AMTRAK - LESSONS LEARNED - PART 2

This is part two of my Amtrak – Lessons Learned Post. In my last post, I recapped many of the lessons Learned during my recent Cross-Country Trip to Phoenix. In this post I will highlight some of the things that I would do differently when I decide to embark on another Amtrak Journey.

1.       USE AMTRAK POINTS: Be sure to sign up (which I have) for the Amtrak Rewards Program.  My recent Trip netted me about 6000 total points. Points can be used for upgrades or free trips. They can also be used for discounts on rental cars and hotels.  Also, if you are a Reward Member you will receive advanced information on promotions before they are available to the Public.  Plus, if you achieve a certain level you can use the Metropolitan Lounge.  For my past trip while I was already a reward member.  I evidently received an e-mail that would have allowed me to take advantage of a discount on my already booked trip.  I let it sit in my in-box for a couple of day before I opened it and the offer had expired. The offer would have allowed me to receive either a $50 credit on my trip from Chicago back to Washington or Rewards Point on that leg of the tip plus an additional 250 points. LESSON LEARNED – Not only sign up for an Amtrak Reward account but open and review all e-mails and offers.

2.       BREAK UP LONG TRIPS: This is perhaps the most valuable lesson learned.  While the trip going out to Arizona (4-days and 3-night) was uneventful. The fact that Amtrak’s schedule is dependent on the freight railroad. Long and lengthy delay are becoming the norm rather than the exception. Example was on my return trip I had broken down up the trip into two leg. The first leg was from Phoenix to Chicago. Upon arriving in Chicago, I opted to spend a couple of days in the Windy City before continuing to Washington finally home.  I booked the Chicago-Washington and Washington – Roanoke all in one reservation knowing that I had just slightly less than 4-hours between trains in Washington.  As luck would have it, the train from Chicago to Washington more than 6-hours late getting in and I missed my train to Roanoke.  Because I had booked both legs in one reservation Amtrak (to their credit) assumed responsibility to get me to my destination. The problem being their plan was not ideal for me. Upon arriving in D. C., I was met by a customer service agent Who quickly ushered me to another Train bound for Lynchburg Virginia where, as the agent explained to me, I would be met by a Taxi cab and taken to Roanoke. The train from Washington to Lynchburg was delayed 6-hours in Charlottesville and I didn’t arrive in Lynchburg. Until almost 5 a.m. and by the time I arrived by taxi in Roanoke, it was close to 7 a.m. I advised the customer service agent in Washington that I would be just a happy to spend the night in a hotel in D. C. and travel the next day provided Amtrak would make my existing ticket valid for next day travel. The agent told me that that wasn’t an option, they Amtrak policy was to put me on the next available train or bus and since there was a train to Lynchburg, I would be required to accept that. My current ticket from Washington D. C. to Lynchburg, I was listed as a NO SHOW and that ticket was no longer valid and could not be updated for next day travel. She further explained that if I choses to decline train to Lynchburg that I would not receive a refund on my NO SHOW ticket (even though it was Amtrak’s problem that caused me to miss by connection) and that I would just have to purchase another ticket at my expense for travel the next day. LESSON LEARNED – Amtrak is at the mercy of the Freight Companies and are almost always late. Break up your travel into legs, spending the night and starting each leg fresh the next day or a couple of days later.

3.       RESEARCH HOTELS ALONG THE WAY: A little research goes along way especially when you are dependent on Public Transportation. First, I knew I wanted to stay at a hotel that was within walking distance of Union Station during my Chicago stop over.  I have said before I am not a fan of the third-party hotel booking services like Hotels.com or Priceline.  I would rather deal with the hotel directly either through their online booking platform or through their 800 number.  Most of the hotel in downtown Chicago that were within walking distance of Union Station had rates that were over $200 per night.  But through a little research I found the Club Quarter Hotel was about a half a mile from the station and was offering a base rate of $184 per night. This was almost $50 less than anything else in the area. So, I took to sites like Yelp and Trip Advisor to see what Kind of reviews this hotel was getting. To my surprise it was getting excellent reviews. The biggest fault was people complaining about that small rooms.  So, after looking at the hotel and surrounding area on Google Maps I signed in to their website and started the rather simple booking process.  To my surprise I discovered that because I was a first-time guest my rate was being further discounted from $184 to $164.  This was $70 off the rated quoted by other hotels in the area so I decided to book two nights and found that my rate was being further discounted to $134 per night. This is a hotel right on Adams street in the Heart of Chicago. I could walk to Union Station, to restaurants and to many of the tourist attractions. LESSON LEARNED: Don’t be shy about researching Hotels and looking at their online discounts.

4.       RENTAL CARS: Just as you research hotels, be sure to research WHERE you rent your car from.  Here are a couple of examples of what I am talking about. My friend who routinely flies into Phoenix told me that you can save a substantial amount by renting at a branch away from the Airport. So, when making my rental car reservation with Enterprise I check the rates at the airport as opposed to some of the off-site locations.  My car rental in Arizona was for about 10 days. I rented it at a Scottsdale Location and opted to turn it in at a location in Tucson. The total was a little over $560 including all the taxes and a $55 fee for the Tucson Return.  Just for a comparison I checked on renting from the Phoenix Airport with the same return in Tucson. My total cost for the same length of time and the same type of car was $824. That’s a savings of just under $300.  So, when I got to Chicago, had considered renting a car but talked my self out of it and decided to spend my day and a half exploring the area on foot or by taking a Lyft.  But I did compare rental car rate.  Union Station has onsite rental car agents. I checked a two-day rental from the Union Station Agent and on off site agent.  A two-day Mid-size Enterprise rental from the Union Station agent was quoted as $120.54.  The off-site Enterprise mid-size rental was $66.33, A short $10.00 Lyft ride to the off-site agent would have save me almost half. LESSON LEARNED – By renting at transportation hubs such as airports and Train stations you are play a substantial fee for convenience. A short Lyft or cab ride can save you a substantial amount of money.

5.       CONSIDER AMTRAK USA RAIL PASS: For my next Amtrak Trip I may consider an Amtrak See America Rail Pass. The See American Pass can be purchase for a period of 15, 30 or 45 days of travel. A 15-day pass allows you 8-segment of travel. Basically, a travel segment is anytime you get on an off the at train. So, you will be permitted to get on and off the train 8 times in 15 day.  Your travel must be completed within the 15 day from the time of your first boarding.  A 30-day pass allows 12- segments and the 45-day pass allows 18 segments.  It should be noted that your rail pass is NOT a ticket, you must secure a separate ticket for each boarding. There are only a select number of tickets available for rail pass holders for each train.  Rail Pass ticket are only good for coach seats, but you can up grade to business class or sleepers by paying the up-charge. LESSON LEARNED – For extended travel the Rail Pass may be an option to consider, especially for trips with multiple stops.

