I've traveled to the ranches by car, by train, an on Sunday night, a new one. I'm losing my Amtrak virginity! Going to be traveling from Southern Iowa to Reno by train! I'm excited but a tad nervous since it's a new experience, going to be riding coach, which will suck for 36 hours, but it'll be beautiful! So.....for those that have gone by train, any advice? Things to bring? What to expect? Common sense things that a newbie might not realize? I'm planning on two suitcases, bigger one and smaller carry on, does it work same as the airlines? Going to be arriving Tuesday morning and leaving Friday night, so a fairly short stay, but Wednesday is my 49th birthday, and I'm so excited to spend it in Mound House with the sexiest girl I can imagine! And yep, already planning a 50th bash next year (on a weekend...wooooooooo)
I've never taken a train trip but I would like to. From what I've heard about train travel don't count on it being on schedule. Many things can happen that would cause a delay so be flexible with your schedule.
I have heard they get behind schedule, which isn't terrible, get into Reno 8 am Tuesday, which can be an awkward time for hotel check in, so a few hours later would be fine
food is expensive so if you can pack some snacks would be good. you might check to see if you can find a menu ... the meals in the dinning car are fixed and one price but they do serve some tasty meals. the snack and quick food cafe is limited but has some good stuff ... the reno train is usually late getting in but it is a pretty stress free way to travel and there's an app that you can track all the trains...just sit back and enjoy...
I took a train trip from Chicago to Washington DC last year. The hardest thing to deal with his boredom. Luckily, the seats are large and comfortable and you have a fold out tray table like on an airplane. I brought my laptop with me. I download it several movies before I left and watched those. I also brought some over-the-counter sleeping pills and use those to get to sleep at night. The food in the dining cart is expensive, and of poor quality. Unfortunately, I don’t know any other way to eat because you can’t exactly live on snacks for several days straight.
