Category: Travel

On Monday afternoon, 2/12/2024, I head off on Amtrak, first visit Seattle. I’ll be staying with friends and family near 4 different stops (see Amtrak USA Rail Pass post for itinerary).

I’ve done some planning for this trip, including breakfast. I bought a cooler in which to keep meal, beverage, and snack options, minimizing cafe car purchases.

Just before starting this blog post about the trip, after snapping the featured photo, I went online to do another of my mourning routines: NY Times Daily Sudoku. Surpisingly –although it should not have been – the photo on the left contains an ad that was for none other than this very Amtrak train option on which I am soon to embark.

The photos may be a fairly typical train travel breakfast: hard steamed eggs; carrots; blueberries; walnuts. I taped a map of the Amtrak rail system, along with stops, into a notebook which will become a hand written journal.

Love it or hate it, we all have to admit that targeted ads have each of us pegged pretty well.

More soon from Riding on the Lake Shore Limited, Chicago, Illinois…

An Amtrak USA Rail Pass that allows for travel anywhere on Amtrak’s system over a 28 day period that starts on the first day of travel. For current plans as of this post, I will begin, 2/12/2024, and end, 3/3/2024, at NYC Penn station. The map below shows the entire system.

The main highlights of my travel will be stays with friends and family at 4 stops. I plan to post details and photos all along my journey, but here is a summary list about each stopping off point.

Starting in NYC’s Penn Station, I travel to Seattle, with a 5 hr layover and change of trains in Chicago. I’ll be onboard overnight to Chicago, then 2 more nights, arriving February 15, around 11:30 am. After only being able to wash up onboard, I plan to ask my hosts, Jo & Bill Richie, to let me take a good hot shower soon after arriving. We will be celebrating Jo’s birthday on Saturday, 2/17.

A relatively short 4 hr trip on Sunday, 2/18, takes me to Portland. There I will meet up with my long time friends, John & Mary Stec. I was an usher at their wedding, over 50 years ago! This will be my 3rd trip to their lovely home in St Helens, a short drive from Portland.

Another long ride awaits as I travel 2 nights from Portland, 2/22, to Denver, 2/24. I’ll take a bus to Boulder and get picked up by other long time friends, Lee and Lyn Beaupre. It was Lee that introduced me to John & Mary. Soon after, I would marry Nina and inside about a 2 year span we were 3 married couples, each with child. There were more weekends over next decade or so that all 3 families were together than we were apart. Nina and I added a 2nd daughter, Lee & Lyn and John & Mary each added a 2nd son.

Also in Boulder I hope to meet up with Rebecca B. Rebecca was traveling when I stopped about a year and a half ago to have lunch with her twin brother, Dan. I’ll share my story about those two and their mom, Jennifer B.

Leaving Denver on 2/27, I will overnight on Amtrak and arrive in the afternoon on 2/28. There I will spend time with my amazing niece, Sarah Franklin, her terrific husband, Jayson, along with a very large number of wonderful children – names and ages in a forthcoming post.

One more overnight, Chicago to NYC, 3/2-3/3, gets me back to The City!

I’ve thought about adding a trip up and back to Montreal, the train fare would be covered, but I’m guessing that will be enough travel for awhile.

Please tag along on my adventure. I plan to post links on Facebook and perhaps expand to other social media. Comments are always most welcome.