My Journey Across America

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Jane Swinton - My Journey Across America

KEEN TRAVELLER JANE SWINTON IS ONE OF OUR RESIDENTS AT LLYS RADDINGTON EXTRA CARE SCHEME IN FLINT, AND IN 2019 SHE EMBARKED ON A SOLO TRIP ACROSS THE USA, COAST TO COAST AND BACK AGAIN BY TRAIN, TO CELEBRATE HER 70TH BIRTHDAY.

Jane has shared her amazing story with us and how it felt to be independent and taking on such an exciting and big challenge!

Here’s Jane’s story: I decided, before Covid, to give myself an early 70th birthday present and planned the entire trip myself on my phone!

I booked sleeper berths, known as roomettes, and enjoyed silver service food in the restaurant on each train. I began my trip by flying to New York then took the train to Chicago, travelling up the Hudson River, south of the Canadian border, which takes 19 hours. This was the first leg of my trip, and it was great to be mixing with all sorts of people in the upper compartments and observation lounges of these double decker Amtrak trains.

NEW YORK

I then spent four days in Chicago, visiting Lake Michigan and going on various tours. It was the first time I’d visited such a beautiful city, and I would definitely go again.

I caught the Californian Zephyr to San Francisco - these great, long-distance trains have names - and I was on it for three days, travelling from Chicago, crossing the mighty Mississippi, then to Emeryville, right through the centre of America.

I saw the huge wheat fields of Kansas, and went through the Moffat tunnel that leads up into Denver, crossing the continental divide and the Fraser and Colorado rivers that flow into the Atlantic and the Pacific.

Once I’d got to San Francisco I spent five days there, and it was very hot. The city was picture, and as it was ‘Fleet Week’ the Navy was out in force, and I was lucky to see the Blue Angels – the American equivalent of the Red Arrows – flying above the city performing their incredible display. I booked a trip around the Bay, before getting a short flight to LA where I joined the Southwest Chief, the train that would take me back across the country to Chicago again, on another three-day eventful journey.

GRAND CANYON

This leg of my trip took me through Las Vegas and round the southern rim of the Grand Canyon, then through Albuquerque, back up through Colorado, Kansas City, Iowa, Illinois then into Chicago.

The country is so big, you can sit for hours going through fields of maize crops, and you also see the Indian reservations. I also went through Utah and saw the red sandstone rock formations, and even travelled past where the film ‘Thelma and Louise’ was filmed, which was fabulous. I then went onwards from Chicago to my starting point of New York through the mountains covered in amazing tall foliage.

It was all absolutely breathtaking and was luck to meet such fascinating people, a large number enjoying their retirement travelling alone like me or with friends.

The American people were so friendly; they shared with me their story and were really openminded. It was the people, the vastness of the country and the way the scenery can change so quickly; from high sierra, steep gorges, huge plains to vast mountains with their fall colours, that made it for me. There are huge contrasts, and it was an amazing country to criss-cross and see such variety.

I saw different cultures such as the Amish people in the mid-west, and wildlife such as huge herds of deer and cattle running alongside the train and eagles landing in the Colorado river to catch their lunch!

The world stopped with Covid in 2020, and if I’d left it until then, I never would have done it. My advice to anyone planning a similar trip is do it! I covered over 8,000 miles, and it was worth every single penny and every single mile. As I’ve said, the people were so welcoming; so enquiring and friendly, and I would do it again in a heartbeat.

CONGRATS!

Congratulations to our residents, Liz and Anita who both won a £20 shopping voucher each for sharing their pictures of North Wales