On Wednesday we lost Harry Morgan, a prolific character actor best known for his portrayal of Col. Potter in the long-running television series M*A*S*H. He was 96.
I met Harry back in 2001 when I was spending a couple of nights with my dear friend the actor David Huddleston and his wife Sarah Koeppe in LA as part of my awesome “Around the USA Via Amtrak” adventure.
I want to share with you what I wrote in my newsletter from way back then ...
“August 23, 2001 - That night David, Sarah and I had a great dinner at a restaurant in the valley. We were joined by David’s long time friend Harry Morgan who, among many other roles, played Col. Potter in M*A*S*H. Harry is now 85 but you would never know it. He is bright, alert, and a charming person. We were also joined by his son Chris who is a producer.”
RIP COLONEL POTTER.
Looking back in my daily log to find this information caused me revisit that awesome experience of circumnavigating the U S of A via train. I know it was a long time ago, but one of the reasons I write this blog is to share experiences and also to create a cyberspace record of my activities and adventures, regardless of when they occurred.
In October of 2001 the editor of The Lakeland Ledger asked me to write about the trip, and I did. It, however, was never published. I want to share it with you now ... oh, I know it is long and dated ... so scroll down ... or not ... it is up to you and loyal and faithful readers.
BILL’S AUGUST AMTRAK ADVENTURE
Phileas Fogg, the hero in Jules Verne’s “Around the World in 80 Days” circumnavigated the globe in a plethora of transportation devices, including a balloon and that was quite an accomplishment for the time. In August this 67 year old retiree circumnavigated the United States via Amtrak in a 21 day fulfillment of a lifetime dream adventure that began with a visit to Amtrak’s website: www.amtrak.com, was outlined with the help of Amtrak’s Vacation Planner and was finalized through the awesome professionalism of my two travel agents Blanche Bryant and Cindi Helms at International Sun Travel in Bartow. I also heavily relied on a book titled “USA by Rail, The Bradt Travel Guide,” purchased at Barnes & Noble. The book has detailed information for each Amtrak Train route and includes mileage and estimated time for each scheduled stop and as a bonus it has brief descriptions of the cities and sites that are not scheduled stops.
It was essential to my plan that I had reservations in a sleeper car for all legs of the trip. On Amtrak the bedrooms are either standard for one or two passengers, with dimensions of 3’6” x 6’6” or deluxe for two passengers, with dimensions of 6’6” x 7’6”. Since I was traveling alone I chose the standard accommodations which was adequate and would have been OK for 2 people for overnight but I think on a trip longer than one night a couple would be well advised to choose the deluxe room if possible. The exact configurations of the sleeper cars are spelled out in the Vacation Planner. Restrooms and showers are available in each sleeper car and I recommend a supply of Wet Ones be taken along. Each sleeper car is served by an attendant whose job is to make the trip as anxiety free as possible. I was very impressed with all of the attendants and the other personnel I had contact with.
The adventure began in Penn Station in New York City at 4:30pm August 8 as I boarded the LAKE SHORE LIMITED destined to arrive the next afternoon in Chicago. Once aboard I quickly learned that most important person on the train is not the engineer or the conductor but is in reality the dining car steward who has the sole responsibility to determine who eats what, where and when. Once the train began moving the steward started through the sleeper cars taking reservations for dinner which is done in from 5 to 7 seatings beginning at 5:30pm and ending around 9:00pm, I opted for the last seating throughout the adventure. After the sleeper car (first class) requests are accommodated any remaining slots are made available to coach class. All meals are included in the first class fare. Breakfast and lunch are on a first-come first-served basis, with reservations taken after the seats are filled. I was very surprised and pleased at the quality of the food on each train. There was usually about 10 entree choices. There is no individual seating, so for each meal you are seated with strangers, but I found that not to be a problem, in fact, it turned out to be one of the best aspects of the adventure because I met some very interesting and pleasant people.
And speaking of people - for the entire trip I found almost everyone to be open, very friendly and for the most part pretty laid back. Almost everyone was riding the train by choice. They had other travel options available to their final destination and opted to go by train. I met 5 couples and 3 individuals who were on their own Amtrak Adventure similar to mine.
When I returned to my room following dinner I found that the attendant had turned down the upper bunk per my previous request. It seemed that everyone went to bed around 10:00pm because, frankly, you can’t see anything out of the windows at night anyway. I had brought along my trusty laptop computer and portable CD player and that helped pass the time until I was ready to crash. Electrical outlets are in each room. I had been a little concerned about whether I would have trouble going to sleep due to noise and train motion but no problem whatsoever. I do, however, highly recommend the use of ear plugs to mask the sound levels.