6.       CARRY SOME CASH: If you are traveling in a sleeper your meals in the dining car are included. But just because meals are included does not mean you don’t have to tip. The same rules apply to the dining car staff that applies at any other restaurant. A tip of between 15% and 20% of the menu price is the norm for good service. A tip of 10% to 15% is acceptable for mediocre service and No tip to Less than 10% for poor or inadequate service.  For the most part all the dining car attendant during my trip provided excellent service so I tipped accordingly.  The menu price for a steak dinner, including salad, desert, baked potato, green beans and drink is $25.00 so my tip was at least $5.00.  A breakfast omelet with juice, coffee and potato’s list for $12.50 so I usually tipped 3 or 4 dollars. Yes, some say I tip too much, but I do believe in taking care of these hard-working folks and found that most people on the train tipped along the same lines.  Also, be sure to tip your sleeping car attendant.  As I said earlier, I had a couple of attendants that Provided excellent service and one that did only the minimum.  For excellent service I tipped between $10 and $15 per night.  For the attendant that did only the minimum I tipped $5.00 per night. There are not ATM’s on the train and you probably are not going to have enough time to find one during stations stops. So, get enough cash to tip the crew before your first boarding. LESSON LEARNED -Most of the Amtrak service staff really do care about customer service and should be tipped accordingly.  They will soon know who tips well and will cater toward the good tipper who reward good service.

7.        BRING SOME SNACKS:  As a sleeper care passenger my meals were included, and I can assure you that you will not go hungry. However, I am someone who must have a snack before I go to bed.  Some people complain about the cost of snacks in the lounge care, I didn’t find them that much out of line. They are more than store and vending machine prices, but they are less than ballpark and arena concessions.  A soft drink will run you $2.50 as will a candy bar.  A small microwaved pizza with run you $5.50 as will a breakfast sandwich. The lounge car closes at 10 p.m.  so, if you want a snack after that you will have to have your own or buy before the lounge café closes.  Your sleeping car attendant will provide you with all the ice and water you want but if you want soft drinks you will have to buy them from the lounge.  LESSON LEARNED: While I didn’t really mind paying the $2.50 for soft drinks, the next time I will pack some snack like M&M or other candy bars just, so I will have something before I turn in.

8.       THE SIGHTSEER LOUNGE:  The Sightseer lounge car has large floor to ceiling windows and is an excellent place to meet and visit with new people and to watch the scenery. I enjoyed passing the time there and rarely found it to be overly crowded.  However, at night after about 10 p.m., many of the coach passengers will migrate to the lounge car and sleep there. The double seats made a good bed for small children. While technically they are not supposed to do this, the attendants usually turn their head.  The attendant will usually start waking them up and moving them back to their coach car before breakfast, usually around 5:30 a.m. LESSON LEARNED – Don’t plan on using the sightseer lounge during the over night hours. On the morning I woke up early and ventured into the Sightseer car the only place to sit was at one of the Booths which really wasn’t that big of a problem. The dinning car attendant even brought me a cup of coffee (without me asking) on his way through. The perks of being a good tipper.

When all was said and done, my first long distance Amtrak trip was a great experience. Would I do it again, Yes definitely. Am I going to do it again, yes. I don’t know when or where but I don’t think it will be in 2019. I have a couple of ideas for my next Amtrak Trip but it will be awhile I get it planned out.  In the mean time I am excited to see where 2019 will take me. I have just started looking at some interesting places and it looks like 2019 is going to be fun.

AMTRAK - LESSONS LEARNED

It's been a little over a month since I returned from Arizona and finished up my first long distance travel on Amtrak.  Several people have ask the question, "would you do it again?" Well, the answer is an overwhelming YES!.Even though there were a couple of minor issues and one major issue, I really enjoyed my trip out to Arizona and back on Amtrak and I learned some valuable lesson and will do thing differently if and when I take my next Amtrak long distance trip.

1. MAKE YOUR RESERVATIONS AS FAR IN ADVANCE AS POSSIBLE:  I made my reservation for for my October the trip out to Arizona in May. By doing so I got a pretty low price on my trip. From Roanoke, Virginia to my final destination in Maricopa, Arizona the fare for the 3-nights, 4-days of travel ended up being $756.  I kept checking the identical fare a couple of times a month until I departed and never found a lower fare. The week before my departure there was no roomette available on the days I needed to travel and and when I modified the date the fare was well over $1,000.

2.  ALWAYS GET A ROOMETTE FOR OVER NIGHT TRAVEL:  My trip total trip going out was 4-day and three nights.  I traveled business class from Roanoke to Washington, D. C. on one of Amtrak's Northeast Regional Trains.  From Washington to Chicago I boarded the Capitol Limited for the overnight trip to Chicago's Union Station. My trip from Chicago to Maricopa was two night and three days on the Texas Eagle. So I spent a total of three nights in my roomette. Traveling in a roomette afford you some privacy. It is a small room with two facing seat during the day. At night your room attendant will fold the seats down and make your bed. There is a door that locks so you can sleep secure. Travel in a roomette is very comfortable for one person, but it can be a little crowded for two. You also have access to a shower when traveling in a roomette and your meals in the dining car are included. (more about that later)

3. GET TO KNOW YOUR CAR ATTENDANT:  One of the most important things you can do when traveling in a roomette is get to know your car attendant.  Each sleeper car has an assigned room attendant that will greet you upon boarding and shortly after departure will come around and introduce him/her self to you. You room attendant will take your dining car reservations and make make up your room for sleeping at night and return it day setup in the morning. Like every thing the quality of service from your room attendants vary and during my trip out I had three outstanding attendants. On the trip back I had two great attendants and one that did only the bear minimum. A good car attendant can really enhance you total experience.

4.  SECURITY ON AMTRAK: One of the biggest pluses for traveling on Amtrak is you don't have to deal with all of the TSA issues that can be found airports. Roomette and sleeping car passengers are allowed to board first, usually about 30-45 minutes before schedule departure. Not having to deal with TSA doesn't mean there is no security.  On many of the boarding platforms, especially in Washington, Chicago, San Antonio and El Paso Amtrak or local Police with K-9's who checked all checked baggage and are standing by at the boarding gate to observe boarding passengers.  On a couple of legs on my travel uniformed Amtrak Police officers were seen walking between cars.  I don't know if they were looking for anyone in particular or had a tip but they were there and were not trying to hide or blend in.  After a few miles and stops your car attendant knows who belongs in each car and will quickly send people who don't belong in sleepers packing.

