Day 18: Off The Train For Awhile
The Southwest Chief arrived about an hour early -- 38 hours or so after we left Chicago. I had forgot to properly set my alarm, but the conductor's call of "San Bernardino" at 5:30 AM was sufficient to jar us awake, and we bestirred ourselves, cleaned up, and packed everything away. We did not hurry off the train, for there were many other people ahead of us who were in a bigger hurry than us. Lisa took pictures of an Amtrak former F40 locomotive converted to a driving cab and baggage ("cabbage") car on an adjacent platform, and then we went inside.
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The less-than-39-hour trip from Chicago to Los Angeles seemed to go by very quickly. While flying is obviously much faster, taking the train sure beats driving. I don't think we could possibly make that trip at the average speed of nearly 60 mph at which we traveled if we drove. After all, we'd have to stop to eat now and then, let alone sleep or use the restroom.
In a little while, Lisa and I will bestir ourselves from our nice hotel room and decide how to spend the rest of the day. But I don't expect anything too adventurous. After all, our train for Oregon leaves at 10:15 tomorrow morning, which means we have to be out of here early enough to get back down to Union Station at least a half-hour or so before that.
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The less-than-39-hour trip from Chicago to Los Angeles seemed to go by very quickly. While flying is obviously much faster, taking the train sure beats driving. I don't think we could possibly make that trip at the average speed of nearly 60 mph at which we traveled if we drove. After all, we'd have to stop to eat now and then, let alone sleep or use the restroom.
In a little while, Lisa and I will bestir ourselves from our nice hotel room and decide how to spend the rest of the day. But I don't expect anything too adventurous. After all, our train for Oregon leaves at 10:15 tomorrow morning, which means we have to be out of here early enough to get back down to Union Station at least a half-hour or so before that.