James's Ride from the Couch to RAGBRAI and Beyond

2026 AMTRAK TRIP RECAP
I left Charlotte at about 3am on Sunday, April 19 on the Crescent route to New Orleans, once the sun came up I saw very familiar South Carolina and Georgia landscapes, including the Amtrak stop in Clemson, SC. After I left Atlanta heading towards New Orleans all the train mileage, except between LA and San Diego, was new to me. The trip ended when I flew from Chicago back to Charlotte on Tuesday May 19 for a total of 30 days.

Overall, I would describe the trip as “great” and “will do again”. The opportunity to see parts of the landscape not normally seen when driving a car would rate at the top of the ‘best of’ list. Of course, being able to get up and walk around, the observation cars and the dining car make that list also. The ‘worst of list’ features my inability to sleep for more than a couple hours due to the noises when stopping and the coldness of the cars. Many people brought blankets and just splayed out across the two seats and seemed to sleep quite well. Some people, especially those with eye masks, would sleep well into the morning before getting up…I envied them but would not trade some of the morning views out west for any amount of sleep! So, the lists:

BEST OF LIST:
Views, even of south Texas.
Observation and dining cars that fostered communications among passengers.
Dining cars open for coach passengers and the food was quite good.
Train riders represent a broad section of American life.

WORST OF LIST:
My inability to sleep continuously.
Inconsistent customer service. (Amtrak will receive a letter about this). It was more often than not that some of the customer facing employees treated the customers as a burden or, in some cases, people who needed to be lectured on the 'ways of the train'.

STATS:
Total approximate train mileage: 9,200
Miles on “real” bike: 49 Aspen to Glenwood Springs
Miles on the Damn E-Bike: 39. Going to Sun Road in Glacier Park.
Bears & Other Wildlife: 1 bear, 2 pileated red headed woodpeckers, 1 marmot, countless deer (1 while on DEB), 2 turkeys, 1 fox, antelope, elk.
Nights on the Train: approx 10. Nights off the train: approx. 16 + 4 in NC for the Elements on the Dragon event.
Political Discussions: 1 – guy was a little too enthusiastic about electric cars and did not want to hear how mass adoption is going to take a while, or might be improbable, due to not just electrical infrastructure but inability of many people to have chargers located near their cars.
Biggest Surprise: Tombstone becomes a ‘club town’ after dark and the gunfighters leave.
Biggest Disappointment: There is a stop in New Mexico (I think) where all the train regulars were saying a woman would be there selling burritos. Unfortunately she was not there the day I passed through.
Karaoke Songs Sung: Only one, thank god. (See Tombstone after dark above)
Best hotel: Maxwell Anderson in Glenwood Springs with the Belton Chalet in West Glacier a close second.
Place Most Likely to Return To: Glacier Park, lots to see there.
Place Least Likely to Return To: the “Gold Runner” train line in Central Valley California, except I did enjoy the short layover in Martinez, California.
Best Wake Up Call: Mt Shasta near the Oregon-California border.
Friends Visited with: at least 8.
Most Unusual Conversation: An Amish man told me that his daughter, who has been to all 50 states, planned their trip including their cycling/bus excursion in Glenwood Springs.

All in all, a very fun experience that I would recommend to ALMOST anyone.

I would appreciate any questions, suggestions, comments, etc you might have. (Just remember, if you choose to post anonymously then please put your name in the body of your comments !)

Old Advertisements of some of the lines that I rode: