Riding the Amtrak:
Kirkwood, MO to Lee's Summit, MO
The Amtrak Missouri River Runner trains allow bicyclists to bring their bikes aboard without having to take them apart. Space is limited, however, and may not be available if you are making plans at the last minute. I was able to get a reservation about a week ahead of my trip, but when I checked a day or two later, the train was not accepting any more bicycles.
It was a gloomy start for this trip. The skies were very overcast, as if it could rain at any time.
This was my first Amtrak trip, so I arrived at the Kirkwood, MO Amtrak station early, hoping to ward off any mischievous gremlins that might undermine my trip. You know, those gremlins where an official person says they won’t take your luggage because it is too tall, wide, or heavy. Or, they count your camera as a carry on piece of luggage. I had an assortment of objects needed for bicycle touring, so I packaged them up very neatly so I could carry them on board and still meet the luggage requirement.
Of course, one of the station volunteers commented that they can’t take luggage in plastic bags. I explained that each plastic bag contain two canvas bags that were neatly duct taped together so I could carry them as one bag. The combination of the two bags, turned into one bag, still met all their requirements. The volunteer still insisted that the conductors would not accept them. Fortunately, the conductors didn’t bat an eye, and even helped me load everything aboard. Whew!!!! What a relief!
This train route advertised that a bicyclist could take their entire bicycle aboard without breaking it down into components. This is a great feature for bicyclists, and is of course, very popular with those wanting to ride the KATY trail. I guess because they advertise this feature, I was expecting the bicycles to be put in some kind of rack for transport. Naaah! The bicycles were just leaned up against the wall or against other bicycles.
Everything worked out fine, though. And, the trip was a good experience. I found the conductors to be very helpful, not just with me, but to other passengers also. The arrival in Lee’s Summit, MO was quite different than the departure in Kirkwood. It was sunny out, and the temperature was about perfect. It was just cool enough for me to put on a long sleeve t-shirt.
