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Backpacking 8000 miles around the perimeter of the US on Amtrak
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Jun 29, 2014 at 2:48 pm #1318474
The last four years we spent our summer vacations backpacking with our children in the Sierra Nevada.
Depending on our kids' desires, some years the focus was more on hiking and we hiked the JMT, other years the focus was more on camping and we set up base camp at a hot spring.
This year we decided to go on a totally different kind of backpacking trip. Our intent was to show our children the vastness of their country – mile by mile. At the same time we wanted to introduce them to travelling the country with a backpack on the cheap using public transport.
Amtrak offers a 15 day USA Rail Pass for $225 per child and $450 per adult. It allows for travelling 8 segments during that time. We decided to use that opportunity to travel the perimeter of the US on the following seven segments: San Jose – Seattle – Chicago – New York – Washington – New Orleans – Los Angeles – San Jose. Our trip would bring us through 26 states and DC.
Now you wonder why I post this trip report on BPL. In my mind, backpacking was instrumental for the success of our trip. We used the lessons we learned on the JMT and everyone had a backpack with around 10 lbs base weight. That allowed us to move with ease through the public transportation system from Amtrak to Metro to bus – and of course walk everywhere we wanted to go in the cities we visited. Our sleeping bags were the envy of every coach class traveler on the Amtrak trains. They made sleeping in our seats on the train so much more comfortable.
Sitting in the observation car and listening to the explanations the National Park Service “Trails & Rails” provided about all the things we saw along the route, made the rail riding part of our trip very enjoyable.
Our children met many other children on the train and played endless board games and card games – Yahtzee, Uno, Battle Ship, Sorry – you name it, we played it, while seeing the land and listening to the explanations about its history.
We saw plenty of wildlife along the way, including bald eagles, coyotes, deer, a pheasant, a turtle, an alligator, sea lions, seals, pelicans, etc. from the observation car.
We also saw old industrial sites falling apart and new suburbs rising. We saw trailer parks and mansions, historic sites and homeless encampments. Our kids now have a better understanding of the geography of the US, its different regions and their way different look and feel. Now they have vivid images of the Cascades, the Rockies, the Appalachians, of the Plains, the Bayous, the desert and everything in between.
With our backpacks we were independent, had food, clothes and sleeping bags always handy. Everything was easy for us:
waiting in train stations,
exploring cities like Chicago
or New York
was made easy with our light backpacks.
Wandering across the National Mall in Washington from memorial to memorial and museum to museum was a highlight of the trip.
I think we could easily spend a whole week there instead of the two days we had.
Our family enjoyed two days of strolling through several museums of The Smithsonian. Of course we had to visit the German-American Friendship Garden too.
Our girls learned to navigate timetables, find connections and platforms, leave the train at the right station, navigate a city map to the youth hostel or an attraction they wanted to see. They were in charge of what we saw – which meant for example that we went into the American History Museum two days in a row but not into the National Archives.
At our last stop along our trip – Los Angeles – our kids pulled a fast one on us. They decided to go to Disneyland. They knew that would be their only chance ever to go there with us, as we would never take them there as we like to spend our valuable vacation time with other things. They were hesitant, as it costs a lot of money, but hopeful. Our trip was otherwise planned on the cheap with free sleeping on the train, free museums in Washington, cheap youth hostels along the way, etc. We thought briefly about it and went with them to the “Happiest Place on Earth”. Six people with their backpacks on was clearly an unusual sight at Disneyland and was a conversation starter like in several other places along our way.
The next day we walked the Walk of Fame in Hollywood. Seeing my five ladies with their backpacks made my heart jump. They are clearly the bright shining stars in my life.
On the local train back from San Jose to Palo Alto I saw many smiling faces and walking the last two miles home to Menlo Park was done with a skip in their step.
I’m relatively sure back at school – when asked what they did during the summer – our girls will say “I went to Disneyland”. May be they will also mention that they went by train. Who knows, they might even tell that they took the train the long way – 7600 miles around the whole US to get there and 400 more miles to get home. It will take most likely several years until all the other impressions of their backpacking trip around the US via train will gain in importance and they realize what a great adventure they had.
Jun 29, 2014 at 3:01 pm #2115820UNREAL!
And brilliant. What an education – for ALL. :-)Cheers
Jun 29, 2014 at 3:03 pm #2115822The map doesn't show how you get around Alaska and Hawaii.
–B.G.–
Jun 29, 2014 at 3:10 pm #2115828Wow,
What a trip. Thanks for the inspiration. On the list now.
stephan
Jun 29, 2014 at 3:38 pm #2115835I'll be a better father (my kids are 6 and 3) for having read this post.
Great idea. Looking forward to doing some variation of it in the future.
Jun 29, 2014 at 3:40 pm #2115836Wow, Manfred. Very cool trip. Next time you bring them to DC, please let me know. I'll take you all out to dinner!
Jun 29, 2014 at 4:14 pm #2115848Very cool, thanks for sharing! Those Amtraks look pretty nice–I've never been on one.
I couldn't decide which to go with, so you pick:
Did you get a buy-5-get-1-free deal on the packs?
or
Did Osprey pay for the train tickets?
