Hello AU Gang,
Finally completed the trip report for our western excursion in May/June. Will try to get some photos on ASAP.
Amtrak Summer Vacation
May 24-June 6, 2009
Cleveland-Los Angeles Capitol Ltd, Texas Eagle/Sunset Ltd
Los Angeles-Merced San Joaquins
Merced-Sacramento San Joaquins
Sacramento-San Francisco Coast Starlight & California Capitols
Sacramento –San Diego San Joaquins-Surfliners
San Diego-Cleveland Surfliner- Southwest Chief-Capitol Ltd.
We ordered our Guest Rewards tickets last fall and were anticipating an exciting trip to California to see Yosemite National Park, another stop in San Francisco and an extended stay in San Diego. It would be our first rides on the Texas Eagle and San Joaquins trains.
After the usual preparations for the trip and working all day Saturday at the library, we were ready to head off to Cleveland around midnight on the 24th of May. A call to Julie indicated the Capitol Ltd was arriving into Pittsburgh on time.
We arrived in Cleveland around 1:15am and decided to check our large bags through to Merced CA. We were a bit concerned that our bags might arrive there before our train but the agent in Cleveland said they would hold bags for a couple days before charging any storage fees. It was likely our bags might go to California via the CZ while we were leisurely riding across the country on the Texas Eagle.
We were also hoping that we might get into a sleeper in CLE even though our 2-zone Rewards tickets would only allow us to board the roomette in TOL. The Amtrak Discussion Group said there was a chance we might get into our roomette early, but as the CL arrived in at the station 15 minutes early (2:32am), we were told we must ride with our coach tickets to TOL. The conductor was very accommodating and said we could sit on the lower level of the Superliner coach car so we wouldn’t need to climb the stairs for a seat. There were several seats available on the lower level and it was generally pretty quiet down there.
At 2:47am we sped off into the night crossing the Cuyahoga River and heading south toward the airport where the tracks then turned to the west and Elyria. No one got on the train at Elyria; next stop would be Sandusky, no riders there either. We didn’t sleep much since we knew we would need to leave our coach car and walk the train to our 2901 car at the head in.
We arrived in Toledo early around 4:45am as well, which made for plenty of time to walk the platform. There was a long line of passengers waiting to board our sleeper but we eventually made it to Roomette #7 and got settled in. Our beds were made up and we crawled in for a brief nap before breakfast It was a warm evening and no rain.
We were up early since the train attendant, John, said they would only serve breakfast until we reached South Bend, IN. Breakfast was in the CCC car and our seating mate was Joanne. She was married to an Amtrak conductor and lived on Southside of Chicago. She now worked for Orbitz travel, but once for Amtrak herself. She had been visiting relatives in Pittsburgh and was returning home. Her train fare was paid but she had to pay for meals on the train. We had one of the curved seats, which only comfortably seats three. Had an interesting conversation about our train travels.
We arrived in Chicago at 8:21am CDT, almost 20 minutes early and I managed to get the numbers of the locos on our train # 91 and 139. The walk to the CUS was loud; exciting as ever with the many trains sitting under the train shed and everyone rushing to get inside.
We know our way around CUS pretty well now and we headed to the Metro Lounge to check our bags, get some refreshment and a “pit stop” The lounge was nearly empty as most western trains do not leave until afternoon and everyone else must have already checked in and out. The Metro Lounge is a very nice place to rest and we enjoy it each time we come to Chicago.
Since our Texas Eagle would be leaving around 1:45 and our boarding call was for 1 PM we decided to just walk around the city and not take in any museums on this trip. It was a very nice morning so we walked west on Jackson Street to some areas not yet explored. We passed Lou Mitchell’s doing a bustling Sunday AM business. Sometime we will forego our breakfast on the train and stop at this famous eatery. We continued walking west and passed some large churches finishing their services, looked over the many unusual apartment complexes, crossed over the interstate bridge on Monroe Street and then headed back toward the station.
Some boats starting to ply the river now and decided to walk over the bridge and catch a quick ride on the EL around the city. Took the Purple Line for a nice ride getting off at the Merchandise Mart and then a Brown Line train back to Quincy Station.
We decided to pass on the Giardano’s pizza as we were still a bit full from breakfast. Sunday mornings are very quiet in the city and it makes for a nice walk. Lots of flowers out.
Decided to go over to the Great Hall and sit for a while. It is an awesome place with so many memories wrapped up in its walls and statues. The benches were back in so there were plenty of places to sit.
The deli where we usually eat was opening up at 11am so we headed over to the food court and had a great sandwich, chips and drink (Turkey for me, Egg Salad for Claudia) at Panini’s Deli before heading back to the Metro Lounge to wait for the boarding call. Retrieved our luggage and then conductor came in to take tickets for the TE. It is now after noon and the lounge is filling up fast. We find a seat, watch a little TV and then at 1:15 the call comes for Trains 21 and 421 to board at the side door. We are on Track 16 and as we walk out the platform I notice the cars are still numbered 22 for the northbound train. The car attendant Lonnie, said we had the correct car 2130 and that the numbers had not yet been changed. We said hello and headed up to our Roomette #7. We got settled in our little “cave” and then Lonnie came up to introduce himself. Seems like a friendly guy and as the trip progressed we would find him to be a very good car attendant.
