Seat 2A

Manslaughter. That’s what my freight train riding companion, Marlon, said he’d been to prison for. He’d recently broken parole and said that his attorney had told him his best defense was to get the hell out of Nevada and never come back.

I on the other hand was just five weeks removed from an appendectomy that had required a twenty day hospital stay due to a ruptured appendix that evolved into a nasty case of peritonitis. I was on my way to Chicago to visit friends before I had to return to work the following week. An Amtrak sale offered the most affordable means of getting to Chicago and back.

It was a bitterly cold night as we rolled out of Denver in February 1978 aboard Amtrak’s eastbound California Zephyr. It was my first trip aboard the Zephyr as operated by Amtrak, and I was looking forward to a good time. To that end I had purchased a bottle of Black Velvet in advance of the journey. Marlon was my seatmate and he was headed to Ft. Dodge, Iowa. He had hopped a Union Pacific freight train across Nevada to Colorado and indicated that his preference would have been to have caught out on a BN or UP freight across Nebraska but given the extreme cold temperatures along with his desire to continue getting "the hell out of Nevada” without further delay, he’d opted to buy a one way ticket to Lincoln and figure out the rest of his journey once he got there.

Though I’d never gotten into an altercation that had resulted in anyone’s death, I had spent a lot of time hitch-hiking around the west, not to mention a couple of trips out to the East Coast and back. Marlon estimated he’d hopped close to fifty freights as well as hitched whenever he couldn’t travel by rail. Neither of us were the type of travelers that stayed in motels. They were generally too expensive and besides, with a minimum of effort you could always find someplace safe, out of the way and free to sleep for a few hours. As we got to chatting, it became evident that when it came to travel and travel related experiences, we had quite a lot in common. As seatmates and felons go, Marlon was one of the better ones I’ve met. I’ll never forget how his face lit up when I produced that bottle of Black Velvet and an unopened pack of Marlboros. “Buddy,” he said, “I probably can’t do you any good, but I sure as hell won’t do you any harm.”

We had a great time as the train rolled through the night across southern Nebraska. Most of that time was spent in a tiny lounge area outside the men’s restroom where one could smoke and discreetly drink and cuss without bothering the rest of the passengers. At 6:00am we pulled into Lincoln an hour and a half late. I gave Marlon a handful of Marlboros and bid him well in his journey to Ft. Dodge and beyond. I didn’t envy him his immediate journey, for when he stepped off the train in Lincoln it was no warmer than when we’d left Denver.

Though I hadn’t slept all night and had downed a fair bit of whiskey, I was young and robust and so managed to make my way a few cars forward to the lounge car. Surprise! The heater had broken sometime in the night and from the looks of the frosty hand railings, the lounge car was just as cold inside as it was outside. Interestingly, the initial appeal of the lounge car had been that my car was too warm. Later in the trip it was discovered that a broken pipe in the baggage car had spewed water over some of the baggage. Calamities like this were not atypical of Amtrak’s early operation as it struggled with a hodgepodge of aging rail cars and minimal operating budget. By the time we pulled into Chicago we were over two hours late and eager to get off the train.

Amtrak has come a long way since then, as have I. Now, almost thirty years after that first ride on Amtrak’s California Zephyr, I find myself once again riding the Zephyr, this time westbound between Chicago and Reno. Today’s California Zephyr is nothing like the tired old train I rode in1978. For this trip I am comfortably ensconced in a First Class Roomette on one of Amtrak’s new fleet of bi-level Superliner II cars. Locomotive power has been upgraded from a trio of aging 1500 horsepower F-7s to a pair of 4,250 horsepower P42DC Genesis locomotives. Life is good. Hopefully things have gone as nicely for my old buddy Marlon. Ideally he’s been upgraded to a regular seat in the third unit.

Seat 2A

This trip started out of frustration. I wanted to go somewhere. I needed to go somewhere. As with my trip in 1978, I was only a few weeks removed from major surgery. In early November of 2007, I underwent the first of five surgeries to address a condition called Spinal Stenosis affecting my cervical spine. It had progressed to a point where I walked with a constant limp due to right foot drag and were I to suffer a bad fall or be hit from behind (whiplash) in a car, I stood a good chance of being permanently paralyzed. No more big trips and no more trip reports.

Although the arthroscopic laser surgery I opted for is less invasive than the laminectomy traditionally prescribed for my condition, the surgery and anesthesia still take a lot out of you. And, there were side effects. Be it with lasers or a knife, messing around in spinal vertebrae is no simple affair. After five operations I could barely lift my right arm. The multiple nerve decompressions during my surgeries resulted in considerable muscular atrophy in my right arm, hand, shoulder and leg. I would have liked to respond to some very good trip reports but was unable to type, much less write. I face a fairly long period of physical therapy. The First Class trip to Australia that I’d booked last year for travel in late February this year looks to be in considerable jeopardy.

