David's Cruise

The Overland, Day 19/24.

I am only very slightly unimpressed with my hotel in New Orleans.  The bedroom furniture is chipped, and the fridge door is hanging off.  Boy! are they parcemonious with the cream for the bedroom coffee maker.  Just one thumb-nail sized pot of hard to access whitener for as much coffee as you like!  And if I want the implied river view, then I guess I will have to go down to the river!  My bed, however, is magnificent and rather hard to extricate one’s self from, especially when you don’t actually have to.  But, I’m in New Orleans, not some uninspiring location closer to home. The likelihood of ever being here again is slim.  But for much of the day, I struggled to get my act together. I did tour New Orleans on the hop-on hop-off bus which takes around 90 minutes to complete a comprehensive loop of the city.  My ticket is valid tomorrow morning, and I should have time to go round again before a conducted coach tour in the afternoon.

  Tonight, I should have been on a dinner cruise on the Mississippi River. I had a very brief knap in my hotel room, and at last, felt back to normal and looking forward to a pleasant evening. I showed up as instructed at 6pm for a 7pm start.

It turns out that the ”Creole Queen” had been booked for a private party. I spoke to the ship’s captain who appeared concerned by the double booking. Fortunately, I can be accommodated on tomorrow night’s trip, the day before Independence Day. This is better all round. I expect to be “more rejuvenated” than ever I was today! Tonight, I dined at the Coterie Restaurant and Oyster Bar, a typical New Orleans eatery in the City’s French Quarter, which came highly recommended by the Hotel Concierge, who, throughout the day, has been extremely helpful, and approachable. Slightly off the beaten track, this restaurant/bar was quite atmospheric. I can’t remember what I ordered but there was gumbo, chicken, and rice in what I imagine was a typical Cajun dish but with no fish, as mentioned in the menu. I still avoid fish which I believe I now have an intolerance for.

After my meal, I ventured into a very noisy Canal Street. The evenings are extremely pleasant, the fierce humidity of the day giving way to something much more manageable. I did wonder if it was the heat which got to me today. Then, I remembered that smaller piece of cheesecake I allowed myself on The Sunset Limited. Tonight, I had recovered from the fatigue of today, and decided, after dinner, to experience a piece of “Saturday Night New Orleans.” Ye Gods, it’s noisy out there. Canal Street with its tramway down the centre is quite unlike anywhere I have ever been before. Music booms out of seemingly everywhere. Evangelists blast out doom and gloom to non-believers, rappers blast out incomprehensible lyrics to loud and exciting thudding music. People dance in the street. Protesters protest through earpiercing sound systems. Yet, I want to be in the middle of all this. It’s hard to walk here on a Saturday night, perhaps being just two days away from Independence Day, and of course, the 182nd anniversary of The CUNARD LINE. Just 18 years to go for the BIG 200th! Will I make it? I’ll be 91 then. If I stay away from Amtrak cheese cake, I could be in with chance! Actually, will Cunard make it? That’s a thought!

I sign off just before 11 pm, thanking you all for reading. See you (That is, I shall no doubt write) tomorrow.

All the best, David, 23.00 in the DoubleTree Hotel. Now to take the laundry down!

The Overland, Day 18/24

Ye Gods!  It’s July 1st, I am in a very rainy Houston in Texas; fifteen days from now, I shall be in Harpur Hill! Yesterday, we changed time zones twice, once around midday from Pacific to Mountain Time, and again, at around 9pm to 10 pm CentralTime .

Again, I slept well on the train, but in the morning, perhaps my coffee at breakfast should not have been decaffeinated; I felt tired for a period, nothing more than I may have expected.  I opened my curtains to reveal a less inspiring view from the train, and a grey sky.  “It must be very humid outside” I thought to myself.  Just before midday, the train slowed as we entered a kind of suburban built-up area, and then a cluster of spectacular high-rises, the tops of which were obscured by cloud cover.  I would soon ascertain that this was Houston, Texas.