We were excited about this train since it was our first ride on the TE and there would be some new scenery for a change. We headed out of Chicago on time (1:45PM) on a new route, seeing different rail yards, apartments and suburbs. We decided to move up to the Lounge Car to see more sights. There were not that many people in the car so it was a quiet and relaxing ride. An announcement was made for making dinner reservations but I had to go back to our room to await the dining car steward. Not a long wait and I made a reservation for 5 PM. Returned to the lounge car, we had some drinks and I went downstairs to take a photo of the lounge car menu for Alan B who had asked for a copy to send him.
We traveled across a flat Illinois countryside enjoying the sights on this very nice but warm day. Read the TE Route Guide and learned some interesting things about the land we were crossing—large stand of virgin timber. Arrived in Joliet around 2:45, saw the prison and the nice depot there. My Uncle Frank is from Joliet but do not think he has been back there for a long time.
Our next stop was Bloomington, IL, the home of George Pullman and one of the cities where Lincoln gave a famous speech. Lincoln, IL was the first city named for Lincoln before he became president. Saw lots of rail yards, a whole line of HLCX rental engines sitting idle in a yard near Pontiac, IL. Another line of camp cars was sitting idle as well.
We arrived in Springfield, IL about the time our dinner call came so we moved to the dining car and were seated with the man and his son who were across the hall from us in Room 6. They were from St Louis and had traveled to Chicago for a day trip. His wife and other son were in New York City on another trip. He was a lawyer who now is in private business.
Claudia and I had the flat iron steak with baked potato and it was very good. Our server Jane was a funny lady who kept everyone hopping. Our guests had the ribs special and said it was good as well. They had ice cream, Claudia had the pecan pie and I went for the cheesecake. All were yummy!!. We had a CCC car, but were seated in a regular booth, which was nice.
We enjoy the trip across west central Illinois passing by Alton where the Abolitionist movement began with a murder of a printer. We reach the outskirts of St. Louis and pass under the EADS Bridge, which was the first to cross the Mississippi River. As we cross the railroad bridge over the river we see the Gateway Arch and remember the research trip to St Louis many years ago when we went to the top of the famed structure.
We arrived at the refurbished St Louis station on time around 7:30PM and we had about 40 minutes to get out and stretch. I took the long walk up the stairs to the platform but there were many people waiting to board and they were checking tickets to be able to go out on the platform. Since I didn’t have my ticket with me I decided to pass on going into the station. Took some photos through the colored glass windows and then moved back down to the platform. Our lead loco was #58 and the HEP loco was #184. There was also a nicely refurbished Union Pacific coach sitting on the track nearby named the Kenefick. Lots of UP power passing by us while we refueled the locos and boarded the new passengers.
Got Lonnie to pose for a photo in front of our sleeper (still numbered 2230 **smile).
We left St. Louis on time and as we moved across southern Missouri, the sky darkened, a little rain started to fall and we were ready to call it a day. Lonnie came in to change our beds around 9:00PM. He has done a great job keeping the restrooms very clean, plenty of refreshments, and a personality that is a credit to Amtrak.
We met two new neighbors across the hall in Room 6 as our St Louis dad and son departed. Two ladies who we will learn about in more detail tomorrow.
The track is very rough as I head up to my upper bunk and managed to fall against the bed frame and cut my foot. OUCH!!. It would be a long night trying to sleep across Arkansas.
Monday May 25.
We awaken after a very rough ride through Arkansas. These tracks are the worst we have experienced on all of our trips. I was rocking and rolling in the upper bunk and got little sleep.
It was around six o’clock and decided to go down for a shower and get ready for breakfast. We went down to the CCC car as we left Texarkana and were now officially in Texas. Claudia had the continental breakfast and I had the cheese omelet; both were very good. Our breakfast companion was a lady who lives in Sierra Vista near Benson, AZ. She was originally from Michigan and had an auto dealership.
We finish our breakfast and conversations and are soon slowing down for the Marshall, Texas stop. We will have some time here since we are running early. I get off to take some photos of the beautifully restored brick depot. There was an old Texas & Pacific #400 steam engine in the rear of the building as well as a nicely restored Union Pacific caboose. A nice morning with the sun shining and its getting a little warm.
I strike up a conversation with a man who is taking his mother to visit her sister in Shreveport, La. They were from Illinois and would be getting off in Longview, Tx and taking the Amtrak bus to Shreveport. They were then going to pick up his aunt’s car and drive it back to Illinois to give to his son to drive. Our conductor calls for the all aboard and we say our goodbyes.
As I board the train, I see Jane and her colleague taking a break after breakfast serving and ask to take her picture. She is quite the personality with her wild red hair and big smile. She will keep us in stitches for the entire day.