Despite all this, I really needed to go somewhere. Fairbanks is a lot of fun in the winter if you’re healthy but I found that my new rehab lifestyle was making for a much longer winter. I’d told family members that since I couldn’t be with them for Christmas this year, I would make a trip down to Colorado in February, especially since I had the back end of an Alaska Airlines Bonus Travel ticket that had to be used before it expired. Still, the idea of flying only to Colorado and back hardly seemed exciting. I needed more.

When it comes to dreaming up fun and interesting trips, I’ve had a lot of experience. After all, I’ve been doing it most of my life. Once I turned eighteen and started earning money, coupled with a windfall inheritance of $3000.00, I started turning my dreams into reality. My first big trip took me to Hawaii and Alaska even though when I started that trip I thought I was only going to Mexico via Canada. I’ve been fortunate to travel many millions of miles since.

Also, now that my fingers, hand and arm work sufficiently well that I can type, I wanted to create a trip worthy of a trip report. For my files, at least. Those of you looking for a more exciting accounting of premium class travel on some exotic airline will probably want to hit the back button about now. Although I would love to write just such a report, unfortunately I’m just not up to that amount of travel right now.

The main purpose of this trip is to visit family and friends in Colorado. However, after much research and reflection on schedules and prices, I came up with the following itinerary:

JAN 24 Fairbanks to Seattle * Alaska Airlines One Way Award
JAN 25 Seattle to Chicago * Alaska Airlines One Way Award * Cost: $5.00
JAN 26 Chicago to Reno * Amtrak California Zephyr * Cost: $369.00
JAN 28 Reno to Las Vegas Southwest Airlines Web Fare Ticket * Cost: $62.00
JAN 28 Las Vegas to Needles * Thrifty Car Rental
JAN 29 Needles to Page, Arizona via old Route 66 & US 89 * Thrifty Car Rental
JAN 30 Page, AZ to Laughlin, NV via Mojave National Preserve * Thrifty Car Rental
JAN 31 Laughlin, NV to Las Vegas via US 95 * Thrifty Car Rental * Cost: $71.00 + Fuel
JAN 31 Las Vegas to Ft. Collins, CO. * Allegiant Air Ticket * Cost: $58.00
FEB 01 Ft. Collins/Greeley, CO to Glenwood Springs, CO * Hertz Rent A Car
FEB 02 Glenwood Springs, CO to Greeley, CO * Hertz Rent A Car * Cost: $1.00
FEB 06 Denver, CO to Fairbanks, AK * Alaska Airlines Bonus Travel Ticket * Cost: $0.00

The end result is a little more expensive than simply flying to Colorado and back, but I’ve no doubt it’ll be a lot more fun, too. So – on with the report.

Seat 2A

January 24/25, 2008
Fairbanks – Seattle – Chicago
Alaska Airlines Economy Class
737-400 / 737-800

When writing about domestic air travel in America, there’s really not much worthy of reporting on anymore. At least, not with regard to in-flight service. This generally holds true regardless of the class of service flown. Even Alaska Airlines, once highly regarded for the quality of its in-flight product, is now just another airline limited to touting its service with vague terms like “distinctive”.

Alaska Airlines may no longer be anything special in the air, but for me its Mileage Plan is the best frequent flyer program going as evidenced by its 10000 mile one way awards and the many benefits offered to MVP and MVP Gold members. Apparently more than a few others agree since Alaska’s Mileage Plan routinely wins top honors at the annual Freddie awards.

It’s worth noting here that the one way travel award on Alaska Airlines does not include or allow an enroute stopover. However, I found via alaskaair.com’s Mileage Plan Award Reservations a 7:00am nonstop from Fairbanks to Seattle on the 24th followed by a 12:30pm departure to Chicago the next day. Interestingly, the 12:30pm departure, which connected nicely with the inbound flight from Fairbanks, was also available on the 24th. Go figure. I booked it and enjoyed a full twenty-five hours in Seattle.


January 26, 2008
Chicago to Reno
Amtrak First Class
California Zephyr

This reservation was the hardest to decide upon. I really needed to get to Las Vegas but Amtrak no longer serves Las Vegas except in conjunction with poorly timed Amtrak Thruway Bus connections. Also, I wanted to ride on the California Zephyr because of the spectacular scenery west of Denver.

So – where do I get off the Zephyr to connect to Las Vegas? Grand Junction, Colorado offered a five hour layover before connecting to a $79.00 Allegiant Air flight. Two hours farther down the track at Green River, Utah I could have connected to a Greyhound bus for just $39.00. Unfortunately there was a five hour layover and the bus didn’t depart until 2:30am. There’s not a lot open in Green River after 9:00pm. Were I willing to pay for a hotel overnight in Salt Lake City, I could have flown down to Vegas on a $70.00 web special the next morning. Ultimately I decided to connect in Reno. The Zephyr was scheduled to arrive at 10:30am and Southwest offered a good selection of well timed Las Vegas departures priced at just $62.00 all in. I booked myself a seat on the 2:50pm flight figuring that I could stand by for an earlier departure if the train arrived on time.

