Trains, Trains, Trains - Days 1 & 2

 

                                                                    OCTOBER 12-13, 2025
(EXPAND ANY PICS BY CLICKING ON THEM)—
Well, our rail trip that will take us 3/4 of the way across the U.S. has begun without a hitch (so far)! We began in Martinez and boarded the San Joaquins commuter train—straight backed, nonreclining chairs… gotta work on that Amtrak—-traveling 6 hrs to Bakersfield where we seamlessly switched to an Amtrak Bus for the last 2 hrs to Union Station.

 **Exclusive Fashion Tip** Perhaps you’ve had hopes of visiting L.A.’s iconic Union Station? Built in 1939, it’s an important symbol of downtown, connecting the fabric of Los Angeles’ past to the present.  A visit like that might have you contemplating what to wear on such an occasion as you walk through the largest railroad passenger terminal in the Western U.S. Well put your mind at ease because I happened upon a model citizen in the terminal who made me understand that my hopeless commitment to convention is shamelessly outdated and likely flawed beyond repair…

                                                              













Yacht Rock Captain hat - Flawless nails - Leopard undershorts - Uni-sock - Protein drink a-go-go - Waxed-stach - Faux Cow skin jacket jauntily slung over arm…You’re welcome.


We’ve been watching ‘Lincoln Lawyer’ on Netflix which takes place in Los Angeles. I’m also reading some of the Lincoln Lawyer books and just the other day, the main character, Micheal Haller, referenced
going to lunch at “Traxx” in Union Station. We decided to check it out seeing as we had several hours to kill before boarding the Sunset Limited. Turned out to be a great choice! We enjoyed yummy drinks, a kale Caesar salad with ahi and a Cobb salad with salmon. People watching was at its peak here too, with no end to the fascinating characters who pass through these historic doors!

When we boarded the Sunset Limited—L.A. to New Orleans route—at 9pm for a 10pm departure, we found our sleeper car and cabin 5 where the sitting area was already converted to beds for sleepy time. 

As we got situated I ran into a fun group (posse, crew, squad?) of guys in their 60’s who were staying in our same car. Struck up a conversation with Steve from Berkeley who explained that he and his buddies from college meet up regularly to go on trips that are part outdoor adventure (hiking and rafting on this one) and part bar crawl—sign me up! They usually invite their wives to join for the bar crawl part, and are actually going to be finishing up the trip in New Orleans! He also said they’re working on completing the 400 miles of the Bay Ridge Trail a segment at a time. —Steve’s son is working on getting into the fire department so I’m sure we’ll be connecting with these guys again on our return. They disembarked in Alpine, TX.

We plan to disembark in San Antonio, TX for a few days before jumping back aboard for New Orleans.


The scenery from L.A. to San Antonio isn’t overly remarkable to most people unless, like me, you appreciate desert landscapes…I will say that one of the most interesting occurrences on this route is how close (meaning right on top of) the train runs to the Mexican border, specifically at the town of El Paso. 

In the video (you can expand it after opening by clicking in upper left corner), we are entering El Paso and you can see “the wall” that separates El Paso from Juarez, MX. Knowing how dangerous Juarez is with its well-documented drug trade and violence gave me a very uneasy feeling as we made our 45min stop here. El Paso can’t be described as a pretty town by any respect and I’m left wondering why someone would choose to live in this place?
 
It’s 5am and we’ve arrived in San Antonio! Time for some coffee while we wait for Enterprise to open at 7:30 — then it’s off to Austin for an overnight. Back soon with more!

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