Start your engines!

Our trip began, not so promptly, at 2:00AM this morning. The 51 Cardinal was supposed to reach Cincinnati at 1:10 AM but in what I'm told is typical Amtrak fashion, it was running an hour behind. When we finally got on board, our room was surprisingly large. We splurged and reserved the full-blown bedroom for the fist leg of our trip (Cincinnati to Chicago) as we expected to be tired, boarding at 1:10 AM. There's a double-bed down low which folds up into a couch when not in use, an upper single bunk which we use to stow our bags, a small sink/vanity, a combination toilet/shower stall, a separate chair, then a little fold out table about the size of a laptop computer between the chair and couch. It's by no means "huge," but when you're used to riding around in an 18-wheeled palace, it's pretty posh. Breakfast in the diner was extremely tasty this morning. I had the french toast with ham steak while Acacia had the cheese omelette and sausage. The food is a little pricy if you're riding coach (that meal would have cost aprox $25 with tip for the two of us) but all meals are covered if you are riding any of the levels of "upgraded" accomodations. If nothing else, it helps justify the extra expense with something a little more substantial than "it'll be more comfortable." We should be arriving in Chicago in a few hours where we'll transfer to the 5 California Zephyr which will take us all the way to Emeryville, CA (just outside of Oakland and San Francisco).

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