# Riding The California Zephyr and Coast Starlight



## sunchaser (Aug 9, 2012)

We started our journey from Salt Lake City, Utah, on June 26.

We managed to book bedrooms both ways with AGR points, a first for us!

We got to the station a bit early to print our tickets and attempt to check part of our baggage, but they refused to check our big bag. The Station Agent said we couldn't because there was no checked baggage at the end point. I wasn't going to argue with him about the fact that we had an 11 hour layover in Sacramento and planned on taking care of it from there.

We waited for the California Zephyr to show up, and more and more people began arriving! Far more than our last trip three years ago. It was a few minutes late, but we spent the time talking with the folks gathered there.

The Conductor boarded people from Coach first, based on the amount of people in their party, then finally boarded the sleepers. He stated several times that the train was completely full.

Our SCA was named Tony, and seemed okay when we boarded, but he didn't remind us about what time they would serve breakfast. More on that later. He was surprised too that they would not check any of our bags.

We settled in to our Bedroom "B", cracked open something cold to drink, and then we were off on our new adventure! We turned in, and every once in a while the bathroom door would swing open, so I finally blocked it with a bag.

Slept pretty good until Mr Sunchaser slipped off the ladder and fell...he was okay. Seems we hit a switch just as he was descending, and plop he went!

Our first stop was in Winnemucca, I got out and enjoyed the 'fresh air break'. Nice improvements on the stop! Last time we were through, there was basically a platform. Now it has a couple of small parking areas and a pretty nice enclosure. It was pretty chilly.

I was surprised to see that the coffee was already made when I reboarded the train, so I grabbed a cup and headed back to our bedroom. Hubby was waking up so I went got him a cup too. It wasn't very good, but not to worry, I had brought a teakettle and french press, so we had some coffee to wake up. So bad on me, I didn't remember when the Dining Car opened for breakfast. I thought it was 9:30, so we waited. I got cleaned up.

Next stop, Reno. Spoke with our SCA, hubby told him about his fall, he offered to write up a report, hubby declined. Turns out it was Tony's 'last run' before retiring. Tony had gotten our bedroom fixed up while we were outside. Never mentioned or asked how breakfast was. Back on board, we headed into our bedroom to wait for breakfast. So we waited.And waited. Then around 9:20, we headed to the Dining Car, and was ignored. Finally got the attention of someone, who informed us we had missed breakfast, not too politely. I asked, we are in the sleepers, now what? "You will have to go buy something in Lounge Car"! I wasn't too happy about it, neither was hubby. Mostly my fault, I guess. We bought a hot dog and a hamburger, some chips. They were way over nuked. ARGH!

We headed down for lunch, and was seated with a nice couple who ride the train really regularly. They had announced an abbreviated menu, Hot Dogs, Hamburgers, Mac and Cheese and the special. We had the cheeseburger. It was pretty good, and we also had some Raspberry Sorbet. Really good!

We managed to get lunch with out much trouble, but the staff was indifferent and rushed. I'm sure they were stressed out, but should have been a little better since we were the first to be seated for lunch.

Back to the room to enjoy the view, and took a quick nap on the bottom bunk before arriving in SAC.

Trainman's Daughter and I had been emailing back and forth for a while, and she and her hubby came down to SAC and met our train!

We got a Redcap by the name of Christopher, and he happily stored our bags in the back for a small fee (I think it was $3.00), then he drove us all over through the parking area towards Old Sacramento, saving us all a bunch of walking! We had a great time in Old Sacramento! We first went to the River City Saloon (http://therivercitysaloon.com/), so that they could have something to eat, and we chatted for a long time! What great fun! It was great to meet up and get to know each other a bit. Then we went to the Railroad Museum (http://www.csrmf.org/), and it was awesome! Hubby was getting bit by the train bug! We then walked over to the river, and Trainman's Daughter was explaining all about the area. She grew up nearby, and it was like having our own private tour! Then we went to the Delta King, (deltaking.com), had some salads and dessert. A bit pricey, but we just wanted to try it out. We then headed back and visited the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory and picked up some goodies. (http://rmcf.com/ca/sacramento50028/)

Here is a link with all the fun things to do in Old Sacramento-http://oldsacramento.com/

Trainman's Daughter and her hubby left us around 6:30 or 7, so we hung out at the station, reading and checking email, etc. There was a wireless connection in the station (unsecured), it just took a while to connect.

