# Philly > SF via Cardinal, Southwest Chief, and California Zephyr



## stewmody (Jan 7, 2012)

My best friend Sara and I decided to take a cross country (coach) train trip from Philadelphia to San Francisco to visit our other best friend. We had planned on taking the Cardinal from Philly to Chicago, and then taking the California Zephyr (CZ) from Chicago all the way out to the Bay Area. Fortunately, I just happened to check for service alerts on Amtrak's website a few days prior to departure, and saw that the CZ had been suspended from Chicago to Denver! I was shocked that Amtrak did not contact us, but grateful that I just happened to stumble upon that information. Luckily, we were able to re-route our trip, and wound up taking the Southwest Chief (SWC) from Chicago to Raton, NM, and then took a bus from Raton to Denver, and linked up with the CZ the following day. The best piece of advice I can give to new Amtrak travelers is this: be flexible and roll with the changes. Our detour to Raton, while unexpected, turned out to be a highlight of the trip! Here's a summary of our amazing adventure on the rails: (by the way, I tried to upload pics to accompany the narrative, but hit my limit pretty early on, so that's why there's only a few pics. To see all of our picture, you can link to the slideshow here: Philly>SF via Amtrak slideshow

*Friday, 9.16.11*

We departed 30th Street Station in Philadelphia on-time, and were eager to explore the train and start our adventure. Our first Amtrak lesson came when we went to the cafe/dining car and took a seat in a booth. The place was empty, except for one lone diner sipping coffee and absorbed in his New York Times. The attendant told us that despite the many open tables, we had to sit with the man reading the paper. Ok, no problem. So we moved and sat with him, said hello and quickly realized he was not interested in conversation. It was kind of awkward. I think he was on his way to work, whereas we were on our way to California, so I understand his lack of enthusiasm.

We had an hour-long stop in DC, and spent the time marveling at the beauty of Union Station, and getting some fresh air. We also had a few smokes to tide us over until the next smoke stop. Funny thing is, we're both ex-smokers who no longer smoke in our everyday lives, just on vacation. Old habits die hard 

As the train rolled southwest through Virginia, West Virginia and Kentucky, we played cards and had happy hour(s) in the cafe car. We moved into the dining section of the cafe car around 7:00 and shared a table with a character whose name escapes me, but he was one memorable guy. The service was pretty bad, and the food was horrible, but it was a great time nonetheless. Lots of laughter and story-telling.

After dinner, Sara and I returned to our seats, curled up with our blankets and pillows, and watched DVDs until the gentle rocking of the train lulled us to sleep. All in all, a fantastic first day on the train.

*Saturday, 9.17*

Sleeping in coach is rough. Not impossible, and not the worst thing ever, but it's just not ideal. I think I slept in one, maybe two hour increments. But, I'm someone who can get minimal/uncomfortable sleep and still feel great the next day. No big deal. So, I rose with sun on Sunday morning as we were rolling through the sun-kissed golden fields of Indiana. Before I knew it, we were pulling into Chicago and getting off the Cardinal. In retrospect, the Cardinal was pretty gritty (or as Sara would say, "gamey"), and we were ready to switch up our scenery and get some fresh air.

We had 5 hours to kill in Chicago before boarding the SWC, and it was a gorgeous mid-September day. We stowed our bags in a locker at Union Station and stepped outside into the sunshine. Having never been to Chicago, I was taken by the beauty of the river and the architecture. We walked down towards Michigan Ave. and decided to treat ourselves to a luxurious lunch at Mercat a la Planxa. Here we were, two (relatively grimy) girls fresh off the train drinking sangria and enjoying Chef Jose Garces' tasting menu. We both could still feel the rocking of the train internally, and were eager to get back to train life. We were especially excited to board a new type of train - the double decker kind with more amenities.

So, we took a cab back to the train station, gout our bags out of the locker, had one last cigarette and boarded the SWC. Right away, I loved this train. It just felt good. I can't explain why. We were seated in the last car, and in the last seats of that car, so we were truly the caboose! It gave us a good deal of privacy, and a killer view out the back window of the train. The pic below is Chicago in the distance, as we were pulling away.






