Getting ready for my long ride…

I slept well last night, and I asked for a late checkout today.  My trip begins at 2:50pm and I should arrive in Santa Fe at 2:40pm tomorrow.  All trains on which I’ve ridden have arrived late, so I expect to spend greater than 24 hours on this leg of the trip. 

My trek today includes crossing the states of Illinois, Iowa, and Missouri; the trip continues after midnight by working the way across Kansas, Colorado, and New Mexico.  The Southwest Chief has the route of Chicago to Los Angeles which takes 40 hours.  I will be getting off in Lamy, NM, and a short ride by bus to Santa Fe for two days.   

My next posts cannot happen until I reach my hotel in Santa Fe.  I'm looking forward to the landscapes.  Amtrak describes it this way, "You'll be mesmerized by this region's beauty and allure. We'll take you across the mighty Mississippi through eight states — past wheat fields and ranches, missions and pueblos, mountains and deserts. Carving through curving canyon passages only a few feet wider than the train itself, you'll see spectacular landscapes and pristine vistas not visible from interstate highways."  I hope that most of this beauty is in the daylight!

As I’ve traveled the train I look for signs.  Here’s a photo of the Southwest Chief from a rancher along the Old Santa Fe Trail.  Maybe I'll see it tomorrow.

Before the natural beauty of the Grand Canyon, a little man-made beauty...

I took an afternoon ride on the Chicago River to see the architectural high-rises that are along the river.  The guide on the boat was an eighth grader teacher who was returning to his classroom next week.  This was one of his last weekday tours for the sightseeing company.

I learned one interesting fact about the origin of the name “Chicago.”  The name comes from the French version of the Native American word for “stinky onion.”  The Miami-Illinois tribe used the word shikaakwa (translates to “stinky onion”) for the garlic plant (allium tricoccum) common along the stinky river.  So, the name of Chicago came into being.

Here are a few of my photos of the remarkable skyline of Chicago from the river. 

Not only does New York have a Trump Tower so do the folks of Chicago! :-(

The Sears (or Willis Tower) is the symbol of Chicago.  It was once the tallest in the world, but the Burj Khalifa now has that honor.  I visited the Burj Khalifa in 2015 (click here).

The Marina City Condos have a parking garage for its residents below the apartments.  Note the brave folks who backed into the parking space.

This unusual shaped apartment building was coined the "gigantic fidget spinner" by one of the guide's students on a fieldtrip.  A creative and accurate description.

Our guide says they lower this bridge once each year to prove it still works.

It was cool that the glass on the skyscraper reflected the buildings from across the river.

Our guide teaches 8th grade.  He loves it, but uses his summer and weekends for this side gig.

Waterfront apartments are very expensive, but at one time no one wanted to live downtown.

This guy seemed to have a keen interest in the construction of a new apartment building.  A future resident?

You are here!  This is a map of the river and canals.  The red spot indicates the location of this building on the river.

Again, a cool view of the buildings from the other side of the river in the reflection of these buildings.

An interesting building that is cantilevers out.  You also see the famous Chicago El or elevated train.

All kinds of boats were in the river including kyaks.  The Chicago river is green based on the type algae found in the river.  It's Kelly Green on St. Patrick's day with a little help of city leaders.

The tour started from the Chicago Naval Yard, and this is the first view of the skyline as we sailed toward the Chicago River.

You cannot beat a hotel room for comfort…

Train travel is for those who don’t have to be somewhere in a hurry.  However, nothing beats a hotel room for comfort.  I’m at a Hyatt and I’m looking forward to showering in a real bathroom.  

A train bedroom will never beat my Chicago hotel room for comfort.

I'm off to shower and change clothes so I can venture out to see a few of the sights of Chicago.

Leg #2 of my Amtrak Vacation: DC to Chicago

The second trip was on a much bigger train.  My sleeping room was on the second floor of the railroad car.  I decided to leave my luggage in the first level storage area.  I knew it would be too difficult to get it upstairs on that narrow winding staircase.  

I did take a photo of my room, and you can see it below.  I knew from the first leg that I wouldn’t have the room turned into a “bed.”  I decided I would just lie on the couch which was long enough for my entire body with the provided pillows and blanket.  This provided more room to walk around in the night.  

My seat while on Leg #2 of the trip.  I was looking at the menu to give my dinner order.

The restroom and shower (one complete unit) is about the size of a cruise ship’s shower.  I am a big guy, and I knew I wasn’t going to use the facilities for showering.  I’d wait until I got to my hotel the next day.

Carlos was my room attendant, and he was fantastic and so helpful.  I cannot complain about the Amtrak staff (that’s not so true for the airline folks I’ve had “help” me in the past) so far.  Also, they constantly remind folks to wear their face masks (train wide announcements are made several times during the trip).

Masks were required at all times.  The exception was when eating/drinking and with a closed bedroom/roomette.  Announcements were made frequently as a reminder.

