Reagan's Travel and Photo Galleries Update Blog

Saturday, March 2, 2019

Amtrak 2019 Winter Snow Trip - Galleries Ready to View

Glacier Park Lodge in Glacier National Park

Amtrak 2019 Winter Snow Trip - Trip Galleries Are Ready to View

Now safely home, I have gathered all my photos from the trip, optimized them, and posted them in four galleries. While Seattle was mostly dry and pleasant weather wise, the trip from Seattle to Chicago was a beautiful snowy wonderland with lots of snow pack and under sunny skies for my ride on Amtrak's Empire Builder. Although I was bused from Seattle to Spokane, Washington, it was an amazing trip with no weather related delays. We arrived Chicago just one hour late just before 5 PM on Friday, February 22. And all the delay was due to some freight congestion in eastern Montana and North Dakota. Chicago was rainy one day and cold and windy Sunday before I departed that evening on Amtrak's City of New Orleans. That trip was right on time and we arrived in New Orleans an hour early Monday afternoon. Weather was basically dry and some sun allowing for a long walk on the riverfront to Jackson Square and then a long walk returning to Canal Street along Royal Street in the French Quarter. Even had time for a nap Tuesday afternoon. To make the trip perfect both the Alaska Airlines flight from Nashville to Seattle and the Southwest Airlines flight from New Orleans to Nashville were both on time.

While passing through La Crosse, Wisconsin, Friday, a fellow Amtrak fan Dennis Weber posted a photo of MY train to Facebook as it was stopped at the station in La Crosse. I have included his photo below and in my gallery with his permission as long as I give him credit.

You can see and view all four galleries by clicking the photo of MY train or the bold trip title below the photo.

My Amtrak Empire Builder in La Crosse, WI, Friday February 22

Photo taken by Dennis Weber

Amtrak 2019 Winter Snow Trip February 18-27

The FOUR GALLERIES are accessible by clicking the gallery name under the photos here:

Seattle, Washington, February 2019

Amtrak's Empire Builder Seattle to Chicago

Day in Chicago and Amtrak's City of New Orleans

New Orleans, Louisiana

That's all for this trip. I will be home March until the last day of the month and then drive to Louisiana for a family trip. I'm not sure if I will be posting any travel blogs for this trip. We will see. No details yet but I am planning to return to Louisiana in October for my Minden High School Class of 1959's 60th reunion scheduled for October 19. So here are my 2019 travel plans for now.

Reagan's Travel Plans for 2019

March 31 to April 9 - Trip to My Louisiana Home - I will be driving home to Northwest Louisiana to visit my two sisters, one niece, and one nephew and their families. Not really a photo gallery type trip but I'm looking forward to visiting with the family and other friends in the Shreveport-Bossier City area. Also my great nephew and his family from Seattle, Washington will be home for the first few days I am there.

June 13-24 Amtrak's Cardinal and Visit to Michigan - Flying Southwest Airlines to Washington, DC, for three nights followed by my first trip on Amtrak's Cardinal from DC to Chicago. In Chicago I will stay three nights before traveling June 20 by regional Amtrak train to East Lansing, Michigan, to visit my older nephew Charles and family for four nights. He is a professor at Michigan State University. He has already suggested some exciting day trips we will make. After my visit I will return to Chicago by Amtrak train Monday morning, June 24, and will fly home that night on Southwest Airlines to Nashville.

September 13-24 Glacier National Park Visit and Amtrak's Empire Builder - Flying American Airlines Nashville to Seattle via connecting flights via Chicago on Friday the 13th. I will stay three nights in Seattle departing Monday, September 16, on Amtrak's Empire Builder overnight arriving at East Glacier Park Station Tuesday morning September 17. I will checkin and stay three nights at the Glacier Park Lodge September 17-20. Will depart East Glacier Station Friday morning September 20 on Amtrak's Empire Builder arriving Chicago Saturday afternoon September 21. Currently planning to stay three nights in Chicago. Still deciding whether to fly home on September 24 or extend the trip. That's the "under construction" part of the trip.

All my photos are available to view on Reagan's Photo Galleries website.

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Tuesday, February 26, 2019

Amtrak 2019 Winter Snow Trip - New Orleans February 25-26

Reagan Down By the Riverside - The Mississippi River

A Couple Days in New Orleans

An overnight trip on Amtrak's City of New Orleans brought me back to my home State Louisiana for a short stay before flying home Wednesday, February 27. I was glad to leave very windy and cold(temperatures in 20's) Chicago Sunday night. An uneventful train ride arrived before 3 PM almost an hour early Monday afternoon. I began my visit eating red beans and rice at Mother's. Then today, I did a nice long walk along the Mississippi riverside to Jackson Square and my favorite chewy praline store Creole Delicacies. After purchasing some of these great chewy pralines, I then walked back to Canal Street along Royal Street and then back to my hotel. And I ended my afternoon taking a nap.

Here are selected photos for today. I have many more New Orleans photos I will include in my photo galleries which I'll post in a couple weeks after returning home to Nashville tomorrow. Remember you can click the photos to see a full size photo.

Heading to bed a little early tonight after packing up for my flight home to Nashville tomorrow morning. Southwest Airlines flight departs 11:50 AM.

This is my last blog update for this trip while I am still away from home. My next blog update for this trip will be in a couple weeks when I notify you that all the photo galleries for this trip are ready for you to view. Thanks for traveling along with me via this blog.

All my photos are available to view on Reagan's Photo Galleries website.

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Saturday, February 23, 2019

Amtrak 2019 Winter Snow Trip - Empire Builder February 20-22

My Empire Builder in La Crosse WI - Photo by Dennis Weber

Traveled Empire Builder February 20-22

A true Winter Snow Trip - Wow, what a snow trip. Literally there was a deep snow pack as I traveled on the Empire Builder Tuesday night from Seattle, WA, until I arrived Chicago, IL, Friday 5 PM. The trip actually began by bus from Seattle to Spokane, WA. It was a non stop 5 hour trip via I-90 and the scenery was beautiful and my attempted photos from a fast moving bus mostly during dark hours from 5 PM to 10 PM was a failure but I will include a few bus photos when I post my photos to my photo galleries. Fortunately, the complete trip Thursday and Friday was in sunny no precipitation weather so I took lots of photos. Although sunny, the temperatures all the way were near 0 degrees or minus a few degrees. I am including over 40 photos in this blog update. They will also be included in my photo galleries I post after I get home in a couple weeks. All of these photos I took except for the lead photo above. Another Amtrak fan Dennis Weber posted this photo to Facebook Friday as we traveled through La Crosse, WI. He did give me permission to include this photo in my galleries and travel blog.

I am in rainy Chicago today and until 8 PM Sunday night. I board Amtrak's City of New Orleans for an overnight trip to New Orleans arriving around 4 PM Monday afternoon. Not sure that I will take many photos but I will post another blog update from New Orleans Tuesday.

Here are the over 40 selected photos from my trip on the Empire Builder. You can click on the photos to see the full size photo.