#2 Vancouver to Sacramento on the Coast Starlight

 May 1-2, 2023

Though my primary focus was a graveyard, on an island off the coast of Georgia, I opted to begin by heading south on the Coast Starlight.  Daughter Cassandra and her two travel-minded kiddos brought me to the station.  She snapped a couple of pictures as the train pulled in, and of me waving goodbye.

As I boarded in early afternoon, I was urged immediately down to the dining car for lunch.  Due to Amtrak’s community dining policy, I got squeezed in a booth with three other people.  The man sitting at the window next to me was originally from Vegas, had lived five years in Israel, and now was retired to Budapest.  The couple across from me was from LA, but she was from Taiwan, and he was Japanese, but born and raised in southern California.  It all made for some interesting conversation.  The train pretty much crawls across the bridges to the Portland Union Station, and then is stopped there for a half hour.  

As we began to depart the station, I excused myself so that I could go back to my room.

Portland, as seen from the freeways, is a beautiful city, with the Willamette River running through it, and the graceful, tall buildings of the skyline.  Some of the train route is not so pretty, but like life, it’s all a part of the package.

The stretch between Albany and Eugene is flat and peaceful, with various crops.

I’m a fool for bridges of any kind, and random bodies of water, and enjoy trying to capture them while in a rocking and rolling train.  An early dinner of salmon over ancient grains brought more conversation and views. 

I was eager to get back to the privacy of my room though, so took my dessert and decaf coffee with me.  My attendant happened to come by my door as I was returning, so I had her make up my little bed.  Then, with all the lights off, and curtains open, I sat up in bed and watched the fog and dusk descend as we wound our way up into the Cascade Mountains.

With an early scheduled for Sacramento, I set my alarm for 5:30.  Usually the room attendant will make sure that you are awake early enough to get off at your stop, but they aren’t required to. 

When my phone chimed in the morning, I shimmied into my clothes without getting off the bed, then pulled aside the curtains to greet the day.  The sun hadn’t risen yet over the low, flat Sacramento Valley.

As hadn’t really unpacked my bag, I had extra time, so I was delighted to find that the big percolator pot in our car was already done brewing.  I had my bed made back into chairs, and sat with my morning cup as the sun crept up, highlighting the puffy clouds.