It seems like no time and we are stopped in Longview (9am). I catch the guy and his mother walking up the platform for their Thruway bus and think again how the people we meet on the train are just a fleeting moment in our life’s journey. There are many people getting on and off at this station including the two ladies who were across the hall from us. They were on their way to Shreveport as well. Connections to and from Houston, Tyler, and Shreveport as well as those who will go to Dallas/Ft. Worth on a short 3 hour trip are moving on the platform.
We decide to head to the lounge car for the morning ride. It is almost empty and we enjoy the quiet ride as we pass several lakes, some oil fields, and beauty of East Texas. We make a brief stop in Mineola, where they have a nicely restored Western Pacific Lines red caboose in the railroad park next to the depot.
The lounge car is now full of the guitar music of two guys playing their tunes. Both are pretty talented and we enjoy their conversations about their individual guitars, their goal to play some gigs in “San Antone” and life in general.
We pass some small towns on the outskirts of Dallas and see a large stadium that looks to be used by several high school football teams under the Friday night lights. It is nearly 11am and we see the skyline of Big D in the background. There is a large blimp in the sky but not sure whether it is a Goodyear or some other company. The lounge car attendant is a nice guy and lets me have a nice menu card from the café downstairs.
We are still running early with all the padding in the schedule and we arrive at the large Dallas Depot around 11:15. The yellow light rail trains are moving around the depot and a large tower next to the depot housed a restaurant at one time. Some nice photos of the Dallas skyline as we head into downtown.
I anticipated meeting Chris (Saxman) from the Amtrak Discussion Group when we arrive. We had conversed over email before the trip and he thought he might be able to meet us here. As we disembark from our car I see a young man talking to the conductor asking for us. Yep, that was Chris and we smiled and introduced ourselves. Since I told him I would be 6’6” tall and wearing a railroad teeshirt (Pennsylvania RR), he could not help but find us. **smile**.
Chris was volunteering at the depot, but took some time to show us the depot, which was very nice and then we walked up the street to the Dailey Plaza where the Kennedy assassination took place. The book depository building with its open window was an eerie site and seeing the place in person brought back memories of my 6th grade classroom on the day of the shooting in 1963. Our teacher gave us the news and most everyone was crying and it was a sad day for America. Took some pictures of the various places (Grassy Knoll, site of the shooting on the street, and the underpass the limousine traveled to the hospital. A nice park in the plaza has monuments and fountains.
We decided to walk back to the depot so as not to miss our train. We greatly appreciated Chris meeting us and showing us the streets around Dallas. We walked back through the underground tunnel entrance and soon we were back to our car. Lonnie said we should get aboard for a short ride over to Ft. Worth. Said goodbye to Chris and we head back to our room. I take some photos of the downstairs area of our sleeper car for future Amtrak programs.
We leave Dallas on time at 12:20 and then we head for the diner for lunch. We have lunch with Fran and Guy. Her name is not really Fran but she looks and sounds just like the character on the TV series.(see photo) Claudia has the vegetable lasagna and I have the Angus Burger.
It isn’t very long before we are pulling into the yards of Ft. Worth. We move past the Tower 55 and soon are in the station. We are 20 minutes early so we have a long layover here as well so decide to get off and see all the action at the depot. It is very hot outside. Feels like 90s and people are sitting under the platform cover to avoid the sun.
There are three Amtrak trains here, the Heartland Flyer that goes to Oklahoma City, and the northbound Eagle has also pulled in. There is an interesting switching of locomotives here as some are disconnected and then connected to other trains. I have a difficult time trying to figure out what they are doing.
As we walk to the depot building we pass an old trolley car display and some interesting artwork murals on the wall leading to the door. We go into the depot and there are many people there. It is also the Greyhound depot so some are riding buses as well as trains.
With all three trains in the depot there is a flurry of activity by train crews and maintenance workers to get everything fueled and ready to go. Locomotive 19 was on the front end of the Heartland Flyer. Engine 90229 is an older unit that looks like it has a baggage compartment on the side? It is on the headend of the northbound Eagle. Engine #128 is being boarded by another train crew and will be backed up to our train. Loco #16 was also on the head end of the northbound Eagle but it is pulled out. Looks like its whole side was crushed in by something? #128 is now backed into the position on the NB TE. So after all this musical chairs with locos, it is time for everyone to leave. What a dispatching challenge for the people at Forth Worth along with the many freights that are in and out of the yards.
We leave Ft. Worth at 2:40pm and decide to stay in the lounge car as there is going to be a ranger talk by volunteers. Some of their program is interesting about the missions along the way to San Antonio but they spent too much time talking about financial matters dealing with their funding and not enough history for me. A nice talk about Cleburne Texas. A nice depot there as well. Major shops for the Santa Fe here at one time. We come across a large hilly section that is known as the Balcones Escarpment, which is a fault line that runs all the way to San Antonio. The Brazos River is full of boats today as we cross over the bridge
We move south past McGregor and Temple Texas and see lots of UP& BNSF action, large elevators and some livestock along the tracks. An announcement is made that supper will be served early and quickly as some of the crew will be getting off in Austin. Wondered why the dining crew gets off here, but that is the way it is. We moved to the dining car and sat with two ladies heading for New Braunfels, Tx where they reside. They are getting off at San Marcos just before San Antonio. I have the chicken special and Claudia has the burger but we are told that if we want dessert we will have to take it with us as the crew is going to get the car cleaned up so they can get off in Austin. We grab a couple of Hagen Daz ice creams and off to our room we go.
