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| 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.
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| Portland, OR - Famous Rose Gardens |
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| 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.
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| St. Luis Cathedral |
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| New Orleans if famous for it's Mardi Gras |
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| 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.
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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