Amtrak’s one way coach ticket to Reno priced out at $107.00, only $6.00 more than had I gotten off in Grand Junction. At the time I made the reservation, I could have booked a First Class Standard Bedroom or Roomette for an additional $262.00. Although it initially seemed a bit much in the context of how much I was spending on this trip as a whole, I later changed my mind. After all, it’s a 2,200 mile journey between Chicago and Reno and I’d be on the train for about 46 hours. I received an unexpected surprise however when I went back to the Amtrak website to upgrade. What’s this? The cost to upgrade had now gone up to $355.00! A call to a real live Amtrak employee verified the bad news. Oh well. Coach it is then. Nonetheless, I monitored the Amtrak website in hopes that the price might once again drop but instead watched in horror as the upgrade price climbed to $450.00 two days before departure.

Upon checking in at Chicago’s Union Station, I again asked about upgrading and was told that once the train is underway, the cost to upgrade with the conductor is usually less money. So, once we were underway I did just that and $262.00 later I was the delighted occupant of Room 11, located downstairs in Sleeper Car 532.

Amtrak’s Bi-Level Super Liners offer Roomettes on both the upper and lower levels of each car. The accommodations measure 3’6” by 6’6” and are accessed via a sliding glass door. During the day they offer two wide opposite facing seats that fold together to become a bed at night. Above them is a fold-down upper berth. Each compartment has its own huge window, approximately 2’ X 5’, through which to view the passing scenery. Other amenities include four separate lights, an electrical outlet, a mirror, a fold out table, a small closet with hangers and a thermostat. Toilet and shower facilities are down the hall.

While many first time riders are excited about having a room high on the upper level, I’ve learned through experience that the lower level is the place to be. The downstairs rooms are quieter because all the traffic between cars is upstairs. Very few tracks provide a perfectly smooth ride and because of this the train’s rocking motion makes for a difficult time walking. Most passengers traveling between cars on their way to or from the diner or lounge tend to ricochet down the narrow hallways, bouncing off walls and doors with equal abandon. Downstairs this is not an issue.

At the top of the stairway is the service area for each car. Juice, coffee, bottled water and ice are always available. My car attendant Nathan had considerately thought to place magazines and cookies out as well. I’d never seen that done before by a car attendant and I made a point of letting Nate know it was appreciated.

Scheduling of the California Zephyr is designed to provide passengers with optimal viewing of the Rocky Mountains and Sierra Nevada Mountains during daylight hours. The plains states and deserts of Utah and Eastern Nevada are crossed at night. Although many consider the scenery between Chicago and Denver boring, I was impressed by the many picturesque hamlets we passed while rolling through western Illinois. Unfortunately the sun had set by the time we crossed a 2000 foot bridge over the Mississippi River. During the longer summer days, this crossing is easily seen along with the beautiful rolling hills of southern Iowa.

Rather than get into a mile by mile accounting of the enroute scenery however, I’m going to instead focus on the onboard experience of riding First Class on the Zephyr. Aside from the privacy of your own compartment and a bed to sleep on, the best thing about Amtrak’s First Class fares is that they include all of your enroute meals in the dining car. This means you may order anything you want, from the most expensive steak dinner to a side of sausage with your morning omelet. Dessert and non-alcoholic beverages are also included. Appetizers, beer and wine are extra, however.

Dinner is offered in two seatings – 5:30pm and 7:00pm. There’s also a last call at about 7:45pm for anyone who for whatever reason didn’t make one of the first two seatings. I opted for the 7:00pm seating and when the announcement was made over the train’s PA system, I ricocheted my way to the diner, located two cars back.

The number of diners relative to the number of available tables means that seating is communal. The dining car steward seats people wherever available seating can be found. Just ahead of me was a man assisting his 95 year old mother down the hallway towards the dining car. She was a long way fron spry and it was slow going. Since we all entered the diner at the same time, the steward sat the three of us at a table together. Shortly thereafter menus were presented along with a basket of surprisingly good dinner rolls. Drink orders were taken and I was surprised to learn that cocktails were only available in the lounge. I’ll have a Sam Adams, please. Now, let’s see what’s on offer for dinner:

DINNER MENU


Hmm…

Our waiter returned and listed though hardly described the various specials. The seafood selection was salmon, the vegetarian special was lasagna and the chef’s special was barbecued short ribs. I was tempted to goad him into a better performance by asking things like “How is the salmon prepared?” or “Is the barbecue sauce very tangy?” but decided to let it ride. Today’s vegetable was wax beans. Wax beans! With a steak? Or seafood? Anyway, I ordered the steak medium rare while my table mates ordered steak for the man and roast game hen for his mother.

The man’s name was John, his mother Ida. They were traveling from Illinois to Martinez, California to visit family nearby. Amtrak’s Handicapped Bedroom was perfect for them except that it was located downstairs and wasn’t underneath the dining car. Ida had a heck of a time traveling between cars and it was decided that all future meals would be brought to her room. John once sat on the board of the National Railway Passenger Association and so we had some interesting conversation about Amtrak past, present and future.

