THE BEAUTIFUL RED ROCKS OF SEDONA

Chase Field

Today was the day that I would leave the Phoenix area and head north. But first I made my way to downtown Phoenix and a quick stop at Chase Field, home of the Arizona Diamondbacks and at the Talking Stick Arena, home of the Phoenix Suns.

Then it was a short drive to the Arizona State Capitol Building and the adjacent Wesley Bolin Memorial Park.  The Bolin Park was somewhere that I have longed to visit as it has the signal mast and anchor from the USS Arizona which was sunk on December 7, 1941 when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor.

Navajo Code Talker

There is also one of the big guns from both the USS Arizona and the USS Missouri. The significance is that the United States enter the War in the Pacific when the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor and sunk the Arizona. The War ended when the articles of surrender was signed on the deck of the USS Missouri. 

There a a number of other monuments and memorials in the park including one dedicated to the Navajo Code Talkers.  After reading several books about these code talkers, I am of the opinion that they along with the Tuskegee Airmen are the often forgotten heroes of the War.

From downtown Phoenix I made my way north on Interstate 17 and climbed into the mountain leaving behind the saguaro cactus as I climbed above 6,000 feet. It took me about an hour and a half to make it to Camp Verde where I made a quick stop at Old Fort Verde Historic Site. The it was on to the Montezuma's Castle National Park.

Montezuma's Castle

Montezuma's Castle is one of the best preserved of the cliff Sinagua People.  The main structure of the dwelling features 5 stories and is comprised of some 20 rooms. It is believed that as many as 60 people would live here at any given time. There are other "rooms" in the cliffs adjacent to the main dwelling. These rooms were thought to be used for storing food and other necessities, but there is evidence that these smaller rooms were also used at living quarters.
dwelling that were found in the southwest. This dwelling was built between 1100 and 1400 by the

Montezuma's Well

As I was walking back up the concrete path from the Castle to the Visitors center a rattle snake was crawling across the walkway. One of the Park Volunteers quick caught it and put it in some kind of a thin tube and was preparing to remove it to a less populated area. 

From the Castle I made my way back to Interstate 17 but quick saw another "Brown Sign" and could resists a taking a little detour to Montezuma's Well. I had never heard of Montezuma's Well and had no idea what to expect.

It was about a 5 mile drive off of Interstate 17 to the parking area. The its about a 1/3rd of a mile walk up the hill to the "well."  Turns out Montezuma's Well is a natural limestone sink hole that produces 1,500,000 gallons of water each day from a deep underground spring. The well is 386 feet across and a couple of well preserved cliff dwelling are along the rim. It was well worth the detour.

Red Rocks of Sedona

From the Camp Verde Valley it was about an hour drive over to Sedona, a small town that caters to artiest, and outdoor enthusiasts that flock to the the area because of the beautiful Red Rock cliffs and buttes that surround the area. Word and photos can no way capture the beauty of the area.

From Sedona it was on to Flagstaff where I hooked up once again with the Mother Road, Route 66.  The Historic Road runs right through the downtown historic district of Flagstaff. I enjoyed walking around Flagstaffs portion of America's Main Street.

Gettin' My Kicks on Route 66

I am spending the Night in Flagstaff and will be heading out to scratch off another thing on my Bucket List. Tomorrow promises to be another exciting day filled with some awesome beauty.

FUN FILLED DAYS IN PHOENIX

Me Riding a Quarter Horse

I have spent the last few days with my good friends Chuck and Sharon Shinall here in Arizona.  On Wednesday we ventured up to Cave Creek, Arizona where we had planned on taking a horse back ride at the Spur Cross Ranch at Queen Creek.  However there was a problem at the ranch and they were unable to accommodate us. The did offer us the opportunity to ride at their Prescott Location on Friday, which we accepted.

