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Certainly not First class air but a new airline is starting up flying out of Burbank. Starting on April 28 2021, Avelo Airline will be flying out of Burbank/Hollywood airport. They will be flying to 11 destinations in the west. The base fare for now is $19 with lots of nickle and dimeing for...

Before 9/11/01 I bought a 30 day North America Rail Pass. I started riding a Northeast Regional starting at 3AM from WAS to NYP. I got on the Maple Leaf at NYP and that night I got to Toronto about 8PM. From NYP to Toronto I sat by a Mr. Earle who was the youngest stock broker (in Guinness) in...

If you get off in WAS you can get on a Regional or MARC to Abredeen MD. There are a couple cheap places within a half mile. Also the Aberdeen Diner is nearby.

For 2 people, a roomette is just fine. The date I checked in August had a roomette for 2 for $708 from Chicago to Flagstaff. The uncomfortable night is from Pittsburgh to Chicago in coach. A bedroom IMO is for a couple traveling with a kid or 2. For many years I slummed in coach

My very first train crossing of an international border was in October 2001 about 6 weeks after 9/11 on the Maple Leaf. Before 9/11 US Customs did not even board the train in Niagara Falls NY. Amtrak had the names and DOB of everyone on board for at least several hours before the border and...

I would much rather get a bus ride to catch up with the train connection that I missed than to have a hotel room and catch the next train. I have made a cross platform transfer from one train to another with the train I was getting on being held for an hour or slightly more. To save...

I missed the connection from the Sunset Ltd. to the Coast Starlight in Feb. 2020. (more than an hour). We all loaded on full buses from LAUS to Bakersfield and got on the San Joaquin all the way to Martinez. We were in Martinez for more than 3 hours before the Coast Starlight we had missed...

If the California Zephyr goes back to a daily schedule (I hope), you might want to spend only 24 hours in Glenwood Springs. I agree with the two nights in the cities. The roomettes are good for single people. Many people get roomettes across the aisle for their kids instead of family bedrooms.

Until recently I had never heard of Pengra Pass. The railroad sign at the high point says "Cascade Summit". Going up to the summit, the railroad is on the south side of Odell Lake. Highway 58 is on the north side of the lake and the high point on 58 is at the Willamette Pass ski slopes. The west...

In February 2020, The Sunset Ltd. was running many hours late getting into Los Angeles. The CS left more than an hour before we got there. We got bused on full buses to Bakersfield to get on the northbound San Joaquin all the way to Martinez. It was still day light when we got to MTZ. I went...

This will be my 10th summer (hopefully last) as a United States Forest Service fire lookout. I like to think that the little one or two tree lightning caused fires I report save more than my pay in extinction costs. If they went unreported until they were many acres the cost multiplies. The...

That is the Sonora Desert Museum. The Sonoran Desert extends down into Mexico. Sedona is a nice town south of Flagstaff.

My first Amtrak and first ViaRail trip was in October 2001 on a North America Rail Pass. I remember watching ties fly by when I looked in the toilet when I flushed.

A few years ago (2015?) I took the CZ from SAC to Galesburg IL. I rented a car from Enterprise which is about 150 yards from the station. I drove the car I rented for a week about 3500 miles in 20 states. Instead of taking the CZ back, I waited for a couple hours after the CZ left to ride the...

I remember riding the ViaRail Canadian a couple times. The Conductor or assistant locked the bathroom doors just before we entered the station. One did allow me to shave once if I promised to not flush. It is nicer to shave while the train is not in motion.

There is a 5.5 hour gap after the Coast Starlight. Either ride #525 or the Starlight. If you want to save $5, you could ride the 42 Yolo bus CCW getting on in Davis.

My wife and I visited Arizona and the Grand Canyon November 2019. Sorry, we flew Allegiant to Phoenix-Mesa and then rented a car. It gave us a lot more flexibility. We stayed 6 nights in a motel along Rt. 66 in Flagstaff. We visited the Lowell Observatory, Sedona, Winslow and Desert View at he...

My avatar is the waiting shelter at the Amtrak station in Chemult Oregon. Very few people actually use it. People either wait in their car until the scheduled time for the train and then wander up to the platform or they ride the bus that comes south from Redmond with stops in Bend, Sunriver(if...

There has been recent talk of making a high speed (over 100MPH) tube train system from Portland OR through Seattle and ending in Vancouver BC. Money in nearly equal terms to be supplied by Oregon, Washington, British Columbia and Microsoft. I fear that this is just a "pipe dream" but we'll see.

My very first train trip was in October 2001 on a North America 30 day Rail Pass. I started from Washington Union station on a Northeast Regional to NYP then on the Maple Leaf to Toronto. I took the Canadian to Winnipeg. Spent a night in Winnipeg before going to Churchill. The train spends 12...