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At the start of the trip, we had to let the conductor know which sittings we wanted for the three dining-car meals of the day. The cost of these meals was included in the sleeper fare, which the Geezer found gratifying. When his sitting was called, he went to the dining car entrance where the steward directed him to the next available seat. He sat with a group of teenagers, some women who drove trucks, a group of travelers from the Orient who barely spoke English, and nice older couples who were doing the same as the Geezer and regarded the trip itself as a vacation.

Needing coffee to gather the strength to make his way to the dining car, the Geezer almost said a prayer of thanks when he found coffee and orange juice at the end of his sleeping car first thing in the morning.

Shared shower rooms were on the lower levels of the sleeping cars, and the fastidious Geezer found them clean at all times, with plenty of hot water, shelves and stools. The toilets, on the same level as the roomettes, seemed to have come directly from the factory that makes them for airlines. By the end of the day, they sometimes had a bit of an odor.

Unfortunately, the freight lines own the tracks on which Amtrak travels, and so, if one had to pull onto a siding, it was always the passenger train that did so. However, the Arizona, New Mexico and California scenery is something beautiful and special, and most of us were in no hurry to end our rolling cruise.

Many who travel between St Louis and Chicago (350 miles), with Springfield, the Illinois State Capitol on the same route, find it more relaxing, less frustrating, and even a little time-saving to take the train between the two cities instead of flying, especialy if their business is in a city center.

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Rome on Five Denarii a Day

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The Geezer dated this lady back in the day, before she gained so much weight.

Why do we exceed the speed limit so often?

The local newspaper recently published an article on this subject. The writer assumed we do it to get places faster, but I don't think so. At least The Geezer, whose father got speeding tickets in almost every state in the Continental US, does it not ony because of said bad example, but because he likes to. Fortunately for him, he lives in an unnamed state where, for a large enough sum, your speeding violation can be commuted to a non-moving violation, such as "excessive vehicular noise" or "illegal parking". That amenity aside, I think most of us drive over the speed limit for the sheer thrill of it, for the sense of speed, for the feeling of being able to control a huge, heavy machine, and to compete with other drivers by passing them. I'm right, aren't I? If not, why don't you send me a message and tell me why you drive too fast? Your friend, The Geezer

Click here to go to a really cool site showing Citroens of all eras, styles and colors. Search Google for even more great photos!

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One summer, shortly after his one and only child moved to Seattle, the Geezer decided to make the first long train trip of his life, from St Louis to Seattle. Consultation of the Amtrak website showed no direct route between the two cities. So the Geezer decided to make his trip a scenic one and reserved a roomette for a five-night, two- train journey. He would have to to transfer from the Sunset Limited to the Coast Starlight at Oxnard, a suburb of Los Angeles.

The Texas Eagle left St Louis at around 11:00 PM on a hot July night. As the Geezer boarded, an attendant was making up the bed. Clearly, he was intended to sleep. However, seeing familiar neighborhoods from a totally different angle proved fascinating, and he couldn't fall asleep until the train was out in the countryside, headed for Arkansas. During and after breakfast he gazed upon the home territory of President Bill Clinton. Except in small towns, trains tend to run through nondescript neighborhoods, and behind buildings and yards when in urban areas. One sees a lot of garages and trash cans.

On the train there were basically two classes: Coach and sleeper. Some people went all the way in coach, but the seats were big with a lot of legroom and, as one mother of several remarked, "This sure beats taking them on a plane!" The roomette had two bunks, one over the other, and resembled the old Pullman accomodations. There were a couple of larger rooms in each coach, each with its own bathroom and dining table. Great for a family or other group.

Sometime the following evening his sleeping car decoupled from the Texas Eagle and became attached to the Sunset Limited, which would pull it to Los Angeles. This turned his berth around, and he learned that the seats in the chair cars are always turned in the direction the train is moving, but berths have two seats.

Cruising by train>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Cruising by train>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Cruising by train>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>