A Train Ride Often Comes With Unplanned Adventure
Vacation 2007: Adventures in Amtrak
No one will tell you, but you can count on it. Unplanned adventure is part of the experience on Amtrak's California Zephyr. What may seem to be a simple, old-fashioned train ride can quickly turn into lessons in frustration, futility, and desperation. I speak from experience.
If you remember last year, I had a fabulous trip to New Orleans that I shared with all my readers. Everything went perfectly right from day one, and the whole adventure went off without a hitch. Success like that emboldens a person to try new things and venture into new territory, but that doesn't mean the results are always as expected. Sometimes, things just happen.
We started planning in January for our trip to Miami Beach. I wanted to visit the Atlantic Ocean, photograph the Art Deco architecture that city is known for, and, of course, relax on the beach. It never came together. Instead, while searching the internet, something happened and the desire to explore American history hit me hard. The Nation's Capital, Washington DC, seemed like a great choice, and why not increase the effect in historic fashion? I decided a train ride, a historic method of travel, would be perfect. The next thing I knew, I was on the Amtrak website booking a ride on the California Zephyr. Everything came together nicely, and I had visions of another vacation like the one I had in New Orleans.
If you like American history, Washington is a great city to visit. Not only is it the very seat and center of modern democracy, there are many museums, parks, monuments, and, of course, great architecture. One little known fact about Washington I discovered is that most of the attractions charge no admission fees! I know they are all close together and within easy walking distance, (not to mention the great subway system), but it was nice to know I wouldn't have to worry about paying admission everywhere I went. I also discovered that many monuments and parks are open 24 hours a day and lighted for photography so anyone can come by anytime for a photo opportunity. I was excited. It was as if they knew me and offered a personal invitation. The train ride was my own idea.
For almost 100 years, trains were basic to American transportation for both goods and passengers. I knew a little bit about the trains and their history, but most of my experience was with the little train that goes around the lake at Lakeside Amusement Park, even though I did ride the historic train in Georgetown, Colorado once. I know just about any town of reasonable size has a Union Station and those in both Washington and Chicago are remarkable. The way things started falling together, I was certain this vacation was meant to happen and I would discover much to write about. I was right. I found a trainload to write about, but it wasn't quite what I was expecting.
This article is the first of six articles I intend to write over the next six weeks to recount my adventures to my readers. In addition to this introduction, I plan to write about the history of train travel, the good aspects of modern Amtrak, the bad aspects of modern Amtrak, the "ugly", (what happened to me), and then tie it all together in the final week with my overall assessment in an epilogue.
I know "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" metaphor pops up all too often and may now be too cliché, but it just fits so well. If you bear with me, I promise you will be enlightened, entertained, amused, and educated. As Tuco said to Blondie, "If you save your breath, I feel a man like you can manage it". With that said, "All aboard!", and "See you next week".
By Stan Dyer