The train also made its way through thousands of acres of farmland with various stages of a variety of vegetables growing, with many fields full of workers. If the Midwest is America’s breadbasket, then California is America’s salad bowl, between this area near Oxnard, and what I saw earlier in the San Joaquin Valley from Sacramento to Bakersfield.
In thinking of Amtraking Through My Life, Los Angeles and California have been a major part of it. I have never lived in California, but I figured up all the time I have been there with work or visiting relatives, and I figured I’ve spent more than a year and a half there. I spent much time in the Los Angeles area during my John Deere days, acquiring photographs of Deere construction equipment working on housing tracts, building waterways and highways, a dairy farm and other interesting projects. I certainly recall days when you could make it from southern Orange County to the San Fernando Valley in under an hour. Now that could only be done between 2 to 3 a.m.! I literally watched the construction of many outer Los Angeles suburbs from the mid 1970s through early 90s.
Other work took me to the likes of Riverside, Visalia, the Bay Area, near the Wine Country and into the forests of northern California. Most of these trips to dealers and construction sites were with Deere, however in my Hummer marketing days with AM General, I also visited dealers throughout the state. And of course my brother and his family lived in numerous places throughout the state, Pacifica, Montara, LaHabra, California City, Ojai and Bakersfield. I never wrote their address in ink in my address book. Kathy and I spent our honeymoon in San Francisco and Carmel. So lots of good times in life in California.
I had to spend six hours at Los Angeles Union Station; it, like other Union Stations across America, is a beautiful building, in some ways showing its age, with hidden pieces of the past in its architecture. I found an upscale restaurant within the great hall, called Traxx. The lunch was great! Time flies too when watching the various people coming through. It is a busy train station, as it handles all the Amtrak-California trains and the local Metra trains. In a metro this big, local trains are a must.
Los Angeles Union Station (web photo)
One would think you can’t see much out the window at night, but this night again proved that untrue (across Nebraska the pitch black of night revealed the beautiful stars from my roomette windows while I was in bed!). Once this train gets well east of Los Angeles to San Bernardino, it begins to make its way up the Cajon Pass, following the path of Interstate 15. The three quarters moon illuminated the mountains and it was spectacular watching the mountains in the moonlight, as well as from the city lights in the distance. Once on to Victorville and Barstow, views could be easily seen of the moonlight-drenched high desert.
The train made its way across the deserts of California and Arizona and I slept somewhat better than on the Zephyr. We had not made up any of the time we lost leaving late from L.A., but I wasn’t as concerned about time on this trip as I had no connection to make.
The Southwest Chief does not travel through as much scenic territory as does the Zephyr. But I did spend much of the day in the Observation Car. Once we left Albuquerque, we started to enter the scenic mountains of northern New Mexico. The most interesting part is nearer the Colorado border. Unfortunately it was raining lightly during that portion, so photo shooting was difficult.
A gray day in northern New Mexico
Without rain, we'd never see rainbows!
A unique home in New Mexico...several people knew of this, as it apparently has been featured in a number of mazines and on TV.
Oddly, the spectacular scenery of that trip happened at night just across the Colorado border into Kansas. Quickly a line of severe thunderstorms approached from the southwest. The lightning show was amazing. The train came to a halt for quite some time; it appeared that they were waiting for the storms to move ahead of us. It slowly crept along for awhile, then stopped again. I looked out and could tell that a very dark low cloud was above us…the moonlight shown in the distance along with the lightning to outline the cloud. A couple times the train shook slightly in the wind. I was able to watch on my iPhone and see a lot of red and yellow on the radar, signaling severe storms.
As it was late, I laid back down while the train was standing still, something that might help get me to sleep.
Later in the morning when arriving in the dining car amid bright sunshine, we were told there were tornados in the system near us the evening before. Trains are required to stop in severe weather or when winds are 55 miles per hour or more. That slowdown put us nearly three hours off schedule.
Tornado warnings and severe storms had been a part of my growing up years in Kansas City, which is at the northern end of “Tornado Alley.” I thought it interesting that once I entered Kansas on this trip, I would be subject to this aspect of my life, even at a time of year when tornadoes are not all that frequent.
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As we finally made our way to Kansas City, I again entered the Observation Car. We passed through Lawrence, Kansas, home of the Kansas University Jayhawks, the reviled rivals of my alma mater, the University of Missouri. This is an interesting part of the country to history buffs, especially ones familiar with Civil War history. Interestingly, one of the threesome I had breakfast with knew the history of “Bleeding Kansas.” The territory wished to enter the US as a Free State in the mid-1850s. This caused an attack on Lawrence and spawned actual fights in the US Senate. Many of the “border ruffians” came over from Missouri. It’s a long, complicated story…so, if interested, look up “Bleeding Kansas.” To a much lesser degree, the fight goes on, not politically, but sports wise!
The train travelled slowly through what is known as the “Argentine Switching Yard” in Kansas City, Kansas. At one time this was America’s largest rail switching yard, with about 4 miles of multiple tracks to line up freight trains going east and west. With its slight downhill slope, gravity is used for cars to move down the correct tracks to their trains. I recall seeing this from the highway to the north as a kid as well as when I would take the Union Pacific Portland Rose from KC to Denver every summer. We stopped in the middle of the yard to refuel our diesel engines. From here I could see the Kansas City skyline.
