The Second Day Of March Thinking About Taking The Train From Texas To Arizona

The pool is looking more inviting on the 2nd day of March than it was yesterday, due to the temperature being only 3 degrees shy of 50.

I had myself an insomnia bout last night. And then, when I finally passed out, I had myself a roller coaster ride of disturbing nightmares.

Disturbing nightmares, the details of which I retain too much memory.

My mom called me again last night with a plan. She thinks it sounds fun if I'd take a one-way conveyance to Phoenix and then mom and dad would drive me back to Texas. Well, actually, I would do the driving.

It sort of sounds fun to take Amtrak to Arizona. Amtrak does not go directly to Phoenix. The nearest stop to Phoenix is Maricopa, where my brother lives.

I have only ridden on Amtrak once. From Tacoma to Portland and back. By the time I got to Portland the train ride had given me a splitting headache that lasted all weekend. Then on the way back to Tacoma I basically got seasick from the constant rocking motion that was worse than a ferry boat caught in a major tide change. I was barely back to Tacoma and on the freeway when I had to exit the freeway to throw up.

Maybe Amtrak to Arizona is not such a good idea.

I think I'll go swimming now and think about it.

Gar the Texan's Italian Adventures & Amtrak

Gar the Texan has been blogging amusingly about his recent nightmarish trip to Italy. The latest installment tells the chilling details of a 5 hour train ride from Lamezia to Rome.

A blogging previous to the train ride told the chilling details of the 30 hour ordeal of getting to Italy, including lost luggage, plane problems and Italians rioting.

Another blogging tells the chilling details of a night of going from one bar to another, drinking way too many adult beverages, to the point memory loss set in, with Gar the Texan waking up in the morning to find a strange note pinned to his forehead.

Reading Gar the Texan's details of his train ride to Rome reminded me of my one and only train trip. Taking Amtrak from Tacoma to Portland. I think it was sometime in the late 1980s or early 90s. The tracks were in terrible shape, causing the train to rock back and forth like a boat in rough water.

By the time I got to Portland I had a splitting headache that stayed with me the entire trip. Departing two days later, the Portland train station was pure anarchy. It was every man for himself to try and find an empty seat. The train was way bigger than the one we'd taken south. Going from car to car to car to car looking for a seat had me nauseous before we started to move.

By the time we made it back to Tacoma I was feeling sick. I was barely back in my car when I had to pull over to throw up. I'd never ever been seasick, having been many a time on boats in very rough water. But Amtrak made me seasick.

Since my train ride to Portland the tracks have been improved, along with a new high speed Talgo train.

The Amtrak website almost make me want to hit the rails again, with how they describe what they now call the Amtrak Cascades...

"From Eugene, Oregon to Vancouver, British Columbia, the Amtrak Cascades offers an unparalleled experience of the great Pacific Northwest. Through Seattle and Portland, past Mount St. Helens and across the Columbia River Gorge, you'll witness some of our continent's most distinctive cities and most spectacular natural attractions.

Onboard these sleek, European-style trains, you'll enjoy wide, reclining seats, laptop outlets and bike racks. Relax in the Bistro Car, which features fresh, regional cuisine, wine, microbrews, and the coffees Seattle made famous."

Amtrak From Fort Worth To Tacoma

I'm pretty sure I'll be heading north to Tacoma next month. A pair of poodles await me. Among other things.

Years ago I rode Amtrak from Tacoma to Portland. It was awful. I've never been seasick or carsick. But I got trainsick. As in, by the time I got to Portland, I was totally nauseous, with a horrible headache that stayed with me all the way back to Tacoma, where barely a couple miles back driving on the freeway I had to exit and throw up.

So, I don't know what I was thinking when I decided to see if it was doable to take Amtrak from Fort Worth to Tacoma. It is doable. But totally, ridiculously bizarre.

First off it cost $418 one-way to Tacoma. And $414 to return to Fort Worth. That's $832 roundtrip. Flying is only about $350. Driving would even be cheaper. And funner, than Amtrak.

It's the convoluted route to get back and forth from Fort Worth to Tacoma that truly makes Amtrak bizarre.

I leave Fort Worth, July 16, on the Texas Eagle and 45 hours 30 minutes later I arrive in Los Angeles where I board a bus that takes me to Bakersfield where I get on another train, the San Joaquin and ride for 5 hours 10 minutes to Sacramento where I get on another train, the Coast Starlight and ride 19 hours 12 minutes to get to Tacoma, July 19, 4 days after I left Fort Worth.

And then the return to Fort Worth is even more bizarre. August 13 I get on the Coast Starlight, again, but this time it takes 19 hours 44 minutes to get to Sacramento (it's slower going south?) and then I get on the California Zephyr for a 48 hour 25 minute ride to Galesburg, Illinois, where I get on another train, the Southwest Chief and ride 4 hours 18 minutes to Kansas City where I get on another bus for an 8 hour ride to Oklahoma City to get on the Heartland Flyer for a 4 hour 14 minute ride back to Fort Worth for the end, on August 17, of a 5 day long return journey, where I would collapse and probably need to be hospitalized.

Well, it is now no longer a mystery to me why more people don't use Amtrak. One would think it would be feasible to run small passenger trains on a regular route, I dunno, like one heading through Fort Worth passing through Oklahoma City on its way to Denver and beyond.

There are train tracks all over this country. I've seen them. Why should it take way longer to take a train from Fort Worth to Tacoma than it takes to drive a car? I can drive there in 2 and half days. And that's with 2 motels stays. A train goes non-stop. It's 2200 miles when I drive to the Seattle zone. The routes Amtrak takes is thousands of extra miles.