5.  DON'T TRAVEL COACH FOR LONG DISTANCE: As I have already said, I would never travel coach on a long distance train.  First of all you are confined to a single seat and have no say in who your seat mate will be. It is more often than no very crowded and you have no privacy. Kids with toy will be playing in the aisle and trust me there will be crying babies. Another reason and maybe the most important is coach passengers do NOT have access to a shower and after a couple of days of travel, they tend to get rather ripe.  Just walking through the coach cars to the dining and lounge cars is a rather smelly experience. If there is going to be a problem with passengers on your trip it is going to be in coach. Twice on my trip out to Maricopa on the Texas Eagle I saw passenger expelled from the train. One was put off in Dallas for smoking on the train. Another was put off in Alpine Texas for an altercation with another passenger.

6.  FOOD AND EATING IN THE DINING CAR: If you travel in a roomette your meals in the dining car are included in your fare. That includes Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner. Breakfast starts at about 6 or 6:30 a.m and runs through about 9 a.m. and seating is first come first serve. Reservations are required on most trains for Lunch and Dinner and either your car attendant or a member of the dining car staff will walk through your sleeper car to take your reservation. One of the best part about eating in the dining car is that it is community seating, which mean if you are travel alone, like I was or as a couple you will be seated with other people. While you don't have any say in who your dining companions will be I for the most part enjoyed getting to know people over a good meal. I met people from New Zealand, Canada, England along with people from all over the United States.  Only twice did I get placed with a person that I really didn't enjoy but my other two dining companions made up for it.  The quality of food in the Texas Eagle was really quiet good. The steak is cooked to order and served with a baked potato green beans and a salad. The burger or wraps at lunch were also very good and I really enjoyed the omelet with potato's and bacon for breakfast.  I can honestly say you will not go hungry on Amtrak. I can't say the same for the Capitol Limited. Back in the summer the powers that be decided to remove the dining car from the Limited and the Lake Shore Limited. So on the Capitol Limited we were given Box Lunches for Dinner and Breakfast. The food was filling but there is just so much they can do with a microwave.

7. DON'T STAY IN YOUR ROOMETTE: One to the best things about traveling on Amtrak is you are free to get up and move around the train. While my roomette afford me a great deal of comfort and privacy another way to see the country is in the lounge car. It affords you the opportunity to relax as you view the countryside through large floor to ceiling windows. It also gives you the opportunity to meet and visit with fellow passengers. I enjoyed spending the morning and afternoons in the lounge car especially as we traveled through west Texas.  Again I met some really nice and interesting people while relaxing in the lounge car.

8.  PACK AND TRAVEL LIGHT:  The first thing you need to realize when traveling long distance on Amtrak is that fewer and fewer stations offer the option to check your bags. So you are going to have carry and store your luggage in your roomette or in the common storage area of your sleeping car.  The roomette is small and there is not a lot of room for anything more than a good size backpack.  I traveled with a backpack that contained all of my clothes, computer and toiletries. I also traveled with a smaller backpack that had all of my cameras, video equipment, chargers and cords.  The is only ONE power outlet in the roomette so it you want to charge more than one device be sure to bring a power strip. Its a good idea to bring one anyway because a few time during service stops the train lost power and when it was restored there may be a danger of a sudden surge. A power strip will protect your devices from getting fried. That was about all that I could fit comfortably into my roomette. One other thing to consider is that you will pickup a few things along the way, like souvenirs and keepsakes so you need to leave room in you luggage for those items.

9.  AMTRAK HYGIENE: As I said earlier, traveling in a roomette you will have access to a shower. Each sleeper car has 4 small bathrooms and on shower room.  All of the roomettes are located on the upper level of the car. There is one bathroom on this level, and three additional bath rooms downstairs on the lower level. The bath rooms have a toilet and a sink and are very small. So small that anyone larger than an average size person may have some difficulty.  The bathrooms are clean and the car attendant checks them numerous time every day and if they need attention they will take care of the issue.  I traveled 4 days out and 4 days back and never experienced any issues with the bathroom. Most of the passengers in the roomette are really good about cleaning up after themselves.  The shower room is basically what you will find in a medium size RV. There are clean towel and wrapped bar soap provided for all roomette passengers. I brought my own shampoo. The shower head is adjustable and there is plenty of hot water.  I found that the single shower is most busy in the early morning either before breakfast or just after breakfast or in the evening before bedtime.  I usually took my shower in the late morning before lunch or in the mid afternoon and never had to wait.  Again the shower is checked several times a day by the car attendant and I never experienced a problem.

10. AMTRAK RULES: Each coach and sleeping car attendant are responsible for overseeing the passengers assigned to their cars.These attendants are responsible for overseeing the conduct of the passengers assigned to each car.  The attendants are also responsible for enforcing all rules and for reporting issues to the conductor. There is no smoking permitted on any Amtrak Trains. There are designated smoke stops along the way where passengers can get off the train and smoke. Most of these stops are designated crew changes stops or service stops where train is replenished with food and water and the trash and holding tanks are emptied.  I know of at least twice on the Texas Eagle passengers were caught smoking on the train. One person was caught a couple of time and eventually put off the train in Dallas. Amtrak takes smoking on the train very seriously and the conductor will not hesitate to put you off if you smoke on the train.  Another rule that Amtrak takes very seriously is you much wear shoes when moving about the train. Even when moving about your car you have to wear shoes. When moving between cars there are some severe pinch points where the cars are joined together. These pinch points can be very dangerous if you walk between cars without shoes. While I did not see anyone put off the train for violating this rule, I did see one passenger get a very stern talking to from the conductor. The conductor is basically in charge of the train and the overall safety of the passengers. Traveling between Del Rio and Alpine in west Texas there was some type of altercation or dispute between two coach passengers. What ever happened resulted in one of the passengers being removed and arrested in Alpine.  When the train pulled into Alpine local police were waiting and two passengers were interview. One was allowed to return to the train, while the other was handcuffed and taken away.

11. IF YOU HAVE A TIGHT SCHEDULE DON'T TAKE AMTRAK:  If you chose Amtrak as you method of transportation, you much accept the fact that Amtrak is almost always late. The reason being is that Amtrak Trains use the rails owned by freight companies.  The freight companies, like Norfolk Southern, CSX, BNSF and Union Pacific make their money from moving timed freight. Amtrak is often held while these freight trains get priority. So if you have a tight schedule you might want to consider other forms of transportation. During my trip I was late at every extended stop except one.  We arrived about an hour early into San Antonio.  From Roanoke to Washington we were 45-minutes late arriving into Washington.  My over night trip on the Capital Limited from Washington to Chicago saw us arrive and hour and fifteen minutes late arriving into Chicago. The first leg of my Trip on the Texas Eagle was from Chicago to San Antonio. We left Chicago Late afternoon and arrived about an hour late into St. Louis. We traveled through the Night and when I woke up the next morning we were in Texarkana and departed Texarkana about 90 minutes late. The next major stop was Dallas and we were still about an hour late.  We had a long service stop at Fort Worth and while we arrived late all of the service was performed quickly and we departed on time.  The trip between Fort Worth and San Antonio saw us arrive into San Antonio about 50 minutes early. This was a very long service stop where our train was joined with the Westbound Sunset Limited.  The joined trains departed San Antonio on time at a little after 2 a.m. arriving about 30-minutes late into Del Rio.  The long run between Del Rio and El Paso is on a busy freight Route and several times we were stopped for freight traffic to pass. We arrived in El Paso about 2-hours late. El Paso was a crew change and we manage to pick up some time and departed El Paso about an hour and 15 minutes Late.  From El Paso to Maricopa we managed to gain a little more time and arrived in Maricopa about an hour late. Amtrak does have built in stops along the way where they can make up time but the fact of the matter is Amtrak is at the mercy of the Freight Companies who own the rails.