The coffee available at the end of the sleeping car seems to have brought me round a little, and I feel rejuvenated once again.  These Amtrak trains rattle along at respectable speeds over very long distances. But, they are not the smoothest of ride. As a former colleague once described a rough riding locomotive at home, “It’s like being on a rodeo horse!”  However, when at home, I am going to be yearning for the shake rattle and roll of long distance U.S. rail travel, and the mournful cry of the locomotive’s whistle as trackworkers, trespassers and level crossings are approached. All this still accessible without flying!  

Lunch has just been announced (12.30 hrs) and I will go along shortly, then adjourn to the Observation Car for a while.  I would have liked to seen more of Houston, but on a better day than today.  Leaving Houston, we reversed for perhaps a mile before a slow and intricate continuance towards New Orleans. I have no idea how late we might be, even if at all.  We have stopped on what appears to be part of a triangle, useful when enabling trains to change direction without the locomotive needing to run round its train.  Now, it seems we were waiting for a triple headed Union Pacific freight working of hopper wagons to clear.  12 49, and we are on our way.

This part of Texas seems much greener than where we passed through yesterday. And as suburbia and industry thins out, and we cross Lake Houston, wooded green plains stretch as far as the eye can see on both sides of the train.  As in the U.K., lineside tree growth obscures the views at times. However, that’s much better for the planet. Perhaps I can’t see the wood for the trees….Actually this is already very pleasant to look at, even in a persisting shower of rain.

I did make it to the Observation Car after lunch, and soon got into conversation with a young passenger hoping to live and work abroad. As ever, she was impressed with my itinerary and I conceded that the Grand Canyon was probably the highlight of my entire tour. But although only a very few days ago, even that experience had partially merged with other memories. I shall have fun selecting photographs and writing an account of this journey, when at home, hopefully in preparation for a fundraising presentation.  I shall need help with the PowerPoint side of things, ‘though.

Written the following morning

My river view accommodation at the DoubleTree Hotel in New Orleans was not forthcoming and I would have to negotiate the next day if I wanted to change rooms…which I still might.   Nevertheless, I slept soundly and look forward to an interesting day.

We had arrived at the outskirts of New Orleans in very good time, and had we had an uninterrupted road into the station, we might well have been early. But, needless to say, a freight working took priority and eventually, we backed into the terminal station an hour and twenty minutes late, by which time, despite the excellent and filling Amtrak dinner, I was beginning to feel hungry again.  I shared a taxi with another couple, going to a posher Hilton Hotel than mine.

Many thanks for reading, David 09.17hrs at the Doubletree Hotel on Canal Street, New Orleans La.

It is a privilege to have stayed in the historic Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel even for just one night.     When I settled in yesterday, and was comfortable, lying quietly on (rather than in) a strange four-poster bed, the TV was on, and I was “quite getting into a hospital drama” which looked familiar.  Suddenly, I jumped out of my skin.  I felt the earth move, and the roaring noise aroused me from a travel-fatigue induced slumber.  No, it wasn’t the interaction of tectonic plates….  As I would ascertain later, it was the air-conditioning unit in dire need of scrapping.  Hotel maintenance assured me there was nothing wrong. I beg to differ. But I became accustomed to these intermittent tremors and indeed slept for England as soon as, later, my head hit the pillow.

I awoke at around 8 am feeling like I had slept well.  Although I only really had the one decent day here (my train for New Orleans was not due away until 10pm) it wasn’t until 11-ish that I sought inspiration from the Hotel Concierge.  He suggested the Griffith Observatory atop a rather steep hill (or mountain) around 20 minutes’ drive from the Roosevelt Hotel.   I now actually have an Uber App on my phone and for the first time, I tried it out.  Sure enough, a smart green car drew up and I was whisked efficiently to the Observatory.  There were lots of people around enjoying the views to be had, and some of the hiking trails of different levels of ability.  I stayed up there, and tried Uber once again.  No Internet! 

