Ray and I boarded the Santa Fe Chief yesterday afternoon at 6 pm in LA and are now in Colorado 24 hours later. We have eaten in the dining car for four meals already, made several new friends and have relaxed more than either of us has in years.
We slept until 9:15 this morning after a slightly rocky night (literally). Just getting calmed down after being so excited to go on vacation is partly the culprit plus being too tired from lots of works prior to leaving. Also we had to get accustomed to our slightly hard bunk beds (yes) and the various groans and whistles of a moving train. We jumped up this morning when we heard the final call for breakfast and dashed into the dining car with clothes hastily thrown on and slightly wild bed hair. Alas, nobody seemed to notice and we had time afterward to slow our morning down. In fact, Ray climbed back into bed and slept until noon while I visited with a woman I had newly befriended in the Observation car.
The rest of the day has been more eating, more resting and more visiting with fellow travelers. I have also done some editing for a deadline that is looming and will do more this evening. Or else, go to bed early and get up early. Whatever the case, it is no biggie. Life is pretty low-key and relaxed on this smooth-moving conveyance.
I would say these are the primary differences from plane travel:
No one is stressed, no long lines or security checks. No cramped seats. More privacy. (We have a roomette with two seats facing each other that fold out into one bed and one bed that folds out from the ceiling. We have both a curtain and a glass sliding door if we desire privacy, plus a steward named Phillip, who will appear almost immediately if we need him for anything. There are plenty of bathrooms in the corridor and a shower downstairs, which I have already used twice. We have an outlet in our roomette to charge our phones and computers and a big picture window that looks out on the changing terrain.
What is there not to love?
All in all, I couldn’t be happier. This is a lovely change in modes of travel and signals (I am certain) the beginning of some serious “training” in our future.
Hope all is well with all of you. I will check back in again tomorrow.
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