We visited with many people waiting for the train, from all over, enjoyed watching the pigeons coming in and out of the station.

We gathered up our things to wait for the Coast Starlight, and it was around a half hour late.

Our new SCA was Jaime (pronounced Hymie) and he was awesome. We boarded, and he helped us take our small bags into the bedroom, Bedroom "D". We finally got a newer refurbished Sleeper Car, the "George Pullman" Car! Our bedroom, however, looked like an AUer had been there-there was duck tape running the length of the connecting door! Hubby took a picture, which I will attempt to post.

Jaime came back and offered us some Champagne, which we agreed to, then reminded us when the Parlor and Dining Cars would be open for breakfast.

We settled in, enjoyed the Champagne, then went to bed. Hubby decided to try to sleep together on the bottom bed. It wasn't very comfy for either of us, but at least we tried it.

I woke up very early around Dunsmuir to see Mount Shasta and attempted to get some pictures, but most didn't turn out well. Coffee was ready early again..

This time the coffee was better so I didn't make any.

Again showered in the room, a bit cozy, but doable.

We had breakfast in the Dining Car with a young couple, Maryland Crabcakes. Pretty tasty.

After breakfast, we hung out in the Parlor Car for awhile, and picked up some mugs from the Parlor Car- I guess they quit selling the hats.

We stopped in Klamath Falls for a bit.

We had the Red Pepper/Ham/ flatbread sandwich, which was good.

We had lunch in the Diner with a couple who were going all the way up to Alaska, doing a cruise and taking the train from Seward.

They love the Coast Starlight and the Empire Builder.

After lunch, I kept wandering out for cranberry juice so Jaime brought me a whole container!

We then stopped in Eugene for a short while.

We decided to try to nap together on the bottom bed. Worked out okay, but we missed the wine tasting. We were pretty tired.

We then stopped in Portland for quite a while, chatted with many people, took some pics of the Car and Jaime, saw the EB and a Cascades train.

Dinner in the Diner! We had the Flat Iron Steak, grilled perfectly. For dessert I had the lemon coconut cake, hubby had more sorbet. The cake was awesome! Dinner was with a couple from Finland who come over every year to ride the train. They are both teachers. He said the way they save money is by going to Germany to buy their cars! Their favorite train is the Coast Starlight.

It seems that throughout both trips on the Starlight, we either did not like the menu or it was already booked solid by the time they came by our bedroom, which either right next to the Parlor Car, or one car away.

Back to the room, to prepare for departing from our favorite train. I thought I had everything collected, but I forgot our wine cooler under the couch. We said our goodbyes and departed. The train was about 10 minutes late arriving in Olympia.

So we realized later that we had left the cooler on the train and tried to get ahold of someone about it. We called the main number and they assured us the Conductor would call us back with in 24 hours-didn't happen. I tried to get through to the Seatle Station, but by that time it was Saturday and just got a machine.

Our next adventure was to take the Cascades to Tukwila. We had booked Business Class -Thanks Alan- hubby is hooked on the Cascades! The one that showed up was indeed wrapped in the King Tut theme, but I didn't have time to get a picture. He really enjoyed the ride on the Cascades. So did I! We sat with and older Lady who takes the train all the time.

Our stop was Tukwila-we wanted to go to the Museum of Flight. (museumoffllight.org)

We booked a room with Embassy Suites, which is a short walk from the station. Unfortunately, the map I looked at showed it as a bit further-so we called the hotel to come pick us up.

Their shuttle was busy, so we called a cab. Really could have walked it-next time we will.

We had a nice dinner at the hotel, which by the way also has a manager's reception every night, free drinks and snacks.

The next morning, we had their free breakfast, then took their shuttle to the Museum.

