Amtrack, CA to Santa Fe, NM

Pictures:

1. Returning home via a northern route.   This is a picture of New Mexico heading to Santa Fe.   Much more green, many more hills, and looks more inviting than the plain desert to the south.
2. The Amtrak boarded about an hour and a half late.   Instead of getting on at 6:45 it was more like 8:30.   When I woke up the next morning we were pulling into a station.   Took me awhile to figure out we had arrived in Flagstaff, AZ.
3. This is the #4 Train Southwest Chief that I boarded.   It arrived after numerous announcements that it woud be only 10 minutes more.
4. Picture looking out the window while moving.   Can’t tell from the picture but the scenery from the train was really nice.    All the way West I would look at the trains pass me.   It was “different” being on the train and watching the world from that perspective.
5. This is a picture between cars.   It was simple passing from coach to coach.   There were coach cars, obeservation cars, dining cars, restrooms underneath each coach car and a sign that said if you don’t have a sleeping car ticket don’t proceed past this point.
6. Finally off the train and back on the rode.   My old friend route 66 met me and let me out of Albuquerque.

Today was a day of terribly powerful temptations.   It started when we realized that the train I was on to Albuquerque continued to Chicago.   All I had to do is oversleep and I would wake up in my back yard.

I was told that once I landed in Albuquerque all I had to do if find the bus station.   The bus station had a bus that goes from Albuquerque to Santa Fe.

As I was going through Albuquerque a number of motels offered a daily price of $29.99.   While I was fully refreshed the price was right and I could have spent some time collecting supplies.

Well I didn’t oversleep, get on the bus, or stop at a motel in Albuquerque and made 62 miles and will soon be looking for a place to sleep.   I expected to be full of energy when I started this morning moving like a lightening bolt.   Reality did not fulfill this expectation.   First I had to put Miracle Go back together.   She couldn’t carry her bags on the train which meant I needed to do so.   I carried her 4 saddle bags, my helmet, and the handlebar bag as soon as I could get off the train to the baggage car.   I picked MG up and put her together – boy she looks good clean.   I started riding and had no trouble finding route 66 out of town.   However the bike felt extremely heavy and slow.   I think my legs thought the trip was finished and refused to engage.   The first 20 miles were tough especially since I started at 1:00 pm by which time we usually have 70 miles behind us.   After the 20 miles we started cooking.

Lots of hills but the ascents seemed to be always balanced by nice long descents.   I also started to get the North East bound benefit.   Sometimes while going uphill the wind helped push – YES!

The best part of the day was when someone asked where I was going and after a momentary thought I happily replied, “I am going home to Ohio!”