We had cool neighbors who struck that perfect balance of being friendly and talkative with being quiet and respectful. Our coach attendant Jose was great, too. As we rolled west through the plains, we celebrated happy hour and settled into our new home.

Soon after we crossed the mighty Mississippi, we came to a designated smoke stop (Fort Madison, Iowa?) and were warned not to stray from the tracks as it would be a short stop. We quickly puffed down our smokes and hopped back on when we heard the "All Aboard". Once we got back to our seats, we overheard people talking about a guy who got left behind! Apparently, he stepped away from the platform to snap a quick shot of the Mississippi, and missed the "All Aboard"! We learned a huge lesson that afternoon - the train waits for no one. Poor guy, all of his bags were still on the train and we're headed southwest to LA, without him. Ouch.

Later that night, after we had dinner at our seats (we brought food aboard from Chicago), we headed down to the lounge car under the sightseer car to play cards and have some drinks. It was like a party down there; the car attendant was playing music, lots of people playing cards, sharing stories, etc. Our goal was to stay up playing cards until the late-night smoke stop in Kansas City, which we achieved with no problem. It was in Kansas City that I truly felt that we had come a long way, and that we were making headway towards our final destination. Again, it was a great day on the train, and I fell asleep feeling so grateful to be on this amazing adventure with my best friend. And the best part? I actually slept pretty damn good that night.

*Sunday, 9.18.11*

Again, we awoke at twilight, in the pre-dawn hour. We both slept good and felt great, so we headed to the sightseer car to watch the sun rise over western Kansas. I'm a sucker for sunrises, so whenever my day starts with a sunrise, I know it's gonna be a great day. And it was.








I think we spent most of the morning back in our seats, reading, writing and just staring out into the distance. We were getting off at the Raton, NM stop, which was scheduled for around 12 noon. I think the most amazing part of this leg of the trip was watching the plains slowly morph into the beginnings of the Rockies. Flat land slowly became mildly hilly- more like lumpy, actually. And then there were the occasional small plateaus in the distance, and then hills, and then we were climbing Raton Pass. Coming from the East Coast, I really loved seeing the dramatic changes in landscape.











As we pulled into the Raton station, we quickly gathered our things, said our goodbyes to our friends, and got off the train. As the train pulled away, I think we both felt a twinge of sadness that our time on the SWC was over. It was bizarre to see our "home" rolling away without us. It was also quite disorienting to be back on solid ground. Again, we could still feel the gentle sway on the train, even on solid ground.









​

But, we quickly switched gears and set out for a fun day in Raton. For those who don't know, Raton is a small, classic western town. It's the kind of town where you will literally see tumbleweeds blowing across the street. We had 5 hours to kill until we had to board the Greyhound bus to Denver, and no idea how to do that. The station was closed, but had a sign in the window that said, "come visit such and such store across the street, we'll hold your luggage for you". Yay!, we thought. But then I read the bottom line, "closed Sundays".  Oh well.

So, with our luggage in tow, we hit the town. We walked all over looking for something - anything - to be open. There was nothing. Every single place was closed. And, we were almost out of cigarettes! Talk about a catastrophe! Well, just as we were about to get discouraged, we smelled the unmistakable smell of a burger cooking, and followed the smell to a lovely little place called Hamburger Heaven, and let me tell you, heaven it was. Here we found good food, $12 bottles of wine(!), kind and hospitable service (thank you Shannon), and a hammock to swing on. Shannon even offered to hold our bags while we walked around, and told us where we could refill our smokes inventory. When we returned, we ordered another bottle of wine and hung out in the hammock in their side yard, laughing, relaxing and enjoying the sway. It turned out to be the most perfect little afternoon.