We pull into Austin early and have time to get out and walk around the small depot area. Lots of students (U of Texas) waiting for rides. Some photos of the skyline although the area around the depot is rather desolate looking. Claudia enjoys a conversation with the two ladies we had dinner with and I am snapping photos like a true tourist. We have a new person in the room across the hall #5. She is a woman from Fresno, Ca who has come to Austin for her daughter’s graduation with an M.A. from UT. Her husband and other daughter have flown from California, but she will not fly and is taking a leisurely trip back home on Amtrak. Her other daughter has a degree from Cal Poly at SLO. We will become casual friends as we travel across the country on the TE, and SJ.
Back on the train for a 7PM departure as we cross Colorado River (not the big one) and in a half hour we are in San Marcos, home of Texas State U. Large stadium there and nice park. We say goodbye to our dinner mates and anticipate our run into San Antonio in a couple of hours.
As we enter from the northwest, the train almost completely circumnavigates the city on the west side and we get a great view of the skyline at night. We finally reach the depot and say goodbye to Lonnie, who will get a rest tonight and then head north on the Eagle tomorrow morning. A generous tip in appreciation of his service. The train arrived at 9:13pm nearly an hour and fifteen minutes early. There is so much padding in the Eagle schedule.
We are told we will be sleeping in the yards but can get out and walk around while the crews clean and service the train. Most everyone is getting off for a while but then many return to the train and go to bed. It is now about 10PM. There are people in the depot that may spend the night sleeping because they cannot board the Eagle/SL trains until morning.
Claudia and I go up to the depot and take some night shots of the train and city. We walk down the track to where the old steam engine is located. We remember walking this way, not too far from the Alamo on our trip out west a few years ago. We had a nice time on the Riverwalk and seeing the Alamo but it is too late at night to walk around in the city. As we walk back, the northbound Eagle/Sunset Ltd is pulling in on the inside track blocking our train entrance. A young couple with four little girls had been walking around and they too wanted to reboard our train and go to their rooms. They had Bedrooms D&E on our 2130 car.
We walked between the two trains through steam and oily messes and found our sleeping car doors were locked. Now what do we do? Lonnie had left the train and no one seemed to be around except for the maintenance guys. I banged on the door and someone came to the window. We explained our dilemma and he told us to walk around the front of the locomotives and enter on the other side. It would have been nice if someone had explained how we were supposed to get back on our train. Anyway, our little caravan of munchkins and adults made it to the other side and the man let us onboard.
It was a nice quiet night to sleep after our rough ride the night before. Didn’t even feel the connection of our car and the other coach to the Sunset Ltd consist overnight. A lightning storm came in early but even that was a pleasant sound as we slept the night away.
Tuesday, May 26th. San Antonio, Texas
I was up at 5am and went down to see that our cars were now at the back of the Sunset Ltd #1 train. Our new car attendant, Lloyd was standing by the door welcoming a few new passengers that were boarding. Our train is scheduled to leave at 5:40am. It is still raining a little and after getting our showers, we head for the diner for breakfast around 6:30am. There is also a problem with the restrooms in the 21 coach ahead of us and some of those people are coming into our car to use the restrooms downstairs. Lots of “new faces” showing up on the lower floor. Several people in our car complain to Lloyd and the conductor about this and he ushers them back to their coach and tells them to use restrooms in other coaches. There are two young people who continue to show up in our car and we are suspicious of their purpose since they hang out near the luggage downstairs. I mention this to Lloyd and we do not see them again in our car.
We have a very long walk now since our sleeper in the last car on the train. Several of our sleeper car mates decide they will not walk that far and have Lloyd bring them their meals in their rooms. This causes lots of problems for him since he is continually moving from the diner to our sleeper bringing meals and returning for more. Lloyd is an older gentleman who has worked for Amtrak a long time but still got stuck in our sleeper with lots of whiners. This is the worst car we’ve been in regard to passengers demanding service. Mellow out people!!
We have breakfast with a couple from Room #2 in our car. They are from Oklahoma and connected from the Heartland Flyer in Ft. Worth yesterday. They are going to Stockton, renting a car and then visiting friends and going to Yosemite as well. They are newly married but are in their 40s and he likes to “sing”. They are a colorful couple indeed. Claudia had the continental breakfast with oatmeal, yogurt, and fruit. I had the cheese omelet and potatoes.
After breakfast we move to the lounge car and see some fantastic scenery across the plains of south Texas. We are running a little late and arrive in Del Rio about 30 minutes down. It is a smoke stop but Lloyd says don’t go too far away from the platform because we will leave soon. There are some nice flowers blooming and a beautiful brick station but I stay on the platform and take photos.
