John Steiner, the blogger behind Journeys With Johnbo, has this prompt he calls Cellpic Sunday in which he asks us to post a photo that was taken with a cellphone, tablet, or another mobile device. He invites us to participate in this cellphone photo prompt by creating our own CellPic Sunday post and linking it back to his.
Back in 2014, two years before I retired, I had to travel from San Francisco to Boston for work, but I decided to take a few extra days and do something I’d never done before: travel across country by train instead of flying or driving.
The first leg of the trip, also the longest, at three days and two nights, and by far the most scenic, was from San Francisco to Chicago on Amtrak’s California Zephyr.
I also decided that I didn’t want to spend two nights struggling to get comfortable enough to sleep comfortably in a regular train seat, so I upgraded to what is called a “sleepette.” It’s essentially a one-person sleeper car — although it technically could accommodate two people with a double-decker bed, but that would feel very tight — where the seats can be converted into a bed. It actually wasn’t bad to sleep in and the rocking motion of the train helped me fall asleep pretty quickly both nights.
The following three photos were taken with my iPhone 5. The first photo is looking at the back of the sleepette before it was converted to a bed.
This next photo is facing forward to the front of the sleepette, again, prior to the conversion to a bed.
And this last photo was after the porter came by and turned the sleepette into a bed.
I’m stretched out in the supine position and you can probably see my feet sticking up underneath the blanket at the far end of the photo.
As usual, all photos used on this blog have been resized (shrunk) to make them load more quickly and take up less space in my WordPress media folder.
This, That, and the Other 
John Steiner’s CellPic Sunday prompt seems like a delightful way to share snapshots taken with mobile devices, fostering a community of mobile photography enthusiasts. The story shared by the blogger about traveling across the United States by train adds a personal touch, especially with the photos captured using an iPhone 5. It’s fascinating how technology allows us to document our experiences so vividly, even enhancing the storytelling aspect of blogs like Journeys With Johnbo.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes, John’s prompt allows us to punctuate our life’s experience with photos. Thanks for reading and commenting.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Absolutely! Capturing moments through photos truly adds a vivid dimension to our memories. It’s wonderful to have a visual narrative that complements our experiences. Thanks for sharing your thoughts!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I have travelled in similar sleeping cars in Australia. I always enjoyed the rocking motion as I lay in bed.
I always wanted to take that train across the USA. Sadly, it will never happen now but I often enjoy it vicariously by watching YouTube.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I took a trip on an Amtrak to Washington state to Wisconsin and booked a sleepette too. Funny thing is, it looks bigger in pictures -lol. But it served it’s purpose and was actually pretty comfortable
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’ve only been on an Amtrak trip once, Portland to Fargo on the Empire Builder. I didn’t get tickets soon enough for us to get a sleepette, or I would have. We found the large seats relatively comfortable for the two nights of our trip, besides the second night we departed the train about 3 AM, so it was a short night anyway.
I am looking forward to traveling on other Amtrak trips but haven’t yet picked a route. Maybe just eastbound out of Fargo to Chicago on the Empire Builder to start.
LikeLiked by 1 person
It’s actually a nice, relaxing way to travel, but the trains are not in the greatest shape and don’t count on arriving at your destination on time!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I have never been on an Amtrack, but it’s on my list! 😀 I think getting a sleepette would be the way to go.
LikeLiked by 1 person
If you’re on an overnight train, a sleepette is definitely the way to go.
LikeLiked by 2 people
I always wanted to do that. The only other people I know who did it complained endlessly about how the beds were too small and I hesitated to point out that they were both rather fat. Good to hear from another source! I’d STILL like to do it, but we would need to get to Phoenix which is actually surprisingly complicated from Boston. Also, booking is VERY complicated because you have to make separate arrangements for each train you board (at least four) and they won’t transfer your luggage OR provide transport for the areas where tracks are unusable and you have to take a bus — AND they won’t guarantee there will even BE a bus. It’s a bit disconcerting.
LikeLiked by 1 person
It’s a shame the U.S. train system is in the shape it’s in. If it was kept up, like it is in some other countries, it could be a great way to travel.
LikeLike
A train trip is definitely on my bucket list.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I hope you make it!
LikeLike