I left the shower area with my hair somewhat dried and my shirt inside out. A dozen or so Amtrak employees cheered wildly as I triumphantly returned to my roomette marginally cleaner than before. A few employees may have wept. Or at least that’s how I remembered it going down. Honestly I was a bit too sleep deprived to recall exactly what happened.

Yes we both had beds. Tiny firm mattresses; mine was at floor level but Corey’s was suspended high above with a kind of seat belt to keep her from falling to the ground. The seat belt was a good idea as the train rocked and rolled across the high plains with a triumphant and incredibly loud horn blaring away every few seconds. We slept better than we did when we were in coach. But not so well that we feel rested.

Are we there yet? No. Not exactly. We almost got here on time. Early actually. But track work in Albuquerque means we sit now fifteen miles away from our destination for maybe an hour (so far it’s been twenty minutes). Would we do it again? Of course. Actually we are doing it again in just a few days (Albuquerque back to Chicago again in a roomette). But why? Well it beats driving over Spring Break when we have no idea what the weather will be like. And it’s all so very exciting. I mean even taking a shower on Amtrak is an adventure.