Sunset Limited: Millennium Series 5

This is a continuation of our journey, returning to chronological order. This is the 2nd leg of the trip.

At 8:pm we board the Amtrak "Sunset Limited." This intercontinental journey takes us through eight states and covers 2,770 miles across the U.S. From Los Angeles to Orlando, Florida, we cross America's Sunbelt, through California, Arizona and New Mexico, the Deep South and Florida.

The service on board is excellent, but the sleeping accommodation is even worse than the "Starlight Express" The configuration of the bedroom is the same, a small but comfortable sitting room by day with a very tiny shower/toilet. At night it is converted into a bedroom with two bunks, the upper being very close to the ceiling. Because of the claustrophobic nature of the top bunk, I again sleep head to foot with my mother on the bottom bunk. The difference on this train is that instead of a comfortable mattress, this one looks just like the mattresses made famous in the prison movies of the 40's and 50's. The mattress is Grey with a navy stripe and is about 2 inches thick. It is also as hard as a rock. Even the many pillows the steward found for us did not allow us to have a decent sleep the three days we were on board. The food on board is also a disappointment.

The scenery however, is superb, with vistas of dry, golden deserts and deep blue skies and the armies of Saguaro Cactus marching across the sands of Arizona. If you use your imagination, the cactus indeed look like an invading hoard. These fascinating plants can grow to heights of over forty feet and store up to 2,000 gallons of water.

The desert landscapes are quite beautiful. The train whizzes past a myriad of wild desert plants. Besides the many types of cactus we see sagebrush, a myriad of grasses and many other interesting species, whose names I do not know. This includes a variety of palms.

The desert is also home to many animals. I see a lone coyote, scratching himself in the shade of a ragged bush and every so often a jack rabbit pops into view.

To some, deserts are considered dead wastelands. Not true! Waiting for a little precipitation, anticipating their chance to bloom are thousands of seeds of various origins. Anyone who has seen the desert in bloom can attest to the fact that the desert is teeming with life.

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