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Rockies Region Transit Adventures

Tucson’s Sun Link Streetcar Under Test

The purpose of my trip to Tucson is to visit friends, and not really sightsee or do anything transit related. On Tuesday afternoon though I had a couple hours to myself and went down to the University to go to some of the museums there. Afterwords I noticed just how much progress Sun Link, the […]

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Amtrak California Transit Adventures

Finishing the Red Line, Select+ Still Doesn’t Get You a Preferred Seat in LA and Spending the $160 on a Roomette for Actual Sleep to Tucson

I walk into Los Angeles Union Station–(11 total photos) after coming down from Sacramento on the Claremont Bus via the San Joaquin and immediately walk through the waiting room with its historic comfy benches that has been corded off to keep the homeless out and fully enforce the “ticketed passengers only” policy. Private security guards are around […]

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Amtrak California Transit Adventures

Sitting in the Empty Superliner on the San Joaquin from Sacramento to Bakersfield to the bus to Montclair to finish the San Bernardino Metrolink Line – Finishing Riding Every Inch of Amtrak in California!

My original plan for the trip after me and my Dad decided to go skiing at Squaw Valley (before we knew about the lack of snow, in November when we were planning the trip) was to send Dad home and spend a couple days in Northern California, a couple days in Southern California to finish […]

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Amtrak California Transit Adventures

Enjoying Completely Empty, Less-Comfortable Capital Corridor Cars back to Sac

Capital Corridor train #744 arrives into  Santa Clara-University–(20 Photos) a few minutes late. I board one car that’s crowded and walk back to the empty last car just behind the locomotive as we depart at 6:00, 4 minutes late. The conductor comes and scans my ticket, asking “Are there two of you?” When both of my […]

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Amtrak California Transit Adventures

Taking a Late BART Train to Millbrae via the Airport to Just Making Caltrain to Mountain View to Finish the VTA Light Rail and the Amtrak/ACE Santa Clara Stations

Bay Area Needs, Introduction: For my day in the Bay Area I debated just riding BART around a bit (for under three hours, the maximum time your allowed to ride on a single fare) to finish some things before heading into San Francisco to enjoy the evening before taking the bus to a Capital Corridor […]

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Amtrak California Transit Adventures

To Oakland via the San Joaquin, riding the Ex-NJT Comaro Running an Hour Late

Introduction: The biggest thing on my list to do while in the Bay Area is to ride the California Comets. These cars are ex-NJT Comaro Cars, that are now on basically their third lives after the state of California bought them to try and alleviate a massive car shortage their currently having. These cars run on […]

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Transit Adventures

An Older, Empty AmCal Bus with Too Much Schedule Padding from Truckee down to Sacramento

Me and my Dad still decided to ski one-day only at Squaw Valley/Alpine Meadows and were very happy with the decision. The extreme draught in the Lake Tahoe area means that the only runs open are those that the ski area can blast with snow making. This equaled about 5 at Squaw Valley (4 lifts) […]

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Amtrak Rockies Region Transit Adventures

A Roomette’s Good Night’s Sleep Through Nevada from Salt Lake City to Truckee to Snowless Squaw Valley

Introduction: The original plan when me and my Dad planned this segment of the trip back in November was to ski Alta for two days and then ski Squaw Valley for two days, take an Amtrak Roomette to Truckee and then ski Squaw Valley for two days. These two ski areas are both included on […]

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Transit Adventures

A Chatty Minibus Shuttle Adventure from Teton Village, Jackson Hole to the Salt Lake City Airport about Alltrans Mountain States Express

I had an excellent two days skiing at Jackson Hole and staying at the hostel. I was in a four bed shared dorm with two nice Quebecois the first night who left at 4:00am and then, strangely, the room all to myself the final two nights. You can’t beat the price of $40 per night […]

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Transit Adventures

Flying to Snowy Jackson Hole aboard United Airlines making short connections in Washington and Chicago

What made my little side-trip to Jackson Hole before going to Salt Lake City to meet my Dad was the fact Jackson Hole had a hostel and finding an only $200 flight directly there. Normally their close to $500-$600. The downside to a $200 flight was that it had two connections with 50 minutes in […]