Milestone Birthday Trip

With collaboration by family and friends, I am writing this with wonderful memories of my 75th birthday celebration.  It started out in the summer with a call from my son in Maryland.  He asked if I would come to Maryland to celebrate my milestone birthday.  I had not really considered 75 as a milestone but agreed. Being retired now and having more control of my free time, I opted to take the train to Maryland and back to Arizona.  The nice thing about the train is that one can opt for excursions along the way.  I began to plan one excursion going and one returning.  

The closest Amtrak coming near Payson, AZ is along the I40 corridor.  I decided to drive to the historic La Posada Hotel in Winslow, AZ as the train station is on that property along with ample and free long-term parking. I arrived at La Posada about 3PM on Sunday, October 29th.    

The Sunken Garden

The back of the hotel was the Front Entrance in early years.

Walkway from museum to back door of hotel

Here are just a couple of photos from the interior of this fabulous hotel.

The Turquoise Room

Corn soup/Bean soup make a lovely presentation!

Room 100 - The James Cagney Room

There was just enough time for me to explore the small museum adjacent to the hotel. 

 I took in a light dinner of their signature soup and opted for a salad before going to bed early.  As expected, the 5:30AM estimated time of departure was delayed.  I received three texts messages as I tried to sleep announcing the train was later and later.  At 5AM I had had enough of the pings and decided to get up and take my time since now the arrival was expected at 6:20AM.  At 6:08 when I prepared my 2nd cup of coffee in the cozy lobby, I caught sight of the train! Oh, no!  I gathered my two bags and rushed through the doors......just as it started to roll away.  I could not believe my eyes!  I thought I had done everything right.  Well, no - I had needed to be on the platform 1/2 hour before the ETA.  This is something Amtrak asks, and I had thought it was good enough to stay in the lobby as it was 27 degrees outside. I discovered later that I had missed another text as I got myself ready.  That text explained the train had made up some time and to be ready for it at 6:08. 

Crazy thoughts about what to do next flew through my head.  I called my son and gave the report.  I had taken this train two years before and knew that it had a 1/2-hour layover in Albuquerque, and I planned to race the train to NM.  First, I needed to fill the gas tank and grab a bite to eat for the road.  I won't say I held to the speed limit, but I wasn't far from it.  Along the way, I called Amtrak Customer Service, and I was pleasantly surprised to get an agent fairly quickly.  The departure location was changed, and I was credited $19. I was given specific details for long term parking..... a block away in a parking garage.  I kept my eyes peeled to one side and the other as I sailed across the desert, never once spotting the Amtrak train.  As I approached the city center, my gas light came on and I knew I was just about 1 mile to my parking destination.  IGNORE THAT LIGHT!  I found the parking, collected my bags and walked quickly to the station, asking travelers where Amtrak tracks were located.  As I approached the area, there it was!  I had made it by 10 minutes. It was an absolute miracle! My shaking body plopped into a seat, and I took some deep breaths. I called my son and a friend currently living in Albuquerque to report I was on the train. 

I am on the train in Albuquerque!

My favorite stretch of the Southwest Chief is between Albuquerque, NM and Trinidad, CO. The train ambles up to 7,835 feet before entering the tunnel at Raton Pass.  Along the way, one can see some of the outdoor ovens used for pottery making just outside of Albuquerque, followed by the gentle transition into scrub and the possibility of spotting deer, bison, coyotes and eagles. I especially like the "feel" of going back to the last century as we pass the telephone poles equipped with glass insulators.  Gratefully, this part of the trip comes during daylight.  Soon after Trinidad, the sun sets and it's time to rest as best as possible in the Coach car.  The seats are very comfortable with a leg rest that pulls up on my seat as well as a footrest that is on the seat in front of me.  As comfortable as the seats are, there is not much wiggle room and of course, always the chance the seat next to me will be filled along the way.  Overnight commotion with folks exiting and entering disrupts sleep, but I am lulled back into the zone as soon as the train rolls out and the whistles are blown. 

At sunrise, we are entering Kansas City, MO.  Excitement gathers within me as I realize I will be crossing the Mighty Mississippi River today and I am exiting the West. 

