Riding The Train Across The Country

Riding the Train Across the Country

East Coast to West Coast

February 12- 15, 2017

Baltimore to Washington, DC to Chicago to LA to Emeryville, CA

Getting ready- I read about this trip on Facebook.  For only $231, I can go across country in four days.  I wanted to go.  I posted the trip on my wall and got 274 likes and 271 shares.  This trip spoke to everyone.  We all want to get on a train and escape life.

it was such an effort to book this trip.  It wasn’t that the trip itself was difficult but I decided to go with a friend on the west coast and it was so damn hard to coordinate our dates.  We finally arrived on a mutual time and we booked d the trip and everything as settled.  And then there were the mudslides in Utah.  We got a phone call that our train from Chicago would go as far as Salt Lake City and then we would have to get off the train and take a bus to Reno, NV.  I didn’t think that would be too bad as it might break up the trip a little bit.  Then Sam got a call that the bus was off and the trip ended in Salt Lake City.  I got a call that negated that.  Sam called back and was told that nothing could be done and she can have her money back.  I called back again and was told that, “yes, my mistake, the train ends in Salt Lake City but do you want me to see if there is some other way to get to California.”

So now we are headed from Chicago to LA where we will pick up a bus and go to Bakersfield and then grab a local train to Emeryville.

There is a food car on this train. But I was told it was expensive so I packed food.  I never pack food when I go away.  I packed so much food that I had to leave some of it behind for my next trip.  I packed comfort things: blow up pillows, slippers, facial masks, a light blanket, eye shades, a neck pillow.  I packed electronic gadgets: my laptop, a mini-IPad, two cameras, an extension cord, a camera for Sam, USB cords, a card reader, headphones and my IPhone.

I went to the library and uploaded two audiobooks.  I have two MP3 players.  I have all 11 episodes of Serial on my podcast library.  I do not need to worry about a moment of silence on this trip.

I booked a hotel room for the night before the trip.  My car is getting older and it could die on me at any moment.  So, I wanted to get to the Baltimore station without any aggravation.

I left my house tripping over all my stuff.  I am ready for any challenge this trip should offer.

Day 1- Leaving Baltimore- February 12, 2017

I came down to Baltimore last night and got a hotel room.  That way I didn’t have to worry about the weather or breaking down along the side of the highway.  I did forget that I had to be out of my hotel at 11AM and my train didn’t leave until 2PM.  So, that left me with three hours to kill. It wouldn’t have been so bad if I wasn’t so encumbered with all my luggage.  I have a bag of clothing., a back pack of food, a computer bad and a purse.  I have too much stuff with me.

4:00 PM- and we are off. I’m on the top level in a chair with plenty of leg room, an electrical outlet, a foot rest and a curtain to keep the sun out.  I don’t have Wi-Fi and that through me off a bit as I had planned on uploading photos on my Facebook for the next few days.  I will just have to work on staying in the moment instead.

We have just been given instructions: no smoking but there will be three stops along the way to catch a smoke.  The dining car is open but only to those of us who have a reservation.  I do not have a reservation.  The observation deck is open.  Always wear your shoes as you move about the train. After 10 PM, its lights out for everyone until 7 AM. We are to keep the bathrooms clean and no loud noise. That’s it.

5:00 PM- We started out with several miles of urban landscape. Lots of graffiti covered every available speck of cement walls. We quickly moved in to farm land and open space.  No one is around.  It’s just empty.

Frequently, other trains zoom by us, blocking my view entirely.  Long cargo freights come through at a speed that makes me nervous. And then they are gone form my view and my train now seems so slow.

6:00 PM- We left in daylight but now that the sun has set, it is dark, very dark. Nothing is visible until we come to a remote station along the way. A few people get off and a few people get on and then we are on our way. And then those of us who are hogging two seats try to give the presence of someone else sitting with us so we don’t have to share our space.

7:00 PM- it’s dark and there is nothing to see.  The motion of the train is lulling me to sleep.  I am trying to resist so that I can sleep through the night.  SO, I go back to the café car and have a beer. I sit in the observation car but it’s not as appearing to me to watch complete darkness.

8:00PM- the conductor announces that we are stopping in Cumberland, MD.  We can get out and stretch our legs. I don’t get out.  But I do realize that I can drive to Cumberland =, MD from my house in two hours.  What route are we taking?

10:00 PM- the lights are out and we are all nesting. Only a few of us are still up.  Even the little boys in front of me have finally stopped making farting noises and have settled down. The only noise is the train whistle off in the distance.

Day 2- Arriving in Chicago

Around 3:00AM, the train stopped and several people got off.  I think we were in Cleveland, Ohio.  All the single mothers gathered their belongings and children and buried down the aisles and exited out in to the dark of the night.  Then a flock of Amish people charged in. They were full of life and loud and oblivious to the fact that the rest of us were sleeping.

We arrived in Chicago around 8AM, in the midst of rush hour.  Hundreds of people were rushing to work. And their hustle disarmed me after a relaxing day on the train.  I tried to get away form them but there were too many of them and my awkward luggage only served to create blockage fro the rapid flow of traffic.  I just had to hang against the wall and let the parade pass me.

Day 3- Where am I: somewhere between Chicago and LA

There is no shortage of cows in our country.

The observation deck is great entertainment.  It’s like watching a live national geographic show or a ken burns show right before my eyes.

Most of us on the train are traveling solo so it’s quiet.

There is craft beer in the snack car.  All is right with the world.

The sky seems massive to me tonight.  It’s filled with dense clouds.

The Appalachian lifestyle is not limited to the Appalachian mountain area. There are a lot of sad, broken homes along the way.

A lot of people live in very isolated communities.

I now know what happens to old school buses.  They are shoved in to the deep recesses of old farm lands where they rust their way to extinct.

The sleeper cars are off limits to me and my oppositional/defiance is poking at me.  I want to see what a sleeper car looks like before I decide to spend $400/night to sleep in one.

Day 4 – arriving in CA