Greetings Fellow Rail-riders

I’m newly retired and ready to exchange the punch clocks of sustenance for the timetables of exploration via the California Zephyr. My spouse will be a first-timer but I just rode #6 to Omaha in May (drove back with cousins). As I live 285 north of Emeryville, CA (its western terminus) and the Z pulls out at 8:25 am, my first hurdle is finding an overnight stay where I can park my sedan for a couple of weeks before returning west. Alternatively, the Amtrak bus leaves Arcata (6 miles from home) daily for the rail station in Martinez, CA. Still, that leaves me hunting for overnight lodging and a ride to catch the Z as it pulls into Martinez at 9:07 am. I know, “This guy’s newly retired and all he can do is complain!” Oh, but just wait ‘til I tell you where I’m hoping to detrain and return to the highways - either Holdgredge or Hastings, Nebraska brings me closest to my Kansas homestead - and they’re both in the wee hours of the morning!

I’m leaving behind a colorful career as aircraft mechanic, trade school administrator, college associate professor, food-plant supervisor, quality-control inspector and golf-course mechanic. I’ve lived in Kansas on a wheat farm (home) and in Salina. Took my first post-college job as Jefferson County Airport (Broomfield) in Colorado and consider the Great Sand Dunes National Park to be my favorite Colorado place. Ojai, California was a dandy place to live - backed up by wilderness but only a short drive from the beaches of Ventura and Santa Barbara beaches. Then life on the banks of the Missouri River (Peru, NE) was interesting for a few years but I exchanged it for a cosmopolitan life - as much as any could be in Iowa - in Ames for graduate school. That set me on a quest for work in a university town with progressive values and ecological awareness. I settled on Arcata, California - home to Cal Poly Humboldt. That was 22 years ago now I wouldn’t leave it but for a couple of weeks at a time. The airlines can get me to San Francisco, Burbank, and Denver, but I’m really ready for the vagabond life of the rails!

Welcome to Amtrak Unlimited

Wow you've really had quite the interesting life. Welcome to AU, hope you can get on the Zephyr soon!

Welcome to the forum!

That would be quite a long bus ride, but it might be worth being able to leave your car in Arcata, and either way you need an overnight near where ever you intend to catch the Zepher. Sometimes when you sort out every detail the right option becomes more obvious.
Some threads on this subject show how many people use local hotels as part of their Amtrak travels to make connections:

https://www.amtraktrains.com/threads/changing-from-a-bus-train-combo-to-a-train-train-combo.86465/

https://www.amtraktrains.com/threads/hotels-at-amtrak-connection-points-nationwide.76421/post-822742

I'm a Kansas man myself, and spent the night in a motel in Salina only last year. Too bad Amtrak doesn't go there, as tracks go through Abilene, which was a good deal for Pres Eisenhower.

Welcome to the group. Living in McKinleyville sounds charming! I'll bet you might know some of the solar aficionados I'm acquainted with in the area. What area is your Kansas homestead in? How do you get there from your stop in Nebraska?

I'm yet another Amtrak fan who wishes they would go all the way through Kansas on some sort of a middle route. My Hubby grew up in Council Grove, and you just can't get there on public transit from any Amtrak stop, so the family has to drive hours to Lawrence or Lincoln drop us off or pick us up (and we no longer ask them to do that in the middle of the night, so there's another hotel stay). But Salina has a dandy small airport, as long as you don't mind flying with United Airlines.

Small world!

My first LD Train ride as a Baby, was from Alpine,TX to Salina in 1945 to visit my Great Grandparents ( my Grandmother grew up in Salina)with my Parents, before my dad went to Tinian with his B-29.

I don't remember the trip ( I was 1)but my parents would talk about this trip thru the years.

We used the Southern Pacific from Alpine to El Paso, and the Santa Fe from El Paso to Albuquerque to Salina.

Due to the Military getting priority on Travel( my Dad was a Lowly Lt.) we were able to have a Lower Section as far as Albuquerque, but were in Coach from Albuquerque to Salina.