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St.Louis, MO. . . Smoke and service stop for the train. Up to now we have had a extra coach on the end of the train, it is now being dropped here. The sleeping car attendant is glad since the coach passengers have been drinking all the coffee meant for us in the sleeping car. ( Just as I suspected, the coach riff-raff is out of control and should not be allowed in the sleeping cars!) The trip has been smooth and the landscape, though flat is anything but boring. It has taken almost seven hours to make it down the state of Illinois. And that is only about 3/5s of the state. Now we proceed across the state of Missouri. We will cross over into Texas in the morning at Texarkana about 5 Am. The last time I did this I think we were later in getting into Texas. Texarkana is interesting in that part of the town is in Arkansas and part is in Texas. I always remember the Movie, ” Smoky and the Bandit” and Jerry Reed’s song, ” Well, the boys are thirsty in Atlanta and there’s  beer in Texarkana. . . !” I wonder if there is still a warehouse in Texarkana full of Coors Beer for the taking? ( the only problem with the song and the whole premise of the movie is Texarkana is in a “dry” part of the state- there is no beer anywhere!) At Dinner tonight one of the delights of Amtrak steaks was missing, they did not put baked potatoes on at Chicago and we had to make due with rice or mashed potatoes- but we survived, the steak was good. Not much conversation at table tonight at least from me. Had a Vietnam vet, retired ad executive, a janitorial supply person and me so not much conversation. The dining car also was not the usual configuration but what is known as a “cafe” car. It was lacking in some of the features of a normal car. 

While we were stopped in St. Louis I had a chance to ask about what happens in San Antonio. The last two cars, one sleeper and one coach are dropped from the train and connected to static power. Then we wait for the arrival of the “Sunset Limited” from New Orleans which comes by 6 hours later! The two cars are attached to the “Limited” and off we go to Los Angeles. Now if you did not book the right train then you get dumped off in the San Antonio Station and spend the next 6 hours sitting on hard plastic seats looking at the ceiling and wondering if your rear will ever recover. Some people have discovered that there is a 24 hour Denny’s a couple of blocks away from the station that serves breakfast. My thought is to sleep through most of this, and the heck with it. 

Almost at the end of the trail at least for this adventure. ( Kansas City is not really that close to home but it’s as good a place to wrap up some of the stuff along the way. Right now every thing is charging for the trek home!) If I was to say this trip was successful I would be not completely honest. It has been more than that. every thing that was planned worked! Of course, by saying this I probably jinxed the end of the trip. But all the arrangements, the planning and the new stuff purchased seem to have worked as well or better than anticipated. Such as the “warm-up” clothes that worked for both daytime and nighttime use. And of course the electronics that have paid back the investment many times just in convenience alone. Now the plans for the Eastern legs of the trip can be under taken and planned for next year.

 I did not jinx the end of the trip by the way, as eventually the bus arrived in Galesburg on time, and in Moline when it was supposed to and my sister and Brother-in-law picked me up at the station as planned and we went to supper and then home. 

As mentioned several times before, the I-phone when purchased was filled with music from the iTunes Store mostly classical but a few favorite pop things too. It gave me great joy to travel among the sights of New Mexico playing ” Mysterous Mountain” by Alan Hohvannas, which was some how very fitting. It was nice to have music that fit what I was seeing! Although I had brought some nice Blu-tooth headsets along some times I had to revert to ear buds I purchased in Los Angeles and had to rather crudely adapt to fit my I-phone and it’s somewhat bulky protective case. Since the plug end of these relatively inexpensive buds is just too big to fit in the Jack, it needed to be cut back to the point it would fit. Not a pretty adaptation but it worked. ( Of course that brings up the idea of “Blue-tooth” ear buds!) 

 A Minor down side to the trip is the expense of the Wi-Fi hot spot I used on the trip as I went way over on Minutes and it will cost a bit once I get the bill for that. ( not that I really mind it is just the way it is and worth the cost! Especially being able to maintain a contact even in thin areas where the Internet is just not available.) 