Being unable to ride We decided to have lunch at the Buffalo Chip Saloon in Cave Creek. The original Buffalo Chip started in 1951 and consisted of a small saloon on about a third of an acre. Today the entire venue sits on 5-acres and feature live entertainment including music and live bull riding. Chuck opted for the BBQ Pulled Pork, while I tried the Brisket. The food was really good and there was plenty of it.

While at the Buffalo Chip I had to try my hand at riding one of their quarter horses.  It was a bucking experience but I managed to stay on for the full 8-seconds.

Cave Creek, Arizona

After lunch we took a few minutes to explore the small community of Cave Creek where we found a small park with several metal sculptures featuring an old west Indian attack. The characters appeared to be welded together out of old scrap metal. All in all it was very interesting.

Thursday we made out way down to the Queen Creek Olive Mill.  I really didn't know what to expect here but it turned out to be a great experience. We took the brief tour and found out how the olives are harvested and turned into virgin olive oil.  Then we had a very tasty lunch in the small restaurant.  I had a panini sandwich and a very tasty IPA beer.

Friday we left the Scottsdale Camelback Resort and made the two and a half hour trip to Prescott where were were scheduled to go horseback riding. Chuck and Sharon knew our guide from previous trips and rides so he had the horses saddles and was waiting on us.

My trusty steed for the ride was a large white horse named Destiny. Chuck was mounted on a former Grand Canyon Mule name Blue.  Our guide for the ride was a great guy named Boot and he led us on a fun ride thru the area adjacent to the Prescott National Forest.  The trail featured outstanding views through a forest of tall pines.  Along the way we saw a number of deer who seemed to care less as they barely moved as we rode by.

The ride lasted about an hour and a half and was really enjoyable. But all good things must come to an end and about mid-afternoon it was time for us to head back to Scottsdale and begin preparations to check out of the Scottsdale Camelback Resort.

Today, we all packed up and checked out of the Resort just a few minutes before the 10 a.m. deadline. After leaving the resort, we made out way down to the Enterprise Rental Car Location on McDowell where Chuck turned in his rental and I picked up mine.

It was a fairly quick process and about 20-minutes after arriving I drove off in my 2017 Ford Focus Hybrid. After Dropping Chuck and Sharon off at the American Terminal at the Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport it was time for me to begin the next part of my Arizona Adventure.

The rest of the day I spent traveling around the Valley of the Sun visiting the the graves of several Famous people who are resting in the Valley of the Sun. The grave of  Waylon Jennings who is buried in the Mesa City Cemetery was one grave that I really wanted to visit. His grave was easy to find thanks to the GPS Coordinates being listed on Find-A-Grave.

Another grave that was also easy to find was that of former senator and Presidential Candidate Barry Goldwater.  Senator Goldwater was the Republican nominee for President in 1964. He ran against the incumbent President Lyndon Johnson and lost. Senator Goldwater died in 1998 and his ashes are entombed in the Memorial Garden of the Christ Church of the Ascension in Paradise Valley.

State Farm Stadium

Along the way I made a couple of quick Stops at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe and at the Newly named State Farm Stadium, which was formerly known as University of Phoenix Stadium, which has been the site of several Super Bowls and the current home of the Arizona Cardinals.

By about 5 p.m. I made my way back to east Phoenix and checked in at my nights lodging at the Holiday Inn on University. My plan is to be up early in the morning and head north toward Sedona and Flagstaff.

FOUNTAIN HILL ARIZONA

I arrived in Maricopa County Arizona on Sunday Night, I have been the guests to Chuck and Sharon Shinall at the Camelback Scottsdale Resort in Scottsdale, Arizona. They have a two bedroom suite right across the walk way from the Pool.

I have been spending my days relaxing at the pool and then last night we rode up to the Indian Casino at Fort McDowell. At the the casino I had Indian Flat Bread with beans and Cheese. I had never had Indian Flat bread but the whole concoction was really quite tasty.

