Monday, July 23, 2018

Second Nebraska Trip Packing List

It's the day before my second visit to Nebraska and I'm packing. Or at least I'm thinking about packing. I was doing some last minute digging in the garage and I found my old sound generator, which can provide soothing ocean waves even without wifi.

Looking at the weather forecast, it's going to be cooler there than it will be here. However there is a chance of rain. So I guess I'll be packing an umbrella.

Burchard, NE
Of the events on the list: hang out with uncle, grandma, grandma, sister, sister, aunt, mom and dad. I definitely have to practice my talk. So I'll need a cable to connect my computer to the hotel TV. I'll also need some clothes to wear to the Pawnee County Fair.

South Bend, IN
The weather in South Bend, IN where the conference is also has a chance of showers. I'm doing a "fun run" on Monday morning and then presenting on Tuesday morning. So I'll need running shoes/workout clothes and business clothes.

Besides my sound generator, I want to bring all my other toys (rollerskates, folding bike, etc.) but there's only so much room in the suitcase that I'm bringing (as soon as I decide which one that is). I'm leaning towards a rolling bag this time since it was a bit of a drag carrying my duffel bag last trip.

I don't need to bring the folding bike because: I've rented a car, Omaha has B-Cycle (docked bikehsare, based near where I'm staying) and South Bend has LimeBike (dockless bikeshare). I don't need to bring rollerskates because: that is not the purpose of the trip, they're heavy, and there won't be time to go skating.

We are going to try to squeeze in a dance party, so maybe I can bring something dance-worthy. My brain is driving me crazy because I thought that through organizing the house, I would find some handwritten notes from my days in grad school, unfortunately they haven't turned up yet.

I'm attending my 20-year high school class reunion, so I should bring something to wear for the tour of the school and the social event that evening. Nothing too fancy. Then I'm off to the conference. It would be nice to have some traveling clothes (read PJs) that are comfy.

BCCE Meeting Schedule
ACS Meetings App is a way to schedule your conference time. It allows selecting concurrent events, so that if there is a cancellation in one session you can jump into another. I found the most fabulous dress at Goodwill, during my shopping extravaganza which will work for both the class reunion and my talk at BCCE.

I'm coming back on the Amtrak. Items that made that part of the trip better included: noise-canceling headphones, a black bandanna that I could use as an eye-mask, a cooler bag to bring my own food (but I might not do that on this trip) and a neck pillow (good for planes and trains).

Amtrak Coach Seat
I had a really great time on Amtrak Empire Builder so I'm really looking forward to the Southwest Chief. We're leaving Chicago in the afternoon, going through a tiny corner of Iowa, reaching Kansas City by evening (Fresh Air Stop #1).

Amtrak Observation Car
My brother-in-law was asking me last night, in all earnestness, why take a train? I tried to explain how you have the freedom to walk throughout the train while it's moving and you can enjoy the scenery from your seat or the observation car.

Amtrak Dining Car
If you want a formal dining experience, you can eat in the dining car. See this blog for some other really helpful tips. Also for humor watch the film Silver Streak. We cross the state of Kansas overnight, waking up on the second day in La Junta, Colorado (Fresh Air Stop #2).

Amtrak Cafe Car
If you don't mind bodega (7-11 a.k.a. truck stop) food then you can visit the cafe car. It's downstairs of the observation car. There's also seating down there, which can be another place to sit. It should be a really beautiful day going through Colorado, New Mexico and Arizona.

Albuquerque and Flagstaff are Fresh Air Stops #3 and #4, respectively. A fresh air stop is where you can get off the train and walk along the platform. I do some calisthenics and plyometrics to get my circulation going and to keep my metabolism running. 

Since I've never booked a sleeper compartment, I can't say whether they're better or worse than coach. I did borrow these pictures from Google Images since I'm always too shy to take photos of people when I'm on the train. You never know who won't want to be photographed.


The second overnight goes through the desert part of California (Needles, Barstow, Victorville, San Bernardino, Riverside) and hopefully I'll be waking up around Fullerton, CA. We arrive in Los Angeles in the morning around 8am.
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Friday, July 6, 2018

Nebraska Trip Packing List

Here's what I brought on my plane/train summer trip from Northridge -train to- Burbank -plane to- Portland -train to- Fargo -car to- Omaha -plane to- Burbank -car to- Northridge over a two week period. The items with a star are things I wore or used prior to arriving in Fargo.

