Sunday morning we woke up way too early. Our train was leaving at 7:33am and we wanted to make sure to be there for it. I set the alarm to wake up at 5:15am. I woke up ready to go at 4:30. I figured might as well wake up. So I went to wake up everyone else and Mom was already dressed and ready to go too. Haha Guess we were excited to get this vacation started. Fred drove us about half hour north to a town called Waterloo, Indiana. Luckily Amtrak dips through Indiana and picks up people pretty close to our home city of Fort Wayne. Here is the route it takes...
This line is called Lakeshore Limited. It took us to Chicago, Illinois. Took about 2 hours I think. We had just seats in this part of our trip...
It went really smoothly other than the luggage being on top of us but we were just in general seating for this part so I guess they didn't really plan on luggage yet. When we got to Chicago it was a real station and they really helped a lot with our luggage. They loaded it and mom on this cool golf cart type of thing to transport where we needed to be...
So that helped a lot! It's a huge station so we had a nice lounge area to relax in and wait a few hours till our next train. They even had a huge food court so we were able to get lunch while waiting. We were happy since we hadn't ate since we woke up so long long ago haha. When we left Chicago we had a long way to go so we got a sleeper room. Here is the route it takes...
This route is called Southwest Chief. We got off at Kingman, Arizona. The train doesn't go through Las Vegas anymore. They have took out a bunch of our railways and they regret it now. I've heard a lot of rumors of them rebuilding them. It makes for a great option when traveling.
Here are some photos of the train trip...
Jeremiah loved being able to stretch out and nap while traveling...
The top bunk above mom makes into another bed where I slept...
Wasn't the best night's sleep. Very tight area to be comfortable but it worked for one night. Love the net to keep me from rolling out haha.
Very tight hallways and restrooms but they were so accommodating. We got our food delivered right to our room since Jeremiah would have had a long way to walk. The food was really good too! Plus all included in our ticket price. They were very helpful with the luggage and with Jeremiah's wheelchair. In the picture of the hallway you can see the wheelchair stored at the very end. It was a wonderful way to travel. We were in the train sleeper car for over 34 hours I think. I didn't get to stitch. Honestly I was having so much fun watching the scenery. We also watched a movie on my laptop. We did end up delayed several times but to be able to relax and not have to worry about traffic and the route you are taking is just priceless. We would definitely do Amtrak again that's for sure. When we arrived at Kingman they had a commuter bus service pick us up with a lift bus and trailer for all the luggage. There ended up being 8 of us on the bus to Vegas. It was about a 2 hour drive to get the rest of the way. He called ahead and had a taxi ready and waiting for us when we got to the airport. It was a long journey and in the middle of the night, but we arrived at the hotel Tuesday morning at 4am safe and sound. You are at their time schedule when you travel by train. The only real bad part honestly. We were SO tired when we got here. Honestly I'm still not recovered. Luckily we had arrived safe and went straight to bed.
Today we had just a pretty much lazy day. We slept in late and then ate a delicious late breakfast. We walked out to the area right here by our hotel. It's crazy fun. Lots to see and do. We came back to our hotel and switched our hotel rooms around because the one we had last night (or I guess early this morning haha) was not the right fit for us. We got all situated and ready to get the fun officially started for our time here in Vegas. We went back down to eat a late lunch/early dinner. We went to the store and got some soda/pop for our fridge. Now we are trying to rest. We will have one more day of laziness before our other party members start to arrive. We are so excited for the fun to come. More pics and stories to come soon don't worry. I hope you enjoy traveling along with us.
6 comments:
That sounds like a great trip! I am originally from Las Vegas, but I never traveled there via train. That is quite an adventure. I wish I had the time for something like that.
Have a great time!
A great start to your trip.
What nice people you have encountered and received help from so far.
The beginning of your trip sounds fun but yes tiring. I look forward to hearing updates.
Looks like you were off to a great start, relaxing is certainly the way to travel! Jeremiah looks very comfy, and I'm glad you didn't fall out of bed!
Glad you arrived safely. I don't know if I'll be jealous of your actual holiday but I am certainly jealous of your train journey and your (albeit very small) hotel on wheels. The scenery as you crossed the various states must have been amazing. :)
Looks like a fun beginning to the trip! Oh Grand Central Station, I miss seeing that place. Amtrak really is a great way to travel. The sleeper cars are real nice to even if they are small since you don't have to deal with everyone else.
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