Eventually, I met three people who were heading back for the Walk of Fame on Hollywood Boulevard, and they invited me to join them.

All sorts of unlikely people have their name etched in the glittery pink stars, of which there are well over 2,500 decorating the sidewalk, both sides of Hollywood Boulevard

It’s nice to see classical conductors and violinists among the celebrated. My return to Hollywood Boulevard on a free bus and the Subway train didn’t cost anything! I walked with my three newly made friends as far as the Hotel, and would have stayed with them longer, but I was leaving for New Orleans later in the evening and I wanted to make sure I hadn’t overlooked anything before I moved on.

The train for NOLA awaits. Many thanks for reading, David, ammended and completed in New Orleans, 16.41, 2nd July 2022.

Just in case: NOLA is New Orleans Louisiana.

The Overland. Days 16 and 17/24

While always comfortable contemplating long distance rail journeys (providing I have a real bed for the night-time bits), I always feel slightly daunted at the thought of spending perhaps 48 hours on a train.  Such misgivings soon evaporated when I saw my now familiar sleeping quarters for the journey from L A.to New Orleans.  I have been there before,  51 years ago, travelling during the first month of Amtrak’s existence, from Champagne Urbana, Illinois.  I think it was former penfriend, Jackie Chapla who gave me accommodation on the campus of the University of Illinois after I had travelled from Chicago on the Shaunee Limited.  Both trains were, fully, in the magnificent brown and orange livery of the recently taken over Illinois Central Railroad. By that time, however, with Amtrak now in charge, resulting in the withdrawal of the overnight service back to Chicago, it became necessary to fly back to rejoin the party with whom I was travelling, The North American Rail Study Group.

I slept well last night, waking up in time for a 45 minute break at Tuscon, Arizona, giving ample time for a shower while the train was stationary.  This part of Arizona is very dry, a bit “untidy” but once out in the open country, quite dramatic with cacti of all shapes and sizes and a backdrop of craggy mountainous scenery.   We are still BST – 8 which means I have to think carefully before sending e-mails and WhatsApp messages back to the UK.  Apologies to all those whose phones have “pinged” in the middle of the night; occasionally I do forget!

From what I gather, all the Amtrak trains I have travelled on are of the same consist, i.e. Locomotive(s), 1 Baggage Car, 1 Sleeper with both Roomettes and Bedrooms, 1 Dining Car, 1 Observation Car and 3 Coach Class vehicles.  It appears to work well.  One or two “frills” have been either introduced or reintroduced, e.g. a decent breakfast with plenty of choice at a table adorned with fresh flowers.  Lunch is usually some kind of a burger, or something light.  Dinner is laid up properly with fresh linen table cloths and a pretty good choice on the menu, which, so far, is identical on each train.  Thus Amtrak provides a good albeit standardised service.  The passenger vehicles are all Superliner  double deck coaches, and on each train, I have been upstairs.  Maybe there are no Bedrooms on the lower deck.  I suspect that my last overnight train journey to Washington will be different; I seem to remember the Lakeshore Ltd being single deck, at least in Coach Class, and I believe this applies to trains to and from New York/east of Chicago.

Whereas America’s largest freight company, BNSF (Burlington Northern & Santa Fe Railway) operated the bulk of the freight workings between Chicago and Los Angeles, we are now on Union Pacific metals as we head east from L.A.  The passing dry, arrid, and craggy landscape with endless plains and dramatic hills and mountains is as thrilling in its characteristic way as anywhere I have seen, except possibly for the Grand Canyon.

