleeper pax (by car number) to the café to pick up our sandwiches. It was a very slow process. The attendant apparently was not used to doing anything like this and he had to record everything with receipts. I ordered a turkey sandwich (big mistake). The attendant told me that he would microwave it because it may be frozen. I sat down to eat in the lounge car with Jack and Lynn. After opening my sandwich, I could tell it was still frozen. Then I read the ingredients and decided that my lunch would be chips and soda. I gave my sandwich to one of the coach pax who did not have any money for food and was eating trail mix. Jack and Lynn gave their sandwiches to other coach pax. We made some hungry people very happy.
My SCA Linda spent the entire morning in the dining car chatting with the dining car staff (and complaining about the toilets, etc). I do not think she helped anyone detrain in SAC.
We arrived in SAC pretty much on time. Jack, Lynn and I decided to go to the rail museum, so we stored our luggage at the station at $3/bag. The SAC station is not air conditioned and it was very hot outside. The rail museum was wonderful and the temperature was cool. After the rail museum closed at 5pm, I went off exploring and Jack and Lynn went to find a restaurant/bar. Because of the heat, I did not spend more than a couple more hours outside before I returned to the station. I sat with an elderly couple who had been on the CZ and were waiting for the midnight arrival of the Coast Starlight. We were sitting on VERY hard wooden benches. After about 10 minutes, I had to but some padding under my butt because it had become very uncomfortable. About that time, the elderly couple discovered some tables with padded chairs in the rear of the station and we moved there. They sat with an even older couple, who had been traveling in coach. I had a table to myself (until Jack and Lynn returned) and I went on-line. The ten hour layover went very slowly. Fortunately, when the sun went down, it cooled off a bit. Everyone was very tired and weary. A drunken Native American came into the station and sat with the elderly couples for a while (both men were wearing cowboy hats). The drunk was ranting about cowboys and Indians and then he started chanting and left. That relieved some of the boredom for a while, even though it scared the “cowboys.” I thought the layover was way too long – if I had it to do over again, I would have rented a motel room for the time period so I would have been more comfortable. I believe that I have read a post that some AU members have done that. Jack and Lynn felt the same way I did.
The CS was a few minutes late into SAC and I boarded my car. My SCA Bob informed us that of the 4 rooms that were boarding, 2 of them were not cleaned yet and we would be delayed a bit. I was in room E again and waited only a short while for Bob to get my room ready. The car was a superliner 2, and was couch was facing backwards, again. I slept very well and awoke very early and took a shower. The shower would not turn off, so I had to summon Bob around 6:15am. He could not turn it off either, so he summoned the conductor, who could not turn it off at the shower, but was able to turn off the hot water under the sink. It still driped at bit, but it seemed to be ok and I was able to use the water in the sink for washing hands. I was ready for breakfast around 6:45. Because the Parlour car does not start serving that early, I had breakfast in the dining car. I stayed in the PPC most of the day. The wi-fi was not working in the morning, so I used my own Verizon broadband. Because of my allergy to garlic and the limited choices in the PPC for lunch, I ate a turkey sandwich in the dining car for lunch, but returned to the PPC afterwards. The wi-fi was working then. I participated in the wine tasting in the PPC. Sean was the attendant and he did a great job, even though there were only 6 of us. He told us that we were his smallest group. I was the only person of the 6 not from California.
I ate dinner in the PPC and had a wonderful salad with salmon topping and a fruit tart for dessert. Very yummy.
Wednesday, 9/1, we arrived in Seattle about 40 minutes early – which I hear is very unusual. I spent 2 days in Seattle and had a great time doing semi-tourist stuff. The weather was perfect as was the Hotel (Alexis).
On Friday, 9/3, I checked out the Alexis Hotel and brought my luggage to the King Street Station to be stored. There is no charge to store luggage for sleeping car pax. I walked several blocks and went on the Underground Tour which was very interesting. I made my way back to the station in plenty of time to catch the Empire Builder 8. The Empire Builder left Seattle on time. I was in room E, car 830, Superliner 2. Again my couch faced backwards. Isaac with my SCA and he was very efficient. He made my day when he brought my chilled champagne and (jokingly) asked to see my id. I had dinner, and before, I knew it, it was time for breakfast. I ate breakfast at 6:30am – the omelet (plain) with grits and cinnamon raison bread. The raison bread was a big treat on the Empire Builder since I am not particularly fond of the biscuits and really do not like the croissants.
We arrived in West Glacier pretty much on time and the shuttle ($10 each way) that I had arranged in advance was there to pick me up. The shuttle driver transported me to Lake McDonald Lodge. When entering Glacier National Park, I paid a “walk-in” admission fee of $12.00. If I had been in a private vehicle (not owned by the Park), I believe the admission would have been around $25.00.
