The audacity of adventure

I cannot begin to conceive what a 4-week vacation by rail around North America will be like but when I stepped onto Sleeping Car 330 in Lamy, NM this afternoon it was too late to have any second thoughts. Now, I am comfortably relaxed in my roomette and day one is almost complete. The city of Flagstaff, AZ is rolling by and although it is sort of an unrelated thought, it just struck me that not too far north is my summer home, that big hole in the ground called the Grand Canyon. When I see Allan and possibly, Brody, in a few hours, I'll see if they miss it as much as I do!

The adventure so far has been rather unexciting. Lamy is where the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe came through northern New Mexico and although there is a spur line into town, Santa Fe was never actually on the main line of the railroad that came to be known by that moniker many years ago. For $20, however, Amtrak is gracious enough to provide shuttle service from your front door to the station so you can catch the Southwest Chief (not to be confused with the original "Super Chief") to Chicago or Los Angeles or points in between. Tony, the driver, was quite friendly the half hour it took to make the drive, even pointing out the site the stone was quarried for the cathedral and the famous Loretto Chapel in downtown Santa Fe.

Both the eastbound and westbound trains arrive in Lamy between 2 and 2:30 p.m. each day, so for about an hour or two the station is jumping, then dead the other 23 hours. Not a great way to make a living if you are a station agent at the depot. There is also a diner in an old dining car that served a decent cup of coffee and a bread pudding. That was enough to tide me over until dinner on the train at 6:30 with several Bloody Marys in between in the Superliner lounge car for good measure.

I would tell you that the scenery was gorgeous, but it was not. Between Lamy and Albuquerque, the train rolls through what has to be the worst part of town, places you would only see from the train or worse yet, if you got terribly lost. It is difficult to believe the conditions in which some people live, but God bless 'em, they have a dish and probably high speed Internet. What more do you need for your trailer/wooden shack combo in the desert! Upon leaving Albuquerque, it turns into evening rather quickly and although the sunset was pretty, it quickly faded into darkness. And with the darkness comes sleep. Simi Valley is the next stop after I arrive in LA. I can't wait to see my Grand Canyon little bro's Jeep!