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THE CHALLENGED OCT. 20 PROMPT | AN AWARD TRIP
Train Me Across the Country
I want to take a long train trip
October 20: You have been awarded an all-inclusive two-week vacation. It can be on a cruise ship, on a transcontinental train, or at a resort hotel. Which would you choose, and why? (Ronald C. Flores-Gunkle)
If I were awarded a two-week paid vacation, I would choose a transcontinental train trip here in the United States. I’ve been thinking about a rail trip like this for a few decades.
The last time I rode a passenger train was in 1973. It was a fun experience; I promised myself I would do it again.
I was a college student on a tight budget; my ticket cost 35 dollars. It got me an economy seat in the passenger car, on a trip that took around 24 hours.
I was traveling from my college town of El Paso, Texas, back home to Houston for a summer break. It is a 750-mile distance.
In 1973, Amtrak was only two years old. They were still refining their track usage and schedules. Amtrak shared the same tracks used for long-haul freight trains, which had priority. The train would move for an hour or two, then pull into a siding or a station and wait for a freight train to pass.
