Mr. Train........ I'm leaving Thursday morning for Phoenix and a tour of several canyons. At the end of the tour I will fly to Seattle to board the train for the trip home. The whole train trip is new to me. I have asked questions here on the Trainboard and I've gotten a great deal of help. One suggestion was to ride the Empire Builder from West to East because eastbound trains pass through the most scenic countryside during the daylight hours. There was also a hint that I should tip the engineer. I'm thinking that one over.
Mr. Train.......Hi.... Did you see my note under "Riding the Empire Builder"? I learned that the Deluxe bedrooms are the way to go......expensive ....but meals are included. You can have everything on the menu and all you need do is sign the check Also, if you deduct the price of meals from the total cost of your ticket, rail fare is comparable to air fare. And.....gaining weight is guaranteed! I also learned that changes of clothing are best kept in your room and large luggage should be kept in the luggage bin on the Superliner or the baggage car. Each room has a hanging closet for suits, shirts and dresses. Undies and lingerie can be stored in the carry-on bags. I was slightly disappointed in the scenery on the Empire Builder. We slept through the State of Washington, saw the Rockies for a short time in the morning and then spent the rest of the day looking at The Great Plains of Montana and North Dakota. Impressive but after a while.,.....boring.
I'm not certain about the best time to book tickets. Last year I booked about 4 months in advance. I plan to do it again next year. I want to see Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks......then.......take The California Zephyr from San Francisco to Chicago. My worry though, is that Amtrak will cancel their long distance trains. Let me say again that the train was perfectly clean, the food was wonderful (and included in the price of the Superliner). My only disappointment was that the scenery on The Empire Builder was boring(West to East). In addition, many of the people travelling on Amtrak are either railroad fans or people who just prefer to take the train.
