This is a bit of a delayed update, but I wanted to share the adventure just the same.

After years of talking about it, we finally spent the night on a train.

We had ridden trains before, but never overnight. I wanted the full experience: our own room, meals in the dining car, falling asleep to the rhythm of the rails, and waking up somewhere completely different the next morning.

What neither of us knew was that this trip would include eagles soaring overhead, wild horses and antelope in Arizona, and our very first ride in a tow truck. Yes, a tow truck!

Our destination was Boulder, Colorado, where we would spend six days with our friends Candace and her husband, Mark. We were also looking forward to spending time with Candace’s daughter, Hannah, and her husband, who is also named Mark. Yes, both Candace and Hannah are married to men named Mark!

All Aboard!

Our adventure began at the Davis train station. Since I had done my homework beforehand, I arrived expecting something resembling an airport check-in process.

Instead, the station was quiet and relaxed. When I asked about checking our luggage, I learned that Davis doesn’t handle checked baggage. Our suitcases would simply travel on a rack with us.

A short time later, the California Zephyr rolled into the station, and suddenly, this long-awaited adventure became real.

Our bedroom was compact but surprisingly comfortable. I have stayed in an inside cabin on a cruise ship exactly once, and once was enough! Compared with that windowless box, our train bedroom felt downright luxurious. The best feature was the large picture window. Before long, it became our personal movie screen, with the scenery changing constantly as we traveled.

Shortly after boarding, we met Rita, our sleeper attendant, who happened to be from the Philippines. She helped us get settled and explained how everything worked. As the train pulled away from Davis, we settled into our room.

We were finally doing it!

That feeling lasted about two or three stops. Then motion sickness joined the trip.

Train travel turned out to be much bumpier than I had expected. Fortunately, years of traveling have taught me never to leave home without my trusty Reliefband. Once I dug it out and put it on, I was feeling much better within minutes and could enjoy the journey.

Eating Our Way Across the Country

Another thing we learned very quickly was that eating is a major part of train travel.

When meal service was announced over the loudspeaker, we headed to the dining car. It reminded me a little of cruising. Just when one meal seemed to end, another wasn’t far behind!

For lunch, I ordered my usual fallback choice: a hamburger. It was surprisingly good. For dinner, we followed the advice of our friend Joe, who had raved about the steak. He was absolutely right.

Looking back, I’m not sure it was possible to be hungry on that train!

A Window on the World

As enjoyable as the food was, the scenery was even better. Every time I looked out the window, there was something different to see.

Farmland gave way to mountains, mountains gave way to deserts, and deserts eventually turned into canyons and river valleys. The changing landscape kept us entertained for hours.

One of the highlights was spotting a pair of eagles soaring overhead. We saw plenty of wildlife during the trip, but the eagle sightings were definitely a favorite.

It was one of those journeys when simply looking out the window was entertainment enough.

Time for Bed—Sort Of!

The hours passed much faster than I expected. As evening approached, we headed to dinner and returned to discover that Rita had transformed our room for the night.

The bedroom included an upper and lower bunk, but Jay and I decided to skip the top bunk and sleep cozily together on the lower one.

At first, this seemed like a brilliant idea.

Then we realized that once the bed was pulled out, most of the floor space disappeared, and even brushing our teeth became an adventure. Apparently, when your bedroom is roughly the size of a walk-in closet, every inch matters!

Fortunately, I was exhausted from all the excitement of the day and slept surprisingly well.

Jay, however, had a different experience. The train wasn’t particularly noisy, but the constant rocking and swaying seemed determined to remind him all night long that we were traveling across the country on steel rails.

While I slept peacefully, Jay spent much of the night awake. By morning, I felt refreshed, but Jay looked like he had spent the night counting railroad ties.

Before we knew it, Denver was approaching.

Would I do it again?

For now, my answer is a soft maybe.

But if there is a next time, we’ve already learned our biggest lesson: sleep in the top bunk and leave the floor space available. Cozy may be romantic, but being able to brush your teeth without performing a gymnastics routine has its advantages!

Catching Up And Making Memories in Boulder

When the California Zephyr rolled into Denver’s Union Station, the train portion of our adventure came to an end, but the friendship portion was just beginning.

Candace and Mark welcomed us into their home and immediately made us feel like family. We spent the next six days catching up, sharing meals, laughing, and celebrating their wedding anniversary.

Of course, no visit would be complete without getting to know Hank and Elliot, Candace’s dog and cat. They quickly became part of our daily routine and added even more fun to our stay.

Candace and I spent many years working the night shift together, and it didn’t take long for us to start reminiscing about coworkers, the situations that only night-shift workers understand, and the moments that made us laugh, as well as those that made us sad.

It felt as though no time had passed at all.

One afternoon, we cooked Filipino food together, and I somehow managed to come up with vegan and gluten-free dishes that everyone enjoyed. As often happens when good friends gather in the kitchen, the conversation became just as important as the food.

Another highlight of the trip was spending time with Hannah. We have known her since the day she was born 33 years ago, but we haven’t had many opportunities to spend time with her as an adult. It was special to see the wonderful woman she has become.

Meeting her husband, Mark, was special as well.

