I've missed being able to travel. I have two trips via cruise ship set up for next year (2022). However, I wanted to venture somewhere within the United States this year.
With the pandemic seemingly under control in the USA and vaccinations rates rising daily, I thought about a train trip. This came to mind after seeing a rerun of "The Big Bang Theory." Sheldon, who is obsessed with trains, takes a round-trip train trip across the country. Unlike Sheldon, I plan to leave the train station during my journey.
The trip begins "officially" in Chicago, but I am actually traveling by train from Columbia. The Amtrak station is only two miles from my home, so I'm going to begin my journey at the local station.
I've been exploring travel by Amtrak for a while online. I've learned about "roomettes" and "bedrooms" as part of the overnight travel process. So, I have reservations in bedroom accommodations while on my journey. I have a total of three nights spent on the train (Columbia to Chicago, Chicago to Flagstaff, and Flagstaff to Columbia. The rest of the time will be in hotels along the journey.
I'm also excited to travel on the Grand Canyon Railway which isn't part of Amtrak. It's an observation train to/from the Grand Canyon National Park. I will also spend the night in the Grand Canyon Railway Hotel.
I visited the Grand Canyon in the late 1990s. It was a brief trip from Las Vegas, and I was able to fly in a small plane to observe the canyon. I don't believe they allow such flights anymore by small plane.
I'm hoping this will be a grand adventure.