Now we have made our way through New Mexico and are in Colorado, just barely. I think we moved through some of the most spectacular scenery in the whole western United States in Arizona and New Mexico. Or maybe it s just me and my attachment to western vistas. The combination of sky, rock, land and the long site lines make for some visual magic. Along with the color of the earth. In paint it would be called “Indian Red” but it always looks like potters clay. Even when it’s mixed with water and turns into mud it still keeps that color. What surprises you is the rocks, big rocks that have the same color. I mentioned before how this land is full of stories, but you will never know them, and the ones that you do know only lead to others. Roads off into the hills, tumbled down buildings, shacks, houses, stores. Fences that enclose land with nothing on it. Stories and more stories. 

We are at Gallup, New Mexico for a “smoke-break” and we have had a time change to Mountain standard time. Again the computers change automatically but my analog watch needs attending to manually! It’s a it over cast in Gallup. Earlier I had a nice breakfast and most unusual with the same companions from supper the night before. Nice gentleman retired from the air force and a lady who is with national Health Service. We pretty much talked about our various travels. 

Although not unusual for this area it seems the train has been slowed by freight trains running ahead of us. 

Now we have made our way through New Mexico and are in Colorado, just barely. I think we moved through some of the most spectacular scenery in the whole western United States in Arizona and New Mexico. Or maybe it s just me and my attachment to western vistas. The combination of ski, rock, land and the long site lines make for some visual magic. Along with the color of the earth. In paint it would be called “Indian Red” but it always looks like potters clay. Even when it’s mixed with water and turns into mud it still keeps that color. What surprises you is the rocks, big rocks that have the same color. I mentioned before how this land is full of stories, but you will never know them, and the ones that you do know only lead to others. Roads off into the hills, tumbled down buildings, shacks, houses, stores. Fences that enclose land with nothing on it. Stories and more stories. 

Up and at them, although it was a short night it was a good one. I got some sleep, I wasn’t uncomfortable, I was able to get up and wash and shave without much fuss. ( In the confined quarters on the train this is an accomplishment.) One neat thing that I discovered on my I-phone is a weather app that tells you where you are at in real time! And you can trace where the train is even as it moves. It is connected to the GPS and even gives you details of what is near you, like “Starbucks”, “Burger King” which makes life that much richer!! But it is very slick. Another reason that the ubiquitous phone is handy. One observation from yesterday’s adventure in the Metropolitan lounge in Los Angeles, it isn’t just kids who are addicted to their phones, it seems it goes right across age and income levels. Every time some one new came into the lounge and sat down the first thing out was the phone! Usually the second was a charging cord and a quick search for an outlet to plug it into! (. Now I am afraid I am as guilty as the next person!) I am still amazed at Los Angeles, modern city with all kinds of things going for it and when you hit the outer edges of it , it’s like the whole country is tilted to the west and all the loose junk has ended up piled up in LA. I suppose because of the way the city developed that the industrial parts ended up on the outer ring of the city and that necessitated the freeways, which by the way are never empty! they go 24 hours a day 7 days a week. I can sort of see why the oil industry is based on the west coast just to supply that kind of need for fuel. 

Which brings up the Los Angeles River! The most controlled body of water in the country! I mean the whole system is concrete, no living thing exists in that water. Well, when there is water, which at the present time has been reduced to a trickle. And the concrete walls have turned into massive canvases for “taggers” to decorate. There are miles of attempts to paint what ever was there out without much success. When I went through LA a few years ago I was interested to see the singular lettering style used by the artists, now it’s all kinds of stuff and some of it interesting and most just ugly. I suppose it’s hard to be artistic at night looking over your shoulder for the Graffitii Police. 

