Leg 8 - Crossing the Country By Train

I love train travel! All my other rides have been 5-7 hours; this one was 44. Yes, it is a bit odd to sleep while hurtling down the tracks and I awoke several times fearing sudden lunges would toss me onto the floor but, even with these interesting phenomena, I am a fan. Well, actually I had a little trouble falling back to sleep after one sudden lunge wondering how I would get up if I were to fly out of the bed. You see my "roomette" was itty bitty. When the two facing seats (up during the day) were pulled together to make a narrow twin bed it left a 9-inch gap between the door and the bed and that 9 inch space was only the width of the door opening. The rest of the  9-inch space was used for storage. If I had flown out of the bed I would have ended up wedged in a most interesting position into that narrow space. I pictured myself reaching up to release the door then spilling out into the passageway and THEN getting up and back into bed. Thankfully it never happened.

Okay, it's hard to "read" but the room is just so tiny that it is impossible to photograph.
My feet are at the end of the narrow twin bed. This will unfold to be 2 seats facing each other.
My red bag is stored in that 9-inch space and the doorway opening is immediately to the
left -  you can see a bit of the hallway outside.
Teeny-tiny.

What I loved was watching Louisiana, Texas, New Mexico and Arizona fly by outside my window. Sometimes I went up to the observation car (my roomette was on the lower floor, the observation car on the upper - it had a broader view) but I liked relaxing in my own space. Also the train does bounce. I quickly learned my cane was a detriment - it was safer to pass down the jostling cars holding on to the backs of seats. It was safest to stay put.

The geography teacher in me loved watching the Spanish-moss draped oaks of Louisiana give way to the drier lands of Texas. Texas surprised me (I see this as my first visit in that I cannot count many landings in Dallas). Friends have complained about the monotony of driving through Texas - and that it never ends. True, it IS huge, but I didn't have to drive; I could just look out the window and I found the land stunningly beautiful. It took little imagination to see the cattle and cowboys (and those nefarious rustlers) of our past crossing these lands. I loved it.

I have one major regret - based on my absolute stupidity. When planning this trip I entered start and stop Amtrak stations for each leg. I never looked at the stops along each route; I only cared that it delivered me where I wanted to go. I learned how careless I had been when I looked at the list of our scheduled stops along this route. At 10 pm, on day #1, we would stop at San Antonio. San Antonio! I have always wanted to go to San Antonio. My friend Barbara lives there. I could have arranged to get off at San Antonio and re-board two days later, when the train next passed through on its way to LA. I was almost sick that here I was, at the cutest Amtrak station of the whole trip, stuck ON the train, while San Antonio stared back at me. Painful. And lesson learned. Barbara, I will return.

When we crossed into New Mexico I spotted my first tall mountains since leaving Oregon a month ago. Ah, there is something about the geography of where you grow up. I AM a Westerner. I like mountains in the distance. I was home.

New Mexico and Arizona (well I had to squint to see Arizona in the dark) were equally magnificent and then we were in Palm Springs and soon to LA. It was a great trip. I loved eating in the dining car. You fill up booths so you never know with whom you will be eating. We shared stories of our trips - and this being the age of smart phones - apps that were useful. My favorite new one was a speedometer app. I placed my phone on the arm of my chair and, while reading or enjoying the view, would note the speed we were presently going. The highest was 85 mph; it was usually around 70. No wonder we bounced.

It was a stupendous two days. The departure city was remarkable (my 14 hours in New Orleans on Halloween was delightful. When geisha girls and pirates asked me why I wasn't in costume, I replied that I was really 24 but dressed as an old woman with a cane. They laughed) and I found a place selling beignets so I could board the train with a bag of them in hand. And Palm Springs assured that my entry into California was golden. Such a gorgeous landscape. My cousin Bonnie and her husband Joe met me at the station and I now start the sceond half of my trip in my beloved California.