Those are the major things that I learned during my first long distance Amtrak Trip. I know this is a long post so I have decided to break it up into a couple of  posts. Next time I will tell you what I would do different the next time I take an Amtrak Trip.

WiFi WOES & A NEW VIDEO

Since I returned from New York my WiFi here at the house has been intermittent and really not dependable.  I have had Verizon for many years and have by and large always been satisfied with them. But for the past few months the WiFi has been terrible.

I have called their technical support number a total of four time since I returned from Texas last April.  I hate calling because you have to work your way through a bunch or recorded messages in order to get to their scrip readers. They spend another 30-minutes running so called diagnostic tests before they get around to scheduling a field technician to come out and do the repairs.

Well, three times this summer a field technician has come out and tried to repair the problem. My Internet works great for about a month and then it starts slowing down and finally becoming intermittent and kicking me off line several time a day.

For the past week the smallest of files have taken several minutes to complete, and I might as well forget trying to download videos. I have tried to upload photos to my FLICKR account and even just a couple of photos takes 10-15 minutes.

In order to get them uploaded I have had to  log off of my wifi and used my cell phone hot spot, which is very, very quick. While I have unlimited mobile data, Verizon does throttle it back after 15 gb's of use during each billing cycle. So I can't use that very often.

With all the snow here in the New River Valley today I figured I might not have too much trouble getting through to Verizon Tech Support. Wrong, Wrong, Wrong. I held first time this morning for over an hour before getting disconnected. I tried again and wen through all of the prompts and just when I thought I was close to getting to a real person, disconnected again. Will try again later tonight and see what happens.

A few days ago I finished up another video from my Texas Adventure and tried several times to get it uploaded. I tried first on Thursday and it would stall out after a few minutes or I would get kicked off and have to start the process over.

Friday the up loader showed that it would take 8-hours to upload a 13-minute video so I canceled it. Yesterday, I tried a total of 5-times to get it uploaded and each time my WiFi kicked me off and I would have to start over.

Today, for whatever reason, my WiFi here at the house has been fairly stable and I decided to give it another try and what do you know it only took 40-minutes to upload the entire 13 minute video.

So after several attempt, the video from the Lyndon Johnson National Historical Site is finally up on YouTube. So please slip over to my YouTube Channel and take a look or just click the video below.

VISIT TO THE BIG APPLE

I am still running behind here due in large part that October and November has been exceptionally busy. In October and November I was on an extended adventure in Arizona and I still have one more post that I am working on to close that out. I hope to have that finished up in the next week or so.

When I got back home from Arizona I spent a week taking care of all chores that piled up while I was home. Then it was off to Hickory, North Carolina for a wonderful Thanksgiving with my Mom.

I absolutely hate traveling over Thanksgiving and usually don't do it because traffic is just horrible. But this year I traveled to Hickory early on the Wednesday Morning and and traffic wasn't too bad. I was able to travel back home on Black Friday and once I made it to the Interstate it was for the most part smooth sailing.

After returning home from Hickory, I spent Saturday packing my bags and preparing for a little mini-adventure.

On Sunday Morning I November 25) I boarded a Tour Bus for a little trip to Bethlehem (Pennsylvania that is). A few month back I reserved a seat with SUNSHINE TOURS for a 3-night, 4-day trip to the Sands Hotel and Casino in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. I am not really a gambler, but this tour also featured a day trip to New York City.

So on one of the busiest travel days of the year I board a bus and headed north on Interstate 81. We left Christiansburg at 8:a.m. and for the first hours or so traffic wasn't back but that changed when we hit Rockbridge and August Counties. For the better part of 30-miles traffic was either stop and go or moving several miles per hour less than the posted speed limit. 

Traffic slowed again for several miles around Harrisonburg and Winchester.  Once we left the State of Virginia traffic cleared up and we clipped along at the speed limit until we got on the other side Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, where I driver decided to leave the interstate and bypass what google maps showed was a 10-mile backup.

We arrived at the Sands Hotel and Casino at about 5 p.m. and a hotel guest services representatives greed us and provided us with our Room Key and our guest vouchers. Our guest vouchers included two $15 dollar and two $5 food credits along with a $90 casino credit that can be used only in the casino.

After arriving on Sunday Night a group of us had a nice dinner before heading into the casino to try our luck.  The first thing I done was to transfer my $90 casino voucher to a Sands Player's Card. I ended up playing several different slot machines for about three house and when all was said and done I had increased my initial $90 for $106. so I cashed out the $16 and called it a night.

Monday morning I was up early and used one of my $5 food vouchers for breakfast in the food court. One thing about the Sands is that in addition to a Hotel and Casino there is also an outlet mall and food court all under one roof. 

After breakfast, it was back on the bus for our day trip to the Big Apple.  It took us about 90-minutes to make the trip to the city through the Lincoln Tunnel. Our first stop was at Rockefeller Center. The bus stopped in the street and let us off to walk around. 

It was really cool to see the area all decked out in Christmas Cheer. While the Christmas Tree wouldn't be officially lit until Wednesday Night, the were testing it and we managed to get a couple of looks at it all lit up.

There were a few people skating on the ice rink, which is in the shadow of the tree. In the hour that I had to walk around 30 Rock I managed to grab a few photo of Radio City Music Hall, the NBC Today Show studio and the magnificent St. Patrick's Cathedral.

From Rockefeller Center it was back on the bus for the short trip over to Times Square where we were dropped off and had about 90-minutes for Lunch and to walk around the Cross Roads of the World.  The still had the 2018 New Years Ball up in the Square but in the next couple of weeks work will begin on the 2019 Ball and extensive security measures will begin to be implemented.

After a very tasty lunch at a Cuban Restaurant in Times Square we re-boarded the bus for a trip to the Circle Line Cruise of the Hudson and East Rivers. 