;)
Jun 29, 2014 at 5:47 pm #2115886So Awesome!
Jun 29, 2014 at 5:50 pm #2115887Outstanding, Manfred!
By the way, I also took my daughter to Washington, D.C. a few weeks ago. It's definitely one of the best U.S. cities for kids to visit. We didn't need packs but we got a few people asking about the GoLite umbrella my daughter used!
Jun 29, 2014 at 6:06 pm #2115892To Manfred, Michelle, and the girls: YOU ROCK! Fabulous concept and awesome execution. Definitely wins my award for the most creative trip of the year. – Amy (and Jim too)
Jun 29, 2014 at 6:46 pm #2115902Very nice Manfred.
Since moving to Michigan from Europe I have missed holidays via rail, this will definitley go on to out top five to do list before we move back.
Jun 30, 2014 at 10:04 am #2116109Thanks for all the nice comments.
Bob,
you got my wife to laugh and she pointed out that we also didn't get around Michigan, Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, Rhode Island, Massachusetts Connecticut and Florida. So I guess you can say we cut a couple of corners :)
Adam,
you too got my wife to laugh with your comment about the Osprey packs. So far Osprey has not offered any perks for using their packs for a family of eight. May be I should ask :)
It would be really hard to pick just one of the Amtrak routes as they all have their own highlights. As a first step to pick one, you can use the Amtrak Route Guides
We rode the following routes on our way around the US:
I guess as someone who lives in California I'm biased when picking the Coast Starlight. Riding that train gave me a new appreciation for my home state. It was amazing how many things I saw, that I never noticed when driving my car along the same route on 101.
The Empire Builder from Seattle to Glacier National Park was also great – we saw 9 bald eagles during the first couple of miles along the coast. But really, they all had their own beauty and many, many things to see.Manfred
Jun 30, 2014 at 10:11 am #2116111I took the train from LA to Jacksonville right after 9/11. I could not believe how slow we went. I don't think we ever saw more than 50 mph on the whole journey.
I would love to see a resurgence of rail travel. But our infrastructure is woefully inadequate for high speed rail.Jun 30, 2014 at 5:29 pm #2116243I hear you on the speed of US trains Ken, I am used to taking trains in Europe that do 160mph but then again you don't see much, when the rail line is next to a motorway the trucks look like they are parked.
Jun 30, 2014 at 5:32 pm #2116247Ken,
the Amtrak trains are great for a leisurely vacation. Their slow speed allows for relaxed sight seeing and makes the narration by the Rail & Trail NPS volunteers possible.
They can't be compared with the high speed trains in the rest of the world that are used for commuting.
It would sure be nice to be able to reach those high speeds for example across the plains going to Chicago. Unfortunately the opposite is true. Amtrak is only a "guest" on the tracks they use – and I guess freight trains full of oil pay more for using the tracks than passengers who paid $225/$450 for going once around the US. As a result we were sidetracked over and over again across Montana and North Dakota to wait for freight trains to pass us. Despite hours and hours of delay the train would also stop frequently for "smoke stops", where smokers could leave the train to smoke a cigarette on the platform.
Once used to it, it became a very relaxed way of travel with lots of conversations, sights and board games.
Manfred
Jun 30, 2014 at 9:32 pm #2116319Manfred,
I loved reading your TR but must admit I really loved how I could set my watch by Germany's trains! We haven't been on a train in several years and I'm now motivated to re-explore the possibilities.
Jul 1, 2014 at 7:39 am #2116386Ian,
the German saying "Puenktlich wie die Eisenbahn" (As punctually as the railroad) doesn't apply to Amtrak due to them not owning the tracks and being at the mercy of the companies who own the tracks.
Our two sons used Eurail to travel most of Europe from Sweden in the North to Italy in the South from Spain in the West to Poland in the East. It is too bad America doesn't have such a train system in place with punctual trains running at high speed across big distances connecting to local trains that get you basically everywhere.
Manfred
Jul 1, 2014 at 11:19 am #2116436Since your initial post mentioned, "My 5 girls", I was going to ask if you needed a son. I could be adopted. I wanna travel that way! My travels across the states when I was younger was via station wagon, in the back since I came from a family of 9.
I see in your response that you have other kids (probably a son), so, I guess I'm not needed. ha.
Jul 1, 2014 at 10:28 pm #2116684As usual Manfred and Michelle set the bar high for parenting at BPL. What an adventure. I am sure it will stick with the kids for many years.
Jul 2, 2014 at 4:19 am #2116710Brilliant Manfred,
Thanks for sharing an amazing adventure!Jul 2, 2014 at 8:06 am #2116754Your train stopped right in my home town in Winona MN.
This is a great idea for a trip. My little guy is only 14 months so he's probably not up for figuring out the timetables, but maybe someday we'll give him a little challenge like this (probably not as long; my wife gets a little motion sick on trains).
Jul 2, 2014 at 12:13 pm #2116843Wow. Super idea, and hooray for some great kids who had the maturity and character to do this!
Jul 2, 2014 at 2:18 pm #2116876Totally awesome Manfred, thanks for posting.
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