Lake McDonald Lodge was everything I thought it would be, plus some. My room in the lodge was very basic, but comfortable. I took a boat tour of Lake McDonald at 11am. I had lunch in the bar (with a window seat overlooking the Lake) and had one of the local micro brews with my lunch. In the afternoon, I took a 3 hour Red Bus Tour up the Going to the Sun Road to Logan Pass. The scenery was magnificent. After the tour, I opted to eat in the Lodge restaurant, which was pretty crowded. I was put on a waiting list and got a different local micro brew and sat on the back porch. I was drinking great beer and taking in great scenery – I was in hog heaven. I ate a very good dinner in the restaurant and went to bed early because the shuttle was scheduled to pick us up at 7:30am.
There was a group of 8 men who had been hiking/camping in the Park who were on my shuttle to the West Glacier Amtrak Station Sunday morning 9/5. The men were part of a church group in suburban Chicago. While hiking, they were surprised to encounter snow flurries. Snow was predicted for 9/5 also, the day I left Glacier.
Because there were so many of us, with a lot of luggage, going to the station, instead of taking a Park Shuttle, we were transported in the Red Bus. After the 9 of us were loaded in the bus, we went to the Village Inn at Apgar and picked up 2 more passengers going to the station. When we arrived at the station, around 8am for an 8:16am train, there were plenty of people there waiting for the train. After a while standing outside (in 40+ degree weather), we were told that the train would be 20 minutes late. We went inside for 15 minutes, then went outside again for a while. We were then told the train would be another 20 minutes, so we went inside again. The train was ultimately 45 minutes late (which was not so bad). If I would have known in advance, I would have worn gloves and thicker socks. Some of the 8 hikers were wearing shorts (but they were not Floridians like I am).
I found out later one of the reasons for the late train. In Whitefish, the EB, picked up 5 BSNF private cars, which had been dropped there from MSP with someone important. One of the cars was the personal car of the BNSF CEO. They were returning to MSP with just the crew. According to a pax, with whom I ate breakfast the next day, (who was an inspector for the National Railroad Administration - or something like that) , one of the cars was a power car.
On the EB from WGL to CHI, I was in bedroom E, car 830, a Superliner 2. This time my couch was facing forwards. My SCA was Said, who was fairly quiet and pretty efficient. Upon boarding, I had breakfast (same plain omelet, raison bread and grits). I spent the entire day (when I was not eating) looking out the window. Lunch started at 11:30 and I was in the lounge looking at scenery and talking to one of the 8 hikers. Around noon, I attempted to eat lunch and there was a long wait list. I was called around 1:00pm. I had not listed to Jim Hudson’s advice to me to eat at the earliest possible time because the diner fills up. (sorry Jim, but I took your advice every other time). I ate lunch (most likely turkey sandwich) with a woman who grew up in New Jersey, then moved to Montana to live a minimalist life. She lives in a cabin without electricity – she has propane for light, heat and cooking. She now has indoor plumbing, but did not for years. She was on her way to her 50th high school reunion and to spend 3 months with her children in NJ.
During the day, I spent some time in coach chatting with some of the 8 Chicago hikers and their attendant. Apparently there was a woman sitting a few rows up from my new friends who had been drinking a little too much and was being extremely loud. The next stop was Minot, ND. The woman was either asked to leave the train in Minot or she was getting off anyway. It is good to know that Amtrak is not sexist in that conductors request drunken women as well as drunken men to behave themselves.
I ate dinner at 5:30 and cannot remember with whom I sat, but I am sure they were interesting. Breakfast the next morning was with the railroad guy, who was absolutely fascinating. He was not on the job – he was returning from a vacation in Oregon (I think). When we were close to MSP, he pointed out that the signals were “his.” Before he became an inspector, he worked for BN.
We had a service stop in MSP and I got off the train and watched with amazement as the 5 deadhead cars were removed and one coach was attached. I think half our train was outside watching. After we left MSP, I emailed friends and watched the scenery go by (from my room with the couch facing forward).
When the Trails and Rails volunteers got on the train later that morning, (Monday 9/6), I looked out the window and I determined that neither was rtabern (who I think is the AU member who handles that route occasionally). Since I had traveled on the EB twice before between MSP and CHI, I did not go to the lounge car to hear the narrative on Monday. (I would have gone to the lounge car if the volunteer had been rtabern).
The EB arrived in Chicago a little late. I hung out in the Metropolitan Lounge and met up again with Judy, who I had met on the Cardinal the week before. She had been to a family wedding in the Chicago area and was returning to Florida. She was concerned about the CL being on time into WAS because she had a 2 hour window before she needed to catch the Silver Star. I was taking the Silver Meteor and had a very long layover.
