We have returned home safely. All in all, it was a great trip. It was a little disappointing to have to take a bus for the first leg of the trip, but it was an express bus that skipped several stops (there was another bus that made all the stops the train would have made) so it was a short bus ride.
We stopped in Chicago and Albuquerque to take little breathers on the way, but it turned out to be a really good idea because the trains are always late, so spending the day insured that we wouldn’t miss the next train. It turns out the Albuquerque is a crew change location, the train stops there for over half an hour making it so it’s not a mad rush to get on the train like it is at other locations. For our bags, we each packed a backpack bag with a day’s worth of clothes for the train and had a rolling duffel bag with the rest of our stuff. On the train to Chicago, there was room for the duffel over the door of our roomette, but west of Chicago, we had to leave the bag in storage area next exit door of the train. The duffel was not readily accessible on either train.
Travelling in coach would be unbearable, but the roomettes are expensive. The roomettes include access to the Amtrak lounges and all meals on board, but still, it’s a hefty price to pay compared to a quick cross country flight.
Chicago was a lot more fun than I thought it would be. Even though it was cold and rainy, we enjoyed it, and would be back. Albuquerque, at least old town, was probably a one and done kind of place. We had planned the trip to see wild flowers but there has been a major drought, so that was a little disappointing.
We may do a Trans Canada trip in the future. It will be interesting to compare.
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