Salads were presented, eaten and cleared followed by our entrees. My steak was perfectly cooked, nicely flavored on the outside and reddish-pink throughout the inside. Ida’s chicken was equally good and I decided to order that the next night. It came with mashed potatoes that Ida said tasted like they were freshly mashed. Thankfully our waiter was wrong about the wax beans as we were served broccoli and carrots instead. Dessert offerings included chocolate layer cake and cheesecake in addition to the ice cream. I passed on dessert and, after bidding adieu to John and Ida, headed back to the lounge for another beer and some camaraderie.

Amtrak’s Sightseer Lounge cars are the best modern day railroad lounge cars I have ever traveled in, vastly superior to anything I’ve ever seen in Europe, Australia or South America. The large glass windows along the sidewalls start at knee level and rise up a good four feet or so. Along the outside edges of the ceiling, curving down to the wall, are more large panes.





Be it daylight or starlight, the view available through all that glass is most impressive. This is especially true in mountainous terrain where the upper windows allow excellent viewing of the peaks or canyon walls above the train. Individual seats and small couches are available on one side of the car, while buffet style table seating is available on the other. In the middle of the lounge is a stairway leading down to a snack bar that offers a wide variety of sandwiches, light meals, snack foods and beverages. More tables are also available down here.

I spent a fair bit of time in the lounge car and over the course of the trip met a quite a diverse group of travelers including a Canadian investment specialist working for the city of Olympia, WA. and a transplanted San Franciscan now living in New York but having second thoughts and now returning to San Francisco for a visit and possible stay. An avid Los Angeles Dodgers fan decked out in cap and t-shirt carried on with anyone nearby about all things sport related. I also spent some time with a couple of Foamers. That’s what railroad employees call avid rail fans who practically froth at the mouth over all things rail related. There are always a few on every train. These guys had mile by mile guidebooks of the route along with a radio tuned into the railroad frequencies. They knew all about the new Superliner II cars, from where they were built to when they entered service. I enjoyed their enthusiasm and knowledge even if I did occasionally become a bit lost in the details.

I spent two nights on the train and each night by 11:00pm – though earlier if I’d so desired – my car attendant Nathan would convert my room from daytime seating to its nighttime sleeping configuration. After a long night in the lounge car I’d arrive back at my room to find my bed made up with sheets and blanket along with two plump pillows and a bottle of water. The bed was comfortable though not particularly wide. Nonetheless, I enjoyed a much better sleep each night than I would have in the coach car. Sleeping in a bed on a fast moving train with a starry vista out your window is one of life’s great pleasures – one that I hope all of you can someday enjoy.

While my camera couldn’t take a starlight shot on a moving train, it did manage a pretty nice shot right before sunset as we sped west through Utah:





In the morning I would awake to a hot shower (with good water pressure!) followed by a cup of coffee and a couple of cookies, always available in the service area of each car. That morning’s newspaper would also be available once we’d reached either Denver or Reno westbound. Breakfast is served between 6 and 9:00am and is first come, first served. If the dining car is full, the steward will take your name and page you when space becomes available. In the meantime, they are happy to provide you with a cup of coffee which you can enjoy in the lounge car while you wait. Here’s a transcript of the breakfast menu:

BREAKFAST MENU

On my first morning as we sped towards Denver and the distant Rocky Mountains, I ordered the Railroad French Toast with a side of bacon. Delicious! French toast has a long tradition in railroad diners, first and foremost with the Santa Fe Railroad, whose diners were operated by the Fred Harvey Company. Passengers aboard Santa Fe’s Super Chief, San Francisco Chief and El Capitan were treated to what many have claimed is the finest French toast they have ever eaten. Here’s the recipe.

On my second morning I awoke about an hour out of Winnemucca, Nevada. We were running about 45 minutes late but I wasn’t concerned since I had a four hour window to make my connecting flight from Reno down to Las Vegas. In the diner I ordered the omelet special, an appetizing mixture of spinach and feta cheese which I accompanied with the equally tasty chicken apple sausage. My tablemates were Simon and Roma, a couple of Australians on their way to San Francisco. They had one more week in the US and were planning to travel with friends down the California coast to Los Angeles before returning to Melbourne on the 14 hour Qantas nonstop. We had a good time chatting over a variety of Australian and American subjects until the announcement was made that due to heavy snow through California’s Sierra Nevada mountains and the resulting slowdown of freight traffic ahead of us, we’d be sitting on a siding in Winnemucca until 9:30am at the very earliest. Our scheduled departure out of Winnemucca was 7:30am so this would make us two hours late. No problem. I’ve got a four hour layover.
9:30 came and passed. 10:00 rolled by, then 10:30. Uh oh… Cell phones worked so I called Southwest Airlines to discuss my options should I not be able to make my flight. Due to winter weather in Reno the day before, many flights had cancelled and those passengers had been rebooked on today’s flights. As a result, all of today’s flights between Reno and Las Vegas were sold out. I would however be welcome to standby on any of the five flights after my confirmed 2:50pm departure.