After losing my limit of $20 in the casino we made our way down to the Fountain Hills Community to see the fountain that gives the community its name. The Fountain at Fountain Hill goes off every hour on the hour and sends water mover than 560 feet into the air. It is one of the largest fountains in North America. It was quite an impressive sight.

The community also has a very impressive Veterans Memorial adjacent to the fountain.  The most impressive feature is the statue of an aging veteran standing facing the flag, a cane in one hand and saluting with the other. Quiet simple but very powerful. 

This statue reminds me of a site that I saw in 1990 when I stopped at the Eisenhower Center in Abilene, Kansas. It was just a couple of days after Ike's 100th birthday celebration and there were 100's of  World War II Veteran visiting the Eisenhower Center.

I was sitting in the Place of Meditation, the small chapel where President and Mrs. Eisenhower are resting. As I sat there many of these aging World War II would walk  up to the rail overlooking the Presidents Crypt. Many of these veterans were dressed in their uniforms and many carried canes but as they stood at the rail, all of them stood as straight as their aging bodies would allow and render a crisp salute.

But there was this one veteran tat sticks in my mind to this day. As he entered the chapel he was accompanied by his family who were ready to aid him. He was hunched over a walker and slowly made his way to the rail. As he stood at the rail, he pushed the walker aside and with all the strength he could muster, he stood at attention. And as he renders his crisp salute, a tear trickled down his cheek.

As the day progressed I was honored to talk with a few of these members of the Greatest Generation. To the man all of them spoke with admiration and respect of the man they called The General. This statue at the Fountain Hills Veterans Memorial reminds me of those aging veterans who found a way to honor their General and who served this county so bravely.

From Fountain Hills it was back to the Camelback Resort and we called it a night.

WEST TEXAS TO THE END OF THE TRAIL

For the second time this year I woke up and found myself in Del Rio Texas. I had spent the night here at the Holiday Inn when I was doing my Texas Tour this past March. When I was here in March I managed to tour the Whitehead Museum and visit the Grave of Judge Roy Bean. But this morning we made on only a quick station stop before the sun came up and then headed north toward El Paso.

West Texas Sunrise

Shortly after leaving Del Rio the sun started to turn the eastern sky a vivid bright red.  Sun rises and sun sets in the west are some of the most beautiful and this one did not disappoint. I manage to snag a seat in the sightseer lounge car for the sun rise and shortly after my arrival other people had the same Idea and the sightseer was soon full of people snapping photos of the beautiful site.

Crossing the Pecos

A little while later the Texas Eagle cross the Pecos River High Bridge. The original High Bridge was built by the Phoenix Bridge Company in 1892 for the Southern Pacific Railroad. The original bridge remained in place until 1949 when it was replace by a second bridge.

Near Langtry, Texas

The Bridge that we crossed today is the third bridge to span the Pecos River and is about 275-feet above the river. It is almost 400 feet long and carries both the Texas Eagle and Union Pacific Freight Train across the river between Del Rio and El Paso, Texas.

Our next station stop was in Sanderson Texas and it was really quick, Only one passenger boarded and in less than two minutes we were on our way. Sanderson is a very small town with a population of less than 1000 people. Most all of the people who live in Sanderson are Border Patrol employees and their families.


After leaving Sanderson, out next stop was in the small town of Alpine, Texas. We had a locomotive and conductor crew change here in Alpine and I would find out that all Amtrak Crews are not created equal. The conductors that boarded here were rude and demanding and made me glad that I would leaving the train a few hours later. This was the only issue that I had on this entire trip.

Also in Alpine the Police were waiting when we arrived. Evidently there was some type of altercation between two coach passengers. One passenger was getting off in Alpine anyway and the other one was put off the train band taken into custody by the Police.  Come to find out the passenger who was detained by the police had gotten out of prison 5-days earlier and may be on the way back.