We are looking forward to another ranger talk as they set up their materials in the lounge car. They are from the Amistad Recreational Park and provide an interesting program about the history of the area from Del Rio to Sanderson Tx. Lots of hands on materials for kids and great scenery out the window. They explain the history of the huge lake and dam that we are passing by. We cross over a large railroad bridge over the Pecos River, see Langtry where Judge Roy Bean held court and watch as the land becomes more desert-like. Lots of cactus and not much else growing out there.
It is now close to noon and we arrive in Sanderson, TX where our rangers depart. The old depot area is pretty dilapidated with paint peeling from the outside walls. A lone park service Chevy truck picks them up for the long ride back to Del Rio.
We decided to go to the diner for lunch and meet a Native American woman from ABQ who will be riding to El Paso where she will get the bus to ABQ. She is a genealogist and has been to the library in Salt Lake. She was visiting friends in Corpus Christi. Our other seat mate was Sanford from Los Angeles. He was an African-American man who was visiting his sister in Shreveport, La and now heading home. What an interesting lunch and conversation. Claudia had the curry chicken (very good) and I had the ravioli (also good).
After lunch we go back to our room but the whiners are still complaining about distance to the diner, coach people they have to walk by (snobs). An announcement is made about smoker on the train will be “detrained” if caught. I did smell smoke in our car and think our neighbor up the hall may be sneaking a puff.
I decide to take some photos out the back of our car. There is another woman there taking photos. She is German and from Dresden. She is traveling across the country but my German is non-existent and her English is broken so our conversation is limited to “beautiful country”.
We arrive in Alpine Tx at about 1:30. A small town with an old caboose near the depot
I later return to the rear of our car for some more pictures since the German lady has now gone elsewhere.
At 3:15 they come around to make reservations for supper. We decide to go at 5:30 since we are scheduled to get to El Paso around 4:30 and leave at 5:30 and that will let us get off the train and see the depot. We decide to return to the lounge car and watch the nice scenery in western Texas. There is a Hispanic lady teaching her mother to play cards at one table. The nice couple with the four girls watching the scenes go by.
We arrive in El Paso and pass by the huge railroad yards and engine shops. Lots of UP and SP locos in the yards. The skyline of El Paso, such as it is, is now coming into view and we can see across the border into Mexico
We arrive in El Paso about on time and Lloyd says we should have about a half hour here. Claudia and I get off and head for the depot. A very nice place with lots of people. Take photos of the murals on the walls, ceramic floors and ceiling architecture. There are several vendors selling burritos and souvenirs on the platform but since we are having supper when the train leaves, we pass.
Finally got some good photos of our three locomotives on the train. Our head unit was #55. second in line was #98 and the third engine was #58, which had been our lead loco on Train 21 down to San Antonio. Not sure how they determine which engines go with what trains on the switch in SAS.? The first two locos were “elephant style” while our old #58 was facing backward.
The engine let out its two horn toots and we scurried back on board and headed for the diner. One of the coaches seemed nearly empty now as many people left the train in ELP. We were seated with a couple from New Zealand. She was a native of NZ while the man was an American who had lived there for many years. They had traveled to NY City, D.C. Charlotte and Oklahoma City visiting relatives and had taken the Flyer to Ft. Worth and were now heading for LA, a stop in Hawaii and then home. It would be a 12 hour flight. She had two kids in NZ and he has 2 in the U.S. We have the “new” steak with baked potato. It is more like a roast beef but very good.
As we eat, we see the Mexican border towns west of El Paso and the mountains in the background. The Rio Grande seemed rather like a small ditch in places and then it turned north toward La Cruzes, NM. The sun starts to go down and we pass some magnificent desert scenery as we pass through Deming and Lordsburg, NM. We pass a rail yard with gray and blue locomotives from the Southwestern Railroad in Deming, NM. This was a private line that serves copper mines and small towns in New Mexico.
We enjoyed the sunset as we crossed into Arizona and it was about time to have Lloyd put down our bed. I noticed there were no towels downstairs and wanted to mention how the electricity kept going on and off. I wanted to stay up to see Tucson but fell off to sleep and that was that. Woke up when some people got off the train in Maricopa. Still no towels down stairs.
Wednesday May 27
We are up early, get showered and head up to breakfast since the dining crew said they will be closing early. We are running ahead of schedule and will be likely arriving in LA nearly an hour early. As I look out the window there is a glimpse of Palm Springs but by the time I get my camera out we are back in the desert again.
We have breakfast with Dick and Elizabeth from Seattle. They were in Atlanta and had ridden the Crescent to NOL and then Sunset Ltd. They are hoping to make their Coast Starlight connection for home this morning and it looks good since we are running early. She graduated from OSU but doesn’t have much to say other than complaining about Amtrak service. “Old equipment, casual attitude of the staff”.