(this is where I had to stop uploading pics. The best is yet to come, so check out the slideshow once you're done reading
​
At 5:00, we walked across the street back to the Amtrak station and boarded our bus. We were the only two passengers. As we headed north into Colorado, the sun was setting over the Rockies and I was struck by the immense beauty. I LOVE Colorado, and it felt great being back in that wondrous land. But after the sun set and the wine buzz wore off, it was just a long and uncomfortable ride that seemingly dragged on forever. Eventually, we pulled into Denver, we we had reserved a hotel room for the night. I have family in the Denver area, and we had decided to try and link up for dinner while we were there. So after checking into the Marriott Courtyard on the 16th Street Mall, we met up with two of my cousins and went to the Rock Bottom right across the street. We wound up having so much fun and before we knew it, it was 2:00am. You would think we would relish our time in a real bed, but apparently, having fun always wins out over having sleep. We can sleep when we're dead, right?

*Monday, 9.19.11*

I felt like I blinked and the alarm was going off. After a quick and MUCH NEEDED shower (first shower of the trip so far), we checked out of the hotel and headed to the station to catch the CZ. This was the train line that had been suspended from Chicago to Denver, but had resumed service the day before. Turns out we could have taken it from Chicago the day before, but then we wouldn't have gone to Raton  The train was delayed about an hour or so, which gave us time to get in a few morning smokes, call home and wake up. When we finally boarded the train, we scrambled to find seats on the northern side of the train. After reading many reviews and trip reports, I determined that the north side was where I wanted to be. We were lucky to find the last two seats (together) on that side. When the conductor came by, we realized that we had "stolen" someone else's seat (their stuff wasn't there, but a paper with their destination was loosely hanging above). Fortunately, their destination was soon after Denver and I think he or she had already moved on for the day. Whew! Crisis averted.

What can I say, the ride through the Rockies was nothing short of spectacular. We spent much of the day in our seats, eyes glued to the windows. We of course spent some time in the understandably crowded sightseer car, and played a few hands of cards down in the lounge. It was on this leg of the trip that I realized something: Colorado is not a place; it's a spiritual experience. There's just something undeniably special about the place. We met more characters at the various smoke stops throughout the day and enjoyed the laid back vibe in our coach car. It's funny how quickly the train becomes your home, and the people around you your family.

Amtrak does a great job of timing this route, as you spend all day meandering through the Rockies, and then just as the sun begins to sink, you're entering the stunning canyon country of Utah. There's nothing quite like the pinky/orange sun splashed across the red rocks. We had cocktails in the sightseer car and watched the sun set into the canyons. I can think of no better way to end yet another fantastic day on the rails.
​
​That night, we hung out with two new friends, Christian and Mike, in the lounge car. We played cards, listened to music, had drinks, shared stories and became tight buds by the end of the night. Mike told us that he had a hammock on the train, and before we knew it, the hammock was hung and we were swinging in the sightseer car. Talk about surreal, and awesome. There we were, swinging on a hammock on a swaying train in the middle of Utah in the middle of the night. Definitely a highlight. Soon after, we arrived in Salt Lake City where we had one last cigarette before bed. This was my favorite day.

*Tuesday, 9.20.11*
​
Sleep was rough on the CZ. I "awoke" (not that I was sleeping) in the dark, and just needed to get up out of my seat and start my day, regardless of what time it was. I looked at my phone and saw that it was 5:00. But then we rolled into a new time zone and it was only 4:00. Oh well, I was up and not wanting to sleep any more. So, we headed to the sightseer car and witnessed the night give way to day. It was another spectacular sunrise, this time over the Nevada desert. The train had some technical issues two times that morning, and we were stopped for probably no more than an hour. Thankfully, the problems were fixed and it was no big deal.

This day was a little sad, because even though we would finally be arriving at our final destination, we realized that the joy of this trip had nothing to do with our final destination, but rather the journey itself. And that journey was drawing to a close. It was bittersweet. Of course we were excited to see our other friend and to spend time in San Francisco, but we were bummed that our train adventure was almost over.