For our time at Rockefeller Center and Times Square the weather was overcast but no rain fell. That all changed when we arrived at the dock to board our boat for the cruise. The sky opened up and a steady rain was falling. The rain and low ceiling really inhibited our ability to see and enjoy the New York City Skyline. We could only see a small part of the Freedom Tower and could not see the Empire State Building at all. While the rain inhibited our view, I still enjoyed the cruise as we  went bay the famous Colgate Clock, Ellis Island and of course Lady Liberty. 

By the time was began our return trip to the dock, it was getting dark and I was able to enjoy a nice twilight view of the skyline.  I would have loved to have seen it without the rain and clouds but it was still a beautiful view and I got some of my best photo of the skyline on the return trip.

Arriving back at the dock our bus was waiting and we headed up to "Ground Zero." It was still raining but our bus driver let up off for a quick, and I mean quick, visit to the memorial that is in the shadow of the new Freedom Tower.

Our Final stop in the Big Apple was in Little Italy where we had about an hour to grab some dinner. After a nice dinner it was back on the bus and we headed back through the Lincoln Tunnel toward the Sands.

We arrived back at the Sands Hotel and Casino about 10:30 p.m. and after a quick trip to my room, I returned to the Casino to try my luck. I didn't have as good of luck as last night but I still managed to play a couple of hours on the original $90 dollar casino voucher.  When I ended the night about 12:30 a.m.  I still had $75 on the voucher. You can't cash it out so I still have another day to turn it into a little profit.

Tuesday was our final full day in Bethlehem. It was a very cold and windy day but a friend and I decided to take a Lyft into downtown Bethlehem and have a look around. Downtown Bethlehem is a historic, with a number of old building including the Sun Inn and Tavern and the Hotel Bethlehem.

I really enjoyed walking around the lobby of the Hotel Bethlehem as it was beautifully decorated for Christmas. After spending some time in the Hotel we opted for a nice lunch at the Bethlehem Brew Works. As I said it was a cold and windy day so my chili and IPA hit the spot.

The rest of the day was spent back at the Hotel and after using one of my $15 meal vouchers at the buffet I returned to the Casino and continued to play with the house money. At the end of the night I had used all of the $90 on my original voucher and managed to cash out $118. So I ended up about $18 to the good.  Not a bad outcome.

Wednesday we boarded the bus at 11:00 a.m. and headed back home arriving back in Christiansburg about 7:30 p.m. All in all it was a very enjoyable trip. This was my second bus trip ever. The first one was in 1992 when we traveled to Atlanta for Richard Petty's final NASCAR Race. That one was less than enjoyable as it was filled with several drunks both going and coming.

This trip was filled with a group of very enjoyable people and I can say I made some new friends and enjoyed the trip.

Now that I am back home, I am working on catching up on some of the posts that I have put aside. I don't really have anything planned for the next few weeks.  So I should be able to get things caught up and start planning my next big adventure.

Here are some of the photo from my visit to the Big Apple

Reckefeller Center

The Christmas Tree at Rockefeller Center

NBC Today Show Studio

Times Square

The 2018 New Year's Ball

Lady Liberty

New York City at Night

New York City at Night

Ground Zero Memorial

The Wall Street Bull

A SHORT THANKSGIVING UPDATE

(NOVEMBER 24, 2018) After returning home from my Amtrak Arizona Adventure, I spent a few days catching up on some home chores and really just resting up. The weather here in the New River Valley has been for the most part cold with a few days of ice and rain. If I haven't told you I miss the Arizona weather.

My sister and I spent Thanksgiving in Hickory, North Carolina with our mom who really prepared a feast. It is always good when I get to visit mom but she really goes all out for Thanksgiving. We managed to miss most of the holiday traffic by traveling to Hickory early Wednesday morning, and arriving at mom's about noon. 

We spent a great Thanksgiving Day with Mom and Wayne, visiting, eating, visiting some more and eating. Friday morning again wanted to again avoid traffic and left mom's about noon to arrive back in the New River Valley about mid-afternoon. The University of Virginia was playing Virginia Tech in Football in Blacksburg and we managed to avoid that traffic by arriving home right at the start of the game.

As we officially begin the holiday season I hope each of you had a very Blessed and Thankful Thanksgiving. I am so blessed to be able to spend it with my family. And as we move on toward Christmas, I hope each of you will not remember the reason for the season and share your blessing with family and friends.

Saturday I spent the day re-packing my back pack for my next mini adventure which will start on Sunday. But more about that in my next post.

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone.

THE AMTRAK ORDEAL

(NOVEMBER 9, 10, 11, 2018) Today, I resume my Amtrak trip back home here in Chicago.  I don't board the Eastbound Capital Limited until 6:40 p.m. so I have several hours to kill here in downtown Chicago.

Checkout time at the Club Quarter Hotel is noon, so I was in no hurry to checkout. I walked down to a nearby Dunkin Donut and had a couple of donuts and a cup of coffee.  As a walked down the street I got to experience some Chicago Weather with 20 mph wind and snow flurries so when I returned to my room, I used the time to edit some photos and re-organize my backpacks.

About 11:30 I used the app on my phone to check out of the hotel and began the half-mile walk to Union Station.  It had stopped snowing but the temperature on my phone showed 29 degrees and the wind was still blowing.

By the time I completed the 10-12 minute walk, I was pretty cold and quickly made my way to the Metropolitan Lounge and checked in.  Once I was checked-into the Metropolitan Lounge I stored my backpacks in to free baggage storage room.

 The Metropolitan Lounge he in Chicago is a large area spread over two floors with very comfortable chairs and plenty of electrical outlet to charge your phone and other devices.  The lounge also features free drinks and snack and all in all it is a very comfortable place to wait. 

In the early afternoon the sun came out and I decided to walk around the block and have lunch at Beggar's Pizza. Yep I opted for another Chicago Deep Dish Pizza and it was very good and filling.

After lunch, I made my way back to Union Station and settled down and and passed the time reading and editing photos until it was time to board my train.

At about 6:15 the first call to board Train #30 the Capital Limited, which is an over night train to Washington, D. C.   We was scheduled to depart at 6:40 p.m. and arrive shortly after 1 p.m. on Saturday November 10. 

We departed right on time at 6:40 p.m.  and quickly made out in the darkness into Indiana.  The Capital Limited does not have a dining car so they give you boxed microwaved meals for dinner. I had my boxed dinner as we made our way toward South Bend, Indiana. 

About 9:30 p.m. my sleeping car attendant made my bed and I ended the day by reading a little before turning in somewhere east of South Bend Indiana.

I slept good, but was surprised to wake up about 6:30 a.m. and look out the window and see the Cleveland Browns Football Stadium.  We were schedule to arrive in Cleveland about midnight and should be in or getting close to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

My car attendant told me that after leaving South Bend, a freight train had broken down in front of us and we could not get around it and were stopped for over 3 hours.  Once we got going again the dispatchers pulled us over onto a siding where we waited for another two hours while they moved timed freight past us.