I started this blog using the Texas adventure as the head line and now I am stuck with it even though we are pretty much finished with Texas and all its devices. So we will continue for continuity and deal with the confusion later. 
On board the Southwest Chief after spending a long afternoon in the Los Angeles Metropolitan Lounge. No where near as much fun as last morning in the lobby of the Double tree hotel! For the first hour or so I was it! The only person taking advantage of the free coffee, chocolate chip cookies and TV coverage of the olympics. I basically fooled around with my I-pad and I-phone, drew a bit and stared into space. But it was relatively quiet, peaceful and a darn sight better than sitting in the great hall with the coach people. When it came time to board we were told where to go an what platform it was going to be, and again no train! But it came soon and it was not late this go around. Boarding was orderly and mostly swift. Interesting, for the first time, they actually asked to see some form of identification, preferably a passport! ( got to use it again!) And we will be fed dinner albeit later than usual, like 7:00PM, very continental. My Accomodations are a bit more modern than on the Sunset limited, don’t show the wear and most everything works pretty well. ( Of course the big thing this run is to see if I can get my bed made up, and not try to sleep on the bench like a couple of nights ago. I think my back is still paying big time for that adventure!) Right at the moment we are stopped on a siding at Fullerton waiting for a freight train to pass. Of course, this is mostly the reason for lack of on-time performance for Amtrak- freight trains get the right of way. ( Now I have seen everything, a pine tree used as a disguise for a cell-tower!) I will say it again, the palm trees in Southern California look fake! And come to find out they are not native to California but were imported years ago as a promotional stunt! Another sight not seen any where else an old oil well still pumping in the middle of a residential neighborhood, how would you like to have that for a neighbor?

  A bit of a digression: One of the features of the trip was to see the “Burrito Lady” in El Paso. I was disappointed that she was not there. In talking with one of the crew they mentioned that she usually takes off August as its a bit hot for serving burritos on the platform in El Paso and after partaking of the heat of the station I would think that was a good idea. Another thing observed while having lunch near to El Paso was to see in the flat land a big white blimp! Not something that you would expect to see in the wilds of Texas. But the explaination was easy it belonged to the Border patrol and it looked pregnant! There was a bulge at its belly and that is where all the sensing equipment was kept. It also was a drone and I suspect was flown from where it was docked. Also when we got very close to the border one of the crew announced that we were 20 yards from the border, in what could only be slightly flavored Mexican accent, proud of his heritage. Just a mention about where this hotel is located, if there ever was a central part of Los Angeles, this is it. I mean with in shouting distance is City Hall, the Police Department, Olivera Street ( the beginnings of the Puebla that was to become Los Angeles,) one of grandest Rail road stations in the country, Union Depot, Japanese Quarter, Koreatown all right around the hotel! It turns out that it was a good guess for this traveler. One of the big surprises and I suppose luck of the draw, both visits to Los Angeles, the weather and temperature have been very moderate, for Southern California and this time of year. Of course, there are the fires in the mountains and I suppose we will see some of that on the way out of the basin this afternoon and evening. I gather it is not a pretty picture. 

I had mentioned in another blog earlier on, about the helicopters that seem to be flying around at building level. They have not gone away only this time I cannot see them. Mercifully, the hotel has put an opaque screen across the window as it has a direct east exposure and the temperature and light level would be outside anyone’s ability to take for very long. But you can hear them at all time of day or night. Like big nasty bugs attracted to the light. 

One of these times on the various trips I would like to really blow the budget and order room service, just for the heck of it and see what real decadence really looks like. It seems rather a waste of good time and resources to me as just getting out the room for meal times is a luxury. But the whole idea amuses me. But then I think I have seen too many movies, when at the height of the drama, a knock comes at the door and the waiter brings in dinner for two on a little wheeled cart! ( Yep, too many movies!) I am still amused by the activity in the lobby of the hotel from yesterday. It was hot and cold running adventures and all I had to do was sit there and watch. People pay a lot of money for that amount of entertainment and I got it for one nights stay in the hotel. And it continued one into the afternoon. I was down stairs having lunch and came back through the lobby and both the Japanese tourists and the Korean Political junkies were back and there was a grand old hoorah going on in two languages, actually three, if you count English or four if you count the folks at the desk, as they were carrying on in Spanish. 

And back in the morning, and I am not sure what that was all about, a large group of people came in from all sides, and proceeded to greet each other like long lost relatives with much hugging and kissing and brave shows of leaving on a long trip. They took up so much space that it was pretty near impossible to get to the desk. But that had not stopped the Lettercarriers who were bent on checking out of the hotel and at the same time negociating rides to the airport for the least expense. ( some of them didn’t make it as there were several in the hotel restaurant later in the evening!) 