Finally, at 10:42am (Believe me, I was exceptionally aware of the time by then) we pulled off our siding and ever so slowly proceeded to roll through Winnemucca. At this pace we wouldn’t make Reno by nightfall! I was in the lounge car and one of the rail fans explained that once the freight train ahead of us cleared its block, we could then speed up. Blocks evidently have something to do with spacing between trains. It was further explained that the tracks we were on were rated for travel up to 79 mph, a comforting detail given that Winnemucca lay 203 miles east of Reno and my flight departure time was now less than four hours away. It’s worth noting here that none of these delays were Amtrak’s doing. Our train was at the mercy of the Union Pacific dispatchers and as our local rail expert so succinctly put it, it just wouldn’t be an Amtrak trip without getting screwed by the UP.

Alright, so let’s cut to the chase. Eventually we did indeed attain speeds approaching 79 mph but unfortunately as we approached Reno we slowed down considerably and on a couple of occasions even stopped on sidings for 5-10 minutes. A call to Southwest confirmed that my flight was operating on time. Come on, come on! Let’s go, dammit! By the time we finally pulled into Reno Station at 2:18pm, there were just 32 minutes until my flight was scheduled to depart. Amazingly, I made that flight. Here’s how it happened.

As we pulled into the station, I had my luggage ready and was primed and ready to go like a starter in the blocks. As soon as the door to my car was opened, I was out the door and on my way to the street. Though in my current condition I am unable to run, I can still walk slightly faster than normal. To my great dismay, no taxis were sitting outside the station but I was told that if I walked to the street corner I should be able to flag one down. About 200 yards up the street I saw a couple of taxis parked outside a hotel and I pointed to them and waved my arm. Thankfully the second taxi back immediately noticed me and pulled out. Once in the cab I explained my predicament to which the driver said “No problem! You’ll make your flight.” Thankfully Reno’s airport isn’t far from downtown and we made good time enroute. I thanked the driver with $20.00 for the near $15.00 fare and hurried over to the terminal entrance. By now it was just past 2:30. As I neared a Southwest skycap check-in area, I asked if there were any chance I could check a bag for the 2:50pm flight to Vegas. We can do it but we’ll have to late tag it, was the reply. Let’s do it said I and handed the sky cap a $5.00 bill. He handed me a card that would get me through security but said I’d have to check in at the gate. Then he personally wheeled my bag away on a luggage cart and for the first time I began to feel a little more confident about my chances of making this flight.

Arriving at the security checkpoint at 2:36pm, I was confronted with a sizeable line and no express lane for MVP Gold elites, much less any other elites. If I were to have gotten in that line, I’d have had no chance of making my flight. Given that all the flights were sold out with many standby passengers left over from yesterday’s weather related cancellations, I stood a very real chance of being stranded in Reno for the night.

Now I’m not one to wheedle and plead when I’m the one responsible for putting myself in a bad way such as getting caught speeding or starting out for to the airport too late. Today however my present lot was none of my doing and having come this far and having gotten this close, well, it’d be a real shame not to make this flight now. So, wheedle and plead I did. Some groveling may also have been involved. Thankfully I got a sympathetic TSA agent who allowed me to bypass the line. Thanks also go out to those in line who allowed me to pass. Once I’d cleared security, I didn’t even stop to put on and tie my boots. Time was of the essence and it was now 2:39 – hopefully Southwest hadn’t already given my seat away but if they do so 10 minutes out, I needed to get to the gate NOW. When I arrived at the podium in my stocking feet, boarding had already commenced but thankfully I’d arrived just in time. Any readers who’ve run like hell through an airport and barely made a flight can certainly imagine how good I felt when the agent handed me that boarding pass. Las Vegas here I come!

Seat 2A

January 28, 2008
Reno – Las Vegas
Southwest Airlines Economy Class
737-300

Southwest’s new boarding process assigns passengers numbers in one of three groups – A, B or C. Everyone then lines up in numerical order per their assigned group. Frequent flyers who have accrued the most flight credits or anyone who has purchased Southwest’s new Business Select fares get to board first in group A. The rest of us are assigned numbers in groups B or C depending upon when we checked in. I understand Southwest also offers 24 hour advance check-in via the web that allows one to reserve their spot in line. Being one of the last to check in, I was assigned C-28.

Interestingly, the signs for groups A and B indicated each group numbered 1-59 for a total of 118 passengers. Southwest’s 737-300s are configured for only 137 seats, so if I were numbered C-28, wouldn’t that mean 145 people had boarded ahead of me? In any event, I not only found a seat – I found a window seat at 20A! This must be my lucky day.

Also of interest – at least to me – was our aircraft, a 737-301. Although registered with Southwest as N659SW, this aircraft had originally been delivered to Piedmont Aviation in 1985 as N303P, dubbed the “City of St. Louis”. It subsequently wore the liveries of US Air and Western Pacific before joining Southwest’s fleet in 1998.