Chicago Union Station Great Hall

I meander to the Great Hall at Chicago's Union Station where I see a free "Hermes In The Making" art exhibit!  Soon enough, it is time to board my next train and the sun sets as we leave.  Chicago has had a light snowstorm throughout the day and the grounds are just a bit white.  I am happy to travel Southeast in hopes that I can still see the fall colors. 

My destination of Charleston, WV is reached about 8:30AM.  Once off the train on the West side of the Kanawha River, I am perplexed as to how to reach the other side.  

I can see the bridge above me, yet I cannot see how to access it! Anyone else who has excited have now left by car.  There is no attendant at the station.  HMM... I end up calling the non-emergency number to the Police Department!  The female officer took her time with me and walked me to the point of entry to the bridge.  It is a beautiful day with moderate temperature.  I have a loft room booked at a downtown Airbnb near the State Capitol.  Since I cannot check in right away, I make my way to the capitol grounds.  The fall colors are still presenting beauty in Charleston!  I enjoy the walk as many of the historic homes are cutely decorated with Halloween witches, webs, pumpkins and the like. I am fortunate enough to have a tour of the capitol. I also tour the free State Museum that is set up along a well-done timeline.

WHOA! That is a 4,000 pound crystal chandelier hanging above me!  The piece contains over 10,000 bits of Czechoslovakian crystals.

Robert Byrd statue inside the WV State Capitol building

Look into the Senate Chamber

Statue of a coal miner near the museum.  

Did you know that SALT was the first commodity mined in WV?

My cozy room is at the top. Two flights of stairs did not challenge me as I traveled light.

My host graciously allows me to gain entry to the loft room a bit early and I stop to eat, taking leftovers to my room, where I intend to have a good night's sleep.  I take time to set up altered plans for the next day.  I have paused my train trip to the East in Charleston to do some genealogy.  Originally, I intended to rent a car, seek out a Mining Museum and 2 cemeteries. However, my budget for a rental car will now be absorbed by parking fees and two additional tanks of gas.  After a good rest, I located Grandview Cemetery the closest cemetery holding a relative.  I fetch a Lyft ride to the cemetery.... a first for the driver.  Recalling the good fortune my son and I had at a cemetery in Chico, CA I had hoped for something similar.  The office was locked with a sign indicating it should be open.  I called a number on the sign to leave a message as Mike, the landscaper in a golf cart rolled up.  He opened the door, inviting me in and called to the office manager, Sherry who was upstairs.  She pulled out a tray of index cards once she knew a surname.  The location of Annette C. Straughan (a Grandaunt who lived 1869-1927) was located! I was escorted to the site near the top of a hill.  She lies in rest with her husband and two family members.

                                                     A great aunt's final resting spot is with her husband and family.

  I looked all around and took in the beauty while eating a snack.  I imagined and wondered, who in my family might she have had contact with?  Did she know my Mother (born in 1925) or even know of her? 

I had asked Sherry for a lunch recommendation and was pleased that her suggestion was a short walk away.  I made my way to Tudor's Biscuit World only to find it had closed 4 minutes before! No problem, Gino's Italian was next door.  I would not starve!  I got a pasta meal and takeout pizza for later.  I got a Lyft back to the Airbnb and relaxed.  The Lyft driver explained that Tudor's is a chain, and I would have an opportunity to try it since a location was literally around the corner from my lodging.

 I arose at first light and walked to Tudor's where I ordered a Lyft.  This was another lesson.  It was Rush hour, and the system took SO LONG "searching for a driver".  OK... It was about a 35-minute walk to the station and I now knew how to cross the river.  I hoofed it and arrived timely this time! 

I sat down to my assigned seat next to Linda.  We were kindred spirits and chatted the entire way through West Virginia!  We both oohed and aahed at the fall colors and historic locations being described along the route.  I was pleased that the storm that had passed through the area just days before had left brilliant leaves.

 

 The East bound train trip would come to an end after sundown at Union Station in Washington, D.C., passing the lit-up Washington Monument along the way.

I was excited to see my son, Sean and my grandson, Jake at the station!  