El Paso Amtrak Station

From Alpine we made our way toward El Paso where we had another rather long stop due to a large number of coach passengers boarding the train.  It took our new conductors almost 30-minutes to scan and board the 50 passengers that were boarding here.

Leaving Del Rio were were about an hour behind and lost even more time between Del Rio and Alpine because of the number of time we had to stop and wait on Freight traffic to pass. Leaving Alpine we were a little less than two hours behind but were able to make up some time and arrived in El Paso an hour and 20 minutes late.

Any time that we made up was once again lost her in El Paso by the length of time it took the conductors to board the passengers.

The Under Whelming Rio Grande

Leaving El Paso we were only a few feet from the border fence and followed it north and crossed the Rio Grand into NEW Mexico.  One we cross into New Mexico we climbed into the mountains of southern New Mexico passing the Union Pacific Fueling station and Intermodal Terminal.

The Border Fence

I had my last dinner on the Texas Eagle as we neared Deming, New Mexico.  After dinner is relaxed in the sightseer car and visited with some of my new friends before returning to my sleeper.

As we crossed over into Arizona west of Lordsburg, I started packing thing up and getting ready to detrain in Maricopa.  As we pulled into Tucson were were about 45 minutes later and I texted my friend Chuck so he could start making plans to pick me up.  It is only about an hour from Tucson to the Maricopa Station and the Texas Eagle pulled in at 9:35 p.m.m only 40 minutes late.

Chuck and Sharon were waiting on me and Sharon took a picture of Chuck and Myself under the Maricopa Station Sign.  From there were were off to the Indian Casino where I quick lost my $20. We had a bite to eat before heading over to the Scottsdale Camelback Resort which will be my home for the next several days.

SAN ANTONIO AT NIGHT

The Texas Eagle actually go into San Antonio about an hour Early and this was going to be about a 5 and a half hour stop where The Texas Eagle is merged with the Sunset Limited.

The San Antonio is located right next to the Alamo Dome and the Tower of the Americas. Once the Train Stopped my New Car Attendant, Steve told me that if I was going to enjoy the San Antonio Night life i should be back at the train at 2 a.m. I guess I still look like a party Animal.

So having quiet a bit of time i did decide to walk about 4 Blocks up to the River Walk. They had large projection TV set up along one end of the River Walk, so i grabbed a drink at the bar an watched the last couple of innings of the Dodger game and got to see them clinch Back to Back National League Championships.

While walking around the River Walk I ran into a couple of other Texas Eagle Passengers and we enjoy relaxing over a Beverage or two. I mentioned to them we were only a couple of Blocks from the Alamo. They were astonished that were were that close so we walked over and visited one of the most sacred sites in Texas History.

Visiting the Alamo at night is so much different that visiting during the day. At night there is very few people around and the is a sense of peaceful reverence. A Lone Texas Ranger stands guard to honor those who died here and to ensure that no desecration come to this sacred shrine.

After our visit to the Alamo we had lost all track of time an realized it was after one in the morning and it was time to head back to reboard the train. When we got back to the Station we found that our train had gotten quiet a bit longer and had been reconfigured. My sleeping what had been first in line at the front of the Train next to the dining car, is now the very last car in the train and the dining car is now 5 cars ahead of me.

DEEP IN THE HEART OF TEXAS

Marshall, Texas

I woke morning I woke up in the City of Texarkana. If fact, according to my GPS half of my car was sitting in Texas and the other half was in Arkansas. As I walked from one end of the car to the other my GPS would say "Welcome to Texas" or "welcome to Arkansas" depending on which direction I was walking.

Dallas, Texas

The rest of today and most of the day tomorrow will be spent in the State of Texas. I can remember in 1984 my dad and I enter Texas at Texarkana and traveled through Dallas, Fort Work and the Permian Basin on the way to California. We exited the state of Texas at El Paso some 940 miles later. The Texas Eagle is Taking a more indirect spurt of through Austin, San Antonio And up the Rio Grand from Del Rio. This route will be keep up on the Lone Star State well over 1100 miles.

