Los Angeles to El Paso

Slept late .. 8am. Messed around with my computer and headed to El Paseo Inn to see if Chilaquiles were the same as Migas. They're not but were very good anyway. In fact, both meals I had at El Paseo Inn were quite good. Check out time for the hotel is noon and the train leaves today for El Paso at 2:30 so I think I'll hang out in the hotel lobby for awhile. Los Angeles Passenger Terminal is one of the few major Amtrak stations that doesn't have a first class lounge. Got to the station just in time buy a couple of Cokes and sit down. They called my train and I was aboard 30 minutes before departure time. Departed at 2:32, already late. <G> First stop Pomona, CA. Departed there at 3:20, 9 minutes late after just 32 miles. Next stop Ontario, CA. Departed there at 3:37, now 13 minutes late. Looks like I might be having dinner in Palm Springs. Now stopped at the east end of the Ontario airport. Don't know why. Just watched a plane land that had TED in big letters on the fuselage. Need to find out what that is. Well, we just met a UP freight and have now started moving. I guess freight delays will be pretty common on this trip. While I was at dinner we waited for two freights then pulled into Palm Springs, actually North Palm Springs and departed there at 6:47. We are now one hour and forty-six minutes late. We are now skirting the Salton Sea. Our elevation, according to Topo USA is approximately 160 ft below sea level. Hope the dam doesn't break.

Here we are in Yuma, AZ. Too bad I can't jump off and ride the Yuma Valley Railroad. That is the only full size excursion train I missed this summer and some time I'll have to make an opportunity to ride it just 'cus. Departed Yuma at 9:50, one hour twenty-six minutes late. Seems we made up some time. Tucson was in the middle of the night. Looked out the window but didn't check the time. This is another place I would like to jump off and ride a couple of park trains I missed. Someday ...