LIFE

Pair make western trip by rail

Richard Straub

Jack Bull and I awaited this day that we could travel on this long-planned trip. We decided to leave the day before the departure of our train so we could not have to get up at 3:30 a.m. the day of our trip.

We stayed at a motel about three miles from the Toledo train station. Of course, being winter, we were greeted in Toledo with a 12-inch snow. We were able to leave our car at the station for safe keeping as the railroad police are just one block away.

The next morning at 5:30, we began our 4 1/2-hour hop to Chicago on board the Capitol Limited. We had a five-hour wait in the Chicago train station to people watch and get a bite to eat at the food court on the upper level. We boarded the Southwest Chief on time to begin our trip westward through the states of Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, the southeast corner of Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona and finally into California.

The terrain is varied and the train passes through cities such as Albuquerque, New Mexico and Flagstaff, Ariz., the latter being a stopping point to travel to the Grand Canyon. This journey enabled us to spend Feb. 4 and 5 on the train and to arrive in Los Angeles around 9 a.m. on Feb. 6.

Friday, Feb. 6: Simi Valley

A rental car had been arranged ahead of time to expedite our journey northward to Simi Valley and the Ronald Reagan Library. Unfortunately, the rental car company was not yet open, and we started this part of our trip 1 1/2 hour late.

We drove 65 miles to Simi Valley, had lunch and were able to check into our motel at 3 p.m. The late arrival kept us from being able to visit the Ronald Reagan Library as it closed at 5 p.m.. We instead enjoyed a good meal and relaxing evening at the motel.

Saturday, Feb. 7: Reagan Library

We arose early to get to the library as close as possible to its 9 a.m. opening. The entire day was spent browsing the displays of the library and visiting the Gift Shop.

The library sits high in the hills but we were unable to view the sites of the valley because of a fog setting in. We enjoyed the noon meal at the Reagan Cafe and left at closing, but could easily have enjoyed a second day here.

Sunday, Feb. 8 and 9: Catalina Island

We left Simi Valley in a rental car to head south to Long Beach. This was the location to head to our next stop, Catalina Island. A ferry runs two or three times each day to take tourists out 22 miles into the Pacific Ocean to this relaxing destination. We had reservations on the 1 p.m. ferry and were amazed at how calm the water was.

Upon arriving at our motel, we walked to a nearby restaurant and enjoyed a tasty meal with an invitation to return the next day. We were given complimentary transportation by our waitress to visit the city park on Monday to watch the boats and view the Pacific. Transportation on the island is by golf cart only.

These can be rented by the hour or the day. There are 4,000 permanent residents who make this beautiful, hilly island their home. Our 4 p.m. departure from the island back to the mainland on Monday was made easier by an extremely attentive crew on the boat who tended to all passengers, but especially the needs of the mobility impaired. Upon arriving back in Long Beach, we motored to Los Angeles and a motel for the night.

The beautiful marble lobby of the early 1900s motel was not indicative of the guest room we were to find. Unfortunately, the small room did not have a bathroom, but we were expected to use the communal hallway bathroom. This was common back in the early years of travel by auto.

We were able to be moved to another room with its own bathroom, but it was still no larger. We stayed this night in Los Angeles in order to catch our 10 a.m. departure on the Coast Starlight.

Tuesday, Feb. 10: California by rail

This day was spent on board the Coast Starlight. We arrived in the capital city of Sacramento and to another motel for the night in order to meet our train connection to start our trip back east.

Wednesday, Feb. 11-13: Salt Lake City

We boarded the California Zephyr to head to our next destination, Salt Lake City. We watched miles and miles of desert go by in the western part of Nevada. As we approached the eastern part, the terrain changed and we were greeted with some hills and mountains. Our arrival into Salt Lake City was not until 3 a.m. Thursday.

Much of our time was spent catching up on sleep that morning. As our motel accommodations were in the suburbs rather than downtown, we were not able to visit the Mormon Tabernacle nor Capitol building. Both of these sites that are a must see, but we really needed another day to fit them in as departure the next morning was scheduled for 3 a.m.

Saturday, Feb. 14-Monday, Feb. 16: Back in Ohio

The first of these days was spent passing through the state of Colorado with the train traveling along the Colorado River with spectacular views of the majestic Rocky Mountains. A stop in Grand Junction gives you a taste of the main trading center of western Colorado.

The train continues into the eastern plains of Colorado, across the states of Nebraska, Iowa, southern Illinois, and then heads northeast into Union Station Chicago.

We had four hours here before boarding the Capitol Limited to head east to Toledo. We arrived in Toledo at 1 a.m. Monday and decided to find a motel for the remainder of the night before motoring back to Marion. Overall the trip lived up to our expectations. If we were to plan the same trip again, we would allow an extra day at each of our destinations.

Travel on Amtrak can be done in coach or in a sleeping car. We spent a total of five nights traveling on the train and recommend the sleeping car for overnight travel. With the sleeping car fare, meals are included, whereas in coach, meals must be paid for separately at the snack bar or in the diner.

All passengers are able to move about the train during travel to enjoy the sights from the lounge car. There are also movies available, snacks and one’s favorite beverage here. Service on the traveled train lines was excellent, and the attendants were attentive to our needs. If you have never traveled by train before, it is definitely worth the trip. If you give it a try, we recommend trying a shorter trip first before attempting a trip of this length.

A good start for a trip is to leave Chicago and travel on the Empire Builder to Minneapolis/St. Paul to visit the Mall of America and back. If this is enjoyable, then plan a longer trip in the future to see America by rail.