With a solid, hearty lunch that only Chicago can deliver, and a really nice sandwich to take for dinner, I hobbled back to Union Station, my feet so sore I wanted to sit down for the rest of my life. Word to the wise - turn up your walking routine weeks before your trip!
By the way, one comment on luggage before I go on. While I saw lots of people hauling half their worldy possessions on to the train, I think it may be sensible to travel light - even on Amtrak. Obviously, years of flying have conditioned me to think this way, but the method served me well.
So...one suitcase stashed in the luggage area by the door (this is not checked luggage, by the way - there is a separate car for that, and I did not check luggage), and my dufflebag in the overhead rack, that coach seat looked inviting! The departure from Chicago and the subsequent snaking through suburbia was fine - nothing very different from your typical east coast landscape. The high point was crossing the Mississippi River into Iowa, and even this crossing was obviously done at a relatively narrow spot, because it was pretty quick.
Then on to Fort Madison, Iowa for a quick stop (a "smoke-break" stop for those of you who need that fix), then the scenery got pretty boring. But luckily, it was getting dark, and if you have to miss seeing something, this is not a bad section of the country to go through at night.
But the next day, brings you to southern Colorado - and you know right away that you have come to a different place! Just after the stop (another smoke-break) at LaJunta, CO the landscape begins to look like this:
Soon after this the scenery gets more rugged, and the climb towards Raton Pass begins, as you cross over into northern New Mexico. No more fluff here - we're talking 7800 feet at the pass! You can watch the train wind around the tracks.
New Mexico looks like such a strikingly beautiful place, and it sometimes seems like a shame to see run down houses, and what appeared to be significant economic depression in many areas. Of course, you can't judge by what you see along the tracks, but one can only hope that people living in this gorgeous state will soon flourish like the rest of the country. But there is no denying the natural richness they live in.
After all, how many places can you go by and see three bison (referred to by Amtrak as Larry, Curly and Moe) grazing?
Once past Raton, NM, the climb downwards began and the great scenery outside mitigated my hunger pangs, but not all that well. I had firmly decided not to set foot in the dining car, and waited for Albuquerque. There is only one food vendor in the station, but the food is fresh and the prices extremely reasonable. It is best to make that the last stop in the station, because you have 40 minutes to wander the streets, check out the vendors on the platform - and maybe even buy one of the overpriced trinkets - then, grab some food and take it inside the train.
You can get sandwiches, regular burgers, veggie burgers, fries and you can eat that at the tables in the sightseer lounge while some other passengers wait for their dining car reservations for the privilege of paying twice as much as you did for reheated food.
The ride from Albuquerque into Arizona is truly amazing! You can just sit there and watch the scenery go by completely transfixed. It is easy to see why a cheesy, poorly acted Western can get you hooked - you simply can't go wrong with this kind of a backdrop. You just know Clint made up for his developing acting skills at the time by shooting in places that looked like this!
By the time the train got to the Arizona border it was dark. Flagstaff was at about 9 PM, and it is a very small station.. At that time, it was hard to tell what the town looked like, so one might be excused for thinking that it is just another dinky waystation in Arizona. I had rented a car in Flagstaff for three days, knowing that there is a Hertz counter at the station. However, the Hertz counter closes at 6 PM, but they will bring a car out for you from the airport and wait for the train, as long as you make sure to let them know while making the reservation. Obviously this means that if you don't like the car they give you, you can't go to the counter and negotiate for a different car.
Luckily for me, they had an Explorer with a GPS waiting for me - one of the better upgrades I have had from Hertz - and I was using points! Finding the Courtyard - and this is a very nice Courtyard, but I believe Marriott has done a renovation of all their hotels - was as easy as punching it in to Neverlost, and blindly turning when it instructed me to.
What a welcome break! A quick few minutes to unpack, then a looooooong hot shower!!!!! Then, with my mind now in planning mode - three days, two major places to visit....is it Sedona tomorrow and the Grand Canyon the day after or vice versa? Frankly, it didn't take long before I gave up and plunged into sleep - in a very nice warm bed, even!
