LD Trip - Meal Plan ••• SWC • CS • EB

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KmH

Engineer
Joined
Dec 6, 2014
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2,055
Location
Is this heaven? No. It's Iowa.
I'm planning a 5838 mile LD Amtrak trip for early October.

I'll ride 4 nights in coach, 1 night in business class, and 1 night in a roomette.

I'll be bringing some meals with me. Some of the food requires hot water from the café to re-hydrate/heat.

Day 1 - Southwest Chief - Coach - Depart from Princeton, IL

Dinner – Hearts of Palm & Artichoke Quinoa Salad • Picanté Chicken Ramen noodles w/celery & green onions • Chocolate Pudding
Late snack – dried cranberries & nuts

Day 2

Breakfast - Oatmeal – 2 instant packs + raisins & butter, coffee (from SSL café) bagel w/peanut butter.
Lunch – Instant mashed potatoes, chicken & stuffing, 2 individual cheddar cheese sticks w/ chipotle peppers.
Dinner – Mango, Hearts of Palm, Piquillo Pepper Quinoa Salad, rice w/seasoning, homemade Teriyaki Beef Jerky, Snickers

Day 3

Coffee (from SSL café)
Breakfast/early lunch – Philippes
Dinner – Mexican food - Olvera Street

Day 4 - Coast Starlight - Business Class

Breakfast – Metro Plaza complimentary continental breakfast
Lunch – Tuna, crackers, 2 individual cheddar cheese,
Dinner – Quinoa Salad, cup o noodles & hot dog (from Café - Biz class voucher), cranberries & nuts or pudding

Day 5

Breakfast – Coffee (from café), oatmeal (2) w/raisins & butter, bagel w/peanut butter
Lunch – Jerky, seasoned rice, 2 flour tortillas, Snickers

Overnight @ HI NW Portland
Dinner – HI Portland NW café

Day 6 - Empire Builder - Coach/Roomette/Coach

Breakfast – HI Portland NW (included)
Lunch - Laughing Planet Cafe - Korean BBQ bowl.
Dinner – Quinoa Salad, seasoned rice w/Spam, pudding

Day 7 - Roomette

WGL (West Glacier, MT) to MSP (St. Paul-Minneapolis, MN)

Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner - in dining car.

Day 8 - Coach (EB) - Business Class (Illinois Zephyr)

Breakfast - Dining car
Late Lunch – Tuna, crackers, pudding
 
I'm planning a 5838 mile LD Amtrak trip for early October.

I'll ride 4 nights in coach, 1 night in business class, and 1 night in a roomette.

I'll be bringing some meals with me. Some of the food requires hot water from the café to re-hydrate/heat.

Day 1 - Southwest Chief - Coach - Depart from Princeton, IL

Dinner – Hearts of Palm & Artichoke Quinoa Salad • Picanté Chicken Ramen noodles w/celery & green onions • Chocolate Pudding

Late snack – dried cranberries & nuts

Day 2

Breakfast - Oatmeal – 2 instant packs + raisins & butter, coffee (from SSL café) bagel w/peanut butter.

Lunch – Instant mashed potatoes, chicken & stuffing, 2 individual cheddar cheese sticks w/ chipotle peppers.

Dinner – Mango, Hearts of Palm, Piquillo Pepper Quinoa Salad, rice w/seasoning, homemade Teriyaki Beef Jerky, Snickers

Day 3

Coffee (from SSL café)

Breakfast/early lunch – Philippes

Dinner – Mexican food - Olvera Street

Day 4 - Coast Starlight - Business Class

Breakfast – Metro Plaza complimentary continental breakfast

Lunch – Tuna, crackers, 2 individual cheddar cheese,

Dinner – Quinoa Salad, cup o noodles & hot dog (from Café - Biz class voucher), cranberries & nuts or pudding

Day 5

Breakfast – Coffee (from café), oatmeal (2) w/raisins & butter, bagel w/peanut butter

Lunch – Jerky, seasoned rice, 2 flour tortillas, Snickers

Overnight @ HI NW Portland

Dinner – HI Portland NW café

Day 6 - Empire Builder - Coach/Roomette/Coach

Breakfast – HI Portland NW (included)

Lunch - Laughing Planet Cafe - Korean BBQ bowl.

Dinner – Quinoa Salad, seasoned rice w/Spam, pudding

Day 7 - Roomette

WGL (West Glacier, MT) to MSP (St. Paul-Minneapolis, MN)

Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner - in dining car.

Day 8 - Coach (EB) - Business Class (Illinois Zephyr)

Breakfast - Dining car

Late Lunch – Tuna, crackers, pudding
Now that's what I would call planning....very impressive!, (although I'm not much of a fan of that menu....)
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KmH,

I'm going to take a stab at this and say you might have had experience putting together backpacking meals for long distance hikes at one point. Some of your entrees and sides mirror mine, and I've backpacked over 10,500 miles including the nearly 2200-mi. Appalachian Trail. I've considered doing this for long train journeys but then decided on train vacays I'm living it up. LOL. But your menu is very doable, and frugal, for trains. As railiner said, "Impressive...".
 
Nice trip,but I'd consider having a few more "real meals" during your adventure since Train travel is the way to go in style, not roughing it like when hikeng or basic camping.
 
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Kudos for planning all this out, and I think you're pretty much all set. That said, I sort of agree with Penny about the tuna and its noticeable-ness to your fellow passengers, but overall, sounds great!
 
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Your fellow passengers may not be pleased with your choice of tuna.
Kudos for planning all this out, and I think you're pretty much all set. That said, I sort of agree with Penny about the tuna and its noticeable-ness to your fellow passengers, but overall, sounds great!
Into every life a bit of rain will fall. They'll get over it.

When I smell tuna I get hungry.

"He who fails to plan is planning to fail." Winston Churchill.

I'm planning on taking just one carry-on, a 47.5 Liter internal frame backpack.
 
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Your fellow passengers may not be pleased with your choice of tuna.
Kudos for planning all this out, and I think you're pretty much all set. That said, I sort of agree with Penny about the tuna and its noticeable-ness to your fellow passengers, but overall, sounds great!
Into every life a bit of rain will fall. They'll get over it.

When I smell tuna I get hungry.

"He who fails to plan is planning to fail." Winston Churchill.

I'm planning on taking just one carry-on, a 47.5 Liter internal frame backpack.
Yeah, don't be concerned about other people, just do what you want. (by the way, that's sarcasm, not an endorsement of your attitude).
 
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