We spent our remaining hours in the sightseer car admiring the beauty of the Sierra Nevada mountains and Donner Lake. We had one last meal in the dining car, and met a lovely couple from England. We had the burgers, which were decent enough, and shared one last Amtrak 1/2 bottle of wine. One by one, our train friends arrived at their final destinations and got off. What was really strange was when Amtrak began closing certain cars for cleaning purposes. This was when we knew we were getting close. Our stop was the end of the line, so the train had to be cleaned and prepped for the return trip. Finally, in the last stretch of the trip, we rode alongside a body of water (the bay?) and re-capped our awesome adventure. We arrived in Emeryville and met up with our friend, both excited and exhausted... and sad.

We wound up having a fantastic time in San Francisco over the next few days. I could feel the sway of the train in my bones for 2-3 days after we got off. In the months since, I think about the trip often and crave the next adventure on the rails. There's just something special about train travel, and I am super grateful to have had the opportunity to take this trip, especially with a dear friend.

Thanks for taking the time to read. I hope you enjoyed! Again, to see our slideshow from the trip, check here: Philly>SF via Amtrak!


----------



## Ryan (Jan 7, 2012)

Awesome report! Glad you ladies had an excellent time. Raton sounds like a cool place, I passed through there on the way to Philmont once upon a time...


----------



## cee (Jan 7, 2012)

wow--i just had to tell you how much i enjoyed your youthful optimism, going-with-the-flow attitude, friendship that leaps off the [ages of photos...i enjoyed seeing routes i'd ridden & places i'd gone before...you are good people, i am glad you are train people, i wish you well!


----------



## stewmody (Jan 7, 2012)

Ryan said:


> Awesome report! Glad you ladies had an excellent time. Raton sounds like a cool place, I passed through there on the way to Philmont once upon a time...


Thanks, Ryan! Next time you pass through Raton, stop at Hamburger Heaven and take a swing in the hammock.


----------



## stewmody (Jan 7, 2012)

cee said:


> wow--i just had to tell you how much i enjoyed your youthful optimism, going-with-the-flow attitude, friendship that leaps off the [ages of photos...i enjoyed seeing routes i'd ridden & places i'd gone before...you are good people, i am glad you are train people, i wish you well!


Thanks so much for your kind words. So glad you enjoyed the report, and that it brought you back to your own adventures. Train folks are indeed good people. Maybe someday our paths will cross on the rails. Thanks again for reading!


----------



## johnny.menhennet (Jan 7, 2012)

You're right, Raton is very cool!!!

Back in 2006, I took the SWC the entire westbound length. There was a very important express mail package that had to be on that day's train, but it had not yet arrived. They held us at the station for about 40 minutes, and almost half of the train got out to stroll around for a short while.


----------



## Shanghai (Jan 7, 2012)

Nice report. I'm happy you and your friend had a good time.

I was on the SWC twice last year and enjoyed the trek.

When is your next trip??


----------



## stewmody (Jan 7, 2012)

Shanghai said:


> Nice report. I'm happy you and your friend had a good time.
> 
> I was on the SWC twice last year and enjoyed the trek.
> 
> When is your next trip??


Thanks, Shanghai. I just booked a trip on the Vermonter for my husband and I. We're gonna take it up to Burlington for a long weekend in February. Time to get him hooked on train travel, too.


----------



## jb64 (Jan 7, 2012)

thanks for sharing your report. I will be on the SWC for the first time in March. I am very much looking forward to it.


----------



## pennyk (Jan 7, 2012)

Great trip report. Reading it brought back great memories of my trips on the Cardinal, CZ and SWC. Sounds like you had a wonderful adventure. I hope you have as much fun on your next trip.


----------



## RailFanLNK (Jan 7, 2012)

A gal that loves the train. I'm so grateful the one I married likes train travel too! Great trip report! You should be a writer!


----------



## RailFanLNK (Jan 7, 2012)

A gal that loves the train. I'm so grateful the one I married likes train travel too! Great trip report! You should be a writer!


----------



## amamba (Jan 11, 2012)

This is one of the best trip reports I have read! Sounds like you had a wonderful trip. Just reading your report brought back my memories from my trip on the SWC this year - like you, I loved the scenery as the ground starts to get "lumpy" and you head into the Rockies. It was really breathtakingly beautiful.


