amtrak

My San Francisco Adventure | Monday Musings

My San Francisco Adventure | Monday Musings

Less than a year ago, I read the book Wild by Cheryl Strayed. It chronicled her journey of hiking the most dangerous mountain range in America – by herself. After I finished, I was dying to do something similar. Nathan laughed at me a little because he knew I hated hiking, but I was determined. I couldn’t figure out what I could do (because truly, hiking for a month by yourself is more dangerous than I’m willing to risk). When I saw an article detailing a man’s Amtrak adventure across the country, I was hooked.

The day I left, I was filled with nervous anticipation. Equal parts fear, excitement, and anxiety gripped me as I walked onto the first train. I made it to Washington, DC, without incident, though, and with 2 hours to kill I immediately started the 1.5 mile walk to the White House.

6 Lessons Learned on My Cross-Country Trip | Personal

6 Lessons Learned on My Cross-Country Trip | Personal

Today I’m on my way back from San Francisco after an epic 4-day train ride across the country that spanned from Newport News to the West Coast. I have a lot to process and many future blog posts coming out of the trip, but while it’s still fresh on my mind I thought I’d write a blog – partly for me – about some things I learned during this time.

1)   Wi-fi is a privilege, not a right. And it was a privilege I did NOT have for a large majority of my trip. Thankfully, I had downloaded most of the files I needed to work prior to leaving, and got to hop on the internet a couple times here and there.

I'm Going to San Francisco! | Monday Musings

I'm Going to San Francisco! | Monday Musings

Y'all...I truly can't believe I just typed those words. I've always wanted to take a trip across the country, I've always wanted to visit San Francisco, and I've never had the opportunity to do it. Until now!

A few weeks ago, I saw this article on StumbleUpon that claimed you could use Amtrak to go across the country for $213. In my head I thought it was impossible, but I was intrigued so I clicked on the link. While the author decided to take a longer trip and spend more, his way was still ridiculously affordable. I still wasn't sure what the cost would be from Hampton Roads but it couldn't hurt to check, right?