Footnote: Coming back from breakfast- a large group of Japanese tourists came in the restaurant in the hotel. They were confused by the idea of the breakfast buffet. But I noticed that the kids among them were not the least shy about filling their plates with the riches of the buffet- it did not need a bit of translation. Food was food, put it on the plate and eat it. It was the adults who were confused not the kids. ( one other interesting tid-bit, the wait staff in the restaurant switched from Anglo to Chicano over night- I had observed this last time too, the morning staff was all Chicano, including the nice motherly lady who makes omlets to order! ) 

Like I said, big money for that level of entertainment!

Wherein our plucky hero spends an over night in La-La land and is not attacked by the Lotus Eaters!

Just to continue the saga of the hotel, after lunch I decided that all the night-time ramblings and lack of sleep was going to ruin this poor boy so I thought a bit of a nap would be in keeping! Wow! Was I correct-o-Mundo about that. I slept the sleep of the righteous and for two hours. I feel worlds better and now ready for supper. The big adventure for the night is to re distribute the stuff in the luggage for equalizing the weight. So far, and I am being careful not to curse the new bag, it has worked well. I just think I have put too much unnecessary stuff in it and most is not used that much. Besides on the trip out I had access to the other bag when I needed it. But we will see what we can do and see what works out. Not a major rush. 

And that little chore is done and the balance is better. It is interesting what you can find out by watching other people’s luggage and how they solved their problems with making it work. And on the opposite side, how much stuff people take when traveling. From what I can see way more than is needed. Especially with kids, all to keep the little ones entertained. One comic book was the sum total when I was a kid. That was it and what ever was going on outside of the window and keep your mouth shut as nobody is interested in what you have to say! Different times I guess. 

After a righteous nights sleep I am ready to go again. I actually believe I must have lived a farm hands life in a former existence, since I wake up earlier and earlier but then it hits me, I am on Central Daylight Time and I am in the Pacific Daylight time! ( no, I will not try to explain the State of Arizona and its reluctance to do any daylight savings time.) In fact, what bank takes those hours saved? And can you withdraw them, say, in the darkest moments in February? The excuse for daylight savings was it gave farmers time to work in the fields, but as far as I can see the animals work according to the solar clock and it’s not on any arbitrary time kept by the government!

Anyway, this is another strange day of hurry up and wait. Once breakfast is over, then it will be wait until close to check out time and then go over to the depot and wait in the Metropolitian Lounge until train time at 6:10 pm, but this was all anticipated and planned for. One reason for the trip was to see what the “Texas Eagle” route was all about. And I was not disappointed, and the second reason was to take the “Southwest Chief” backwards towards home rather than towards California. 

Now the story continues, having arrived in Los Angeles. This stop is not of my choosing in that Amtrak does not like you to make close connections in case one of the trains might be late, only mine this time wasn’t! So a stop over is necessary and now that I have a hotel I am familiar with, I made arrangements to stay in the same one. This is the hotel that when you look for it in Google Earth at street level it takes you into the lobby! So as was mentioned in the last blog, I had to wait at the station for a decent hour to come over to the hotel. And at the hotel I had to wait again, which I had anticipated since check in time is 3:00PM. But this is an advantage because there is no better place to people watch than in a hotel in a metropolitan city! And believe me it was true this morning!! First at least 5 parties of Japanese tourists were being assembled in the lobby with great gestures and shouting and checking of lists. Then the convention of Letter carriers all checked out at once and were bargaining with various drivers of vans for the best rate to take them to the airport. Free coffee was being served by the hotel not 5 doors down from a “Starbucks!” 16 Japanese beauty contest participates had a meeting in the lobby all dressed alike and all wearing fake tiaras. Then the crew from this mornings train checked for some sleep before they rotate back to duty. ( I recognized most of them!) We are only four blocks from the Union Station and they are short blocks, it’s a $4.50 taxi ride! And then there was the Korean tourists who took great interest in the ongoing broadcast about Donald Trump, this required great discussion and gestures and loud talking at the Television. Finally, I went to lunch after getting a room and I looked out the window of the restaurant and there was the Los Angeles City Hall tower! Right out of Dragnet! Oh yes, Los Angeles is one of the few places were pedestrians walk around with umbrellas on a sunny day! Did I mention that when you register at this hotel they give a chocolate chip cookie- what’s not to love about that!

Billy Bob gets ready to it the rails coming back the other way!