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Finishing CA to an AGR Roomette

Stuck in the Worst Aslie Seat (Flashing my S+ Card does Nothing!) on the Sunset Limited to Tucson, noticing a non-Metrolink Route out of Los Angeles

The Red Line for the Short Ride to Union Station comes immediately and at 9:05 I head up to the Metro Center exit, it has tons of signs dividing entering and exit passengers through its locked faregates but no staff. I walk through the tunnel and find the desk in the lobby where coach passengers […]

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Finishing CA to an AGR Roomette

Stowaways on the Pacific Surfliner and Metrolink from San Diego to L.A. (with 2 stops) and doing the Expo Line

After two days attending the wedding up at Lake Arrowhead and then driving down to San Diego to attend a Padres Game. On Sunday in San Diego I am off to resume my major Amtrak adventure who’s main attraction would be four nights in sleepers on my AGR points from Phoenix, Arizona to St. Paul, […]

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Finishing CA to an AGR Roomette

The LA Metro to the Red, Blue to Green Lines to LAX to meet my Brother to Metrolink out to San Bernardino to a MARTA minibus up to Lake Arrowhead

The main reason for this trip is to attend a wedding of a cousin out in the Mountains just south of San Bernardino. my parents have gone out a day earlier, and my brother is arriving this morning. Being me I’ve figured out we can take Metrolink to San Bernardino to Mountain Area Regional Transit […]

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Finishing CA to an AGR Roomette

A Sleepy San Joaquin Ride from Stockton to Bakersfield to the Thruway Bus to Burbank Airport

Yesterday, I had an excellent day seeing the tourist sites of Yosemite, the night not so good. We lack camping equipment and the Germans have been spending their trip arguing about sleeping in their car or not. We end up running into a few folks who they met in San Francisco (staying the Fisherman’s Wharf […]

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Finishing CA to an AGR Roomette

A Mostly bus Trip to Auburn via Roseville and Rocklin, Finishing the Capital Corridor

I have two goals for my full day in Sacramento, going up to Auburn, the commuter oriented destination of the Capital Corridor with one train (and many buses) per day north of Sacramento and riding the new green line out to its terminus at 7th/Richards Township. I know I can finally take a morning really […]

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Finishing CA to an AGR Roomette

The Capital Corridor up to Sacramento from Berkeley via OKJ, OAC, and SUI

I spend the morning with the relative I’m staying with in the Berkeley Hills. We have a near catastrophe after her dryer fails and I’m stuck bringing damp laundry with me to Sacramento. The goal of the day is to get an Amtrak AGR points quafecta using the last two segments of my ticket from […]

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Finishing CA to an AGR Roomette

From San Francisco to Berkeley via Martinez

Today I’m on the move again from San Francisco to spend the night and see a relative who lives up in the Berkeley Hills far away from public transit. I have a nice chat at breakfast in the hostel that is definitely now my hostel of choice in San Francisco even though its a bit […]

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Finishing CA to an AGR Roomette

Finishing Caltrain and a BART Meltdown Making Me Miss Finishing ACE

The goal of my final weekday in the Bay Area was simple, finish ACE and Caltrain. I was dithering about whether Caltrain would be easier to get via bus (a SamTrans day pass for $6, plus probably a little extra for BART one way) or train ($10 for a 2 zone day pass). I ended […]

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Finishing CA to an AGR Roomette

A 19 Inning Baseball Game Delaying Plans to Finish ACE and Barely Getting any BART done

The day begins with my need to switch hostels. First through I go and have a relaxing breakfast in coffee shop with wifi trying to catch up on my blogging. Eventually I take the 30 up to my new hostel in the National Park service park at Fisherman’s Wharf. The second activity for the day […]

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Finishing CA to an AGR Roomette

Caltrain all the way south to Gilroy visiting 24 of its 32 Stations!

I knew that one day of my San Francisco trip needed to be dedicated to getting most of Caltrain done. I knew my first day would be the best day to do Caltrain as I would wake up early with the benefits of the 3 hour time change. I woke up a little after 6:00am […]