The Museum of Flight was awesome! I was hoping they would have the whole Shuttle Trainer there, but it won't all be there until September. We went through LBJ's

Air Force One, and a Concord plane.

We then went back to the hotel for one more night, then in the morning we took a cab (I know, no train) up to the Seattle Amtrak Station.

At the Station, we stored our bags (for free, because of our Business Class tickets) and checked for our cooler. It was there! We had not put any tags on it, but next time we will. The wine was still in it, but the blue ice was gone.

We took a cab over to Pike Place took in a few sights, had lunch at Lowells. While we were there, the fire alarm went off. NOBODY left the restaurant, they were saying 'I'm sure they will tell us if it's real". We were done with lunch, so we went downstairs and outside to smoke. Sure enough, the hook and ladder showed up shortly. Still don't know if there was a fire, but we weren't going to wait to find out. We went back in and bought some goodies, then went over to the boardwalk and back. Then stopped for some Iced Coffee and Frappucino at Starbucks. Seattle is an interesting place.

We then went back over to the station to wait for the train. Since they are remodeling it, we couldn't see most of the station. We did see the EB come in, but couldn't go out and look at it. There were a several people going or coming back from a cruise/train trip in Alaska. We had spoken with several couples on our way up that were doing this trip.

Took the Cascades back down to Olympia, what a fun ride.

Sadly, all this fun had to end. We had visited with the relatives and celebrated the 4th of July, and had a great time with them, and I also was able to get to see a cousin that I haven't seen since I was a child. But of course, at some point we must take the train home. So sad to be leaving, but already planning for a return!

So now we waited for the Coast Starlight on the 7th of July.

It arrived pretty much on time.

We had Bedroom "C". We managed to get another newer refurbed Sleeping Car! It is interesting that the 'refurb' bedroom and bathroom seems to be bigger inside.

Our SCA's name was Santee.

Santee did a pretty good job of taking care of us-already had a reservation for the dining car for lunch for us, and brought us champagne.

Later, we had lunch with a man from back east, he was a retired train guy.

I don't remember for sure, but we may have had the special. I don't remember what it was.

The funny thing was that they didn't have any rolls and something else too, said they would have to pick them up in Portland!

We then returned to our room for a bit, then after a while we had our stop in Portland.

It was a nice break from the train, and we saw a baggage car with the old 'Shasta Daylight' colors.

After our stop in Portland, we reboarded, and waited to attend the wine/cheese tasting.

It was a lot of fun as usual, I bought a couple more mugs, then back to the bedroom for a bit.

Next stop-Eugene. Boy, it was warm. It was a short stop, but nice all the same.

Next was dinner in the Diner. I would have preferred the Parlor Car, but the menu was so limited, so we chose the Diner.

We both had the Flat Iron Steak again, it was done perfectly as tasted very good. Sorbet for dessert, very tasty.

We had dinner with a nice couple. He was a pharmacist.

Back to our room to enjoy the scenery, wishing we were heading North instead of South.

All through our ride, the Conductor was cracking jokes about all the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts onboard, like 'We're getting more Scouts at the next stop-break out the folding chairs'

Our last stop of the night-Klamath Falls. It was nice, not too cool, and a good little break before bed.

Santee prepared our beds while we were stopped, so everything was ready, and offered us a wake up call, which we really appreciated. I still set my alarm, though.

Slept pretty well, woke up early to gather everything together and get cleaned up before departing in Sacramento.

Santee had the coffee ready which was great. I had been concerned that we wouldn't get any coffee before leaving which would have made it harder to get going.

We pulled into Sacramento and got a Red Cap, then we realized we had forgotten our jackets!

Thankfully, the train didn't leave right away, so Mr Sunchaser was able to go get them.

So now we had a small layover for the California Zephyr and the final leg of our journey. We had talked about going to Steamers over by the Railroad Museum, but hubby didn't feel like a walk, so we waited for Starbucks to open. Last time through, we didn't realize that Starbucks was open on Sunday. We had a couple of large coffees and some danishes, then finally went and got iced coffee and frappucino. We were hungry and thirsty! At home we don't eat near as often as we do while on the train!