Taking Jim’s advice again, I made an early dinner reservation while I was in the lounge. We boarded the Capitol Limited on time (Monday, 9/6). I was in bedroom E, car 3000. The train was a refurbished Superliner 1 and my couch was facing forward again. Of the 9 trains I had taken on this trip, this room was the nicest and cleanest of them all. My SCA was Darrell. Darrell was a big guy (heavy). I do not know how he was able to get up and down the stairs, in and out of the roomettes and bedrooms, but he did and did it well. I could hear him breathing hard when he was carrying the luggage – and he carried everyone’s down stairs – but he kept on going. I am very impressed and gave him double my standard tip. The one downside of my trip on the CL was the crying baby in bedroom D. I was very tired that night and either I was too tired to hear the baby or the baby stopped crying. The baby got off (with his parents) in Pittsburgh. Some people on the train complained about the rough track – I did not notice it.
I had my normal 6:30 am breakfast and sat with a gentleman who claimed to be a train expert. He was comparing European trains to Amtrak and was comparing US passenger trains of the 1950’s and 1960’s to Amtrak of today. Not a fair comparison, in my opinion. I went back to the diner for brunch/lunch around 11am. The choices were limited and there was no dessert. We arrived in WAS a little late, but not late enough to cause Judy any distress about catching the Silver Star (to JAX, then bus to Wildwood).
It was hot in WAS, so I did not do much walking around. I found a grocery store and purchased my favorite snack (Greek yogurt) and hung out the CA – answering emails, etc.
While in the Club Acela in WAS, the people in the waiting room were watching CNN and their reporting about the crazy Gainesville minister who threatened to burn the Koran. In the waiting room was a couple from Gainesville who live in the same neighborhood as the minister’s church. They were familiar with the minister and agreed that he is crazy. In the waiting room I befriended Jeanette, who was traveling with her twin sister, her husband Fred, and her son and daughter-in-law (the couple from Gainesville). Jeanette and Fred live in Pensacola, but had left their car in Palatka (which is not too far from Gainesville). They were traveling on AGR points. Jeanette and her sister were in Bedroom A, the son and daughter-in-law were in Bedroom B, Fred was in roomette 2, and I was in roomette 1 (car 9710). They pretty much adopted me as part of their family. We boarded the Silver Meteor on time (Tuesday, 9/7/10). Our SCA, Alan, had made dining car reservations for all of us for 7:30. I sat with Jeanette, Fred and the sister. The son and daughter-in-law sat with another couple across the way. At dinner, I learned that Fred was a retired Army doctor who had served with John McCain. He is a bit younger than McCain, but not much. He and McCain are still in contact and, although we did not talk politics, we both agreed that we liked the old John McCain better and that Sarah Palin was a poor VP choice. My guess is that is probably the only political issue that we could agree on.
The a/c was not working well in the sleeper car. SCA Alan suggested turning off all the lights to make it cooler. Since I was working on my computer or reading, that was not a great option. The conductor came by and said they would try to do something. I think it got a bit cooler, but not much. In spite of the warm temperature, I slept very well. In fact, I slept until almost 7am. I went to the diner shortly after waking and was very happy that I brought my hoodie with me. It was frigid in the diner. I had the continental with oatmeal and it was very good.
We arrived in JAX a little early and I got off the train for a fresh air break. I noticed 2 Border Patrol agents watching passengers detrain. It appeared that they were looking for someone or something. After a while, they boarded the last coach and apparently the walked the train. According to Fred, who stayed in the train, they walked through the sleepers. Jeanette, her sister and I were watching for the border patrol agents and doing stretching exercises on the platform. The border patrol agents left empty handed.
I had an early lunch 11:45 with a woman who winters in Orlando and happened to be a friend of a friend of mine. Because my ride lives closer to the Winter Park station, I got off in Winter Park, instead of Orlando (after coordinating with the SCA and the conductor).
After 2 weeks on a train (10 nights on the train and 4 nights in hotels), I am happy to be home and eat my normal bland food. I had a great vacation and saw parts of the country that I would have never seen, but for traveling by train. I had absolutely no problems being a middle-aged woman traveling alone. (the only downside I encountered traveling alone was that I did not have anyone to hike with me in Glacier National Park – I was not there long enough to go on a long hike, but would have liked to hiked for about an hour, which I would not do alone).
I had 9 tickets for this trip. One segment (2 tickets) DEN-SEA was paid for with AGR points, the rest was paid for with money (earning a bunch of points, some of them are double). I am close to Select Plus for 2011 now.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the AU members (especially Jim) who offered me advice while I was planning and taking this trip. I discovered AU during summer 2009, when I was doing research on planning this trip. The advice I received was priceless. THANK YOU!!! :wub: This trip was item number 1 on my bucket list and I still am having a hard believing that I actually did it.
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