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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

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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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

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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Winter 2012

Going Back North to San Francisco, Finishing the San Joaquin Corridor

Greetings from the late evening San Joaquin train approaching Richmond that I am taking for a final night in California (San Francisco) before I head north to Portland, Seattle, Vancouver and then across on VIA’s Canadian. This trip started this morning with a ride from the old family friends I was staying with to the […]

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Winter 2012

Starting VTA San Jose and going out to Stockton

Presidents Day results in transit systems following different schedules and my research found weekend service on CalTrain with a few more Baby Bullet Express trains but full weekday service on VTA Light Rail in San Jose. I unfortunately did not get myself up early enough at the youth hostel for the one morning Baby Bullet […]

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Winter 2012

A Chatty Thruway Bus down to LA, the end of a 16 hour day door-to-door

Well I uploaded my last post as the conductor was calling six minutes to Bakersfield and going through the six different buses and their destinations meeting the train. I feel like I am about to get off the Rocky Mountaineer with all their buses for the tourists. We arrived a bit early at 7:26 and […]

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Winter 2012

A Great time in Yosemite and 3 more down the San Joaquin Valley

Greetings from the San Joaquin (posting via its wi-fi) as I ride into the sunset and then darkness from Hanford down to Bakersfield where I’ll transfer to the Amtrak bus down to L.A, for the night. This morning began in Midpines where I took the one morning YARTS bus down at 6:20am, after the ten […]

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Winter 2012

Down to MDP visiting every San Joaquin city along the way!

Greetings from the Midpines, CA (MDP) Amtrak Thruway Bus (operated by YARTS) Stop! Yes I am spending the night directly at this stop since it is located at the entrance to the driveway of the Yosemitti Bug Youth Hostel whose stop location is described as being at the Hostel on Amtrak’s website (with the ridiculous […]