So he in Cleveland we were running over 5 hours late and it was obvious that I would not make my connection in Washington. 

The rest of the trip to Washington was uneventful and we arrived at about 6:20 p.m. Move than 5-hours late. As we approached Washington the Conductor informed me that I was being placed on the Southbound Crescent, Train #19 to Lynchburg. Once in Lynchburg I would be taxied on to Roanoke.

Upon arriving in Washington I was met by an Amtrak Gust Services Agent and escorted to the Crescent.  On my original train I had a business class ticket but on the Crescent I was in coach.

We were about 20-minutes late leaving Washington, pulling out a couple of minutes after 7 p.m. with a 10 p.m. scheduled arrive into Lynchburg. 

Things were moving on pretty good until we arrived for out station stop in Charlottesville, Virginia. Here we sat for the next hours.  A southbound CSX Freight Train had struck a pedestrian a few miles in front of us so we were stuck here while everything was investigated.

While we were stopped in Charlottesville, our locomotive crew ran out of hours so even after the track was cleared we couldn't go anywhere until a new crew was shuttled up to Charlottesville.

Finally about 3:30 a.m. we pulled out of Charlottesville and about an hour and a half later I arrived in Lynchburg. There was a taxi waiting for me at the station I was off on the final leg of my journey.

I negotiated with the cab driver to take me all the way to my car was was parked at my former office.  So 6:30 a.m. picked up my keys and pulled out onto Route 460 and headed toward Christiansburg.

At 7:05 a.m.  on Sunday November 11, after 8,671 - miles,  I pulled into my garage and officially ended my 2018 Amtrak Arizona Adventure.

Even with the ordeal getting from Chicago to Roanoke, it was an absolutely amazing adventure.

CHICAGO.....CHICAGO

(THURSDAY - NOVEMBER 8, 2018) After arriving in the Windy City yesterday afternoon, I checked into the Club Quarter Hotel, which was about a half mile walk from Union Station down Adams Street.

Most of the Hotels close to downtown were well over $200 per night, but for whatever reason the Club Quarter was only $137. So after check out the reviews on Trip Advisor I made my reservation. This is the first hotel that I have stayed out where you have no actual interaction with the front desk. 

On the day that I was scheduled to check I received an email inviting me to download the Club Quarter App, which I did. Once I had the app downloaded and I had signed in, the app authorized me to complete my check-in through the app.  When I arrived at Union Station I completed the remote checking and as I was walking down the street received my room assignment and key through the app.

Once at the Hotel, all I had to do was go up to my room and use the blue tooth key on my photo to access my room.  One security feature that I liked was that guests have to use their room key to operate the elevators.

Once in my room, while I found it rather small, but clean and well made.  While the room was small the bathroom was larger with a nice walk in shower.  For the price, my room will serve me very well during the my Chicago Stay.

I stayed in last night, opting to have supper in the Elephant & Castle Pub located immediately adjacent to the hotel. It's a takeoff on an old style English Pub, while the food and beer was slight more expensive than I am accustomed to, it was very good and filling.

After a good nights sleep I was up early this morning and walked a couple of blocks to a Dunkin Donuts for a light breakfast and coffee.

Like I said earlier, my hotel is located right in the middle of downtown close to a number of attractions including, Willis Tower, Buckingham Fountain and Cloud Gate, known as the Chicago Bean.



So after my coffee I walked down Adams Street to it's intersection with Wabash Street. It is here that I find the Chicago Art Institute.  Also located a this intersection is a small sign that is of particular interest to me.  You see, right here in the middle of downtown Chicago, just a few blocks from the shore of Lake Michigan, the Mother Road begins. Yes, at this intersection Route 66 begins its 2,451 mile journey west to California.

After snapping a few photos of the Historic Route 66 sign I walked a couple of blocks north to Tribune Plaza in Millennium Park.  Here I find workers putting the finishing touch on the outdoor Ice Rink which is much like the one at Rockefeller Plaza in New York, only smaller. 

Just a few steps from the ice rink is Cloud Gate, a 110 ton sculpture that is a popular tourist attraction  known for it reflection of the Chicago Skyline and the clouds above the city.  Tourist also find it amusing to photograph their reflections which appears in the sculpture. I was no difference and had to snap a few pictures of
myself.

From Cloud Gate it was a little less than a mile walk down to Buckingham Fountain. This is the large fountain that was featured on the opening of the TV show "Married with Children." I was disappointed to find that the fountain was down for maintenance and not working. But I did walk around an snap a few photos.

The parks along Lake Michigan are filled with sculptures and works of art including one of Illinois favorite son, Abraham Lincoln. This 9-foot tall statue of President Abraham Lincoln show the president seated and reflecting on the loneliness and the burden he felt during his presidency.

After walking down to to the Shore of Lake Michigan it was time for Lunch. No visit to Chicago would be complete without having a real Chicago Deep Dish Pizza.  I made the short walk to Giordano's Pizza. It was recommended by several people and by the looks of the crowd it is quiet popular.

So for lunch I had the Individual size cheese, sausage and pepperoni deep dish pizza. It was really quiet good and filling. It was a drastic change from the traditional pizza but again it was unique and very good.

After lunch, it was just a short walk to the Willis Tower. This Chicago landmark was originally known as the Sears Tower when it was built in 1973.  The 110 story high landmark is popular with tourist for it's sky deck located on the 103 floor.

Getting to the sky deck is not an easy task. You must first go through security and then purchase your $24.00 ticket. Once you have your ticket you get in line for the 60-second elevator ride to the 103-floor.

Once on the 103rd floor you get a magnificent view of the Chicago Skyline and for miles in every direction. When I work up this morning it was cold and overcast but as the day wore on the clouds gave way to sunshine which afforded me a wonderful view from the sky deck.

Once on the 103 floor you can spend as much time as you want, but once you get to the actual sky deck, which is a glass enclosed ledge where you can photograph yourself standing above the Chicago
Skyline, you only have about a minute to snap your photos.  You are time by employees who keeps the lines moving.

I ended up spending about an hour total at the top of the Willis Tower and after buying a magnet for my collection I made my way back to ground level and walked back to the Hotel.  A check of my FitBit show that I have walked a little over 21,000 steps, or a little over 10-miles. 

Once back at the hotel I took a little break before heading out for supper. Since Wake Forest was playing North Carolina State tonight, I decided to return to the Elephant & Castle where I could have a beer or two and watch the game over dinner.

Turns out that Wearing my Wake Forest pullover was a good move on my part.  Seems that Chicago folk are very hospitable.  I ended up watching the entire game in the pub and in the end not only did the patrons pay for my drinks but to celebrate the Wake Forest victory a new friend Dave Argossi paid for my meal. I love Chicago.

