Three days a week, the AMTRAK Sunset Limited passes by our house on it's E/B trip to New Orleans. It used to go all the way to Florida, but Hurricane Katrina shortened it's route from L.A. to stopping instead at the Big Easy. Every once in awhile, I catch a glimpse of the silver passenger train as it passes by, and wish that I were on it.
Several years ago, I rode AMTRAK on a circuitous route that took me from Needles, CA to L.A., then up to Sacramento, east to Denver, and back to Needles. Thinking it was about time to take another train trip, I started some preliminary planning a few days ago. I almost had a trip to New Orleans booked, until I discovered a huge price difference between a downstairs roomette and an upstairs roomette. Riding trains is my thing, but 4 days (2 each way) in a regular passenger seat would get old after about the first day. The small rooms are extra cost, but for train travel, it's considered first class with a lot more room, and all meals are included in the price.
Just before I clicked on the computer purchase button, I thought perhaps it would be a good idea to confirm everything with an agent, and ask a couple of questions. Good thing I did, because the round trip price of $882 shown on the computer was for a downstairs room. One of the reasons for riding the train is to see as much as possible, and the difference in visibility from downstairs to upstairs is like night and day. When I asked the AMTRAK agent what the cost difference was for an upstairs room, she said $382. So, by moving up a few feet, the cost went from $882 to $1,264. When I heard that, the issue wasn't that I could afford the lower price, and not the higher price, it was more an issue of fairness and principle. I told the gal that almost $400 extra for the exact same accommodations a few feet higher, didn't seem very reasonable. She was nice enough, but in the end, it was like - that's the way it is buddy!
OK, back to the drawing board. There aren't a lot of options for riding AMTRAK, it more or less depends on where you live. The fact that one of AMTRAK's long distance trains stops in Tucson, does give me the opportunity to make connections to other trains. I just have to figure out which route I want to take, and how much I'm willing to pay for an upstairs room.
THE TRAVELS AND ADVENTURES OF DAN AND PATTY CHANCE
About Me
- DAN
- VAIL (Tucson), Arizona
- Patty & I have been married for 33 great years, & have raised 3 children. Mike & Marc - mine. David - hers. We lost our beloved Beagle Sami in April, 2013, and our kitty Gracie in Sep. Since retiring from co-ownership of Jamestown Harley-Davdson in 2001, we have traveled all over the U.S. in 2 different motor homes. In 2002 and 2003, we traveled the N.H.R.A. Drag Race circuit, pulling the Harley-Davidson, Screaming Eagle merchandise trailer. In the summers of 2004, 2005, 2006, and 2007, Patty worked retail and I drove a tour bus in Skagway, Alaska. The summer of 2008, I worked as a supervisor for the Glacier National Park transit system in N.W. Montana. During the summer of 2009, we decided to travel, and completed a 5 and 1/2 month, 12,000 mile loop around the U.S. and Canada. During the summer of 2010, we traveled mostly in the Pacific Northwest states of Oregon & Washington. We spent the summers of 2011 & 2012, working at the Grand Canyon, where I drove a transit bus, and Patty worked in the General Store. The winters have mostly been spent at our home in Lake Havasu City. We recently relocated the home base to Tucson, AZ.
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