realbtl
Contributors
So I wasn't sure about this but it seems like there are enough "journey not the destination" folks here that I Thought I'd throw this out there. It's a trip report but, since it wasn't in the camper, I thought I'd put it here. DD, feel free to move or delete this if you want.
Since flying has become such a PITA and, now that I’m retired, time is much less an issue, I decided to try Amtrak. I had to go to El Paso TX to finish up the last of my late aunt’s affairs and planned a return by train from El Paso to San Antonio to Chicago and back to Whitefish MT, about 30 mi from home. What follows is a travel journal for anyone considering Amtrak.
May 4, 2011- Because I don’t like surprises plus I had some extra time I decided to drop by the EP station to make sure my tickets were OK, etc. What I found out was that service was cancelled somewhere between San Antonio and Dallas due to flooding. They had been calling me at home but had not left a message and I forgot to give them my cell.
The folks in ticketing could not have been more helpful (this was the first of several pleasant surprises compared with flying). They were able to rebook me from EP to LA to Portland to Whitefish. Because I had booked so early they honored these rates rather than charging me the much higher rates for such short notice. This change was fine by me as I had been looking at the CA coast/Shasta/OR/Columbia Gorge route as a fun future trip if I was happy with this my first experience with Amtrak.
Since flying has become such a PITA and, now that I’m retired, time is much less an issue, I decided to try Amtrak. I had to go to El Paso TX to finish up the last of my late aunt’s affairs and planned a return by train from El Paso to San Antonio to Chicago and back to Whitefish MT, about 30 mi from home. What follows is a travel journal for anyone considering Amtrak.
May 4, 2011- Because I don’t like surprises plus I had some extra time I decided to drop by the EP station to make sure my tickets were OK, etc. What I found out was that service was cancelled somewhere between San Antonio and Dallas due to flooding. They had been calling me at home but had not left a message and I forgot to give them my cell.
The folks in ticketing could not have been more helpful (this was the first of several pleasant surprises compared with flying). They were able to rebook me from EP to LA to Portland to Whitefish. Because I had booked so early they honored these rates rather than charging me the much higher rates for such short notice. This change was fine by me as I had been looking at the CA coast/Shasta/OR/Columbia Gorge route as a fun future trip if I was happy with this my first experience with Amtrak.