Wow! thanks for writing this. What an amazing journey. It brought back so many memories for me. As a child I was sent to spend the summers in Cleveland with grandparents. Our grandparents took us on many a road trip to Sandusky and over to Leamington via Pelee Island on those ferries. Some of our crossings were very stormy and I became quite worried we’d end up in a Gordon Lightfoot song. ;)
I see you took the Amtrak Floridian. That is the same line that serves three places I have written about. Connellsville, Cumberland, and Harpers Ferry.
You nailed the vibe on the Floridian. It’s an insanely long route that would serve all the people who take it much better if it were shorter, segmented routes with much more frequency. Thanks for bringing attention to it. I try to make the point when I can that Amtrak is such a vital service for so many people that car-dependence marginalizes. The elderly, the blind, and people with a myriad of special needs rely on Amtrak. It is also great for young teenagers who are too young to drive. It gives them a way to travel too, and teaches some real independence. All the people I see riding the Floridian deserve more options than one train a day!! 4:30 AM it passes through Cleveland. Good grief. So thanks for bringing attention to it. Once again great article. You writing any other material from this trip?
Thanks for your comment, Joseph. Always fun to read them!
I can certainly see how Lake Erie crossing can be stormy. While the shallowest of the Great Lakes, it still looks and feels like ocean. I’ve read somewhere that this lake used to turn green because of algae that was growing like crazy due to the use of fertilizers that are now banned. You would certainly not want to swim in such green water.
You nailed it - I’m planning two more articles from this trip: one about Cleveland Metro (and yes, of course I visited Little Italy you recommended about two months ago 😉), another one about a scenic railroad in Cuyahoga Valley National Park.
In your recent journeys you made it almost to Pittsburg, so a few more hours on the Floridian will finally take you to Cleveland!
Yeah, we never took the train to Cleveland when we used to visit there because it it pulls into Cleveland at 1 or 2 AM. As kids we were always handed off to my grandparents halfway at some rest station on the PA turnpike, which was still an equally-exhausting trip for everyone :(.
I love hearing from you that regulations on fertilizers have really improved lake Eire. Your photos are beautiful. It looks much healthier than when I was a kid.
In the 1990s three friends and I did a loop-type trip and faced a similar circumstance. We boarded the nothbound Amtrak San Joaquin train in Fresno, rode to Sacramento passing the Siemens train-manufacturing plant, before arriving at Sacramento Valley Station. It was there that we caught a westbound Capitol Corridor train to San Jose’s Diridon Station. There, we transferred, after eating dinner in a nearby restaurant, to an eastbound Altamont Commuter Express (ACE) train that took us through Niles Canyon and Altamont Pass before pulling into the Robert J. Cabral Station in Stockton, which is located in the northern San Joaquin Valley. However, we needed to take a southbound San Joaquin train back to Fresno and in order to do that we needed to get to the Stockton Amtrak station which was many blocks away. All of us opted to walk but it would have been nice if courtesy shuttle service was provided between the two stations. ACE doesn’t serve the Stockton Amtrak facility, although it passes by very near there. In all that loop trip was a very pleasant one.
This sounds like a nice loop, Alan! I’ve been contemplating another multi-day trip, this time across California, to take advantage of the California Rail Pass, and taking ACE between San Jose and Stockton would be a nice addition to my itinerary.
Wow! thanks for writing this. What an amazing journey. It brought back so many memories for me. As a child I was sent to spend the summers in Cleveland with grandparents. Our grandparents took us on many a road trip to Sandusky and over to Leamington via Pelee Island on those ferries. Some of our crossings were very stormy and I became quite worried we’d end up in a Gordon Lightfoot song. ;)
I see you took the Amtrak Floridian. That is the same line that serves three places I have written about. Connellsville, Cumberland, and Harpers Ferry.
You nailed the vibe on the Floridian. It’s an insanely long route that would serve all the people who take it much better if it were shorter, segmented routes with much more frequency. Thanks for bringing attention to it. I try to make the point when I can that Amtrak is such a vital service for so many people that car-dependence marginalizes. The elderly, the blind, and people with a myriad of special needs rely on Amtrak. It is also great for young teenagers who are too young to drive. It gives them a way to travel too, and teaches some real independence. All the people I see riding the Floridian deserve more options than one train a day!! 4:30 AM it passes through Cleveland. Good grief. So thanks for bringing attention to it. Once again great article. You writing any other material from this trip?
Thanks for your comment, Joseph. Always fun to read them!
I can certainly see how Lake Erie crossing can be stormy. While the shallowest of the Great Lakes, it still looks and feels like ocean. I’ve read somewhere that this lake used to turn green because of algae that was growing like crazy due to the use of fertilizers that are now banned. You would certainly not want to swim in such green water.
You nailed it - I’m planning two more articles from this trip: one about Cleveland Metro (and yes, of course I visited Little Italy you recommended about two months ago 😉), another one about a scenic railroad in Cuyahoga Valley National Park.
In your recent journeys you made it almost to Pittsburg, so a few more hours on the Floridian will finally take you to Cleveland!
Yeah, we never took the train to Cleveland when we used to visit there because it it pulls into Cleveland at 1 or 2 AM. As kids we were always handed off to my grandparents halfway at some rest station on the PA turnpike, which was still an equally-exhausting trip for everyone :(.
I love hearing from you that regulations on fertilizers have really improved lake Eire. Your photos are beautiful. It looks much healthier than when I was a kid.
Really eager to read your upcoming stuff.
Thanks! 😉
In the 1990s three friends and I did a loop-type trip and faced a similar circumstance. We boarded the nothbound Amtrak San Joaquin train in Fresno, rode to Sacramento passing the Siemens train-manufacturing plant, before arriving at Sacramento Valley Station. It was there that we caught a westbound Capitol Corridor train to San Jose’s Diridon Station. There, we transferred, after eating dinner in a nearby restaurant, to an eastbound Altamont Commuter Express (ACE) train that took us through Niles Canyon and Altamont Pass before pulling into the Robert J. Cabral Station in Stockton, which is located in the northern San Joaquin Valley. However, we needed to take a southbound San Joaquin train back to Fresno and in order to do that we needed to get to the Stockton Amtrak station which was many blocks away. All of us opted to walk but it would have been nice if courtesy shuttle service was provided between the two stations. ACE doesn’t serve the Stockton Amtrak facility, although it passes by very near there. In all that loop trip was a very pleasant one.
This sounds like a nice loop, Alan! I’ve been contemplating another multi-day trip, this time across California, to take advantage of the California Rail Pass, and taking ACE between San Jose and Stockton would be a nice addition to my itinerary.
Interesting article! Thank you!
Thank you for reading 🙏