This lovely bouquet from BRAND NEW Mom and RPCV, Sallay awaited at Sean's house!

We took in a nice meal in the district and then made our way to his home in Silver Spring, MD.  The next day we would travel to Baltimore, MD where festivities would begin.  My son's girlfriend, Nina has a nice apartment near the Inner Harbor.  We met up there and then walked to the historic Hippodrome Performing Arts Center where we would see The State Ballet Theatre of Ukraine brilliantly perform Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.  After the show, I would be dropped off at the hotel where my two sisters and my daughter were staying. 

I had sent my weekend "party clothes" to my sons address and I awoke on my birthday ready to don the Poodle Skirt, mock Saddle Oxfords and false eyelashes in preparation of the 11AM start time.  Opting NOT to draw attention to myself, I called up a Lyft for the short drive to the party.   Words cannot express how full my heart felt that day.  Folks came from near and far to celebrate and reunite.  Decorations were perfect and food abundant.  My sister, Mimi took time to construct a beautiful video and I jokingly said, "Good job - you are ready for the Celebration of Life!"

Hosts Sean and Nina above and the decorating team pictured below.

       

Over the next few days I enjoyed my time at Sean's place in Silver Spring, MD.  We took an afternoon at nearby Woodend Sanctuary where fall was brilliant. I saw a bicycle repair post I have never seen anywhere before!  

I always like to see Brookside Gardens.

Exploring Washington D.C., Sean and I visited my favorite Smithsonian Museum, the Indian Museum. We took in the Robert Houle: Red Is Beautiful exhibit  

National Native America Veterans Memorial on grounds of Smithsonian National Museum of  the American Indian.

 

 Americans Exhibit

My son and Jake took me to the Rockville, MD train station on Friday, November 10th just before sundown to start my Westbound trek.

My diversion going West would be in Cleveland, OH to stop and see the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. There would be just one hiccup to resolve.  The train arrives in Cleveland at 3AM! I am not one to depart a train at O'Dark Thirty in an unknown city without a familiar face to greet me. I decided to take a chance and post on Facebook ( RPCV Couch surf) for a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer to host me a night or two. It worked!  Grace was so generous with her time and came for me when the train arrived.  Her apartment is in a high rise building on the shore of Lake Erie and very comfortable.  I later learned I was her first ever RPCV that she offered a spot to!  I had previously had good fortune in Boston, MA and felt like we RPCV are a family. 

Beautiful view of Lake Erie from Grace's place.

I had a quick sleep and made my way to the' Hall of Fame about 11AM.  What a treat for music fans!  I am so happy that I made the effort to visit and immerse myself in the history! 

HOWEVER, the high energy of the place wore on my sleep deprived soul, and I left after two and a half hours.  Two people had recommended The Cleveland Museum of Art, ranked by Business Insider as No. 2 in the country (following The Metropolitan Museum in NY.) My Lyft driver was directed to the museum by way of the Cleveland Cultural Gardens. 

The drive along the tree lined parkway was gorgeous and I could see many statues along the way representing the various cultures contributing to Cleveland's melting pot.  Cleveland is definitely underrated! I returned to Grace's about 5 and took a nap before we enjoyed a nice Indian dinner together. I would engage Lyft again at 2AM for the train out of Cleveland.  The layover in Chicago had me seeking out a real meal in preparation for 2 days on the train.  Walking through the Great Hall I saw the art festival gone and Christmas decorations going up.  I was told it is a two day process to get the tree put up!

The opportunity for a meal in the dining car presented itself the last day on the train.  I took the opportunity to eat a pricey lunch for the experience and talk with other train loving travelers.

                                                                Getting closer now!

After arrival, I was happy to see that my car started quickly and found the nearest gas station before spending the night with Kaara and family.  It is a blessing to be able to travel, have adventures (planned and unplanned), meet up with friends and catch up on each other's lives.  I'm so grateful for the life I have and look forward to the next one coming in December when I report to Yosemite for another National Park "gig". Watch for that update in the first quarter of 2024. 

That being said, I will take this opportunity to wish my readers peace and wellness as we close out 2023. Until we meet again.....