Claudia and I both get the cheese omelets and juice. It is very good. We say goodbye to Gabriel and the dining car staff that did a great job. We returned to our room and our beds had still not been put up. Lloyd apparently was running out of gas at the end of the trip and didn’t exactly keep things tidy. Restrooms were a little messy, no towels in bathroom, etc. We tipped appropriately this time also. He was not Lonny.
As we gathered our things together we reflected on the Texas Eagle/Sunset Ltd trip.
It was a nice ride with different scenery from our other trips. Service in the dining car was very good on the whole route. We had a Superliner I refurbished on the Sunset end, nice shower, etc. But as usual, the car attendant consistency was lacking. Never know if you are going to get a quality employee or a less motivated one. We liked the scenery on the TE across the Southwest, didn’t find it boring as some have said. But I doubt if we would take this route to California again since it is one more night on a train than my back can handle.
We move closer to LA as the morning commuters are starting to fill up the streets and freeways. Metrolink trains running fast and often. We cross over the LA River, such as it is, and before we know it, we are passing the PRR coach in the LA yards. It is now 8:20 and we are over an hour early. Going to try to change our bus tickets to Bakersfield so we can leave around 10 instead of 1 and get to Merced earlier.
We march up the long passage way to the station lobby and head over to the Amtrak desk to see what they can do. A very nice agent listened to our plan but said because we had Guest Reward tickets, she might not be able to change them. She talked to a supervisor who said no. Well, that was o.k. since we wanted to explore some areas around the station and go over to the old town on Olivera Street. We took our carry on bags to the checked baggage station and paid the $3 fee to store each one. We decided to grab something to drink and as we walked back into the terminal area I heard someone yelling at us. It was the nice lady Amtrak agent. She said there was room on the 10am buses and it would be o.k. to ride them to Bakersfield. It was nice of her to try and find us in the busy station but I guess my head stood out among the crowd**smile**.
Since we still had some time, we decided to go across to the Old Town Pueblo and walk around. The vendors were just getting their booths set up. We took a quick tour of the art museum in the basement of the old church on the square. Bus loads of tourists were arriving so we took some more photos of statues, the Pico House hotel and the many flowers and fountains. Would like to spend some time in LA seeing the tourist sites and riding some Metros and subways. Just not enough time on this trip.
It was then time to get back to the station, retrieve our bags, and head out to the side of the depot where the buses were parked. We ran into our old friends from Oklahoma, the lady from Fresno heading back home and several other familiar faces from our Sunset Ltd train.
We were shifted around to two different buses as they decided to add a bus with passengers going on to Las Vegas from Bakersfield. The bus was nice and clean but not much room for someone with long legs like mine. We had to place our luggage under the bus since there was little room in the storage compartments above the seats. I was a little apprehensive since they gave no bag checks.
At about 10:45am our bus pulled out and down I-5 we went. Never been through this part of LA so scenery was nice. We saw the HOLLYWOOD sign on the hill and then started up a steep grade with multiple lanes for trucks and cars. We passed the Six Flags Amusement Park and then a large lake on the north side of the bus called Pyramid Lake. A passenger gave us the history of the reservoir which supplies water to the valleys below.
We came down off the mountain from the Tejon Pass and there was the broad San Joaquin Valley with vegetables growing everywhere. We arrived in Bakerfield around 1pm and were told there were some mechanical problems with the locomotive on our Train #715. There is a very nice modern station near the tracks so we went over there to utilize the facilities, get a drink and get out of the very hot weather. It had been over a 100 degrees earlier in the week but now was leveling off to around 95 whew!!.
After a short delay, (we found out the mechanical problem was really just that the radios for the conductor weren’t working, nothing wrong with the locos themselves). First time on the San Joaquins trains and they are very nice. Very much like the Capitol Corridor trains we rode from SAC to EMY last year. They have a locomotive on one end and then run backwards in the other direction. As the train heads north we see thousands of acres of vegetables, almond trees, dairy farms, etc. The fruit and veggie capital of the US!!.
It is 168 miles from Bakersfield to Merced and we pass through some small towns that are probably much like the little agricultural villages in our state (except everyone here speaks Spanish**smile***.) Lots of people get off in Fresno, including our friend who husband and daughter flew back from Texas. We had a sandwich and drink in the café car from a very energetic car attendant. He sold a lot of food just with his personality. Enjoyed the SJ ride.
We arrive in Merced about 5PM. We are anxious to see if our checked luggage from Cleveland had made it. A nice young man with red hair was working the agent’s desk and he smiled when we asked if had a couple bags from CLE. He said yes they are here. "Wondering where you folks were?" They had been shipped on the California Zephyr and then down the SJ the day before. We are happy to see them. He said there should be a cab out front in the parking lot.
We looked around for a taxi to take us to our Courtyard Marriott hotel. There are two taxi companies in Merced, the one with the cute yellow cars attracted our attention and the lady driving seemed nice so off we went. The driver said they had contracts to carry Amtrak and BNSF employees back and forth but that she would have a cab for us in the morning to bring us back to the depot for our ride to Yosemite. It was $6.50 for the cab ride across town.
