I worked several hours this past week editing the San Jacinto Monument Video in the new program, and finally got it ready to publish, or so I thought. I formatted and saved the final project but when I played it back the sound was distorted and the video skipped in several spots.
So I scrapped that and started over using my old Microsoft Video Editor. It was a much better finished product. I am going to keep using it Microsoft until it either stops working or I find something better.
Moving on to a slightly different Subject. When I retired the first of this year my objective was to make traveling my new normal. The recent Texas trip was only the start and some new traveling adventures are beginning to take shape.
It looks like my next big adventure will be in October when I will be taking my first extended Amtrak trip. I have made reservations for the first leg of what looks like a long and very interesting trip.
Last week I made my reservation to travel by Amtrak from Roanoke to the Phoenix area of Arizona. I depart Roanoke in October on Train 176-Northeast Regional Service to Washington, D. C. I have about a four hour layover in D. C. Before boarding Train #20 for the overnight trip to Chicago. I booked a superliner sleeper for this leg of the trip with dinner and breakfast included. Most of this leg of the trip will be over night so scenery will be limited.
I am scheduled to arrive in Chicago at 8:45 a.m. the next morning. I have a 5 hour layover in the Windy City, which will give me a little time to explore the area of Chicago that is immediately around the station and spend some time in the Metropolitan Lounge.
I am scheduled to depart Chicago at 1:45 p.m. on the Texas Eagle - Train #421 and arrive in the Phoenix Area at 8:50.m. two days later. I have also have a superliner sleeper for this leg of my two night 57 hour trip.
Once arriving in Phoenix Chuck and Sharon Shinall will pick me up and I will spend a few days with them before continuing my Amtrak trip.
Right now the trip from Roanoke to Phoenix is the only reservations that have been made. My tentative plan is to take Amtrak from Phoenix to Los Angeles. Upon arriving in L. A. I'll rent a car and spend a few days exploring the Los Angeles area. I would really like to visit the Nixon and Reagan Presidential Libraries and visit a few of the more well known cemeteries.
From Los Angeles I will probably take the Amtrak Coast Starlight up the coast to San Francisco. The price of rail fare is drastically cheaper than keeping the rental car and driving up the coast.
Once in San Francisco, I want to rent a car and spend some time in the Bay area and may even drive down to Yosemite, depending on the weather. Once I finish my visit to San Francisco I hope to Board the California Zephyr for the return trip to Chicago and eventually back to Roanoke.
All total it going to be about a three and a half week rail adventure. This will be quiet different from anything that I have tried before. Not having my own transportation in Los Angeles and San Francisco will be a big adjustment for me. I have never had to rely on public transportation or rental cars before. But I have used Uber and Lyft a couple of time without any problems.
I am going to have to learn to pack light. Everyone I have talked to have all said the lighter the better when traveling by train.
If I enjoy this Adventure by Train I would like to eventually take Amtraks Empire Builder through the Northern Rockies with a stop in Glacier National Park on the way to Seattle. Then take the Coast Starlight all the way from Seattle to Los Angeles. Once in L. A. I would then take the Southwest Chief back to Chicago and eventually back home. But that is still a really far piece down the road.
Anyway, the latest Video from my Texas Trip has been posted on MY YOUTUBE CHANNEL and you can read My San Jacinto Blog Entry Here.
Here is the Video
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