I had breakfast while we were stopped at Marshall Texas. We had a crew change here in Marshall and got a new locomotive crew and a new Conductor. We will get a new service crew, including Car attendants and dining and Cafe staff, later tonight when our cars are added to the Sunset Limited from New Orleans and it continues on to Los Angeles.

Reunion Tower

We had a quick stop in Dallas but I was able to get off the train just for a couple of minutes and snap a few Photos of the R
eunion Tower and the old Texas School Book Depository. As we were departing Dallas, the Texas Eagle crossed the Famed triple underpass giving me a unique look down Elm Street at the Assassination Site including Dealey Plaza, The Grassy Knoll and The book depository.

Texas School Book Deposi

From Dallas we made the 40 minute trip over to Fort Worth where wh had about a 40 minute service stop. Here the locomotive was refueled and resupplied with water and food service. From Fort Worth we headed south and arrived in the capital City of the Lone Star State at about 7:15. From Austin we have a few short station stops before our long lay over in San Antonio. We are schedule to depart San Antonio at about 2:35 and heard west arriving I n Del Rio about 6 a.m. With our departure from San Antonio the clock starts fresh provided we depart on time.

Station Stop - Fort Worth, Texas

So my plan is to be up and have Breakfast in Del Rio and start our journey up the Rio Grande toward El Paso.

CHICAGO BOUND

I work up about 7:00 this morning and we were in the Station in Toledo, Ohio, the Hometown of Maxwell Q. Klinger. Overnight we lost time and are now running about an hour and a half late.

Phil, My sleeping Car attendant switched my roomett into its sleeping configuration about 9:30 last night and I dozed off about 10. I woke up briefly about midnight and we were stopped in Pittsburgh and were pretty much on time.

After leaving Pittsburgh, I went back to sleep and pretty much slept straight through until 7 this morning. Surprisingly, I slept pretty good. There is track noises and the train is in constant motion and there are squeaks and rattles but I brought some cheap ear plugs and they not only deadened the car noise but the train horn that blows throughout the night.

The sun is up and have just crossed into Indiana and coming up on our station stop in Waterloo. As i look out the window. I see there is frost on the windshields of the cars. My phone tells me that it is currently 34 Degrees here in Waterloo.

Steel Mill - Gary, Indiana

I had Breakfast in the car dedicated as the Sleeper Car Lounge. Last Last night's dinner, this morning's breakfast was a preboxed meal consisting of a larger Fruit Tray, a cup of yogurt and all the juice and coffee you wanted. This morning's Breakfast was really very tasty and filling.

Home of the White Sox

After breakfast i returned to my room as we passed through the cities of South Bend and past the steel mills of Gary, Indiana.

Shortly After passing Gary i got my firat look at Lake Michigan. A few minutes later the Willis (Sears)Tower and the Chicago skyline came into view. About 10 minutes before we pulled into Chicago's Union Station we passed Cominsky Park (Known by some other name now) home of the Chicago White Sox.

After arriving Union Station I checked into the Metropolitan Lounge and stored my bags and made my way to the Food Court for a quick lunch. Now I am back in the Metropolitan Lounge waiting for the Boarding call for the Texas Eagle which will take me all the way to Phoenix.

ONBOARD THE CAPITOL LIMITED

The next leg of my adventure will Take me from Washington D. C. To Chicago on board Amtrak's Train #29, The Capitol Limited. After eating Lunch in the food Court, I had about 45 minutes before the called for us to board. I must say that all of the Amtrak employees I have encountered so far have been outstanding.

The Potomac River at Harper's Ferry

Once I boarded and found my roomett my sleeping Car attendant, Phil came by and introduced himself and took my Dinner order and reservation.After I made my initial Amtrak reservations the powers that be decided to discontinue the traditional dinning car service on the Capitol Limited. Instead we get what they are calling a girst class lounge car, that served preheated meals similar to what you use to get on airplanes. You also get unlimited non-alcoholic beverages.