It was a little after 10 when I got back to my room and after a long day of walking around the Windy City, I was soon off to bed. Tomorrow I will check out of my hotel and make the walk back to Union Station where I will spend most of the day before boarding the Eastbound Capital Limit for Washington D. C.

EASTBOUND ON THE EAGLE

(MONDAY - NOVEMBER 5, 2018) For one of the few times this year I set an alarm clock and got up at 6:15 this morning as I am scheduled to board the Eastbound Texas Eagle at 9:15 this morning at the Tucson Station.

But before I head to the station I checked out of the Hotel and walked next door to the IHOP and had breakfast because boarding the train after 9 I am pretty sure the dining car will be closed.  After Breakfast I mad the short mile and a half drive to the Enterprise Rental Office on North Shore Drive.

Turning in the rental was quick and easy. I had planned on getting a Lyft ride to the Amtrak Station but, the young lady at Enterprise offered to drive me the mile and a half to the train station.

I arrived at the Tucson Train station about an hour before the my scheduled departure. So I took the opportunity to walk around downtown Tucson and have a cup of coffee at a local coffee shop.

The Texas Eagle was about 30-minutes late arriving at Tucson and there is no priority boarding for sleeping car passengers so I lined up with the coach passengers. I found my roomette and quickly settled in.

The trip back east will cover the same ground as I covered coming out so I am planning on just sitting back and enjoying the ride.

We arrived in El Paso in the late afternoon and it was dark by the time we got to Alpine. I went to bed right after we left Sanderson, Texas and managed to sleep straight through and woke up at our long station stop in San Antonio.

Here in San Antonio the Westbound Texas Eagle joins up with the Westbound Sunset Limited to become one train traveling all the way to Los Angeles.  So on the way back eat the two trains are separated with the Sunset Limited continuing on to New Orleans and the Texas Eagle continues on to Chicago.

Shortly, before 8 a.m. about an hour late, we pulled out of San Antonio and headed north toward Austin and eventually to the Dallas - Fort Worth Area.

About 9:30 p.m. we arrived in Texarkana and about an hour later we were in Hope, Arkansas and shortly after leaving Hope I turned in and woke up as we arrived in St. Louis. St. Louis is a service stop and crew change.

Leaving St. Louis we passed by Busch Stadium and as we crossed the Mighty Mississippi and entered Illinois I got several good views of downtown St. Louis and the Gateway Arch.  Shortly after leaving St. Louis I had breakfast. 

The rest of the trip through Illinois was uneventful and we arrived at Chicago at 2:20 in the afternoon, which is about 90 minutes late.

I am taking a little break here in Chicago and will be spending the next two nights here in the Windy City before boarding the Capital Limit on Friday for the overnight trip to Washington, D. C.

It was a short half mile walk from Union Station down Adams Street to the Club Quarter Hotel which will be my home for the next two Nights. Tomorrow I plan on getting out and exploring a little of Downtown Chicago.

Here are a few photos from my eastbound trip on the Texas Eagle.

Crossing the Mississippi River in St. Louis

The Gateway Arch and downtown St. Louis from the Illinois side of the river

The Post behind the border fence is the actual border between the United States & Mexico.

The Border Fence is only a few feet from my roomette window

Shortly before arriving in El Paso I see this large cross on the Hill

Looking across the Rio Grande at Mexico near El Paso, Texas

Crossing the Rio Grande in El Paso, Texas

A foggy Austin, Texas

The westbound (left) and the eastbound (right) Texas Eagles meet in Fort Worth, Texas

LAST DAY IN ARIZONA

(SUNDAY - NOVEMBER 4, 2018) This is my last day in the State of Arizona. My hotel here in Tucson is located just northwest of downtown Tucson and is right next door to a IHOP Restaurant. Even though the Comfort Inn offers a free breakfast I decided to have breakfast at the IHOP before beginning my last day in Arizona.

My only plan for today was to visit the Pima Air and Space Museum. The museum is located just a little south of Downtown Tucson and is adjacent o Davis Monthan Air Force Base. Something I really wanted to do was tour the "Bone Yard" at the Air Force Base. The "Bone Yard" is the slang name for the Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group. It is basically where old planes are stored and the usable spare part are removed for use on other aircraft.

When I first looked many, many months ago tours of the Bone Yard were performed through the Pima Museum. While tours are still conducted by the Museum, visitors have to go through an extremely lengthy security check. The request and information must be submitted at least 10-days in advance.

Well, a few days ago when I was researching the Museum I discovered I had missed the deadline for submitting the security application. So I won't be touring the Bone Yard but I will be spending most of the day touring the Air and Space Museum.

The Pima Air and Space Museum is one of the largest Non-Government funded aircraft museums in the United States. The museum is home to roughly 300 aircrafts that are house in several hangers. Many of the larger aircrafts are stored outside on more than 80-acres.

I first arrived at the Museum and spent a couple of hours roaming around the hangers before making my way outside see the the more than 300 large aircraft's that are stored on the property. Among the outside displays are a couple of B-52 and some decommissioned commercial aircraft's.

 One of the really cool outside displays are several airplanes that were part of the Presidential Fleet, including a Douglas 118A that was used by both President's Kennedy and Johnson before and after the purchase of SAM-26000 Jet.

Columbine One

Also on display is Columbine I, the C-121 that was used by then General Dwight Eisenhower when he was Supreme Allied Commander during World War II.  This was the first of three of the three Columbine airplanes used by President Eisenhower.  Columbine III which was used while he was President is on display in the Presidential Hanger at the Museum of the Air Force at Wright Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio.

By the time I finished my tour of the Pima Air and Space Museum, so before I headed back to the hotel I decided to take one more drive through Gates Pass and the cactus forest west of Tucson. This was a very scenic drive and a fitting way to end my Arizona Adventure.

Tomorrow, I am scheduled to turn in my rental car at the Enterprise Lot on N. Shore Drive and then make my way to the Tucson Amtrak Station where I will board the Eastbound Texas Eagle for my return trip to Chicago.

ROOKIE MISTAKE AND OLD TOMBSTONE.

NOVEMBER 2 & 3, 2018) After finishing my visit to the Casa Grande Monument I made my way to my hotel in Tucson. While making my way to my hotel I made a couple of stops for gas and coffee and saw a bunch of people wearing Colorado Buffalo attire. So being curious I checked and found that Arizona Wildcats were hosting The Colorado Buffalo's in a Pac 12 Football.

Arizona Wildcat's Stadium

So after checking in to the hotel I got on Stub Hub and found that ticket for the game was dirt cheap. I ended up buying a $10 ticket and made my way up to the Stadium in Downtown Tucson. My game ticket cost me $10 bucks and it cost me $20 to park about 3/4 of a mile from the stadium.