Kansas City skyline from Argentine Switch Yard
Some people think I work for the Chamber of Commerce of Kansas City. I moved there as an 8 year old in 1954 and left for a new job in 1974. Those 20 years, especially the last few, left quite an impression on me. I have been in every major US city, but still believe KC is the best…not because I lived there, graduated high school from there, but because of what it offers.
One of the themes they promoted when I left was “one of the few livable cities left.” I really felt that to be true. Once thought of as a backward “cow town,” the city has emerged with some of the best buildings, areas, etc. in America. Cattle feed lots, slaughter houses etc. were a part of the cities early history. Another major part of its history is the starting point for wagon trains moving west from the original town of Westport, now a night life area. The Oregon and Santa Fe trails left from here. I’ve always felt the Arch (Gateway to the West) in St. Louis should have been built in Kansas City.
A sense of community pride has been evident to me from the time Jackson County Missouri passed a bond issue to build the Truman Sports Complex and other renewal projects in the late 1960s. It still stands out as one of the top sports facilities (two stadiums for baseball and football) in the country. Crown Center, developed by the city and Hallmark Cards, across from the Union Station, was a huge urban redevelopment project completed in 1973 that spawned more growth and beauty in the center of the city. Its airport is ultra modern. The original Country Club Plaza, the first shopping area developed outside of a downtown (in 1928) still rates as one of the top shopping areas in America. The new Sprint Center and recently opened Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts are top of the line facilities that make this “cow town” a desirable location to visit and live!
So, as the train pulls into the station, a lot of history flows through my mind, most of it good. I guess I am lucky. I know some people don’t have positive feelings of their youth or the places they lived early in life. I do, and I was back at the center of it today, if only for a short time.
Amtrak stop in Kansas City
"Pinky" was my car attendant. She has worked for Amtrak for 32 years. The crew rests one day in Chicago, then goes back to Los Angeles. They then have one week off before repeating the trip.
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When on a leisure trip, you lose sense of time. Today is Saturday. Football games are going on across America. It’s also fall in the Midwest. Things have changed greatly in the nearly three weeks I have been gone. Trees are brilliant; farmers can be seen with their combines, tractors and grain trucks, kicking up dust in the fields. The Southwest Chief speeds toward Chicago angling across northern Missouri into central Illinois, taking in a smidgeon of Iowa. It didn’t follow many roads, but rather cut through fields, along woodlands and streams.
Crossing the Mississippi at Fort Madison, Iowa, was another tourist interest. Yes, it is a big river!
Before long, after a few stops, we were in Chicago, about two and a half hours late. I was back where I started…both my train trip and my life.
S U M M A R Y
I did it. Something I wanted to do, I organized and completed. I guess that’s an accomplishment in itself. Was it everything I thought it would be? Pretty much. I did go into it with a lot of unknowns about the train, what to pack etc. But the anticipated scenery met my expectations and the ability to see terrain we might not see from a highway was great.
The Amtrak website is good on giving you a lot of information as far as it can. The Roomette is smaller than I thought. It is built for two, but you have to be small to make it work and which one of the two will take to top “bunk?” A bedroom size, more expensive, is the way to go for two…maybe even for one if you want to spend the extra money.
Many people I met on the train have traversed the US and Canada by train and love it. I suspect one would learn how to sleep better if you did this more often. Bring an extra pillow if you can get it in your carry on. I had a small car pillow and it helped augment the light, foam pillows they have.
The food was better than I expected. Good choices, hot, tasty. When you are in the sleeper car, you get three meals a day included in the price.
The service in the dining car was very good on both trains. My car attendant on the Zephyr was more attentive than the one on the Southwest Chief, but overall sevice was good. You cannot lock your door for the roomette or bedroom when you leave, so keep wallets, phones, cameras with you or well hidden. You can pull the curtains and shut the door, so people would think you are in there. For the most part, there is not an issue, but better safe than sorry.
Meeting and talking to a wide variety of people was a major plus and some told me it is a reason they like to take these cross country trips. Both at the meals and in the observation car, most people were willing to talk and share.
While coming near Sacramento, I was walking in the observation car when a young woman began choking severely on a hotdog. I could tell she was in great distress. I do not know much First Aid, but as I approached her I said “are you all right?” I won’t go into a lot of detail, but in the end I was able to help her out, get a glass of water and some paper towels. It was good to help someone, but I was a little taken back that others didn’t jump in. I could tell she was alone…and felt very alone because she was in major trouble and no one was helping. I spent time talking to her, to help her calm down and regain her composure. She kept telling how grateful she was for my help. It was nothing really, but does show how we should help those in distress. One day it may be us!
If you are in a hurry, fly. If you have time and want to see this very great nation, acre by acre, choose Amtrak. Everyone needs to do it at least once! If you want to see the scenery and not the Great Plains, fly to Denver and get on the Zephyr there to San Francisco. Then fly back.
Would I do it again? Possibly, now that I know “the ropes” and what to take and not take. Overall, it was a great, rewarding experience.
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