Flight time to Las Vegas was projected to be 53 minutes, cruising at 35000 feet. Our route of flight took us down along the western edge of the Great Basin Desert, the largest of North America’s four major deserts. To the west of us lay the snowy Sierra Nevada mountains. I enjoyed my view of the arid landscape below whilst sipping from a glass of Sprite accompanied by two packets of peanuts. Following a wide sweeping approach over Las Vegas’ ever expanding suburbs, we landed smoothly at McCarran International Airport and taxied smartly to our gate on the C Concourse. This was my fourth flight in the past two months with Southwest and once again I’ve been the beneficiary of a low priced ticket and a nice flight. Well done, Southwest.

Baggage was delivered within twenty minutes of our arrival and soon I was on my way to the Car Rental Center where my Blue Chip membership with Thrifty Car Rental ensured that a Mercury Grand Marquis was ready and waiting for me upon my arrival at the Blue Chip kiosk on the second level of the garage. Ahead this evening lay a 110 mile drive south to Needles, California and a stay in one of my favorite motels, the River Valley Inn.


January 29-31
Driving through California, Arizona, Utah and Nevada

Needles is located on the Colorado River, just across the border from Arizona. It got its start as a railroad town in 1883 and if I had to guess I’d say the railroad is still the largest employer in town. These days westbound freight trains add engines at Needles to assist with the long climb up to Barstow. Historic Route 66 also passes through the town. Back in its heyday Needles was an oasis for hot and tired motorists looking for a bit of rest and relaxation after a long day of driving across the desert. The main drag is lined with motels and other shops from the 1940s and 50s. Though many of them are now closed or badly rundown, a few well maintained examples can still be found.




The River Valley Inn is one such example. A classic single level motel built during Route 66’s heyday in the early 1950s, this motel offers twenty-five spacious rooms, each equipped with refrigerator, microwave and a 27” color remote television. Travelers in the 1950s never had it so good. The price is right, too. Single rooms cost just $32.90 plus tax.

I started the day by driving along some sections of old Route 66 that I’d not yet driven between Needles and Oatman, Arizona. I love driving around the western US and I particularly enjoy exploring these old desert highways. Motoring along those long lonely stretches of dry, cracked roadway, speeding across the shimmering desert floor to that distant blue horizon, I’m fast as freedom on a good wind. Life could hardly be better.




This map represents everywhere I've driven in my little Mazda truck. In six days, (Feb. 14th), that truck celebrates its 20th birthday. The odometer is just over 487,000 miles over three engines. This is an older photo. New routes driven through eastern Montana, New Mexico and Idaho haven't been colored in orange.


Over the next three days, I drove 960 miles through some of the prettiest country in America. I stayed on Route 66 most of the way to Flagstaff before heading north to Page, Arizona and over to Kanab, Utah where I spent the night at the historic Parry Lodge. Recent rains had greened the low lying areas up nicely. However, the next day I wanted to travel through Zion National Park but snow in the high country forced me to divert south. With the extra time I saved not visiting Zion, I took a small detour through southeastern Nevada before continuing on to the Mojave National Preserve. Late that evening, I pulled into Laughlin, Nevada where an inexpensive room awaited me at the River Palms Casino. The next day I returned to Las Vegas and boarded an Allegiant Air DC-9-80 for the hour and a half flight up to Fort Collins, Colorado.

Seat 2A

Here are some pictures from the drive:





Historic Route 66 about 10 miles outside of Needles, California






Approaching Oatman, I slowed as a burro grazed along the roadside. Oatman was once quite a gold mining center, as well as a place for travelers to either recover from or prepare themselves for the long trudge over 3,515 foot Sitgreaves Pass. During the warmer months, many an older car would overheat on the long climb over the Black Mountains, so it was imperative to refill your radiator water bag before and after the crossing.

I’ll also be driving over Sitgreaves Pass, though the seasonal temperatures (in the 60s) combined with the vastly improved cooling systems in today’s modern automobiles would make it a pleasant rather than dreaded portion of the drive.

Here are some pictures from the drive over Sitgreaves Pass:




Climbing up Sitgreaves Pass, eastbound from Oatman to Kingman, AZ.




This view is from near the summit, looking west at the road I've just driven up.




This view is looking west into California from the summit




The view of Arizona seen while descending down the eastern side of Sitgreaves Pass

Seat 2A

Leaving Kingman, Arizona, I saw an old TWA L-1011 parked out at the Kingman Airport. The dry desert air is an excellent environment to store aircraft in and it wasn’t so long ago that Kingman had a much larger population of aging jetliners. Today however the largest airliner graveyards can be found in Mojave, California, Marana, Arizona and Goodyear, Arizona.

Leaving Kingman, Route 66 takes a route substantially north of Interstate 40. If ever an entire town were a monument to Route 66 past and present, Seligman is it. Unfortunately, if I were going to make it to Kanab at a reasonable hour, I had to press on.





Northbound on US 89 north of Flagstaff, AZ. Although there was a bit of snow around Flagstaff, as I headed north towards Page the snow disappeared. I was told it had even rained a few days earlier.





Colorful scenery along US 89





Climbing towards “The Gap” about 50 miles south of Page, AZ.





Some interesting addition on a sign in Page, AZ.

