June 4-20 Amtrak Summer 2017 Adventure Preview - New Orleans and Portland, OR

Amtrak's Coast Starlight at Portland Union Station

June 4-20 Amtrak Summer 2017 Adventure Preview

Just one week until I depart on my Amtrak Summer Adventure visiting New Orleans, LA, and Portland, OR, while riding five Amtrak trains - the Sunset Limited, Coast Starlight, Cascades, Empire Builder, and City of New Orleans. While I will be on Amtrak sleeping six nights, I will spend more time in hotels - six nights in New Orleans and four nights in Portland.  I will fly to New Orleans Sunday, June 4, for three nights and then board Amtrak's Sunset Limited Wednesday, June 7 traveling through Houston, San Antonio, El Paso, and Tucson en route to Los Angeles. Connecting to the Coast Starlight on Friday, June 9, I will travel through Santa Barbara, Emeryville(San Francisco), Sacramento, Klamath Falls and Eugene arriving in Portland on Saturday, June 10.

I will stay four nights in Portland visiting attractions such as the Portland Rose Gardens and nearby Multnomah Falls on the Columbia River. Here are a couple photos I took when visiting in 2007.

Portland, OR - Famous Rose Gardens

Multnomah Falls

Wednesday, June 14, I will board the morning Amtrak Cascades train for the ride from Portland to Seattle where I will have most of the afternoon to visit a few Seattle attractions before boarding the Empire Builder departing late afternoon for Chicago. Highlight of the ride is passing Glacier National Park and crossing Montana and North Dakota near the Canadian border. Two days later we pass through Minneapolis, MN in the morning traveling on to arrive Chicago late afternoon. Hopefully, the trains will be operating not too far behind schedule so that I connect with the evening departing City of New Orleans for my last night on the train arriving in New Orleans mid afternoon Saturday, June 17, for another three nights in New Orleans.  Here are few photos I've taken in New Orleans in recent years.

St. Luis Cathedral

New Orleans if famous for it's Mardi Gras

Steamboat Natchez plies the Mississippi River

Tuesday, June 20, I fly home to Nashville from New Orleans. As I did on my last trip in April, I plan to send a brief daily update via my Iphone with Iphone photos most days. While in New Orleans and Portland I may add one or two laptop generated longer updates with digital photos from my camera.

Of course, I have to congratulate the NHL Nashville Predators winning the Western Conference Championship in the NHL Stanley Cup playoffs.  The Stanley Cup Finals will be playing as I travel so here is my: GO PREDATORS! I'm Standing With You.

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Future 2017 Travel Plans

My future 2017 travel plans includes a visit with friends in Albuquerque in October to experience the balloon fest and some family activities in July and August.

October 4-14 Albuquerque Balloon Fest and Las Vegas -- Will fly American Airlines to Chicago October 4 in the morning and board Amtrak's Southwest Chief that afternoon 3 PM.  The Southwest Chief will arrive afternoon of October 5. My friends, the Andersons, will pick me up and deliver me to my hotel for five nights. While in Albuquerque, the Andersons will be my host and together we will take in all the balloon fest activities and experience my first time staying in Albuquerque.  One of the must do activities will be to ride the commuter train the Railrunner from downtown Albuquerque to Santa Fe and return.  By the way, I met the Andersons while riding the Durango and Silverton Railroad on my 2012 Colorado Road Trip.  At the time they were living in their RV but now have a one bedroom apartment in Albuquerque. 

After five nights in Albuquerque, I will fly Southwest Airlines to Las Vegas and four nights at Caesar's Palace. It's been a while since I last visited so I have already purchased my front row seat to see Cirque Du Soleil's  "O' at the Bellagio. I'll fly American Airlines home to Nashville Saturday October 14.

Family Time - In July and August I will be traveling some to be with family for great niece Cheri's Louisiana wedding and then to east Tennessee to attend my great niece Kellie's "white coat" ceremony as she begins pharmacy school at East Tennessee State University. I'll also use that travel to visit with family and friends in North Louisiana and the Dallas, TX, area. I'm not planning to do blog updates during those trips.

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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St Louis and Missouri River Runner - May 2017

Me(Reagan) in St. Louis Union Station Hotel Lobby

St. Louis and Amtrak's Missouri River Runner

May 10-13, 2017, I made a short trip to St. Louis, MO, flying Southwest Airlines from Nashville to St. Louis and return. My purpose was to ride Amtrak's Missouri River Runner from St. Louis to Kansas City and return all in one day Thursday, May 11. Departed St Louis 9 AM and after spending about an hour inside Kansas City's Union Station, I returned on the same train equipment to St. Louis arriving 9:30 PM that evening. Was a relaxing and enjoyable trip even if it was sorta rainy and gloomy outside the train car's very dirty windows.

Friday was spent visiting the St. Louis riverfront and the Arch area.  Even found an Ole Spaghetti Factory for lunch.  Yum, I love spaghetti with meat sauce. 

I stayed at the Union Station Hotel affiliated with Hilton Hotels. In that area are some old railroad passenger cars I enjoyed walking around and viewing.

I've uploaded one gallery of photos to my Railtrips 2017 Folder in Reagan's Photo Galleries. You can visit the gallery by clicking the gallery title here:

St. Louis and Missouri River Runner

May 2017

Mural Inside Kansas City Union Station

Well, I'm home for three weeks until I depart for my June 2017 Amtrak trip visiting New Orleans and Portland, OR.