We spent some of our time checking status online, reading etc., watching the resident pigeons come in and out of the station.

There was a bunch of teenagers waiting to take one of the Corridor Trains, looked like they were going camping too.

The California Zephyr showed up pretty much on time, we boarded and headed to our bedroom, bedroom B.

Richard, our SCA was really great. Very personable, very helpful. He took really good care of us.

He had already set up a reservation for lunch for us.

We had lunch with a young woman and her son taking his first train ride. He was so excited, loves trains and knew quite a bit about them!

I had the Macaroni & Cheese, Mr Sunchaser had the Cheeseburger. It was pretty good.

We went back to our room to enjoy the scenery, and rest for a while.

First stop-Reno. Had some nice chats with people, including the young lady and her boy.

Back on board, got ready for dinner in the Diner.

We had dinner with a nice couple, we had the steak again, which was really good, and lemon cake for dessert for me, eclair for Mr Sunchaser.

Back to our room for more scenery and relax some more.

Last stop Winnemucca. They had to spot the train, and change out the train crew. It was kind of a long stop.

They said it was so hot, that we had to wait for the tracks to cool, because they could buckle from the heat.

There were several people, two different couples, who were from New Zealand!

Richard had said he would be by to set our beds, and he came by and got us all set up. What a nice guy, a career guy. You could tell he loved his work. He offered us a wake up call, which we agreed to.

Set our watches back, and my phone alarm, because it would be soooo early!

Got up at 2:00am (I know, I told you early!), Richard already had the coffee ready, so I grabbed some, and started waking up and getting ready. The coffee wasn't too bad. It's odd that sometimes it tastes like poor restaurant coffee, other times it's just fine.

So we were about 1/2 hour late getting into Salt Lake City. I found out later that the #5 really late getting into Salt Lake City, and had just barely left when we arrived.

We got unloaded, then Mr Sunchaser went to get a cart, and they wouldn't let him have one without leaving his driver's license! So we did that, then unloaded it and waited for a cab, and finally caught one home.

What a great trip! Already planning the next one, with less bags and a longer time away!


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## JayPea (Aug 9, 2012)

Great report! On my cross-country trip I took with my uncle last month, Richard was our SCA. We went from Chicago to Sacramento, arriving in Sacramento on the 7th, so Richard was returning to Chicago after serving us westbound. He is an excellent SCA and a real asset to Amtrak. I have had many good SCA's on my Amtrak travels, but I believe Richard is the best I've had. Unfortunately, he is due for retirement very soon.

Glad you got your cooler back and that you enjoyed Seattle. Lowell's is my restaurant of choice while in the Pike Place Market area; love their seafood omlettes for breakfast!!

Glad your trip went so well!


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## sunchaser (Aug 9, 2012)

JayPea said:


> Great report! On my cross-country trip I took with my uncle last month, Richard was our SCA. We went from Chicago to Sacramento, arriving in Sacramento on the 7th, so Richard was returning to Chicago after serving us westbound. He is an excellent SCA and a real asset to Amtrak. I have had many good SCA's on my Amtrak travels, but I believe Richard is the best I've had. Unfortunately, he is due for retirement very soon.
> 
> Glad you got your cooler back and that you enjoyed Seattle. Lowell's is my restaurant of choice while in the Pike Place Market area; love their seafood omlettes for breakfast!!
> 
> Glad your trip went so well!


Thank you!

I think next time we will leave the cooler home and just pack the wine in one of the bags in a wine sleeve. I know I can fit it in somewhere..... :giggle:

Richard certainly was one of the best we've had so far, but we haven't traveled much. Richard mentioned he would be retiring sometime in the future, but I think he said two or more years.

Hubby wants to try to make it an annual thing, and I'm certainly agreeable to that.

Next time we want to go the Air Museum again, then try to go to the Seattle Aquarium and the Underground tour too.

We did enjoy Lowell's and it was fun to see the many different shops crammed in that area!

Riding Amtrak, even with the issues is still our first choice unless time is a priority.


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