This entire journey has met, and in many cases, exceeded my expectations, with very few, if any disappointments. I wasn’t, however, at all pleased with the. l.A. taxi driver who charged me almost double what his company quoted for the ride from the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel back to Los Angeles Union Station.  There was no point in prolonging the dispute, and I will Google an appropriate fare to see whether, in fact, I am mistaken. Certainly, I was delivered safely to my destination in very good time, and although an hour early, the train was ready for boarding.  We had left five minutes late owing to some kind of issue with a member of the public which prevented an on-time departure. I got myself organised and after a brief exploration both as far as the Café on the lower deck of the Observation Car, and one final look outside, I changed into my nightgear and settled down for what turned out to be a good night’s sleep. Tomorrow, we continue across Texas. 

Many thanks for reading, and welcome to anybody who has just accessed this blog, some of whom I have enjoyed the pleasure of meeting along the way.  David on board The Sunset Limited. 10.23, 1st July 2022.

Maybe the concept of the Hard Rock Café is a little dated. But the idea of food, loud music, and rock memorabilia exhibited around the world appeals to a continuing clientele. I have, long since had to give up on the idea of alpinous (is there such a word?)  burgers, fries and towering sundaes.  Right now, I’m in the Hollywood Hard Rock Café where a chicken Caesar salad is being prepared. They say it is 649 calories.  That’ll do before getting my head down.  I am heavy-eyed from my recent travels, and plan to make the most of my one night at the historic Roosevelt Hotel and sleep for England!

I shall make the most of my short time here, tomorrow, and probably go around on the hop on – hop off bus. Part of me wants to go to Seattle and back on Amtrak!

I did say I would put the JustGiving page in a near-future blog. For some reason, the app has disappeared from my desktop. I will get this reinstated as soon as I am back home, before, if I can figure out why I have to start again.

Many thanks for reading, David, the Roosevelt Hotel, Hollywood, California. 23 12 hrs.

Diverting at Flagstaff to Williams, Arizona (rather than merely continuing to L.A.) for two nights and then Tusayan for a further overnight stay was an inspiration. 

Day 1 followed the somewhat  late arrival of Amtrak’s South West Chief. Nevertheless, my much anticipated journey on the Grand Canyon Railway to the Grand Canyon did not disappoint.  I now find out that the Grand Tour took us to one vantage point not available to the general public. 

Then, Day 2, came the transfer from Williams to Tusayan arriving with about two hours to chill out before the Off Road Sunset Tour.  What I didn’t know until last night is that North Arizona, being over 7,000 ft above sea level can, even in June, become quite cool in the evening. And much needed rain fell in localised areas giving rise to rich bright double rainbows. 

Today, Day 3, was the Grand finale at the Grand Canyon.  The more than six hour lengthy exploration of this natural wonder was nothing short of fabulous. My pictures do go some way to sharing this stunning experience with those who follow my blog.  Right now, I am in a not very comfortable Flagstaff Station waiting for the 20 40 hrs overnight service to Los Angeles, except that now, it’s 23.44 hrs, and the train is not expected until half past midnight.  A handful of passengers wait resigned to yet another impossibly late South West Chief.  At least, I can have something of a lie-in tomorrow instead of having to leave the train at 08.00 hrs. 

Here therefore are yet more pictures of the Grand Canyon taken today.  Leo our guide and expert, a lady from South America showed the small party I was with, around as much as possible in the time available. Not only did we see the Canyon from various view points, we also learned about the geology of the area, and how the Grand Canyon came to be. We also learned about the trees, and shrubs, berries, and animals during a very informative and extremely pleasant picnic. This has become the highlight, so far, putting the Chicago concert a very close second, perhaps alongside the Kennedy Space Center visit which feels now, such a long time ago.