Martinsburg, West Virginia

It's not exactly what i expected but actually the food wasn't that bad. I am looking forward to enjoying the Traditional dining car on the Texas Eagle, which is the next leg of my Trip. After leaving D. C. Our first stop was in Rockville Maryland and then it was on to Harper's Ferry, which was the lasy Station we will stop at while it Daylight. From Harper's Ferry it's 20 minutes to Marrtinsburg and the an hour and a half to our Next Stop in Cumberland Maryland. This is a scheduled 20 minute Stop and tonight we changed Locomotive Crews.

All the smokers in Coach used this as a smoke stop and believe me you do not want to get between the smokers and the exit. Shortly after leaving Cumberland we crossed into Pennsylvaina and our next Major stop will be in Pittsburgh.I had wanted to stay until we Arrive in Pittsburgh, but it's been a long day and when Phil comes by to change my room I think I am going to call It a day.

I will start Fresh tomorrow somewhere between Cleveland and Chicago.

QUICK STOP IN OUR NATIONS CAPITOL

I arrived in Washington about 12:20 and had a few hours before boardon my Next Train, The Capitol Limited. So I took the Opportunity to walk down Massachusetts Avenue toward the United States Capitol.

I remember the first time i came to Washington in the mid 1970's I walked right up the west steps and into the Rotunda and Statuary Hall. Congressmen and Senators would walk right by you without a second thought. Today You can't get any where close to going onside without first signing up for a tour at the relatively new Capitol Visitors Center or a special clearance arranged way advance  through your congressman or senator.

Just across the street from the Capitol are The Library of Congress and the Supreme Court. Things today have returned to normal in front of the Supreme Court. Unlike last week when unrest and protesters were causing all kinds of problems. Today the few people milling around were tourist like myself, taking selfies and enjoying at beautiful fall day in our nation's Capital.I spent a couple of hours walking around the Capital and the east end of the National Mall. Then it was time to hear back to Union Station.

U. S. Supreme Court

The short walk back took me by the Dirksen and Russell Senate Office Buildings, which are named for Senator Everett Dirksen of Indiana and Senator Richard Russell of Georgia. One back at Union Station I grabbed a quick lunch in the food court and then Chilled in the Acela Lounge until it was time to board The Capitol Limitedfor my overnight trip to Chicago

The Great Hall at Washington's Union Station.

Washington's Union Station.

THE ADVENTURE BEGINS

Well, My big Amtrak adventure has begun. I was up early this morning and met My buddy Robert at my former and he transported me to the Amtrak Platform in Roanoke. 

The train backed in about 20 minutes before my scheduled departure of 6:19 a.m.

My business Class car is the very last car on the train and the conductor told us to take any available seat.

We pulled out right on schedule at 6:19 a.m. and make our way through east Roanoke. Our next stop in about an hour or so will be Lynchburg.

At 7:00 a.m. as we make our way through Bedford, the sky in the east is beginning to turn a bright orange. By the time we get to Lynchburg the sun will be shedding light on another day. At 7:30 we stop just out side of the Lynchburg Station to allow the Northbound Crescent to pass and stop at the station first. The Crescent is running about an hour an a half late.

After a short stop we pull into Lynchburg's Kemper Street Station.  About 20 more people get on and about half of them are in the Business Class car. Still business class is only about a quarter full as we make our way toward our next station stop in Charlottesville. 

At 8:20 we are stopped just north of Amherst to allow some freight traffic to pass. Since Amtrak doesn't own the rails they use they are often at the mercy of freight traffic that usually get the priority.

We arr still stopped about 35 miles south of Charlottesville.The Freight Train has passed and now this appears that this may be a rather lengthy delay as track maintenance on a single track ahead has to repair a broken rail.