With the pandemic, the meals are now prepackaged.  You have a choice, and each of the offerings are very good.  I had the vegetarian burritos that were tasty at lunch, the meatballs and pasta were a nice dinner selection, and I’ve had two breakfast meals with coffee that tasted great.  So, the food may no longer be cooked in the dining car, but it’s good.  

The food was tasty on Leg #1 and Leg #2 of the trip.

The train was about two hours late.  We did a good bit of stopping periodically on the tracks.  The engineer announced that we were delayed due to freight traffic on the railroad lines.  However, we safely arrived at Union Square in downtown Chicago.  I’m off to my hotel.

Leg #1 of Amtrak Vacation: Columbia to Washington, DC

The train was about an hour late reaching Columbia. I arrived early, and only a brother and sister were waiting. They had arrived when the southward train dropped off at 2am. The two Amtrak clerks were friendly, and helped explain how things would work. They even explained that I would board in a different area next to the dining car when it was time.

The train arrived, and I went to my bedroom. The attendant, Eddie, had prepared it thinking I would sleep. However, I wanted to see the sights. It was great to see the room in this configuration because I knew I wouldn’t want this when it was time to sleep. He quickly reverted the room back to its daytime configuration.

The train’s lateness worked to my advantage. I knew I would want to see Old St. David’s Church as we made our way through Cheraw, SC. I lived in Cheraw for almost 15 years, and for four years I took 3rd graders on a walking tour of the town. Old St. David’s was right up the street from our school. You can read about the church and the cemetery by clicking here and here. The tracks go right by the church and cemetery, and I was positioned just right to see it.

Old St. David's Church, Cheraw, SC (picture thanks to Google)

I didn’t take any pictures on the first leg, but here are a few I obtained online.  The car windows were dirty, but the view of St. David’s at sunrise was mesmerizing, and it brought back so many memories.  There are British soldiers’ graves in the cemetery from the battles in the Revolutionary War in this area (Pee Dee River) of the state.  It was fun giving the kids a history lesson using tombstones and the church.

This marker shows where British Soldiers fighting against the Colonists are buried.

I made it safely to Washington, DC about an hour late.  I was just in time for the second leg of my trip.  I made it to the gate and track and it was all aboard for Leg #2.

My journey to the Grand Canyon begins next week...

I begin my journey to the Grand Canyon next week, and here are a few slides detailing the trip.

   

Click to enlarge the slides.

Here are a few links to information regarding travel and where I will be staying.  Also, there are two very short videos that are worth viewing regarding the trip below.  I'm so excited to be staying at the El Tovar Hotel.

Amtrak’s “The Silver Star”
Amtrak’s “The Capitol Limited”
Amtrak’s “The Southwest Chief”
Grand Canyon Railway and Hotel
Grand Canyon National Park (South Rim)
El Tovar Hotel (South Rim)

The view of the Grand Canyon from my hotel (El Tovar) at the South Rim

The Grand Canyon Railway video description

A virtual tour of the South Rim of the Grand Canyon

Before I return home, I'm staying in Flagstaff, Arizona, for a couple of days.  I've arranged a small group day trip tour of Antelope Canyon and Horseshoe Bend from Flagstaff.  Here's a video detailing these  beautiful landmarks...

A short video of Antelope Canyon and Horseshoe Bend

I share this blog as I prepare for the trip.  I try to learn as much as possible before I leave home! 😁

Updated 2022 Plans

So many things have changed regarding my cruise plans in 2022.  I made changes and the cruise line changed things or sold a ship or two.

You never know what may happen between now and then.  I have found the best thing to do is buy the travel insurance on the last possible day.  That date is the day before final payment is due.  I have those dates on my calendar in red.    

Here's what has been finalized for 2022 (below).  

Click on this graphic to make it larger for reading.

Yippee! My travels continue later this summer with a trip to the Grand Canyon by train.

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.  

Another change to the itinerary...

 There have been lots of changes for Holland America.  Ships have been sold and some have been "redeployed" by the company.  HAL is part of Carnival Corporation, and there's been such turmoil with the Pandemic.  

You can ignore all of those past blogs talking about upcoming trips.  My next trip will be in early 2022.  I will finally make it back to Singapore, Vietnam, China, and Japan.  The trip will be 28 days, and here is a map of the ports of call:

The trip begins in Singapore and ends in Tokyo.  I was supposed to do this leg of the trip (but in the reverse order) on the Grand Asia Voyage in 2018.  I ended up in a hospital in China on that trip with an injured toe.  Always buy the insurance!

Another change in plans...

I got this email this afternoon:

The Amsterdam and three other ships have been sold by Holland America Line.  So, my upcoming cruise has been cancelled.

The notice from HAL was to let those who were slated for future cruises that they had been cancelled with this financial move.  Also, it provided details on the two options available for refunds.

It's so sad to see the Amsterdam leave the HAL fleet.   It's the ship that I made my around the world voyage on in 2015.

These times are unprecedented for world travel, and it appears that HAL's days may be numbered, too.

That's me with the Amsterdam in the background.  This shot was made upon the arrival in Tonga (Tongatapu, Tonga) after a long voyage across the South Pacific in January 2015.