Next episode coming to an iPad near you!
Chicago to Flagstaff pictures
By the way, one comment on luggage before I go on. While I saw lots of people hauling half their worldy possessions on to the train, I think it may be sensible to travel light - even on Amtrak. Obviously, years of flying have conditioned me to think this way, but the method served me well.
So...one suitcase stashed in the luggage area by the door (this is not checked luggage, by the way - there is a separate car for that, and I did not check luggage), and my dufflebag in the overhead rack, that coach seat looked inviting! The departure from Chicago and the subsequent snaking through suburbia was fine - nothing very different from your typical east coast landscape. The high point was crossing the Mississippi River into Iowa, and even this crossing was obviously done at a relatively narrow spot, because it was pretty quick.
Then on to Fort Madison, Iowa for a quick stop (a "smoke-break" stop for those of you who need that fix), then the scenery got pretty boring. But luckily, it was getting dark, and if you have to miss seeing something, this is not a bad section of the country to go through at night.
But the next day, brings you to southern Colorado - and you know right away that you have come to a different place! Just after the stop (another smoke-break) at LaJunta, CO the landscape begins to look like this:
Soon after this the scenery gets more rugged, and the climb towards Raton Pass begins, as you cross over into northern New Mexico. No more fluff here - we're talking 7800 feet at the pass! You can watch the train wind around the tracks.
After all, how many places can you go by and see three bison (referred to by Amtrak as Larry, Curly and Moe) grazing?
Once past Raton, NM, the climb downwards began and the great scenery outside mitigated my hunger pangs, but not all that well. I had firmly decided not to set foot in the dining car, and waited for Albuquerque. There is only one food vendor in the station, but the food is fresh and the prices extremely reasonable. It is best to make that the last stop in the station, because you have 40 minutes to wander the streets, check out the vendors on the platform - and maybe even buy one of the overpriced trinkets - then, grab some food and take it inside the train.
You can get sandwiches, regular burgers, veggie burgers, fries and you can eat that at the tables in the sightseer lounge while some other passengers wait for their dining car reservations for the privilege of paying twice as much as you did for reheated food.
The ride from Albuquerque into Arizona is truly amazing! You can just sit there and watch the scenery go by completely transfixed. It is easy to see why a cheesy, poorly acted Western can get you hooked - you simply can't go wrong with this kind of a backdrop. You just know Clint made up for his developing acting skills at the time by shooting in places that looked like this!
By the time the train got to the Arizona border it was dark. Flagstaff was at about 9 PM, and it is a very small station.. At that time, it was hard to tell what the town looked like, so one might be excused for thinking that it is just another dinky waystation in Arizona. I had rented a car in Flagstaff for three days, knowing that there is a Hertz counter at the station. However, the Hertz counter closes at 6 PM, but they will bring a car out for you from the airport and wait for the train, as long as you make sure to let them know while making the reservation. Obviously this means that if you don't like the car they give you, you can't go to the counter and negotiate for a different car.
Luckily for me, they had an Explorer with a GPS waiting for me - one of the better upgrades I have had from Hertz - and I was using points! Finding the Courtyard - and this is a very nice Courtyard, but I believe Marriott has done a renovation of all their hotels - was as easy as punching it in to Neverlost, and blindly turning when it instructed me to.
What a welcome break! A quick few minutes to unpack, then a looooooong hot shower!!!!! Then, with my mind now in planning mode - three days, two major places to visit....is it Sedona tomorrow and the Grand Canyon the day after or vice versa? Frankly, it didn't take long before I gave up and plunged into sleep - in a very nice warm bed, even!
Next episode coming to an iPad near you!
Chicago to Flagstaff pictures
Great pictures! Looks like a beautiful ride.
ReplyDeleteHOW nice was the Courtyard? Did you have an option for tuck or no tuck? And if a piece of paper on the nightstand got thrown away, I hope you didn't blame Lupe!
They had body lotion!!
ReplyDelete