After a 40-Minute delay we are back moving. The southbound freight that passed while we're were stopped had the Lackawanna Heritage unit leading. We arrived in Charlottesville at 9:55 a.m. which is about 50 minutes late. There is a James River Bus waiting here to ferry passengers to Richmond waiting here. The business class car has just about filled up but I still have a vacant seat next to me, but i wonder how much longer that is going to last. My next station stop will be Culpeper.

We made up a little time with our 10:45 arrival into Culpeper. Departing Charlottesville our estimated arrival into Washington was 12:13. Now we are projected to arrive ar 12:03, and our conductor indicated that we hope to make up even more time on the next leg out trip. Next Station Stop is Manassas.

Crossing the Potomac River

Our arrival into Manassas was delay just a couple of minutes as we caight the Crescent who had not finish up with her station Stop. I think my train, Northeast Regional #176 goes all the way to Boston and a number of new passengers bound for New York and Boston got on in Manassas. There are only a couple of empty seats left in my Business Class car.

This train has about a 40 minute stop at Washington's Union Station to refreah the Cafe Car and to change locomotives. At Washington the diesel locomotives are replaced with electric for the rest of the trip. At 12:05 p.m. we arrive at my last station stop before crossing the Potomac and entering the District of Columbia. Off on my left (I'm sitting on on the wrong side of the train for a picture) is the George Washington Masonic Memorial.

We arrived at Washington' Union Station at 12:30 p.m. which was about 45 minutes late. 

Immmediately after detraining I made my way into the Station and found the Metropolitan Lounge, whiich is called the Acela Lounge Here. It is a little smaller than I pictured but it offers comfortable Chairs and free beverages and snacks. Having About 2 and a half hours until my next train Departs I decided to store my bags in the lounge storage area and go explore a little.

SHIVER ME TIMBERS

Where did summer go. As I sit here typing this it is 52 degrees outside, while just a few days ago the temps were in the 80's. The weather this past week has been devastating to so many people thanks to Hurricane Michael.

Hurricane Michael crossed the Yucatan and quickly formed in the Gulf of Mexico. I think because of the short time he was projected to over water in the Gulf the projections of a minimal hurricane sort of fooled everyone.

In just a couple of days he went from a minimal Category 1 Hurricane to a devastating Category 4 Hurricane when it made landfall near Pensacola, Florida. The death toll in the Florida is still climbing.

Michael's Devastation was not limited to just Florida. As he moved inland he spread devastating flooding through Central North Carolina and Virginia.  More than six inches of rain fell in the Roanoke-Salem Area in just a matter cause big time flooding throughout the Roanoke and New River Valley's.  Several people in the area have died and sadly the death toll in this area also continues to rise.

After Michael moved out, a cold front that brought snow to the Upper Midwest has moved through and out temperatures have drop considerably. Today I don't think we got out of the 50's and if is supposed to remain chilly most of the week.

The cool weather here makes me kind of glad that I will be heading out to hopefully warmer weather later this week. I have checked the weather for both Washington and Chicago and found that both places are project to be chilly. 

I have about 3 hours to kill when I arrive in Washington on Thursday and the temperatures are supposed to be about 55 so I am going to have to dress warm if I want to kill some time walking around D. C.

When I arrived in Chicago Friday Morning it is supposed to be cloudy with a low of 43 and a high of 56. So again I will have to dress warm as I have about 5 hours between trains in Chicago.

I am in the final stages of preparing to depart on my big Amtrak Adventure later this week. I have charged all of the batteries on my media devices and I still have to get a couple of new Media Cards for my video and still cameras. This is all pretty much new to me as I am used to packing and throwing everything I need into the car and Hitting the road.

This trip I am having to pack light and depend on other forms of transportation. So far I am down to one large backpack and a small backpack for my camera's and media devices. I am going to have to rely on Uber or Lyte and when in Chicago and Washington I am going to be walking and don't want to be saddled with dragging a bunch of luggage around those cities.

