Amtrak weekend

All packed and ready to board the bus with my cheeseball.

After work on Friday, Jose brought the kids over to meet me at the Amtrak station so Big Brother and I could ride the bus to Stockton. Turns out, it's a good idea to buy your bus ticket early. When I got to the ticket counter, the attendent told me that it would cost $39 for the two of us! I was shocked because it had said the tickets would cost $19.50 total. He told me that because the bus was almost full, they had to charge more. So ridiculous, they're all the same seats! I complained and said that I hadn't been able to buy the ticket online and he relented and charged me $19. Turns out that they also have to charge you for a train portion because Greyhound sued them awhile back for selling bus tickets. Definitely learned new things about riding with Amtrak. 

I had the best view.

We had a fantastic ride! The bus was on time, there was plenty of space under the bus to stow our bike (it was even easier because I had the folder). An hour ride, checking out the scenery and cuddling with my big guy. You can't do that while driving. It was fun to listen to people's conversations with strangers. I didn't have to worry about paying attention to the road or deal with traffic, it was so relaxing. 

We were met at the Stockton Amtrak station by our friends and began our wonderful weekend. 

Big Brother hooked up the wagons to make a pumpkin train behind the tractor.

Amazing repurposing of an old tire.

Quick ride to Safeway to pick up dinner supplies.

Pizza focus.

While looking up tickets for our ride back from Stockton on Sunday, the tickets from the Stockton ACE station had better timing. To my surprise, I was able to buy the tickets from my Amtrak app so I realized they must be for a train ride. Even better and still only $19.50 for the two of us! 

We arrived a little early so my friend picked up some pan dulce from a local shop. A brilliant idea to fill my kiddo full of sugar to prepare for the ride. 

As if he wasn't sweet enough already.

Works well if you have a "normal" sized bike.

The ACE (Altamont Commuter Express) train is a commuter train that runs between Stockton and San Jose. I assume that the one between Stockton and Sacramento is also considered a commuter train because it has bike space. This is fantastic! Last time we rode Amtrak with bikes up to Eugene, we had to box them. It wasn't as bad as boxing them for airlines but extra work nonetheless and you either have to bring your own box or buy one of theirs. 

However, bringing a cargo bike still isn't allowed on any Amtrak, creating a major hassle for families whose main form of transportation is by cargo bike. Amtrak's excuse is that the bikes won't fit in the (possibly) provided space but they don't want to take responsibility for putting them in a cargo car. A very frustrating experience for many. 

He sat here for about 5 minutes then in my lap the rest.

Free wifi on the train was nice, for sure. 

Getting off the train was a bit of a balancing act because we had so much baggage with us (having received two shopping bags full of my friend's son's hand-me-downs (yay!). They were also doing construction at the station so we had to navigate through a maze of corridors to actually get to the station. I was able to use the Mobic as a luggage cart and manage the giant bag while keeping Big Brother close. 

More sugar, giant pile of luggage, and two awesome older folks with awesome bikes. She even has BionX. I wish I knew what they were up to.

Cutest little guy ever!

My original plan was to have Jose bungee the trailer to the back of the Mundo to get the extra bag home but I realized that as long as Little Brother sat up front and Big Brother sat in the Peanut Shell, there would still be room to pile on the bags. 

Some gear went into the panniers and the giant Ikea bag bungeed onto the soft spot securely. If we didn't have that bag, we could have all ridden home on the Mundo together. One of these days, we're going to have to try that. Instead, I took the minivan and Jose rode the Mobic. 

I love this set-up!

It is great to know that we're still able to go fun places without a lot of work and not have to worry about driving. We'll try to take the ACE train from now on, especially since it's more convenient for my friends in Stockton. If we could get our Mundo on the train, that would open even more opportunities for travel and adventure. For now, join the conversation and let's get better fluidity between public transportation and biking.