It is 01.01 hrs and there is little sign of the train for Los Angeles.  Flagstaff Station is a strange place at this time of the morning with around 10 waiting for the train, some stretched out on benches appearing to be asleep and snoring convincingly. (Written the following morning on board the South West Chief running I believe  to be around 4 hours late). What is sad is that the waiting area has repro Santa Fe posters extolling travelling on their prestigious trains, from what I gather, were five to California and the South West.  However, there was something atmospheric about being “stuck” at Flagstaff at that time of night, with the noise of the town, the neon lights of various bars, cafés, clubs (maybe) and restaurants, with traffic streaming by on the famed Route 66.  Freight traffic, Amtrak’s elephant in the room, roared by in both directions every few minutes.  One such last freight train at around 1.10 am was closely followed by the obscenely late South West Chief.  During the day, a Chicago bound South West Chief  came to grief after colliding with a dumper truck at a remote crossing at Menden, Missouri.  It seems the entire, (or most of the) train overturned as a result of the impact. It is reported that 3 were killed, 2 on board the train, and, 50 injured, out of over 200 on the train. This was Amtrak’s second fatal accident in as many days, the previous accident being in Northern California with again, 3 killed as a result of a collision with a commuter train. 

The feeling of isolation and alone-ness was further emphasised when I found that my battery charger had inexplicably become damaged and I had very little charge left in my phone. The nice Amtrak ticket man at Flagstaff lent me his pliers and thankfully, I can now recharge my phone.  I suddenly realised how reliant I had allowed myself to become on my phone. 

I did enjoy a Cornish Pasty at a bar/restaurant which has an extensive menu of hot dishes at fairly reasonable prices.  Each table against a wall had its own plug socket, which would have been perfect for charging my phone!  Fortunately, I don’t have to go searching for an electrical store in L.A. for a replacement charger.

Being four hours late is, in fact, a great blessing, perhaps not for those for relying on connections or being at meetings. But for me, having the time in the morning to get up when I wish, and have all that extra time, as well as seeing the Mojave Desert, rather than sleep through it, and other countryside is very much an added bonus, well worth sitting it out at Flagstaff!

I fear some reading this blog may well be (justifiably) irritated by the casual and glass half full philosophy I have to this late running.  The down side is, not only the inconvenience caused to those not travelling for leisure, but also the long term perception of rail travel by those who actually live here.  I’m sure Santa Fe’s quintet of super trains in the 1950s were not subject to this kind of delay; or, maybe they were. 

We arrived and left San Bernardino a few minutes ago. It is midday, and I am just about ready to get myself to the Roosevelt Hotel.  Perhaps some sartorial rejuvenation is in order.  My favourite white trousers look in dire need of replacement.  Oh Potter’s of Buxton, wherefore art thou?  Buxton I imagine! 

I’m guessing we are around 20 minutes away from our final arrival at Union Station, Los Angeles. It is extremely hot out there.  These are recent pictures taken in and from the Observation Car. (My guess was somewhat optimistic!)

The journey, for me, was much better than I had expected.  Soon, I shall be on my way to the Roosevelt Hotel in Hollywood, maybe retracing the steps of much earlier in this rather grand tour.  All my baggage is now on the lower deck, ready for an efficient get-away.  Tomorrow night, I board the Sunset Limited for the two night, three day journey to New Orleans.  Today, the train arrived at 13.52 hrs 5 hours 52 minutes late, meaning the same amount of extra daylight travelling, an unexpected bonus.

Finally, I am still walking for Christian Aid.  I am well passed the 1.3 million steps mark, (of the original 1 million) and should achieve my revised target of 1.4 million, but only just!   I plan to include the JustGiving link in the next blog or in the near future.

Many thanks for reading, David, now comfortably ensconced in the Roosevelt Hotel, Hollywood where my 7th floor room looks out onto the,Walk of Fame. At least, I thought I was, the A C machine is intermittent and noisy when it “kicks in”. I have played with the controls and hopefully silenced what might be a noisy fan.

Including an account of an off-road visit to the Grand Canyon at sunset.

Geographically, I have been much further away from home. But north Arizona feels further than anywhere I have ever travelled to.  I feel as if I am seeing a part of the country less visited by people from the U.K.  However, the Grand Canyon is a household name world-wide, and I have former colleagues and friends, some who have even gone hiking even to the bottom of this astonishing natural wonder. 

