Closing Thoughts...

This was my 17th straight year visiting Cedar Point and my 11th year using Amtrak to get there. Cedar Point was incredible as always! The weather essentially didn't cooperate at all on Friday and for most of the day on Saturday. Though it wasn't raining, it was very cloudy. Next year, I plan to go to the park in late September when in theory, the weather should be a bit better. This was my second ride on the Southwest Chief (first one was in February 2002) and taking this trip in a sleeper only enhances this trip that much more. The scenery is incredible and having your own sleeper is great! The Dining Car food was actually very good, I had a total of 2 flat-iron steaks because they tasted really good! The service in the dining car on both the Lake Shore and Southwest Chief were decent and the crews were also excellent. Amtrak is riding on a high tide right now with the fact that a spike in gas prices earlier this year lead to a record year for ridership! President Elect Barack Obama and Vice-President Elect Joe Biden appear to be Amtrak supporters so we shall see what happens in the near future with Amtrak. My hope is that finally, they'll get the money they need to finish fixing the wrecked and stored equipment at facilities such as Beech Grove and Bear, DE, and get new equipment so they can expand. It’s blatantly obvious that there is a huge need for Passenger Rail in America. It's environmentally friendly and you'll see parts of this country that you can't see with a car or from 35,000 feet up in a plane! (I had to fly home on this trip so I can attest to that!) If you can afford to do it, take a trip on Amtrak, even just a day-long trip if the schedules allow for it. You'll discover what I've been saying for many years in a lot of words through my travelogues: There's no better way to see America than through the window of an Amtrak Train! Until next time, when I make my annual Christmas shopping trip, Happy Railfanning…