It was a frigid cold morning mixed with occasional snowflakes, and with a dusting of new snow on top of the already frozen sidewalks. The Emerald city was once again crippled, by a dusting of snow.
We had to make it the six blocks to Seattle’s King Street Station, the embarkation point for Amtrak Coast Starlight.
After Much discussion,
about whether to take a cab or just walk the six blocks to the station it was
decided that we would slog our bags on foot the six blocks to the station.
After leaving the hotel concierge a generous tip of left-over
Pantone crumbs, on his windowsill station, we exited the hotel to find roller
bag tracks already etched into the snow. Following the already broken trail we
soon found ourselves at the station.
The station hails from the heyday of passenger rails and has
been lovely restored recently. Here is a link to all the history anyone would
ever want on the station History Of King Street Station
The Amtrak check in counter was open when we arrived so I
presented the document I printed at home to the agent. She said we were good to
go but the train would be late. Somehow this was no surprise. Uncomfortable
chairs or hard wooden benches were right out the door in the expansive lobby. We
settled on the chairs.
After about 2 hours I noticed a crew van had appeared out by
the tracks. I took this as a good sign. After about another hour the consist of
two massive GE locomotives with its train coupled to them arrived on one of the
tracks. One of the crew members, complete with high visibility vest and hard
hat announced by shouting that this train wasn’t to be boarded.
No one could understand a word that this fellow shouted, but I figured that since the head end was pointed north, and we were going south, that the train would have to be turned. Sure enough, just as soon as the excitement of seeing the two-hour late train reached its apex it, blasted its horn and reversed out of the station, and must have went all the way to Olympia to turn around.
Some passengers began sobbing, but I knew the train would
soon return. Before it did return the announcement was made that if you were
travelling in something called coach that you would have to queue up and in front
of the little booth that said it was just for that, and you would receive your
seat assignment.
Now up to this time everyone was keeping with the covid protocols,
masked up and keeping space in between each other, but as soon as all the coach passengers queued
up it was more like a group hug.
To Amtrak’s credit they were serious about masking up and limiting seating in the dining car. They even announced more than once that if you were sleeping in your coach seat and did not have your mask on, they would wake you up. Noncompliance would result in being put of the train, and if you resisted you might be put off somewhere you did not want to be. I believe they were serious.
We had our own “Bedroom” with a door and a curtain so they could
not see if we unmasked, and no one peeked in at night.
Traveling on the Starlight the bedroom is the only way to
go. Although the room is small. About the size of a walk-in closet, it does
afford you privacy, and your own bathroom complete with a shower. Now the room
is about the size of a walk-in closet, and the combo toilet shower is about the
size of a coffee table. Its way bigger than the “Roomettes” the roomettes we saw
it looked like one person was filling up the entire space.
It was only about two and a half hours past our departure
time that we finally were all boarded and under way.
We did not get out of the yard before we stopped again for something. We were busy by then with our room attendant making reservations for lunch and dinner.
Once out of the yard we headed south at track speed which is
about 45 mph. It was fun watching out our window on the second story the people
getting on and off.
Traveling on the rail corridor you also see in almost every
city camps of the mentally ill. Some cities are kind enough to place portable toilets
near these camps. But that was a rarity.
About the time we arrived in Portland we discovered just why the train was called “The Starlight”
It was difficult to see the scenery after dark. It was fun however once I figure out how to turn off the lights, sitting in our dark compartment and staring at the passing lights.
Later in the evening as we headed over the Cascades it was totally
dark, as even the local power was out. Having the local power off, caused the railroad
signals to be dark, and that caused the Starlight to proceed at 3 mph.
Awaking from a restless sleep I watched as trees loaded down
with snow whizzed past. Early in the morning in Dunsmuir plowed snow was piled
high, and the light was on at Pops. It was getting light at Redding, and we
were dropping below the snow. Through the central Valley most of the fields
were flooded from the recent rains. Birds were abundant. Red Tail Hawks, Swans,
Geese, and numerous ducks were all spotted in the fields.
Pulling into Sacramento where there would be a crew change,
we stepped off the train for the first time in what seemed like days. It felt
great to stretch our legs and get some fresh air.
Back on board we only stopped for one station stop in Davis, then headed towards Oakland. The track rolls along San Pablo Bay, the home of many of California’s oil refinery. People fished along the shore for what I do not know.
A long stop in Oakland for the train to resupply, and our
last lunch call
The food on the Starlight is excellent. The service top of
the shop.
As we approach our final stop San Jose the train stopped out
in the pickle weed just before Alviso. I guess the stop was so we could be a
little more late.
Once under way we passed right through the only ghost town
in the Bay Area, Drawbridge, and then into San Jose. I was glad to finally reach
my destination.
Would I do another Amtrak train trip. Yes. Probably the only thing I would do different would be I would check my bag.
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