Planning the start and end of my summer trip

[RTOlson]

OK, so I'm in the final steps of planning my California Zephyr trip from Davis, Calif. to Chicago (with a mid-trip stop in Salt Lake City). I taking Zephyr eastbound, but am planning to return by airplane due to time constraints.

I planned to drive from Chico to Davis (DAV) because parking is way cheaper there than downtown Sacramento. I had originally wanted to fly into Sacramento (SMF) because it was a $2 bus ticket back to Davis. However, flying to San Francisco (SFO) was a much better deal and now I'm taking BART-Capitol Corridor back to Davis.

Since I'm on a train back to Davis, I was wondering if I should just start and end my train trip from the Chico depot (CIC). Instead of driving two hours to Davis each way, I would just walk four blocks from my apartment to the station.

In this case, I would probably take the 3:50 a.m. Coast Starlight from Chico to Davis. Starlight is scheduled to arrive in Davis at 6:50 a.m. -- leaving plenty of time for the 9:31 a.m. Zephyr.

On return, I would take the BART-Capitol Corridor from SFO to Chico (It's a bus from SMF to CIC). Starlight runs too late at night for my return schedule.

Doing the math, this option would be slightly more expensive than driving and parking in Davis.

So, what do you all think? Should I just go whole hog and take the train for as far as it can go? Should I try to keep things simple and just drive to and from home?

I would definitely appreciate everyone's insight in this matter. Thanks.

 

[the_traveler]

With the way gas prices are now, I would surely rather take the train rather than drive!

Question: Is Davis the closest stop where you can switch to the CZ? :huh: Unless you had posted the wrong times, is it 3 hours? It seems there would be a closer transfer point? And don't forget that the CS may be a few hours late!

 

[p&sr]

Question: Is Davis the closest stop where you can switch to the CZ?

The officially preferred transfer point is Sacramento.

This is a "guaranteed" connection, so if the CS is too late to meet the CZ, they would probably put you on a Bus to Reno to catch the CZ there. Of course, this would spoil the scenic run over the Sierra Nevada.

Actually, there are TWO ways to do this as a "guaranteed" transfer:

Coast Starlight Chico 3:50 am --> Sacramento 6:15 am

3712 Bus Chico 5:25 am --> Sacramento 7:30 am

Both are supposed to be on time to catch the eastbound Zephyr at 10:09 AM.

The Bus, however, is much more likely to arrive on schedule!

Add to that the slightly lower cost (save maybe $14) and the somewhat better departure time...

and the fact that Chico to Sacramento is just "practical transit" for this Traveller.

If it were me, I would probably take the Bus to be best assured of really taking the Zephyr over the Mountains!

 

[RTOlson]

Thanks for the posts. You've given me a couple of things to consider.

- I realize SMF is the guaranteed transfer point for the trains (it's 15 minutes and one stop closer to CIC than Davis). However, I had previously purchased my tickets for DAV. I don't want to juggle my reservations and possibly pay more because of higher bucket prices (although I haven't really checked).

OK, hypothetically, let's say I did want to pursue the guaranteed connection after previously buying one leg of a trip. Do I need to call Julie in order to tie the CS and CZ trips together and guarantee the connection?

- I don't know how flexible the bus-train rules are. Taking an Amtrak bus requires a ride on an Amtrak train, but I don't know if it's just for Amtrak California or if it applies to the LD trains as well. If I had to board Capitol Corridor in order for my bus ride to be legal, I would still need to go to Davis anyway.

In terms on if Coast Starlight is running late:

- Worst-case scenario A - Starlight is running less-than-three hours late and its arrival in Davis is chancy but will make SMF in plenty of time. I'll just board Zephyr in Sacramento claiming I would've missed my original boarding in Davis.

- Worst-case scenario B - If Starlight is running prohibitively late and unable to make either SMF or DAV in time for Zephyr. I'll just drive to Davis, leaving before 7 a.m.

- Worst-case scenario C - Something unforeseen happens to Starlight between CIC and SMF that delays the train an extraordinary amount of time. In that case, I should've done the guaranteed connection and I'm boned.

Hmm. Maybe I should call Julie.

 

[p&sr]

I realize SMF is the guaranteed transfer point for the trains.

That's an Airport code. For Amtrak, Sacramento is SAC.

However, I had previously purchased my tickets for DAV. I don't want to juggle my reservations and possibly pay more because of higher bucket prices.

Keep your existing tickets, and build something around them.

OK, hypothetically, let's say I did want to pursue the guaranteed connection after previously buying one leg of a trip. Do I need to call Julie in order to tie the CS and CZ trips together and guarantee the connection?

If you have reservations on both trains, you could call Amtrak and talk to a live agent and ask him to mark the connection as "guaranteed". They should be able to do this with no problem. Just give him both Reservation Numbers.

- I don't know how flexible the bus-train rules are. Taking an Amtrak bus requires a ride on an Amtrak train, but I don't know if it's just for Amtrak California or if it applies to the LD trains as well.

Any trip on Amtrak is covered. The Reservation Website makes these connections automatically.

- Worst-case scenario A - Starlight is running less-than-three hours late and its arrival in Davis is chancy but will make SMF in plenty of time. I'll just board Zephyr in Sacramento claiming I would've missed my original boarding in Davis.- Worst-case scenario B - If Starlight is running prohibitively late and unable to make either SMF or DAV in time for Zephyr. I'll just drive to Davis, leaving before 7 a.m.

It does sound like you're covered.

Here's another take on things:

$15 buys you an Amtrak Bus Ticket, Chico to Sacramento. This could compare favorably with the cost of driving there.

$20 buys you an Amtrak Bus Ticket Chico to Sacramento with GUARANTEED Connection on the CZ to Roseville!

So for $5 extra you can guarantee the connection, since obviously you just HAVE to get to Roseville.

Once on board the CZ, just show them your ticket to "points east", and the Roseville ticket is history. You could refund it as unused later on for $4.50 in cash value.

Interesting?

 

[p&sr]

Keep your existing tickets, and build something around them.

Here's another point to consider. If you have any kind of Sleeper Accommodations, booked from Davis, you sure wouldn't want to see them given away as a "no-show" if you actually decide to board at Sacramento! If this is your situation, you'd want to let Amtrak know you are really going to be there (just one stop later than anticipated) so PLEASE Hold those Reservations!

 

[RTOlson]

That's a good point regarding the sleeper.

I'll be coach through at least Salt Lake City. I might see what it would cost on-board to get into a roomette before Denver (if they're available, of course).

Thanks for the advice. I'm definitely going to leave my car at home. I think I'm going to roll my dice on Starlight. However, I'll take another hard look at the bus option before I commit one way or the other.

 

[Green Maned Lion]

What option were you expecting a society of certified rail fans to suggest for you?

 

[RTOlson]

Well, I guess I was looking for positive affirmation. If the idea was too crazy or just didn't make sense, I'm sure some of the more level-headed members of the board would've pointed it out.