Our hotel was very nice, the desk was very friendly and the rooms large and clean. There was a nice breakfast area in which a buffet was served in the am. Unfortunately, we must leave to get back to the depot at 6:00am so will have to find something else to eat. There was a nice restaurant next door called Carrows—like a Dennys back home, so we headed there for supper. Chicken Bacon Stack was good and came with free dessert—such a deal!
We walked over to the Valero station and grabbed a box of donuts for our breakfast tomorrow and then headed back to the hotel. It has been a very long day since leaving our TE train in LA. Off to bed we go.
Thursday & Friday May 28 & 29.
I will not bore you all with our adventures in Yosemite but rest assured it is one of the most beautiful places we have ever visited. Spent two full days there riding the YARTZ bus and the free shuttles around the park. Lots of hiking (sore feet) and photos galore. I will continue our train trip as we leave Merced on Saturday May 30 for Sacramento.
Saturday May 30
We awoke at a later hour this morning since our train does not leave for Sacramento until 10:08am. We thought we would try the breakfast bar downstairs. It is not a free breakfast as most of our places have been but decided to have a nice leisurely meal after the rushing around of the last few days. The choices were o.k.,but nothing special. A somewhat expensive breakfast at $20. We checked out and caught our taxi back to the depot to wait for our train. Purchased our tickets for the ride to Sacramento hoping to arrive around noon.
The northbound San Joaquins #701 is on time and we get our seat on the east side of the train for photos. We pass an old Air Force Base that is now a museum. Lots of old planes sitting out. More vegetable fields as we go through Denair and then arrive in Modesto and its modern looking station. When we get outside Stockton we switch over to UP tracks at a large diamond. We are glad we took the SJ that is a direct line into Sacramento instead of the bus transfer that was part of our original itinerary. Another 45 miles and we are in Sacramento.
We get our tickets for tomorrow’s Coast Starlight & Corridor Train to and from San Francisco and decide to get the San Joaquins and Surfliner tickets as well for Monday' trip.
We go outside and look for a cab but none can be found in the parking lot. This is odd since our previous adventures in Sacramento found numerous cabs waiting. As I was about to ask the clerk how to get a cab I noticed there were some in back of the depot near the train platforms. Yes, this is now the new cab stop. The drivers said the city told them they must park in the rear so as not to block traffic in front of the depot and take parking spaces. We were taken quickly across the bridge to our hotel, the Comfort Suites on Jibboon St. We have stayed here twice before and it is a clean and close-to-the-station hotel. After getting organized, we decide to take a bus to downtown and try to find a battery for my watch that has died. After our last bus ride to Rio Linda (see 2008 report), we now believe we have the bus numbers and routes figured out.
We walk under the Interstate bridge and to the corner bus stop. There are lots of police cars around and not sure what they are doing. Many times we have seen homeless people living under this bridge and think they are looking for someone.
We see a bus leave just as we cross the street and figure another should be around soon. We waited, and waited some more. Finally another rider came to the stop and informed us that on Saturdays the bus only runs on the hour. Sooo-we have been standing in the hot sun for an hour and the bus finally comes. The driver must have felt sorry for us because he just charged us a small fee to cross the bridge and drop us off downtown.
We walk over to the mall and find a kiosk that fixes watches. We have a little wait so we walk around in some stores and get a drink. We then pick up my watch and walk down the street to the underpass to Old Sacramento. This is an interesting place full of shops and touristy souvenirs. Since we spent quite a bit of time here a few years back, we decided to go over to Joes Crab Shack and have a late lunch.
There was a pretty large crowd but they took us right to a table and we enjoyed the seafood shrimp & fish dinner. Lots of fun and frolicking inside. Very loud but nice view of the river and the many boats out today.
Walked down toward the old depot and a steam train was coming back with a full load of passengers. We decided to walk back to our hotel which is not a bad walk in the daytime. Lots of boats on the river as we made it back to the Comfort Suites.
We settle down to watch some TV but are getting up early in the morning to catch the Coast Starlight at 6:30am. I call JULIE and the CS #11 is running close to on time. Good night!
Sunday May 31
We had changed our train ride to San Francisco a few months ago so that we would ride the Coast Starlight instead of a Capitols Corridor train in order to have breakfast in the diner. It would also get us into San Francisco a little earlier so we might be able to ride more cable cars this time.
Had we known our hotel clerk had breakfast ready to go at 6am we would have had time to eat there but such is life. Our cab picked us up around 6 and we were off to the SAC depot.
Because the Coast Starlight had come in early it was already boarding people when we arrived. We had to go through the tunnel and around to the east side of the tracks. We found two coach seats that were unoccupied and waited until the train started before heading to the dining car. The conductor never came around to take our tickets and so wondered about security on the train. How did they know we had a ticket?
The car was not that full, I suppose many of the sleeper passengers had their breakfast in the Pacific Parlour Car. We had the omelets and potatoes, juice and then headed for the lounge car to watch the scenery. It was a bit foggy this morning and somewhat chilly. Glad I decided to go with long pants today.
