Day 2 - On-board the Southwest Chief to La Plata, MO
I woke up at 5:30AM and took a shower downstairs. The shower had been totally remodeled. It even had a real shower door, instead of a curtain. The only thing missing was the Amtrak logo on the top of the mirror as seen in the NARP pictures.
At about 6:00AM, I decided to take out my laptop and get my GPS running. I just recently ordered a USC GPS Receiver and Microsoft Streets and Trips 2006. These 2 components were less then $100, and would let me monitor the location of the train throughout the entire journey. I also had my scanner which made it very interesting to monitor speed restrictions, switching, etc. About 20 minutes later we arrived into Winslow, AZ a few minutes early. We departed on-time at 6:59AM.
I went to breakfast at 7:30AM. I sat with Andy from Northern California, and some other folks from Bakersfield, CA and Des Moines, IA. It was interesting to discuss the weather and trains of 3 different parts of the country. Yolanda was our server again. Hesitatingly, I ordered the French Toast. I had heard on various online forums that it tastes like "rubber". But I wanted to see for myself. It arrived, and it was excellent! I don't know if it was the cook, or the ingredients, but it was definitely a good choice on this train!
A table in the Dining Car ready for Breakfast service.
Back in my room at 9:21AM, I checked the Train Status by calling Amtrak. Julie estimated being 8 minutes late to Albuquerque.
At 10:00AM, we were at MP 83.5 when a slow order was issued for 10MPH. At 10:15AM, someone at BNSF told us that we could proceed to regular speed again. A few moments later, the LSA Ifran came to my room and gave me a 2:00PM lunch reservation. Having a reservation for lunch was different, but not a big deal.
With several more stops, and communication with BNSF, we made it to Albuquerque at 12:02PM (14 minutes early). I guess Julie was having a bad day.
Albuquerque looked a bit different then the last time I was there. For instance, the New Mexico Rail Runner is now operating. This is an Albuquerque-based train that is very similar to a commuter line such as Metrolink. I took several photos, but I surely did not forget to retrieve my ticket from an agent inside. So after 924 miles, I finally had my ticket!
We departed Albuquerque on-time, and we were on our way to Lamy. This would be my first time east of Albuquerque on the Southwest Chief. I went to lunch at 2:00PM and was very eager to try the new cheeseburger. I have heard it is still very good. I sat with a very nice woman from Denver who had been visiting her daughter in California. She talked about how she had been riding Amtrak for years and how she enjoyed it instead of plane travel. Ifran was our server, and my burger arrived fast, and it was excellent! I can honestly say that it was even better then some of the past burgers I have had on Amtrak! If this was not freshly prepared, then Amtrak has really mastered the art of warming up food onboard. For dessert I had chocolate cake again. I had now had all 3 meals in the dining car, and was very pleased that Dinner Lite was not horrible as some online have made it sound.
We arrived into Las Vegas (New Mexico that is) at 3:59PM. We were running about 14 minutes behind schedule.
I caught this interesting photo when we were going about 10MPH around a sharp curve. I also took a screenshot of it on my GPS...
East of Albuquerque, the scenery had not changed too much other then a bit of snow on the ground...
We hit Raton, NM at 5:52PM (20 minutes late). Raton is the connection stop to Pueblo, Colorado Springs, and Denver. It is also the only way to get to Denver from Los Angeles by rail since the California Zephyr is the only train that services Denver, CO.
I had dinner at 6:30PM with Andy, and a couple from Kansas City, Missouri. We discussed the differences in California and Kansas City including how expensive it really is to live in California comapred to the Midwest. For dinner I ordered the braised beef again since it was so good the night before. I was very happy with it once again, and I had cheescake with strawberry topping for dessert. This is one of my all time favorites and always lives up to excpectations. During dinner we also arrive in Trinidad, CO.
Before I went to bed that evening, I detrained at one more station stop and took a picture. I'm sorry but I just can't remember if it was Lamar or La Junta. Anyway, as I was taking the picture, an Amish man walked right infront of the camera! For those of oyu not familiar with the Amish traveling by rail, they travel by rail but do not use lights, etc. onboard the train.
