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| Me, Reagan, in Snowy Fraser, Colorado |
My Amtrak January 2017 Winter Adventure Wrap Up and Photo Galleries Updated
For the beauty of the earth,
For the glory of the skies,
For the love which from our birth
Over and around us lies,
Lord of all, to thee we raise
This our hymn of grateful praise
This our hymn of grateful praise
These words from a hymn I learned in childhood summarizes my awe inspiring travel on Amtrak's California Zephyr over the Rocky Mountains of Colorado and the Sierra Nevada Mountains of California. The snow covered landscape is so calming and cleanly white. I traveled this same train and route the past two Winters but neither compared to this breath taking ride through such abundant and beautiful snow pack as I experienced on this year's trip. Every part of my trip went so well. The cities, Chicago, Emeryville, and Los Angeles, I visited and the trains I rode, Amtrak's Hiawatha, California Zephyr and Coast Starlight provided good accommodations and on time travel. Each train was in good condition and the on board staff provided excellent and pleasant service. I'm ready to get back on and I will in April.
While traveling I took over 700 photos and have updated them to Reagan's Photo Galleries website.
I created a new Folder and created seven new photo galleries.
Click on the above link to see all seven photo galleries. Thanks to Trainorders forum member "Boilingman" for permission to include four external views of my train traveling through California's Sierra Nevada Mountains.
If you missed any of the travel blog posts I made while on this trip, you can find them all here: Reagan's Travel Blog. The newest posts are at the top. Scroll down to find the older posts in sequence newest to oldest. While reading the blog you can subscribe to have the posts sent to your email inbox. There is a "Follow By Email" subscription box at the very top right of the on line version of the blogs.
I will be home in Nashville in February and March. I be looking forward to my next Amtrak adventure in April so no travel blog updates until then. About a week before I leave I will post a preview blog of the April trip.
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2017 Travel Plans
My 2017 travel plans includes family and trains.
Family Events Travel May, July, and August -- For my great niece Kellie, I am planning to attend her graduation from Mississippi State University in Starkville, MS, May 5, and then her White Coat Ceremony August 11 in Johnson City, TN, as she begins pharmacy school at East Tennessee State University.
My great niece Cheri is getting married in Benton, Louisiana, July 15, so I am planning to travel to Shreveport/Bossier City/Benton, LA, for the wedding and surrounding activities. I have made hotel reservations for a week arriving Thursday, July 13, and departing Tuesday, July 18. I am planning on making a vacation of this trip visiting other friends and family while in this area of the country.
April 8-22 Amtrak April 2017 Rail Adventure -- On this trip I will be riding on the Amtrak Crescent train for the first time and actually traveling coast to coast and return. I will begin the trip by flying Southwest Airlines to New Orleans April 8 for two nights at the Hyatt House Hotel on Poydras Street near New Orleans Union Station. Early Monday morning (7 AM) I will depart on Amtrak's Crescent train from New Orleans through Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia(Atlanta), South Carolina, North Carolina, and Virginia arriving Tuesday morning at Washington, DC, Union Station. That same Tuesday afternoon (4 PM), I will depart on Amtrak's Capitol Limited through Maryland, West Virginia, Pennsylvania(Pittsburgh), Ohio, and Indiana arriving early Wednesday (9 AM) in Chicago's Union Station. At 2 PM Wednesday, I'll board Amtrak's California Zephyr for the two night trip to Emeryville arriving Friday late afternoon April 14 for two nights at the Hyatt House Emeryville. Sunday morning (9 AM) I will board the east bound California Zephyr bound to Chicago arriving Tuesday afternoon and staying one night at the new Hampton Inn Chicago West Loop. Wednesday evening, April 19, I will return to Chicago Union Station to board the Capitol Limited(6:30 PM) for overnight trip back to Washington, DC, arriving early afternoon (1 PM) for a two night stay at the Hilton Garden Inn/DC US Capitol. Saturday, April 22, I'll fly Southwest Airlines home to Nashville from Washington, DC, Reagan National Airport.
June 4 - 20 Amtrak 2017 Summer Rail Adventure -- I'm returning to two of my favorite cities while riding four Amtrak trains on this trip. I will fly to New Orleans June 4 staying three nights at the Hyatt House Hotel downtown on the Loyola Streetcar line. Then I will depart New Orleans on Amtrak's Sunset Limited through Houston, TX; El Paso, TX; and Tucson, AZ, to Los Angeles where I will transfer to Amtrak's Coast Starlight through Oakland, CA; Klamath Falls, OR; and Eugene, OR, to Portland, OR, where I will spend four nights visiting this naturally beautiful city and surrounding area. In 1966, I spent three months in Oregon while in training to be an auditor for the now Federal Highway Administration during the building of the Interstate Highway System. Incidentally, that is how I ended up living my entire adult life in Nashville, TN, to which I was permanently assigned after completing my training. June 14 I will travel via Amtrak's Cascades train from Portland to Seattle, WA, to transfer to Amtrak's Empire Builder Seattle to Chicago via Spokane, WA; Whitefish, MT; Glacier Mountains National Park; Havre, MT; Minot, ND; and St Paul/Minneapolis, MN. I will be connecting June 16 in Chicago to Amtrak's City of New Orleans for an overnight trip to New Orleans via Memphis, TN, and Jackson, MS. After three nights in New Orleans I will fly home from New Orleans to Nashville on June 20.
June 4 - 20 Amtrak 2017 Summer Rail Adventure -- I'm returning to two of my favorite cities while riding four Amtrak trains on this trip. I will fly to New Orleans June 4 staying three nights at the Hyatt House Hotel downtown on the Loyola Streetcar line. Then I will depart New Orleans on Amtrak's Sunset Limited through Houston, TX; El Paso, TX; and Tucson, AZ, to Los Angeles where I will transfer to Amtrak's Coast Starlight through Oakland, CA; Klamath Falls, OR; and Eugene, OR, to Portland, OR, where I will spend four nights visiting this naturally beautiful city and surrounding area. In 1966, I spent three months in Oregon while in training to be an auditor for the now Federal Highway Administration during the building of the Interstate Highway System. Incidentally, that is how I ended up living my entire adult life in Nashville, TN, to which I was permanently assigned after completing my training. June 14 I will travel via Amtrak's Cascades train from Portland to Seattle, WA, to transfer to Amtrak's Empire Builder Seattle to Chicago via Spokane, WA; Whitefish, MT; Glacier Mountains National Park; Havre, MT; Minot, ND; and St Paul/Minneapolis, MN. I will be connecting June 16 in Chicago to Amtrak's City of New Orleans for an overnight trip to New Orleans via Memphis, TN, and Jackson, MS. After three nights in New Orleans I will fly home from New Orleans to Nashville on June 20.
You can click on any of the small photos in this blog to open a full size photo.
All my photos are available to view on Reagan's Photo Galleries website.
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