The 632 lost three hours as it departed Emoryville, California, and didn't gain a minute across Nevada, Utah, Colorado, Nebraska, Iowa, but lost another hour. We were four hours late as we chugged into Chicago's Union Station. Riding the train is not for those with appointments to keep. Although, Amtrak tried hard to make connections in Chicago, which is a hub to connect to other lines, some of the passengers would need overnight accommodations because their connection was missed. Others caught chartered buses and some were able to catch trains that were held for them - of course, making those down the line wait.
As we boarded the train for the third time, we knew this was the test run to see if we were born to ride the rails. Bob had reserved a roomette for the overnight ride that included three meals. We would sleep and eat and be looked after by a steward, Bob. In the sleeping car we had two seats that faced each other and a big window to wave goodbye to the Rockies and watch the prairie broaden into large corn and soybean fields bordered by the Big Muddy and the rolling Mississippi.
An overhead bunk pulled down and I lost the toss. I'm not sure how anyone not as nimble as me (!) managed to climb in and out of the upper bunk. I was comforted by the sight of strap contraption that promised to hold me up if I happened to flip out of bed. Our ride across Nebraska during the night was full of rocking, rolling, and shaking, but we managed to sleep some of the time. Now we know what to look forward to four more times during our cross-country trip. We can do it, yes we can, we can do it, yes we can.
Three meals were included in our roomette ticket and we didn't pass up any chance to sit in the dining car. The food was good, the service was friendly and efficient, and spending time visiting with new acquaintances during each meal helped pass the time. We haven't found any suspicious suspects, but have met characters from Florida, Chicago and Australia. Everyone, so far, sees their trip on the train as an adventure. We did meet a hero, a young mom traveling with a baby and toddler, who still had another day of travel out of Chicago.
Bob's hero on this leg of the trip was Bob, the steward. He hailed a 'redcap' (like the skycaps at the airport) with a cart to take us and luggage to the taxi stand --- seemed like miles away. Once there the redcap hailed a taxi and we were in our hotel room 30 minutes later!
Bob has been gathering strength during the trip and is ready to participate in all the activities planned for our five days in Chicago. Note the above photo - Bob walking the tracks in Granby.
No comments:
Post a Comment