Seat 2A

Following are some views from my third day between Kanab and Laughlin via Nevada and the Mojave National Preserve:





Interstate 15 descending into the Virgin River Canyon in the northwest corner of Arizona. Certainly one of the prettier sections of the Interstate Highway system





This must've been quite the hot spot once upon a time…





I love this sign. I didn’t drive this road on this trip, but it’s one of the prettiest in Nevada – The Extraterrestrial Highway near Area 51.

I came back down US 93, meeting up with I-15 just east of Las Vegas. From there I continued out into California, exiting at the Nipton Rd. exit to access Mojave National Preserve.

Seat 2A

MOJAVE NATIONAL PRESERVE




Welcome to Mojave National Preserve








Recent rains had brought out a surprising amount of green in land surrounding the road





Looking across the valley towards Nevada. Beautiful desert view and flora.





Mojave National Preserve is home to the world's largest Joshua tree forest




The old Union Pacific depot in Kelso, CA. has been totally refurbished and now serves as NPS headquarters for Mojave National Preserve.





This is the old lunch counter at the Kelso depot. In its new capacity as NPS Headquarters, the counter no longer serves meals.





Leaving Mojave National Preserve – Kelso Rd. meets Interstate 40





A strange collection of discarded running shoes off Route 66 in the California desert west of Needles.

Seat 2A

January 31, 2008
Las Vegas – Ft. Collins, CO.
Allegiant Air Economy Class
DC-9-80

Allegiant Air commenced operations with a DC-9-10 between Las Vegas and Fresno, California in 1999. A larger DC-9-50 was later added and service was expanded to Long Beach. Not surprisingly, lower than projected passenger loads in these markets forced Allegiant to file for bankruptcy protection in 2000.

Since emerging from bankruptcy Allegiant has done much better, establishing hubs in Las Vegas and Orlando while offering service to smaller markets, all of which had no direct service to either Las Vegas or Orlando. Allegiant is the only airline flying into Ft. Collins. The airport there also serves the cities of Loveland and Greeley. The combined population of these three cities (240,000) is more than enough to support additional air service. Unfortunately, until improvements are made to the airport terminal facilities, that service won’t happen.

My sister and her family live in Greeley, just fifteen miles east of the airport. Although normally I fly into Denver and rent a car, Allegiant’s one way fare of $38.00 (58.00 with tax) was substantially lower than anything I could have gotten into Denver. And, although car rental rates are often higher in smaller cities like Greeley, I found a weekend special combined with a free tank of gas promotion that made renting a car in Greeley much more affordable. Thank you, Hertz.

My flight on Allegiant was operated with a DC-9-83 (MD-80) that had been delivered new to Swiss charter carrier Balair in 1993. Since then it had flown for Centennial Air (Spain), Finnair, La Tur (Mexico), CTA (Swiss), Venus Airlines (Greece) and Nordic Regional (Sweden). It joined Allegiant’s fleet of 35 MD-80s in 2006. For those of you curious how I came about this information, here’s a link.

Allegiant Air DC-9-80 N883GA

There is no First or Business Class offered on Allegiant. Most of its MD-80s are outfitted with about 160 seats. This was my fourth flight with them and from what I’ve experienced, the interior configurations vary from plane to plane. The aircraft for today’s flight into Ft. Collins had a really large galley at the entrance that took up both sides of the forward cabin. Passengers had to walk through the galley before entering the main cabin. Interestingly, the aisle was covered in black rubber matting. The seats were upholstered in dark blue leather but there was no recline. Thankfully I had scored an exit row aisle seat. Otherwise I’d say the seat pitch was about 31”. Despite the lack of recline, I found these seats surprisingly comfortable because even in their set position they were more reclined than most airline seats.

Flight time for the 630 mile flight to Ft. Collins was announced as one hour and twenty-three minutes. We must have had a nice tailwind. Shortly after leveling off, the Flight Attendants came down the aisle with their carts. Yes, I said carts as in two. Allegiant offers an extensive menu of beverages, snacks and souvenirs on every flight. Here’s a menu of the items offered:

No wonder the galley was so large! Nothing is free, however. Soft drinks cost $2.00. A Starbucks 11oz Italian Blend Iced Coffee went for $4.00 while an 8oz Red Bull would run you $5.00. Standard beer (Bud & Bud Light) or wine cost $6.00 and mixed drinks cost a whopping $7.00 each! A bag of chips cost $2.00 and the selection of souvenirs cost between $2 and $20.00.

It’s generally a party crowd on these flights to and from Las Vegas, so the Flight Attendants had no problem selling plenty of beer and mixed drinks. The couple behind me bought two mixed drinks each and sounded as if they would happily have bought much more had the flight been longer. I’ve spent $6.00 on a beer before, but never a Budweiser! I think I once spent about $7.00 for a glass of Tuborg in the Copenhagen Airport. Anyway, I bought a can of Sprite and considered whether anyone on Allegiant had ever spent more on drinks and snacks in-flight than on the cost of their ticket.

Following a surprisingly hard landing at Ft. Collins, I was met by my brother in law in his rusty old Lincoln (Quite an upgrade from the old VW they used to drive) and headed off to Greeley. Along the way we stopped at a liquor store and purchased an 8-pack of Guinness for just $13.00.