I wanted to see more of Williams, but although away for seventy-four days, I am on a pretty tight schedule. 

Much needed (not by me!) rain prevented me from exploring Williams more, particularly the railway side of things.  Eventually, the transportation arrived at the front of the hotel to transfer me the approximately 55 miles to the small town of Tusayan very close to the Canyon itself.  We drove along Highway 64 for just about all of the way, in fact, I think my hotel for tonight only is on Highway 64.  It was around an hour’s drive and I was the only passenger.  It was just like having my own chauffeur driven vehicle.

I settled into my room before having a very late lunch at a nearby Mexican restaurant.  Soon, it was time to venture over the road to where the jeep-like vehicles would take seven of us along dirt tracks to various vantage points along the rim of the Canyon.  Our first call was close to where we called yesterday. However, grey clouds and intermittent sunshine made for a very different look to what I saw yesterday.   Our tour guide was superb, and a credit to the tourist industry. What alarms me that although I am walking far more frequently than ever in the past, I am increasingly less sure-footed on uneven terrain. The tour guide assisted me several times when I felt uncertain. However, I did get to see the Canyon as the sun dipped behind what appears to be a distant plateau.

What surprised me was that it was quite cool and at times very wet. This made for some dramatic effects which I tried to capture.

Sunshine, grey clouds and precipitation make for wondrous sights at the Grand Canyon.

It has been another splendid day. Tomorrow, I do one final Grand Canyon trip before heading back for the sleeper from Flagstaff to Los Angeles, where I arrive shortly after 8am the day after tomorrow. I took similar pictures on the Lumix.

Many thanks for reading,

David, 23.05 hrs The Red Feather Lodge, Tusayan. Thanks for reading.

Even on Pacific Time last night, I still didn’t get to bed until 01.30 hrs this morning, the day of another great railway adventure to The Grand Canyon.

Before the 08.30 hrs departure of the 15 car Grand Canyon train (which is quite splendid) there was a “mock shoot out” staged adjacent to the hotel.  I gave up on that spectacle after five minutes; it was hard to get anywhere close to what was going on.  Those attending were guided onto the train for an on-time departure, and I joined that same crowd. I would be guided to the First Class carriage named “Arizona” adjacent to one of three consecutive dome cars which appeared to be sold out. I did manage to “sneak” the above pictures, but I had to be quick!

The Grand Canyon Railway opened on September 17th 1901, but became increasingly unviable in the 1960s and on June 30th 1968, the final service consisting of one carriage and one baggage car, with just three passengers, formed the last train.  The private car and air travel had done irreparable damage to the railway industry, but somehow, it is still possible to travel across and around North America by rail, although to do so in anything like acceptable comfort needs to be thought through carefully.  Twenty years later, after several previous attempts, an entrepreneurial couple financed the successful reopening of this 65 mile railway, and with a daily return service to the Grand Canyon from the original start at Williams, both railway and town are prospering from a resultant thriving tourist industry. It is a privilege to have been able to come here.

I was warned that on first seeing the Grand Canyon, I would feel emotional, as if being moved by a poignant, powerful piece of music. (Tchaikovsky’s Romeo and Juliet “did me” in Chicago!).  On the “Grand Tour”, we were told to shut our eyes until instructed to open them again.  When we did, sure the vista was like nothing I had ever seen, but the noisy gasps from the other people on the bus rather detracted from any feelings of emotion.  But, I was, gazing upon this most astonishing manifestations of natural beauty.  We were taken to two vantage points, where plaques indicated the names of various distant features.  The hot buffet lunch was a cold turkey and cheese sandwich, a packet of crisps (chips in America) and a chocolate cookie, which did nothing to impress my diabetic nurse!  I wonder if the hotel put me on a different trip.  “Grand Tour”, I felt, was a bit of an exaggeration, and nothing resembled a hot buffet lunch!  All this was negated by a superb all you can eat buffet dinner where I had breakfast this morning. The Grand Canyon Railway Hotel complex including the station and surrounds with preserved locomotives and coaching stock scattered around makes for my perfect place to be.  Getting here is the problem if I don’t want to fly.  12.53 in the lobby of the Railway Hotel.  26th June.   The plan today was to spend the morning exploring Williams before the 13.30 transfer to Tusyan some 50 miles away.  The Almighty ordained a wet morning.  Certainly Arizona needs the rain more than I do!  I close this blog with pictures taken during my only full day here, 25th June.