One good thing is that I will have access to the Metropolitan Lounge in both Chicago and D.C.  This is an semi-exclusive lounge reserved for Business Class and Sleeping Car Passengers. There is a secure area where you can leave you luggage if you want to walk around the city.  Another benefit to being able to used the Metropolitan Lounge that you can help yourself to free soft drinks and snacks while you wait, and you are allow to board the train first and get settled in before the coach passengers. 

Finally I have been working hard on getting videos ready to upload. I did get my Video of my visit to Austin Texas posted this morning. I have one more ready to go and it should post a day or two before I leave.

Once I am on the road media posting will be limited as internet and cell service will be hit and miss especially once I get to west Texas and along the Rio Grande Valley.  This is the same area that I visited in March of this year and cell service was very, very limited.

I hope to have another video or two ready to go before I leave but for now , take a look at my most recent video from Austin Texas.

ARIZONA: LAND OF TAXES AND FEES

I know it has been a couple of weeks since I have posted anything. But quiet frankly there hasn't been much going on to write about.  I have been tending to routine chores and scheduling a bunch of appointments before I take off on my next big adventure.

I have just about taken care of all my medical appointments with only a dentist and eye appointment left. I still have a quarterly financial and tax review early next week. After than I will be able to concentrate on final preparations for my Amtrak Departure on October 18.

I purchased my tickets for the trip out several months ago and have begun to finalize my plans for my return trip. I have purchased my Amtrak Ticket from Tucson to Chicago and was able to get what I consider a good price for the two night, three day trip back to the windy city.  I was able to book a roomette for just a little over $300 which includes all meals in the dining car.

I have been watching the on time performance for the Texas Eagle into Chicago and it has been averaging 2-3 hours late each trip. Taking the Capitol Limited out of Chicago back to Washington, I only have a little over 3 hours to make the connection. So I have decided to stay over an extra night in Chicago and start fresh on the Capitol Limited the Next day. That will leave only one leg left from Washington back to Roanoke and I can probable take care of that as time get closer.

I have also reserved me a rental car for the 9-days that I will stay in Arizona once my friends head back to Virginia. The rental with unlimited mileage for the entire 9-day is costing me a little over $450 which is not bad. But because I am renting it in one city and dropping it off in another there is an additional $55 drop fee added on. Then there is the Arizona Stadium Tax of $27.50 added on. I guess I am helping to pay for the football and baseball stadiums. Local and state taxes and a Trip Tax adds another $70.62 to my total. So my total for the rental is going to be a little over $560.

I am dropping the car off in Tucson which is where I will be boarding Amtrak for my return trip. The train is scheduled to depart Tucson at 9:15 a.m. so I can drop the car off at 8 a.m.  and have enough time to make it to the station without being to hurried.  The rental car drop off is only about 7/10 of a mile from the Amtrak Station. My plan is to Uber or Lyft from the rental agency to the station but if I have to I can walk.

Finally, as I have said many times before everyone who I have talked to has told me to pack and travel light. I have my luggage down to one large backpack for my computer, clothes, toiletries, shoes and other necessities. I have a smaller backpack for my audio, video and camera equipment. I have pared that down to one DSLR camera with an extra lens, and a video camera. I have extra batteries and SD Cards.  I still have room in my camera pack for enough snacks to get me started on my four day train ride.

I have still got to get a few odds and ends, like ear plugs for sleeping. I am also going to down load a couple of books and a couple of movies to occupy my time when I find myself without cell and internet service.

So in less than two weeks my next big adventure will begin. For now I am still working on editing photos and Videos from my trips to Texas and Kentucky earlier this year. The video from my visit to Waco Texas is up on my YouTube Channel. If you have time slip over there and take a look. If you like it be sure to give it a thumbs up and if you want to get notified when I post future videos, please subscribe to my YouTube Channel. Click the Video below to view it here.