A Cross-Country Train Trip

Tonight and tomorrow David and I will be on the return segment of our cross-country train trip. We’ll be taking the Lakeshore Limited train from Chicago back to Albany, New York where our car is parked. When we get back to Albany, we will have traveled 6,600 miles on the train.

Monday we pick up the truck for our move, Tuesday we pack the truck, Wednesday we move our stuff to Ephrata, and Thursday we move into our new apartment, all with the help of good friends.

We have seen so much country in the past two weeks, and we’ve met up with good friends (and made new ones) along the way. It has been an adventure for sure. What feels different about this trip is that normally we have a home to go to upon our return from our travels. It’s a bit disconcerting that we have to first establish our new home before we can settle down to having a new “nest.” We’re already travel-weary and moving takes a lot of energy. So we are doubly grateful to have help from good friends.

This may be way more information than you wanted to know, dear readers. My advice: if you are going to be this adventurous of traveling while in the middle of a move, do it when you’re young and energetic.

My other advice: buying a 30-day train pass is definitely worth it. There is a lot of country to be seen, and viewing it from the dome car of a train is a wonderful way to do it.

David and I have met many Amish people along our way. They hail from many different communities and groups. We’ve seen families from the most conservative to the most progressive groups. Yesterday an “English” woman with her guitar was singing with a group of Amish people, and I joined in. That was certainly a throwback to my Amish days.

Seeing a family playing “Dutch Blitz” together in the observation car, hearing them sing, and other communal aspects of the Amish culture made me nostalgic for that kind of community. Then I remind me of Doug Larson’s quote: “Nostalgia is a file that removes the rough edges from the good old days.” It also reminds me of how being a part of my original community gave me both a sense of belonging and a sense of being stifled. So getting a look at people who seem to be enjoying living the Amish life makes me happy.

Below are photos from along our journey. Yesterday the California Zephyr train was 8 hours late, and that meant that we went through an area of the most spectacular scenery on any Amtrak train — in the dark. We were very disappointed. We talked with a couple who has seen that stretch between Glenwood Springs and Denver many times, and they said it is breathtakingly beautiful. So we will need to go back to that area someday.

That said, let me post some of the photos I took of the areas of the country we did see. First come dessert scenes between Albuquerque and Los Angeles.

From the Coast Starlight between Los Angleles and Emeryville, California:

I will post more photos in another blog post, including our visits with friends and family in Los Angeles and Berkeley, and our ride on the California Zephyr.

Do you enjoy traveling by train? If so, I’d love to hear about your train travel adventures.