Hopefully, the plaques will give some idea of what I photographed yesterday.

Those are my first pictures taken yesterday from two vantage points we were taken to.

I obviously tried to capture Grand Canyon Station in pictures.  The log building is on of just three surviving such “depots” in the U.S.A.

Again, I completed this blog while waiting for the rain to stop. In the lobby of The Grand Canyon Railway Hotel at Williams. This place is worth a second visit, but for longer, as is everywhere I have been to so far.   The huge collection of locomotives and rolling stock is a pleasure to experience, whether riding or just looking around.

Thanks for reading, David, 12.15, the lobby of the Grand Canyon Railway Hotel, Williams, Arizona.  It’s still raining!

Today, the train is full. We have already lost two hours, although, as I write, we a just an hour and twenty-five minutes late.  Not too disastrous yet.  During the waking hours, i.e from around 09.00hrs (08.00hrs MT time) I have sought to photograph each station stop during the run to Flagstaff. Right now, we are arriving at Albuqerque, New Mexico at 17.48, although the phone remains on Central Time. 

The view as I awoke this morning was of the vast plains o

This is the first time things have gone slightly pear-shaped. We are well over two hours late, but nobody will say exactly.  Two hours is not catastrophic, three hours will be dodgy, four hours and sleep deprivation will kick in as I really need to be up by around 07.45hrs tomorrow, especially as breakfast is included for two nights.  I also hope the hotel has laundry facilities.  We stopped at Gallup around 20 minutes ago and our smoke stop was rather brief so as to be able to make up for some lost time. 

There is just one more stop before Flagstaff, Arizona.  It’s dark now, but I’m told the clocks go back an hour at the Arizona border. If that’s the case and we are two hours late on top of retarding the clocks an hour, we are on this train much longer than I thought we would be. And yes, 23.00 hrs became 22.00 hrs, so we are back where we were in Vancouver and San Francisco.  I think the penultimate stop for me is Winslow.  I will have to check the spelling.  We were due in at 20 32 hrs; it is now 22.12 hrs and still my phone insists that it’s twelve minutes past midnight. 22.47hrs I have been assured that Flagstaff is just half an hour away. With luck, I should be in bed for midnight!

I did enjoy a day and a half on Amtrak’s South West Chief, and met many interesting folk from different walks of life. I shall complete my journey on this train after three days at the Grand Canyon. It’s a pity the train is late, but random time keeping goes with the territory of riding U.S.trains.

At Flagstaff, I along with eight others got off the train; nine more boarded for stations to Los Angeles. Renee was my cabin steward for the journey from Chicago. A pleasant efficient lady, I was able to enjoy my journey to the full, despite the late running which is quite normal on these very long journeys.

Thankfully, the booked transport was still waiting, and I joined a few others on the small vehicle for the 30 minute transfer to Williams, Arizona, which I understand used to be an Amtrak stop. I remember, not, the time I checked in to the Railway Hotel, but I do remember hitting the hay at 01.30 hrs (03.30 hrs Chicago time).

I was up well in time for the adventures the next day would offer.

Many thanks for reading, David, 11.43 hrs, 26/6/22 in the lobby of the Railway Hotel, Williams, Arizona, dodging a heavy burst of rain, where I completed this blog.

