The Southwest Chief was scheduled to depart Albuquerque at 11:48 on Monday.  We got to the station in plenty of time, but, of course, the train was late.  In the end, we left about 45 minutes late (which would stretch to another 45 minutes by the time we got to Chicago).  Nevertheless, we were, at long last, actually on the Southwest Chief and it was moving.  (The Southwest Chief, you may recall, is the train that got cancelled out of LA on the 15^th. 

We were rolling peaceably along when I got an email from Amtrak:  

“Your train from Washington, DC to Richmond no the 28^th has been cancelled due to a service disruption.  We don't have other transportation available.”  Watch Carrie’s head explode. 

Found out from Internet that this cancellation is because that train is a through train to Florida and all Florida trains are cancelled due to Hurricane Ian. (It would have killed them to just say that in the email????) So that’s all understandable; the big complaint here is that the email says: “Train #91, the Silver Star, from Washington, DC - Union Station on Wednesday, September 28th, has been CANCELLED due to a service disruption. Unfortunately, we don't have other transportation available.”  WTF-ittyFF????   I called and they got us on the next train, which does not go to Florida.  So why did they say in the email that they don’t have other transportation available?  Are they TRYING to upset everyone to the maximum degree possible right before they call Amtrak customer service?????? ) Someone in charge of Amtrak communications with passengers needs to be fired.  Add it to my list of complaints to be addressed to said “customer service” when we get back.

Once that problem was resolved, the ride was quite pleasant.  We had another nutty neighbor (though not so nutty as Mr. & Mrs. Mary Poppins Bag): an 82-year-old train fanatic who had never actually ridden on a train other than excursion trains.  His wife died in January, and he decided that he would take this trip (to a train convention).  He talked and talked and talked.  We heard all about his wife, her illnesses, her death, her daughter, his roses, his long distance bike rides, and I don’t even remember what all else.   He gave us a prayer card from his wife's funeral (he is Methodist but she was Catholic, so they did the funeral up with all the trimmings).  We took it because it would have been terribly rude not to, but we would have to discard it once there was no possibility of his seeing, because what were we going to do with it?  I’m sure the man, who was very friendly, was also very lonely, and anyone who would listen was a blessing to him. 

Today’s route took us through Las Vegas, New Mexico, where Tim and I stayed (and went to a drive-in) in the summer of 2010.  The blog from that trip, alas, is gone; it disappeared when the old site I was using closed abruptly without warning, taking all my memories with it.  Very sad.  From Las Vegas, we went on into Colorado, including LaJunta and Lamar.  We were still in Colorado when bedtime came, and we will wake up tomorrow in Kansas.

Before we got to Las Vegas, we passed through Glorieta, NM (site of a Civil War battle), and the gentleman manning the dining car, Chuck Jones, made an announcement about the Bart Prince house as we went by.   Bart Prince is the architect of this oddity, which is only 2280 square feet, but is spread out,  maze-like, on the 11-acre property.  There is a 20-foot change in elevation from one end of the house to another. You can read all about the house (and see photos) here  and here.  I've posted a photo from the train, but it's worth clicking through all the photos on Zillow.  Pretty amazing.  Not sure I'd want to live in it, but it's something! I’ve posted some of the scenery photos from north eastern New Mexico and southwestern Colorado.  Not the Colorado River, but still very nice.