Friday afternoon.

[Edited on July 7, 2010 at 4:58 PM. Reason : page two says hello from Princeton, IL.]

7/7/2010 4:57:21 PM

Awesome....How long will you be there for? And are you taking the train back as well?

I think next time my husband and I go visit his parents in Orlando, we'll take the train

7/7/2010 4:58:45 PM

Rain in Buda, IL...



^ I'm there only through Tuesday, then I fly back to Texas.

7/7/2010 5:12:56 PM

Lots of power-generating windmills here. Can see them in the distance.

7/7/2010 5:22:38 PM

So we just passed through a town claiming to have hosted the Lincoln-Douglas debate...

7/7/2010 6:01:22 PM

Just crossed the Mississippi River.

7/7/2010 7:07:18 PM

Just crossed the Mississippi River.

7/7/2010 7:07:18 PM

Lol, I guess we crossed it twice.

7/7/2010 7:08:00 PM

Batavia, Iowa is flat and moist. Fortunately, so was my dinner.

7/7/2010 7:56:49 PM

Ottumwa, Iowa...

7/7/2010 8:27:41 PM

Random side note... I was just able to use Verizon's 3G network, tethered to my laptop, to connect to my university campus via VPN, to connect to my work desktop computer via Remote Desktop Connection. Modern technology fucking rocks.

7/7/2010 8:56:45 PM

So we were out of Verizon 3G range for a while last night, and the train had to stop for a couple of hours. Lots of concern about all of the rain here causing flooding and possible track washouts. We eventually started moving again, but now we will be much later arriving in CA.

7/8/2010 6:38:49 AM

Also, good morning from Holdrege, Nebraska. I've never been in Nebraska before, and I can see why. Fields for miles, and that's about it. Still kinda dark, though. I don't think we've crossed into Mountain Time yet.

7/8/2010 6:58:27 AM

Yuma, Colorado... lots and lots of cattle.

7/8/2010 9:50:55 AM

This is like a facebook status update thread.

7/8/2010 9:53:26 AM

^ feel free to not read it if you're disinterested.

Yuma, CO...

7/8/2010 9:57:12 AM

I can't imagine anyone being interested in any post on this page. But I'm bored at work and use 10am as my official "it's time to start doing something productive" starting point. So keep up with your status updates by all means. But taking pictures of bumfuck places on a train ride could possibly be one of the lamest things on this message board...which is saying a lot.

7/8/2010 10:01:05 AM

Your opinion is noted and filed. Please enjoy my positive, "I don't care what you think" attitude, as I continue to post.

7/8/2010 10:10:40 AM

Part of whinebrick's complaint is probably fair, in that the photos I'm posting here have been coming from my cell phone, and we've had overcast skies most of the way. Nothing I can do about either, as I'm not going to try to upload photos from my DSLR until I have a reliable Internet connection.

That said, the sky in Colorado is beautiful this morning:

7/8/2010 10:20:38 AM

i always envisioned colorado as being ALL mountain

7/8/2010 10:21:35 AM

Hello from Denver, where the skyscrapers scrape the sky a bit more closely...

7/8/2010 11:44:20 AM

I like this thread...Its like I'm on the train with him

7/8/2010 11:49:44 AM

Fraser, CO... brief stop. Absolutely beautiful here.

7/8/2010 2:40:38 PM

Passed through the tunnel for the continental divide about half an hour ago. They told us that we had to stay in our train cars while we were going through the tunnel, because they evacuate the air in the tunnel while trains go through it, to minimize coal dust and exhaust fumes.

7/8/2010 3:21:29 PM

JEALOUS!

I've driven across the country a few times (NC to CA, NC to Fl keys, NC to WY/MT) and loved each trip. Seeing the country is definitely something everyone should do if they can.

Have always wanted to go via train too. It's a longer trip but it's still neat. Especially with the historic feel.

[Edited on July 8, 2010 at 3:34 PM. Reason : Stupid swype lol]

7/8/2010 3:33:38 PM

Prolly don't want to take the trip during the winter by train, as snow tends to close this track frequently. But seeing this part of the country by rail has been pretty fun. So much change in so comparatively little time. You spend your time looking at stuff, rather than trying to drive.

7/8/2010 3:35:55 PM

Gypsum, CO. Lost cell signal for a long while, but took some spectacular photos with my DSLR. I absolutely love this part of the country. I want to come back to visit more.

7/8/2010 5:37:37 PM

So where did you post your boring as fuck staccato rhythm drivel before 620.8 days ago

7/8/2010 5:39:16 PM

Oh look, Ernie has come to make his daily nothing contribution.

7/8/2010 5:39:55 PM

I don't know, that was a pretty good one

And I like the title of this thread

You're on a train, which is like the antithesis of adventure

You're on fucking rails son

7/8/2010 5:42:11 PM

7/8/2010 5:44:37 PM

Glenwood Springs, CO. We're stopped for a bit. Holy crap, there are people dressed like pilgrims getting on. This place is truly special.

7/8/2010 6:13:44 PM

Near Glenwood Springs...

7/8/2010 6:42:17 PM

Why do so many communities put their poop holding tanks next to the train tracks?

7/8/2010 7:16:24 PM

Colorado afternoon sky...

7/8/2010 7:22:55 PM

Great pictures! Never realized how scenic the US is.

7/8/2010 7:25:45 PM

Grand Juncture, CO...

7/8/2010 8:07:27 PM

Uhhhhh, that was supposed to be Grand Junction. Durrrrrrrrr


Amtrak dinner menu...

7/8/2010 9:11:07 PM

we crossed in to Utah during dinner. i decided to spend some time talking with family, and several of the other passengers. definitely an enjoyable experience.

we're between Price, UT and Helper, UT. too dark now to take any pics, sorry.

7/8/2010 11:10:53 PM

So the reason they call it Helper, Utah, is because this is apparently where they connect "helper" engines to the large coal trains, so they can get over some of the steeper ridges along this part of the route.

7/8/2010 11:21:15 PM

I have enjoyed the pics with updates that shows just how fast places change.

7/8/2010 11:36:46 PM

Good morning from the middle of Nevada. Contrary to popular belief, stuff actually DOES grow here. But I've seen maybe 3 trees since I woke up about 10 minutes ago.

7/9/2010 8:46:11 AM

Morning in Nevada:

7/9/2010 8:58:48 AM

i'm jealous

nc is hot and crappy

7/9/2010 8:59:26 AM

Sun's up now...

7/9/2010 9:01:34 AM

BM







... I later found out that it stands for Battle Mountain, Nevada.

7/9/2010 9:13:45 AM

Amtrak breakfast...

7/9/2010 10:14:53 AM

sigh, /me wishes for legit HSR service coast to coast with full internet connectivity...

7/9/2010 11:07:54 AM

^ Amtrak has wifi service on their Acela trains in the NE, and they're thinking about adding it to their other trains.

http://www.amtrak.com/servlet/ContentServer?c=Page&pagename=am/Layout&cid=1246044330724

7/9/2010 11:20:50 AM

Sparks, Nevada. Getting close to Reno!

7/9/2010 12:52:17 PM