I spend the couple months before the move collecting things, I purchased several luggage pieces, bought new housewares to pack, purchased a better quality camera, and I stuffed a small duffel bag filled with snacks. I had cracker sandwiches, nutella, cookies, a few ready to eat tuna salad packages, and several bottles of water. I also had two books, portable game systems, and my camera. November 30th, I had my last In-N-Out burger, and left for the Sacramento Amtrak train station. I had a total of 5 checked baggage pieces (3 were allowed, I paid only $20 extra for the additional two pieces), and also 2 carry-on pieces.
Boarding the train was confusing. People had no idea where they were supposed to be, what end of the train they needed to be on, and the staff was absolutely no help. But, anyway. Eventually I made my way on, and found an empty seat. I settled in, and the train took off. I took out my camera, and started taking photos. I took tons, but will only share a couple of my favorites.
Surprisingly, the train ride was pretty fantastic, I think. There was certain things though, for example... the water on the train was really, really, bad. Several times I subconsciously checked the color of the water, because it tasted not right. Watching other people get water from the same area, they did a double check as well. Towards the middle of the trip, the bathroom facilities, got really messy, and they didn't seem to be very sterile. Though, they looked really good when I first boarded. Lastly, the cost of things. At the snack car, I paid $6 for a microwaved cheeseburger, and $2 for a single can of soda. Not to mention, I also dined in the dining car for lunch one afternoon, and paid $17 for that.
At night, the lights turned off and the staff passed out pillows. I was actually really shocked at how many people slept. I didn't plan to sleep, but when I leaned my head against the pillow, I was out. There's got to be something about the movement of the train that just sends you to sleep. Though, I didn't sleep well, I was up about every half hour or so, and once during the night, I seen that we had stopped just outside Salt Lake City, Utah for a good 4 hours. When the lights came back on the next morning, the conductor described that we were stopped due to high winds.
In Denver, Colorado, they announced that there was going to be a maintenance stop, and that they were going to be stopped for a longer time. I took the opportunity to step off the train and get some cold, fresh air. It was 14 degrees that night. They finished their maintenance, and the train trudged on to it's destination. My fiance had traveled to the nearest stop in Omaha, Nebraska, and stayed at a hotel, so he could come pick me up when I arrived, very early in the morning. Unfortunately, the train was still late and I was a couple hours behind. But he was waiting there when I stepped off, on December 2nd. Of course, I hadn't bathed since I got on the train, I felt pretty gross, and I'm sure I looked it as well. I bee-lined it to the bath when I first walked in the door to the apartment, that's for sure.
So, did I have a good trip? Yes, it was fabulous. Would I do it again? Definitely! Was it worth it? Oh yes, it really was. I'm glad I went on Amtrak. It was quiet, beautiful, All 7 pieces of luggage made it to Omaha safely, the staff was great for the most part. However, if you are planning on making a trip: Make sure you bring essentials to freshen up in the bathroom (facial soap, toothpaste), and, be sure to pack some snacks, because the costs of food on the train is insane.