Now here is where the rookie mistake come in. Leaving the room I forgot to change batteries in my Nikon Camera and when I turned it on NOTHING. Battery was completely dead. So I knew I was in trouble.

The McKale Center

I had my Cell Phone with but for some reason the battery life on it is horrible. Probably because I am such a social person and I have so many apps running. Even though I charged it in the car I had only about 20% battery life so I was unable to get any photos or video from the Game.

Yes, I have a huge external battery and a smaller external battery that I use for the phone but again in my hast to get to the game I forgot to get them out of my camera backpack.  I didn't want to carry bags and stuff into the game because I want to go through the quicker NO BAGS security line at the stadium.  Come to find out nether the Bag line or the NO BAG Line was busy and I could have gone through either without any delay.

I knew when I was able to buy a ticket for only $10 that the stadium would not be over crowded. My seat was 9 rows up on the 40 yard line so I had a great seat for only $10.  At kickoff the Arizona Home side of the field was better than 3/4 full while the Colorado side, where I was sitting was only about half full.

I had  good time and enjoyed the game but it was a different experience from attending a game at Virginia Tech, Wake Forest or any other ACC School.  Even though both teams were playing to become bowl eligible there was no enthusiasm. Arizona ended up winning the game 42-34.

I stayed for the entire game and from exiting the parking lot was easy, But my GPS seemed to take me the long way back to the hotel but I made it and I wasted no time in getting to bed.

This morning I check out of the Hotel. Even though I am staying in Tucson, I am moving to another  Comfort Inn for the next two night. I has a cheaper rate and I will be using some of my Choice Point for a free stay.  It cost only 8,000 points per night to stay free. So for 16,000 points I am staying free for my last two nights in Arizona.  And I still have over 100,000 points and have reached Diamond Level for 2019.  This will basically give me double points for every 2019 paid stay, free room upgrades and a few other perks.

Once I checked out of the hotel I made my way east on Interstate 10 to Benson Arizona and after a quick stop for coffee, I made my way to Old Tombstone.

You can't come to Arizona and not visit the site of the famous gunfight at the OK Corral. On the way into town I was surprised to find historic Boot Hill Cemetery.  So my first stop was the last stop for the people buried here.




Like everything else in Tombstone there is a charge for entering Boot Hill. I paid my $3.00 and received my map of the Cemetery with a few of the more notable graves highlighted.

Of course the most famous grave at those of the men who died in the Shootout at the OK Corral; Billy Clanton and brother Frank and Tom McLaury.  Their grave are in the near corner of the cemetery in Row 2. They are covered by a large mound of Rocks with wooden headstones. "Old Man" Clanton is buried nearby.

Some of the other Graves of interest in Boot Hill is Lester Moore, whose headstone reads, Four Slugs from a 44....No Less No More. And George Johnson whose headstone details the ultimate mistake.  It reads, "George Johnson,
Hanged by mistake 1882. He was right, we was wrong, but we strung him up and now he's gone."

A couple of other graves that you might find interesting are the graves of John Heath who was taken from jail and lynched. Red River Tom who was shot by Ormsby and finally the grave of Two Chinese.

From Boot Hill I made my way into Tombstone and managed to find "Free" street parking just outside of the Tourist area. From where I parked I made my way up to the site of the OK Corral shootout.



The shootout site is NOT free. There is a $5.00 charge is you just want to see the OK Corral where the shootout happened and a $10.00 charge if you want to see a reenactment. I fell for the hype and ponied up $10.00 for the reenactment.

The reenactment lasts about 10-minutes and is really cheesy and is nothing like the original shoot out. My advise is don't waste your money. Pay the $5.00 if you want to see the original site and let it go. I can say I have been there, done that, and when on my way.

The site of the Shootout at the OK Corral.

I walked along the main tourist area where carnival barkers are out front of every site trying to lure you in to their business. I did have an overpriced drink in the "Big Nose Kate Saloon."

After visiting the tourist area of Tombstone it was time to head out. Rather than retrace my journey I decided to head down to Sierra Vista, which is a pretty good size town for this area. It has everything including all of the chain hotels, restaurants and yes even a Wal-Mart.

Sierra Vista is also the site of the Southern Arizona Veterans Cemetery. While I was having lunch in Sierra Vista I did a little research and found that the famous clown Emmett Kelly, Jr. is resting in the Veterans Cemetery which was close by.

So after lunch I headed over to the Cemetery and thanks to Find-A-Grave, I quickly found the final resting play of Emmett Kelly, Jr. His dad was also a famous clown and is resting in Sarasota, Florida.

After departing Sierra Vista I made my way back to Interstate 10 and since I still had time I decided to take the scenic drive through the Eastern Branch of the Saguaro National Park.  This is one of the place I had not intended to visit but since my Tombstone visit was shorter than planned I decided to take the drive through the park.

The Saguaro National Park is actually divided into two branches; and East Branch where I am at today and a west branch which is actually a little northwest of Tucson.

I was able to use my National Park Senior Pass to gain my free admission to the park and after picking up a map from the ranger I began my drive through the park. The drive through the park is all on a paved road with pull out along the way where you can hike or simply park and get up close photo of the various types of cactus.

The entire drive is a little over 8-miles and was absolutely great, I spent a little over two hours driving the 8-miles and did manage to walk a couple of the shorted hiking trails. As I was on one of the trailed I met another couple who was kind enough to inform me that there was a rattle snake next to the trail a little ways ahead of me. Since I am afraid of any kind of snake I made the quick decision to reverse my course and head back to the car.

I really enjoy the drive and my visit to the East Branch of the Saguaro National Park. It was a totally unplanned and unexpected experience and one that I would highly recommend.

The day was getting short when I exited the park and I headed to my hotel where I will spend the final two nights in Arizona.

As I said earlier, I chose this Comfort Inn because it only costs 8,000 point per night for a free stay, and because it is only about a mile and a half from where I will turn in my Enterprise Rental.

Once back at the room I check my Twitter Page and some one has sent me a direct message asking me it I would recommend Tombstone. Basically, if you are visiting for the first time, sure, just to say you have done it but definitely lower your expectations. Tombstone today is definitely a Tourist trap. Everything there is pricey and really kind of cheesy. I would not recommend paying for the Shootout Reenactment or any of the other reenactments as they are mostly performed by bad actors who try way too hard to be funny.

Boot Hill was worth the $3.00 and I enjoyed my visit there the Most. I would recommend spending about an hour or so walking around the cemetery reading the wooden grave markers. Other than that, Tombstone itself is over rated. I am glad I went but I have no desire to re-visit.

So today is over and time to look forward to tomorrow, the final day of my Arizona Adventure.