Three dresses, sleeveless
*Two yoga pants, knee and ankle length
Two polo shirts
Two jeans, ankle and shoe length, belt
*Flip flops and athletic shoes
*Bra and sports bra
*PJ pants
*USA t-shirt, CicLAvia t-shirt
*Sleeveless graphic t-shirt
5 pairs socks
10 pairs underwear

*Watch and IDY bracelet
*Headband and hair clips
*Sunhat
Burt's bees, Lipstick: red and pink

*Headphones and Phone charger
*Purse and camera case, cross-body
*Stand to prop up phone
*Journals to write in and pens
*ACS chapter reports

*Toothpaste, toothbrush
*Sunscreen, SPF 30 and 50, face and body
Contact lenses and solution
*Glasses and sunglasses
*Shampoo/conditioner (2 in 1)
*Face moisturizer
*Face wash
*Hair comb
Qtips, Kleenex

Gifts: 28 Visit Santa Clarita bags
stainless steel drinking straws and brushes

I ended up doing two loads of laundry in Fargo and wore everything more than once. I definitely could have traveled with fewer pairs of underwear, but that's the one thing I never want to run out of. It's an experience doing a sponge bath in a moving train bathroom, but I even washed my hair in the sink and it was worth it.

We had fun in Fargo finding silverware to go into the 'Visit Santa Clarita' bags, which were originally made for glasses. I was pumped when I got together with my cousin from Denver (who is currently working in London) and my aunt from New York and they were both really excited about stainless steel straws and reducing single-use plastic utensils.



I brought 29 bags and I came home with only 12 so that means that my family members actually grabbed them (as intended). Since we checked our luggage on the flight home, there was no problem with bringing the sharp metal objects home in my carry-on bag.


According to RESET Carbon Ltd. flying in a short-haul aircraft produces 50% more carbon dioxide emissions per passenger kilometer than taking Amtrak. Driving produces about 25% more carbon dioxide emissions per passenger kilometer than taking Amtrak. Altogether, I traveled 7000 km and produced 1.676 metric tons of carbon dioxide. I feel bad about this, any suggestions for offset?
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Amtrak Empire Builder (Portland to Fargo)

This summer I am taking two long-distance trips on Amtrak: Empire Builder and Southwest Chief. I took a plane from Los Angeles to Portland and the Amtrak from Portland to Fargo. My sister sold her house there and I spent a week with her, helping her move.
It was fantastic to take the Metrolink from Northridge to Burbank Airport. Starting the trip with a train ride put me in a good mood.

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When I arrived at Portland airport, I boarded the light rail there to get to the Amtrak station. The light rail (MAX) in Portland was easy to navigate.

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The Portland Amtrak station is totally cute! There are bikeshare bikes there (and probably in most major cities by now) but the Portland bikeshare bikes are branded with a Nike swoosh.

Empire Builder simultaneously originates in Seattle, WA and Portland, OR in the late afternoon. The individual trains merge in Spokane, WA in the middle of the night. Fresh air stops like this allow you to disembark and stretch your legs. Have a coke, smoke and a joke as my art teacher used to say.
There's a dining car, which is kind of like a restaurant on wheels. There's a cafe car, which is kind of like a coffee shop on wheels. Above the cafe is the observation car, which has floor to ceiling windows. When people gawk at how much time it takes to get somewhere by train, I show them this.
The next fresh air stop is Whitefish, MT which is the following morning. From there, expect breathtaking views of Glacier National Park. I saw lots of people white water rafting and I have to say the smells of the people boarding the train here were more fresh & clean than any detergent.
I met a white water rafting guide who talked me through some of the sights. He pointed out tiny waterfalls and docks where native people fish for salmon using traditional fishing poles made of wood. You get to have great conversations with strangers on Amtrak trips.
Abruptly, you are in a flat part of Montana. Two fresh air stops, Shelby and Havre, may be cut short if the train is running behind schedule. Havre has an antique steam engine at its station, which is an impressive display, particularly popular with train enthusiasts.
In my experience, the dining car is first-come first-served. If you want to be served a sit-down meal in a formal setting, you need to get there right when the meal begins and let them know you will be 'dining' and they will schedule you a time to come back and be seated.
I would not expect the staff to ask you if you want a seated meal, there were a few unhappy 'sleeper car' passengers that missed out on a seated meal because they thought their porter would assist in making their reservation. Nonetheless, they got a hot meal from the cafe car.
As for myself, I brought a variety of items listed below so that I didn't have to partake of the dining car on this particular trip. I highly recommend taking Empire Builder if you get a chance. I saw a couple with loaded touring bikes at the Glacier Park station, and I thought 'I would like to try that.'

This is what I brought in a cooler
*2 bags (florets) broccoli
*1 bag (8oz) mushrooms
*8 C honeydew melon
*1 bag (2C) mixed nuts
*1 bag (30) dried apricots
*1 bag (8) small pancakes
*1 bag (4oz) beef jerky
*1 flat cake (900g) banana bread
*3 medium yellow nectarines
*Empty ziploc for ice
*Cooler bag
*Empty water bottle

This is what I purchased at the station or on the train
*2 cans soda
*1 bag each: combos, gardettos
*2 cups coffee: $2 each
*1 tuna sandwich on wheat
*1 Greek yogurt cup: $2.50
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