The train was late in arriving in Chicago and this was pretty much of a pattern for the entire trip. One problem seems to be that freight trains are now given the right of way, so we spent a lot on time on sidetracks waiting for the slower moving freight trains to lumber by. I think that any planned connection of less than 3 hours is mighty risky. Oh, speaking of risk - I highly recommend the purchase of trip cancellation insurance especially with what is going on now.
In Chicago I transferred to the EMPIRE BUILDER for the long trek across the top of these United States through Minnesota, North Dakota, Montana, Idaho and Washington. It was in this leg that I really began to appreciate the vastness of this country and its diverseness. In North Dakota, for example, you will see only one structure on the horizon for as far as you can see and the thought hits you: “Who are these people and how can the live/survive in such isolation?” The mountains leading into Seattle are awe inspiring. We arrived in Seattle WA on the afternoon of August 11.
In Seattle I connected with my friends Judge Marvin Mounts and his wife Polly, from West Palm Beach, who were in Seattle to attend Wagner’s Ring Series at the Seattle Opera, and we rented a van and spent the next 10 days visiting national parks, Mt. Rainier, Mt. Hood, and Crater Lake. Several columns could be devoted to this aspect of the trip alone, so the best I can do now is to summarize as follows: “Seattle Swings,” “Mount Rainier Reigns,” “Da Hood is Good,” “Crater Lake is Mega Cool,” and “Portland Pulsates.”
On August 19 I boarded the COAST STARLIGHT in Portland OR for the overnight trip down to Los Angeles. Most of the Oregon route is through beautiful forests and mountains. In California the route is along the coastline which is also very beautiful. We arrived in Los Angeles late the evening of the 20th. I spent 2 nights with my friends actor David Huddleston and his wife Sarah. David is a character actor and was, among many other roles, the Mayor in “Blazing Saddles” and the grandfather in “The Wonder Years.” While in LA we had dinner with Harry Morgan who played Col. Potter in “M*A*S*H.” What a wonderful and delightful person he is.
On the evening of August 24 I boarded the SUNSET LIMITED for the long ride along the bottom of the United States through Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama to Jacksonville. When I say long, I mean long and this was the only part of the trip that became a little tiring, especially the eternity it took to get across Texas where it seemed that the same window view, mountains on the horizon and cacti in the foreground, never changed. In the brief stop in Houston I was amazed that the train station in the 4th largest city in the US was an absolute dump and that description is being generous. Because we were running late the anticipated 4 hour layover in New Orleans, which I had planned to spend in the French Quarter, came after everyone, including me, was long in bed. Once we crossed into Florida the engineer went full throttle the rest of the way and we made up a lot of time, arriving finally in Jacksonville on the 25th only about an hour behind schedule.
After spending the night with a fraternity brother, I got on the SILVER METEOR for the overnight trip back to New York, arriving at Penn Station at 9:40am on August 29, thus ending the August Amtrak Adventure which covered 26 states and 7,966 train miles, 1,305 van miles, for a total of 9,271 miles over 21 days. Was it worth it? Oh Yes!! Do I Recommend Amtrak? Yes I do. Will I make a similar trip in the future” You better believe it!!
********
Have I made a similar trip? Nope. Planned several but none of them came to fruition.
Now ... coming back to the present ... let me give you Billi Pod’s report card on last night’s entertainment event ...
FARM BOY==>A<==a heartwarming sequel to the hugely popular “War Horse.” It explores the lives of four generations of a farming family through stellar performances and superb storytelling.
The two performers tell the story of the relationship between a boy and his grandfather and the latter’s shamed admission that he cannot read or write. Over a long summer, the boy becomes teacher to the man, and the bond they form has implications for the boy’s future.
It clocks in at under an hour and the time flies by. I highly recommend this show. See it ASAP. It runs through January 1.
Billi Pod has an entertainment doubleheader for today --
3:00==>TUCK EVERLASTING - a staged reading of a new musical about a young woman who meets and falls in love with a young man who is part of a family of immortals. (free)
The reading is in a theater on my block.
Then ...
8:00==>THE ASPHALT CHRISTMAS - “It's The Bells of St. Mary's meets The Exorcist - the story of St. Celestine's annual holiday pageant, a "possessed" fifteen-year-old girl, her long-lost mother, a singing priest with a past, and two nuns who must deal with the devil within their convent school walls.” (Off Broadway - $9.00 TDF ticket)
This is also playing at a theater on my block and it sounds like a lot of fun, doesn’t it?
Well, more strange news from The Gator Nation. Our offensive coordinator has bailed and is heading to Kansas University to be their head coach, to which Billi Pod says==>so long coach Wuss, thanks for your “offensive-genius” work this season. Oh, will you please take coach Muskrat with you - he can be your defensive coordinator.
GO YANKEES AND GO GATORS!!
Billi Pod
“Don’t pick a fight with an old man. If he is too old to fight, he’ll just kill you.”
ALEX-107
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