AMTRAK with the New York Times

No Box Required

Riding a bike is a joy. Traveling with a bike can be a major hassle. Once you stop pedaling, a bike can be a traveling liability. Most buses, trains and airplanes in the US require you to box your bike. But times are changing. More and more city buses have bike racks. You can bring your bike on the Sounder commuter train … and light rail … and even AMTRAK.

Our Portland adventure begins by catching the 7:30am AMTRAK Cascades. Tickets purchased a month ago, along with $5 tickets for our bikes. The baggage car has racks for several bikes. It is a good time to make your reservation early, because the racks fill up, and then you are stuck having to box your bike.

For the next 3 1/2 hours we will glide along the rails (stopping for freight traffic, no doubt), sip our morning coffee from our leaking thermos, and read the Sunday New York Times while the scenery rolls by.

When we arrive in Portland, we’ll grab our bikes off the racks in the luggage department–attach our panniers, and begin our Pedal Portland adventure.