ensimismada wrote:I've been entertaining the idea of taking Amtrak from San Fran to Reno. Getting the bike from San Diego to SF on Amtrak is a pain though, only certain trains have bike hooks and on the others you have to box it...
Good point, I wasn't really thinking about the solo aspect. Between the 3 of us the liquids including water, ice, beer, booze, mixers, and fuel for the generator added up to almost half a ton which would probably have made a difference on the 2,700 mile trip and certainly would have made it more cramped.jaycerochester wrote:There's a Smiths that's open 24 hours in Elko, NV ... basic all-purpose grocery store (and, since it's in NV, including beer, wine, and liquor.) With far fewer people coming from the east, there are fewer chances for shortages. Winnemucca, Lovelock, then Fernley are the only closer places to get anything, although they're all smaller than Elko (has a Home Depot; Fernley has a Lowes.)Drawingablank wrote:Coming from the east, Fernley is the last stop for supplies and the Wally mart parking lot there is like a pre burn party.
As for hauling water, it usually doesn't make a noticeable difference in gas mileage. Although all the water for a person is pretty heavy, it's still less weight than one more passenger, and that doesn't tend to affect mileage either.
Added weight means it takes more energy to accelerate, climb hills, and causes higher rolling resistance, but it also changes the suspension load and can improve the aerodynamics (by riding lower in the rear, or just lower overall). In addition, the rate of gas use in a car does not necessarily increase with increasing load — sometimes adding a few hundred pounds of weight decreases fuel use because the engine is operating in a more efficient way (efficient in the sense of power out ÷ fuel used, which in this case, also applies to miles-per-gallon). In the end, a few hundred pounds does not make a detectable change, although adding a 2,000 pound trailer will.
So if you feel like taking water from home, don't worry about it. Unless I'm staying at a hotel, I find it a little harrowing to arrive somewhere during the 24-hour day and try to find a place that will let me take 15 gallons of clean drinking water.
Savannah wrote:It sounds freaky & wrong, so you need to do it.
They like to group all the people going to big destinations in one car. In New York, they'll often put all the New York City people together and all the little town stops in-between are in another car or cars. I'm usually boarding with 50 or 100 people, so it's worth their while to set up two entrances and sort people that way. If there's only a dozen or so (e.g. a very small stop) they just have one door open and don't sort as aggressively.tattoogoddess wrote:They do? They always just opened one car put us in and away we went. Maybe things have changed?
I had to do some Googling to confirm that you were indeed, not making a tasteless joke on your behalf.theCryptofishist wrote:I really missed that in 09 when I took the train...
Although it may not be ideal, I think it may be cheaper to do the sleeper ("Superliner Roomette" with access to common showers) for one "leg" rather than the whole trip. I coerced the online ticketing system by making a multi-city trip (if you do one leg at a time, it's a lot more).kalouts1 wrote:Just checked for a "room" for CHI ==> REN, it is kind of expensive: I have to add $382 on top. More expensive than the whole trip...
from http://forums.mtbr.com/cargo-bikes/taki ... ost9253732, thread/post on Amtrack and bikes:tattoogoddess wrote:they are both checked bag stops. Put your bike in a box and check it. It is $5ensimismada wrote:I've been entertaining the idea of taking Amtrak from San Fran to Reno. Getting the bike from San Diego to SF on Amtrak is a pain though, only certain trains have bike hooks and on the others you have to box it...