Over the next six days I had a great time visiting friends and family between Greeley, Denver and Glenwood Springs. More good beer was consumed during the Super Bowl and best of all, I got to soak in the hot springs in Glenwood during a blizzard. That was cool!


February 6, 2008
Denver – Seattle – Fairbanks
Alaska Airlines First Class
737-900 / 737-800

From Denver back to Fairbanks I traveled on a Bonus Travel Ticket earned from having volunteered my seat on an oversold flight last year. Surprisingly, even though this is a non-revenue ticket, Alaska allows its MVP Gold members to stand-by for First Class upgrades. Thankfully, I was able to get upgraded on both my flights.

Though many people look forward to First Class for its extra space or free drinks, I used to look forward to First Class primarily because I viewed the meals as a form of inflight entertainment. Sure, there have always been complaints from those who can’t appreciate the logistics of preparing and serving airline meals and so get caught in the no-win situation of comparing them with home cooked or restaurant meals. And, to be sure, the airlines have occasionally served some truly horrendous stuff. But from my experience through the sixties to present (over 3.8 million miles on 126 airlines) the food and service in domestic First Class has generally been pretty good up until the last few years. Unfortunately, it’s now been cut back to the point where it’s practically irrelevant as a First Class perk. Those who desire old fashioned culinary excitement inflight can only find it flying internationally on non-US carriers.

On the two hour and thirty minute noontime departure between Denver and Seattle, we were offered a cheese plate consisting of two slices of cheese, some grapes and two packets of crackers. This went down nicely with a glass of red wine of indeterminate vintage. On the three hour and forty minute flight between Seattle and Fairbanks, our Flight Attendant described the meal as “Chicken Salad”. I was expecting a concoction of chicken, mayonnaise and celery but was instead presented a plate of romaine lettuce adorned with four slices of grilled chicken sprinkled with shredded Parmesan cheese. On the side was a slice of room temperature garlic bread, a tub of dressing and an individually wrapped piece of chocolate from Seattle Chocolate Co.

Compared to what most other airlines serve in First Class on flights of comparable length, Alaska’s offerings are pretty meager. More than a few have posted their horror stories over at the Alaska Forum. Were I a full fare paying First Class passenger, I might complain more stridently but since I can’t afford to pay those kinds of prices, the only way I ever end up in front is via free upgrades. As such, I reckon I get what I pay for.

What Alaska lacks in its First Class cabin it more than makes up for with great service and perks via its excellent Frequent Flyer Program. As an MVP Gold, my favorite perks, in order of preference, are:

• The ability to confirm exit row seating at time of reservation
• The ability to earn elite bonus miles not only with Alaska/Horizon but also with American, Delta and Northwest.
• The ability to save time by access to elite lanes through security checkpoints at many airports served by Alaska.
• No change or reissue fees on either revenue or award tickets


The ability to upgrade to First Class is nice but given how poor the meal service has become, it’s no longer all that important to me. Sure, First Class is nicer than Coach but I actually enjoy better legroom back in the exit rows. Unless one is grossly overweight, those coach seats are perfectly comfortable. So while I’m thankful for today’s upgrade, if it hadn’t come through or for that matter weren’t even offered, I’d still be a happy flyer on Alaska Airlines.

I often tell people that the nicest thing about leaving Alaska is having a roundtrip ticket. I love my life and my cabin in Alaska and generally always look forward to returning home. This night however found me wishing I’d been able to stay in Colorado for a few more days. The temperature upon our arrival in Fairbanks was -38°F. A check of the weather before I left Colorado indicated that nighttime temperatures will be in the -45° to -55° range. Thankfully by the weekend we’re supposed to warm up to -20°.

So – thank you all for riding along with me on this little journey. It’s my first trip report in nine months and hopefully it will be a warm up for a return to International First Class in the not so distant future. Wish me well in PT! Happy travels all ~

Mwenenzi

Good to see another of your trip reports and with great photos. When you get back to Aussie hope the arm is strong enough to lift a Vic Bitter ^.

MrBo

Great to hear you are on the mend, Seat2A. Hopefully your upcoming international trip goes ahead as planned!

uncertaintraveler

Wonderful report and photographs. I love your writing. Thank you for sharing.

greggwiggins

Also glad to hear you're feeling better (we were starting to worry, you know!) and hope you'll be able to make your Australia trip later this month. If I could be there myself (I won't be back down before December, unfortunately) I'd offer to shout your first VB or, more likely from remembering what I've read about your beer selections, your first Little Creatures Pale Ale.

jamiel

Silly logistical question...how does one park at the airport at FAI with temperatures like that? I know they have plugs in hotel parking lots for your engine heaters, but that's for 8 hours...what if you'll be gone for a week...do you plug in and let go for a week, plug in when you get back then go for a coffee, leave flight information with the parking company to plug you in 8h ahead of your arrival...inquiring minds are curious???

Gardyloo

Oh man, time for another road trip.

Thankee.