We also had the opportunity to visit the home that Hannah and Mark are renovating themselves. It was truly amazing to see what they have accomplished. Their creativity, hard work, and vision are transforming the house into something beautiful.

Another memorable day included a drive along Colorado’s beautiful Peak to Peak Highway and a hike at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR). The scenery was incredible, but, like so many parts of this visit, what made it special was simply spending quality time together.

Those six days in Boulder gave us exactly what we had hoped for: time with good friends, wonderful conversations, shared meals, laughter, and memories we will treasure.

And then, all too soon, it was time to head home.

After six wonderful days in Boulder, we packed up our rental car and began our journey home.

Heading Home…Or So We Thought

After six wonderful days in Boulder, we packed up and prepared to begin our journey home. Since we hadn’t needed a car while staying with Candace and Mark, it was time to pick up our rental.

That’s when our adventure took an unexpected turn.

The man at the rental counter handed us the keys to a Jeep Rubicon, a rather impressive-looking vehicle designed for off-road adventures. There was just one small problem: it was so tall that I couldn’t even climb into it!

I went back inside and explained that I needed a car suitable for a 72-year-old, not a 27-year-old!

Apparently, that got the message across. We ended up with a huge Chevrolet Traverse instead.

Little did I know that this rental car would soon become a major character in our travel story. But that’s getting ahead of myself!

Our first stop was Albuquerque, New Mexico, where we spent the night before continuing on to Arizona the following day.

As we made our way across the Southwest, we were surprised by how many wild horses we spotted along the way. Add a few antelope and miles of wide-open landscapes, and the drive became almost as entertaining as the train ride itself.

What really made us laugh, however, were the animal-crossing signs. First, we saw signs warning us about deer, then elk, then bears, and finally horses.

Just when I thought they had run out of animals, there it was: a sign that simply said, “Watch for Animals.”

Apparently, we had moved beyond warnings about specific animals and entered the catch-all category!

I must say, the wild horses were absolutely beautiful, as were the herds of antelope we spotted along the way. It was a lovely reminder that sometimes the journey itself can be just as memorable as the destination.

Later that evening, we met my cousin Yvonne and her grandson Noah for dinner in Mesa, Arizona. It was wonderful catching up and hearing what was new in their lives. Before long, the evening had come to an end, and we headed back to our hotel for the night.

The following day, we met our friend Janet for lunch. We had first met Janet during a trip to Israel and Jordan three years earlier and had remained friends ever since. It was another lovely opportunity to catch up, share stories, and enjoy one another’s company before beginning the final leg of our journey home.

Since we were leaving later in the day than usual, our plan was simple: drive to Bakersfield, spend the night, and finish the trip home the following morning. If everything went according to plan, we expected to arrive at our hotel around 8:00 p.m.

But, as it turned out, our rental car had other plans.

Somewhere between Arizona and California, a warning suddenly flashed across the dashboard:

TURN ENGINE OFF IMMEDIATELY — LOW OIL PRESSURE.

The timing could not have been better. Just seconds before, I had spotted what appeared to be the only exit in the middle of nowhere.

And so, there we were, stranded at a gas station in a place called Chiriaco.

After several calls to AVIS roadside assistance, we were told that a tow truck was on its way, with an estimated arrival time of one hour.

Fortunately, this wasn’t just an ordinary gas station. There was also a small restaurant, and because the temperature outside had reached 97 degrees, we were instructed to go inside and wait.

The server was very kind and seated us at a corner table. Apparently, stranded travelers were nothing new to her. She even offered a little friendly advice.

“The tow truck won’t be here in an hour,” she told us. “It will be much longer than that.”

She was right. It took three hours.

With that said, I decided it was time to turn to my tried-and-true method of keeping calm in a crisis. We had ice cream! After all, if you have to wait three hours for a tow truck in the middle of the desert, you might as well make the best of it. And what better way to do that than with a little ice cream therapy

To be fair, everyone we dealt with was terrific. The customer service representative, the tow-truck dispatcher, and the driver were all helpful and courteous. Unfortunately, even excellent customer service can’t make a broken car drive.

In all our years of traveling, neither of us had ever ridden in a tow truck before.

There’s a first time for everything!

Eventually, the tow-truck driver took us to Palm Springs, where we were able to pick up a replacement rental car.

I had never been to Palm Springs before, and now I can honestly say that I have.

Whether I have actually seen Palm Springs is another matter.

By the time we arrived, it was pitch-dark, and I couldn’t see anything beyond the headlights and parking-lot lights. So, while I can officially say I’ve been to Palm Springs, I’m still not convinced I’ve actually seen Palm Springs.

Five hours after our car trouble began, we finally had a replacement vehicle and were back on the road, armed with a new travel story we certainly hadn’t anticipated.

Instead of arriving at our Bakersfield hotel around 8:00 p.m., we pulled in at about 1:00 in the morning, tired but relieved to have finally made it.

By then, sightseeing was definitely off the agenda.

Sleep sounded much better.

The next morning, we completed the final stretch of our journey home. We also had plenty of time to reflect on everything we had experienced over the previous ten days.

Looking back, this wasn’t really a train trip

It was a family & friendship trip