----------



## rrdude (Jan 11, 2012)

Agree, one of a few rare times that I read the entire "report". it reads very well. Hopefully we'll see you on board someday!

BTW, if you haven't tried the SLEEPER option yet, you are in for a pleasant surprise. A FLAT bed to crash in. And meals included. And privacy, if and when you want it.


----------



## stewmody (Jan 14, 2012)

Thanks for the feedback and kind words, everyone. Means a lot! It's so great to know that our story resonates with others, and that we can all relate, on some level, to train culture and the beauty of slow travel. Hope to see you guys on the rails someday. ~Jen


----------



## NAVYBLUE (Jan 14, 2012)

stewmody said:


> Thanks for the feedback and kind words, everyone. Means a lot! It's so great to know that our story resonates with others, and that we can all relate, on some level, to train culture and the beauty of slow travel. Hope to see you guys on the rails someday. ~Jen


Jen,

Excellent story !!! Wife and i just returned to Las Vegas, NV after a 12/11 SWC-Cardinal from LAX-CHI-BAL and 1/11 CL-SWC from BWI-CHI-LAX. My east-west story is below yours entitled "NAVYBLUE Opus" and I am in the process of writing the west to east Opus.

I am more of a people/character writer as I have been coming to the Southwest for (11) years and now live in Las Vegas and I forget when I write that the Southwest scenery is a common occurrence with me and maybe I take it for granted now. You have an excellent ability to weave characters, situations and scenery to put the reader "there". That young lady is rare and only the good authors can do it. You might want to write short stories about travel and submit to Readers Digest and others.

If you get a chance, pick up some books by Nevada Barr. She is a murder/mystery rider, BUT what is unique is she is a former National Parks ranger and all the murders/mysteries occur in National Parks. She does an incredible job of weaving characters, the situation and the scenery to "paint the picture" and put you there. You put me there in Raton at the hamburger place.

I was a technical writer for (3) years during my 28 years in the Navy, but wrote advancement exams and manuals, Those do not compare to novels. I am in the process of fleshing out a book (non-fiction) which I can't reveal the subject because I am researching copyright issues with the title and the subject to see if my idea has been used before. After that I hope to write a fiction series of books about a sailor all the way from boot camp through a 30 year career.

Don't wait like I did to retire. If you feel it in your belly, do it.

NAVYBLUE


----------



## stewmody (Jan 15, 2012)

NAVYBLUE said:


> stewmody said:
> 
> 
> > Thanks for the feedback and kind words, everyone. Means a lot! It's so great to know that our story resonates with others, and that we can all relate, on some level, to train culture and the beauty of slow travel. Hope to see you guys on the rails someday. ~Jen
> ...


WOW - thank you NAVYBLUE! I do indeed feel "it" in my belly, and am trying to carve the space and time out in my life to really do it. Like you, i have a project in the works, but I struggle with finding the time and discipline to work on it consistently. Your words are the perfect nudge of encouragement for me to just keep writing.

Your idea about a series is a good one; many people get attached to characters and want to follow them throughout many chapters of their lives. Sounds like your own personal and professional experience lends itself to that kind of series. Best of luck to you!

Thanks again for sharing your thoughts on my trip report, and for the encouragement - I really do appreciate it! Oh, and thanks for the tip about Nevada Barr. I will check her out.

Take care,

Jen


----------



## MrEd (Jan 15, 2012)

thanks for the report jen - awesome.


----------



## NAVYBLUE (Jan 15, 2012)

stewmody said:


> NAVYBLUE said:
> 
> 
> > stewmody said:
> ...


jen,

Thanks for the kind words. If you do have the fire in your belly then by all means go for it. Do not be discouraged if you are initially rejected if you decide to write travelogues. if you are writing a book or novelette, do not get sucked in to the scams out there that say we can get your books published for you. No good publishing house would do that. Also do not let a spouse, boyfriend or relative talk you out of it "because nobody every makes it writing books"

Good luck

NAVYBLUE


----------