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Future 2017 Travel Plans

My future 2017 travel plans continue my Amtrak adventures. I've now added a visit with friends in Albuquerque in October to experience the balloon fest.

June 4-20 Amtrak Summer 2017 Amtrak Adventure -- I'm returning to two of my favorite cities while riding five Amtrak trains on this trip. I will fly to New Orleans June 4 staying three nights. 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.

October 4-14 Albuquerque Balloon Fest and Las Vegas -- Will fly American Airlines to Chicago October 4 in the morning and board Amtrak's Southwest Chief that afternoon 3 PM.  The Southwest Chief will arrive afternoon of October 5. My friends, the Andersons, will pick me up and deliver me to my hotel for five nights. While in Albuquerque, the Andersons will be my host and together we will take in all the balloon fest activities and experience my first time staying in Albuquerque.  One of the must do activities will be to ride the commuter train the Railrunner from downtown Albuquerque to Santa Fe and return.  By the way, I met the Andersons while riding the Durango and Silverton Railroad on my 2012 Colorado Road Trip.  At the time they were living in their RV but now have a one bedroom apartment in Albuquerque. 

After five nights in Albuquerque, I will fly Southwest Airlines to Las Vegas and four nights at Caesar's Palace. It's been a while since I last visited so I have already purchased my front row seat to see Cirque Du Soleil's  "O' at the Bellagio. I'll fly American Airlines home to Nashville Saturday October 14.

Family Time - In July and August I will be traveling some to be with family for great niece Cheri's Louisiana wedding and then to east Tennessee to attend my great niece Kellie's "white coat" ceremony as she begins pharmacy school at East Tennessee State University. I'll also use that travel to visit with family and friends in North Louisiana and the Dallas, TX, area. I'm not planning to do blog updates during those trips.

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.

************************************

EMAIL SUBSCRIPTIONS --  CLICK HERE to sign up your email

to receive each new blog post to in your email inbox.

Amtrak Adventure April 2017 - Reagan's Photo Galleries Updated

Me, Reagan, outside my sleeper car in Denver

My Amtrak April 2017 Adventure Wrap Up and Photo Galleries Updated

  On my April Amtrak 2017 I traveled on three long distance Amtrak trains - the Crescent, Capitol Limited and California Zephyr.  On those trains I traveled from New Orleans to Washington, DC, to Chicago, and on to Emeryville, CA.  After a couple days in California I returned to Washington, DC, on the eastbound California Zephyr and Capitol Limited.  i spent overnights in New Orleans, Emeryville, CA, Chicago, IL, and Washington, DC.  I flew Southwest Airlines to New Orleans and from Washington, DC.  i also rode three regional trains - the San Joaquin in California, the Lincoln in Illinois, and the Acela Express Washington, DC, to Philadelphia and return. That was seven nights on the train and seven nights in hotels.  For me riding Amtrak's sleeper cars is so much fun and very relaxing. Yes, I'm ready to get back on trains in May and June.

While traveling I took over 900 photos and have updated them to Reagan's Photo Galleries website.

I created a new Folder and created eleven new photo galleries. 

April 2017 Amtrak Adventure

Click on the above link to see all eleven photo galleries. 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. All the daily travel posts while traveling included IPhone photos which are not included in the photo galleries. 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.

My next Amtrak Adventure is a quick trip to St. Louis, MO, May 10-13, to ride the Missouri River Runner to Kansas City, MO, and return and then a couple days hanging out in St. Louis. Since that is a short three night trip, I'll do just one blog after I return home and update my photo galleries.

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Future 2017 Travel Plans

My future 2017 travel plans continue my Amtrak adventures.  I've now added a visit with friends in Albuquerque in October to experience the balloon fest.

May 10-13 Amtrak St. Louis Amtrak Adventure - Flying Southwest Airlines Nashville to St. Louis to ride Amtrak Missouri River Runner St. Louis to Kansas City and return. I'll fly Southwest Airlines home to Nashville on Saturday afternoon.

June 4-20 Amtrak Summer 2017 Amtrak 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. 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.

October 4-14 Albuquerque Balloon Fest and Las Vegas -- Will fly American Airlines to Chicago October 4 in the morning and board Amtrak's Southwest Chief that afternoon 3 PM.  The Southwest Chief will arrive afternoon of October 5. My friends, the Andersons, will pick me up and deliver me to my hotel for five nights. While in Albuquerque, the Andersons will be my host and together we will take in all the balloon fest activities and experience my first time staying in Albuquerque.  One of the must do activities will be to ride the commuter train the Railrunner from downtown Albuquerque to Santa Fe and return.  By the way, I met the Andersons while riding the Durango and Silverton Railroad on my 2012 Colorado Road Trip.  At the time they were living in their RV but now have a one bedroom apartment in Albuquerque. 

After five nights in Albuquerque, I will fly Southwest Airlines to Las Vegas and four nights at Caesar's Palace. It's been a while since I last visited so I have already purchased my front row seat to see Cirque Du Soleil's  "O' at the Bellagio. I'll fly American Airlines home to Nashville Saturday October 14.

Family Time - In May and July I will be traveling some to be with family for graduation and wedding events. I'll also use that travel to visit with family and friends in North Louisiana and the Dallas, TX, area. I'm not planning to do blog updates during those trips.