I do like the Fairmont Millennium Park Hotel in Chicago.  The building is only 35 years old, and according to one of the waiters who I understand has been employed there for thirty years, you could see Lake Michigan before the 37 storey block was later surrounded by high-rises, some almost twice as tall.  Opposite are Millennium and Grant Parks. I’m not sure where one ends and the other begins.  In 1971, the whole of this area were railroad yards. Now, decades later, this vast space has been wonderfully landscaped and developed into a fabulous open air park and complex where last night, I enjoyed a concert at which I willingly would have paid handsomely for the seat…which, much to my pleasant surprise, was free!  Or was it?  My detailed hotel bill,  nearly gave me a second heart attack.  It listed all kinds of taxes which will have slithered into the coffers of  Chicago City Council (or whatever the local authority is called), as well as the room rates, giving me the impression that around $1,250 had just been charged against my credit card account.  At first, I begrudged these unavoidable tax extras, but after last night’s concert, no longer! Imagine free symphony concerts almost daily in Hyde Park!   My travel agent did put things right immediately, and my final bill was slightly less than I had calculated.

Thus, I again had breakfast very late.  Having settled my revised invoice, and tipped all those who had assisted in my enjoying my all too brief stay, there was time for one final walk around, but not quite enough to ride the C.T.A. Elevated Railway system. I promised all those who wished me a safe journey and “come back next year” that I would return, and that is my hope.  But I was warned against coming back in the winter, where temperatures of -50°  make life almost impossible .  

I am sometimes asked what my favourite place or event has been so far since I started travelling.  It’s a very fair question which until now has been difficult to decide.  I have “nominated” last night’s Grant Park Festival concert, already described, as a contender for highlight of the entire tour.  This, however, may well be “trounced” by the Grand Canyon the day after tomorrow.  Speaking to a couple from Arizona, no camera can capture the awesomeness of actually being there, particularly for the very first time.

I left the Fairmont in good time for my train, which I nearly missed taking photographs of the magnificent interior of Chicago Union Station.  I wasn’t overly wowed by the Metropolitan Lounge reserved for sleeping car passengers. This may improve as the continuing pandemic declines further.

There are two private cars attached to the rear of the train. I thought that Amtrak had discontinued the practice of allowing railworthy private vehicles being attached to their regular services. Being laden with bags, in a dark underground Station with hordes of passengers from an incoming service coming from the opposite direction, taking photographs was not high on my list of priorities.  Annoyingly, my coach is at the loco end of the train and level crossings are at times, every few yards.  And the train’s almost continuous whistlle does little to aid a good night’s sleep. Nevertheless, I remain thankful to have invested in a bedroom where there is space in which to spread out.  The South West Chief  is not quite the same as The Empire Builder. There is no schedule from which to follow the journey, and make this travel blog a little more interesting. The interior of my Bedroom is much the same but with a few detail differences.  When I told the Dining Car Supervisor that I was from near Manchester, he recalled with excitement being at Old Trafford in 2009 when Manchester United drew with Arsenal. He seems to remember the date as being May 13th or 14th 2009.  Maybe I’ll check this out later.  I now feel a bit privileged to have grown up around 4 miles from Old Trafford!

It’s almost 9 o’clock and I’m on a train heading for Kansas City, prior to the overnight journey to Flagstaff.  This is Amtrak’s South West Chief.

0849 Syracuse  held for a freight service. Friday 24th June 2022

I slept much better than I thought I was going to, waking up in the State of Colorado.  Kansas City the night before was a smoke stop.  The Conductor announced a mere 5 minutes, but having already gone to bed, I felt we were there for much longer. I ascertained later that the two private cars at the rear were detached at Kansas City. Choosing not to have announcements relayed to my room (I don’t welcome being awakened needlessly at 6am), and not having access to a train schedule, it’s difficult to ascertain exactly where we are.  But we did stop ever so briefly at Lamar Colorado at 08.46 hrs.

To be continued soon. Thanks for reading, David, on board the South West Chief as far as Flagstaff.  08.35 MT,  BST-7