Departure day finally arrived on Friday, April 17th, but I wasn’t ready. While I had worked on prepping equipment and information for the trip to California, I hadn’t packed anything. This is not much of a problem when I am driving SB for the duration, but when I am reliant upon mass transit (Amtrak in this case), I have to operate under their schedule. I managed to finish laundry and gather things, but I accidentally left four important items: my tablet–which contains several downloaded files about my anticipated stops–and its peripherals, my handicap parking tag, my print 2027 atlas, plus the dash camera I wanted to use to video some of the scenic routes I would drive in my rental car. More about the impacts of these missing items in later posts.
My youngest brother got Debra, my eldest sister, and me to Washington Union Station in time to catch Amtrak’s Floridian route to Chicago (the entire route to Los Angeles is lined in purple in the map above). We traveled the 19-hour trip by coach, with me using a segment of my USA Rail pass. It was a surprisingly pleasant trip because the level of travelers in the car was low enough that Debra and I each had our own pair of seats, allowing us to stretch out.
We reached Chicago Saturday morning, and the Red Cap service delivered us to a lounge for passengers waiting for sleeper transport to Los Angeles via Amtrak’s Southwest Chief route. While we were there, Debra took advantage of the layover before departure to catch a cab to the site of the soon-to-open Barack Obama Presidential Library and took several pictures. One of the photos is to the left.
This was the first time I had used Amtrak’s roomette for a trip. The upgraded service included a private space with a pair of seats that could be converted into a bed. We were assigned roomettes across the way on the lower level of the train, which placed me close to the shared restrooms and shower. It was just below the dining area and the observation car. Unfortunately, I didn’t feel safe climbing the narrow stairs to the upper level while the train was moving, so I didn’t get any pictures from the observation area.
On the other hand, the attendant on call for roomette guests brought the included meals directly to me, and the large windows in my roomette let me take several scenic pictures along the way.
BTW, speaking of meals, the food served by Amtrak was delicious. While the variety of menu options was limited, the meals–even the salmon-rice-veggie dish I selected for dinner the first night–were fresh and well-prepared. I give special kudos to the chocolate cake. It was moist and rich in flavor, and I will order it again if the opportunity presents itself.
I found the bed to be uncomfortable, being too small for freedom of movement, yet too big for the available space. In fact, it made the roomette suddenly feel claustrophobic to me, so I chose to sleep the second night on one of the seats.
Beyond that, I enjoyed the ability to set my own temperature controls, to dress or read in privacy, and to open my door to communicate with my sister or other guests as I wished. It was suggested to me that I look into roomettes for guests with accessibility needs for future travel.
I was able to take some pictures during the two-day trip across the United States. Most were taken in Colorado and in New Mexico around Albuquerque, capturing the late afternoon and the evening’s sunset.
Debra and I arrived in Los Angeles Monday morning. She rode off with the son of a childhood friend, and I was picked up by a representative of Enterprise Rent-a-Car and taken to the office to pick up the Nissan Rouge I had reserved for the week.
Across the street from the rental office, someone was filming scenes. I couldn’t tell whether it was for television or the big screen, nor did I see any celebrities I recognized, but the agent said that such filming goes on around town pretty regularly; after all, it was Los Angeles.
Debra’s friend invited me to join them for lunch at a Thai restaurant near Venice Beach. It was a beautiful day, but the area was pretty quiet. Even the beach had few people using it at the time.
I bid Debra a safe journey on her flight to visit another friend, this one in Arizona, and made my way to Ventura, where I was scheduled to catch a tour boat to my first national park, the Channel Islands. I had hoped to locate a couple of different lighthouses along the beach, but the routes my GPS suggested didn’t pan out. However, this did give me the chance to get a few pictures of the sun setting over the Pacific Ocean. The view was beautiful and was a wonderful way to see the day end.
The pictures from these three days are available at https://singin1.click/piwigo/index.php?/category/9.
As always, I thank the Lord for granting me the stamina to make the trip, the damn good reflexes to steer the Silver Bullet (SB)–or whatever I am driving–as she needed to be guided, and the ability to enjoy His handiwork as it whizzes by my windshield.
I try not to depend entirely on the GPS and other apps I have installed on my phone. The original plan was to have my tablet and a printed atlas in hand for additional consultation. Unfortunately, I left both at home. The phone served me well as long as I had Wi-Fi access, but I was about to enter the wilds of the national parks system, and such access would not be available.
There’s a saying: “May you live in interesting times.” Crossing my fingers that this trip won’t have too many of them.
Below is the anticipated route from Los Angeles, through Venice Beach, and into the Channel Islands.