Having breakfast as we pass through Davis and before we knew it we had reached Suisun and the bay full of old ships mothballed for many years. It was a little clearer outside and I got some better shots than on our previous trip. Since the Coast Starlight only stops at Martinez and passes by the Capitols stops at Suisun, Richmond and Berkeley, we make a much quicker trip to Emeryville. We head over the huge bridge and are soon in Martinez for a brief stop. The train then moves along San Pedro Bay, past old wharfs, some refineries and more large bridges before making the turn into Emeryville. We arrive around 8 am and head into the depot and out front to our waiting bus. There are many people getting off the Starlight and the bus is filling up fast.
It is a quick trip to the Oakland Bay bridge and we notice that the construction of the new bridge continues, more concrete being laid since our trip to SF in 2007. Not sure how long it will be before it is finished. For a Sunday morning the bridge is still full of cars but we move quickly to the Ferry Building where we will embark on another whirlwind tour of the city by the bay.
But first we must go to the Amtrak desk because I have noticed that we do not have the tickets for the return trip to SAC. When we got our tickets at SAC on Saturday, I failed to check that all parts of our trip were attached to the tickets the clerk gave us. I believe she never gave us that section of our trip. The Amtrak clerk checked his records and apparently the clerk had seen later that the tickets were not picked up and credited our account. We then had to buy two tickets from Ferry Blg to SAC and then be off.. It was a very cool and windy morning and I did not have a jacket. Big mistake as I am freezing as we walk the "Streets of San Francisco!!."
As we crossed the Embarcadero we noticed a group of tents being set up on the concrete walkway and there were several art vendors putting out their paintings and jewelry. We did a quick check to see what was there but wanted to get over to California St to ride the cable cars. We bought our day passes and hopped aboard for the ride up and down the hills.
We decided to ride the California St car to the end at the Nob Hill area. We had not walked this area in our last trip so enjoyed the different scenery. Lots of interesting shops, huge hotels and apartment buildings, theatres, etc. Walked down Van Ness St and then down Washington and Jackson Sts. We saw an old church where people were exiting and some Oriental folks doing Tai Chi in the park.
After walking down the hill to Hyde St we caught the cable car east and then south to Market St. By now the crowds were starting to form at the turntable and the lines are long. We were going to ride back up the hill and down to the wharf but opted for some old bus rides instead. The pass we have will allow us to ride all sorts of transportation in town including city buses, the nice old electric buses and the cable cars.
We walk along Market St and see all the big department stores, Nordstroms, Bloomingdales, etc. Looking for a jacket for me but the large stores aren’t open yet and no else has anything my size. We decide to take an electric antique bus up Market St. to the Castro. Have some curiosity about the area where the movie, MILK, was filmed and the traditional stereotypes of SF being a gay community. It is an interesting bus ride with all sorts of people getting on and off along the way . We pass the Civic Center where it looks like a market is taking place. Will stop there on the return trip. We finally reach Castro St which is the end of the line for the F Street trolley buses.
Not sure where Harvey Milk’s shop was. Walked along Castro St for a few blocks or so. We are not too far from the Haight-Ashbury section where the hippies invaded in the 1960s but without a bus map decide to just return on another trolley bus down Market St. There are still many areas of San Francisco to explore on another trip.
We get off the bus at 10th Street and walk over to where all the activity seems to be. It is on the Civic Center Plaza and is a farmer’s market full of fruits and vegetables and lots of flowers. Many vendors and I suspect that local residents pick up their fresh veggies each Sunday. It is starting to mist rain a little so we catch another trolley bus that will take us back to the Ferry Bldg.
We walk through the giant marketplace inside the Ferry Building, find some restrooms and then explore the many booths. We head back outside and catch another bus, SRO, to 39th Street Pier.
There is a man playing a sax who is really good and lots of people walking around in the amusement park atmosphere. Finally find a place with a cheap jacket and am finally warmed up. There is a sailing regatta out in the bay and a large speedboat ride that whizzes past the docks. We look around for someplace for lunch and find a deli that has sandwiches and some tables to sit.
The seals are still lounging on the pier docks as we saw on our last trip and we walk on up the Embarcadero St to Fisherman’s Wharf. We are looking for some form of transportation that will get us to the Golden Gate Bridge which we really want to see. After checking out some of the tour barkers, we stumble upon some young guys who are giving boat tours of the SF Bay and promise to take everyone under the bridge. At $15 a ride this seemed like a good deal.
The boat tour is called Captain Joes and the three guys who run it have a good personality that makes the trip across the rough and chilly bay a pleasure. They point out some historic points on shore including an old fort and some condos owned by movie stars. There are many sail boats following our path as we approach the Golden Gate Bridge. I get some good photos as we rock and roll on the waves. We move under the bridge and turn around for some more pictures. The guys take pictures of the couples on board with the bridge in the background.
We then take off for a trip around Alcatraz Island. Although we do not get off the boat, they slowly go around the entire island and point out all the historic buildings and some tales about the inhabitants. We then head back to the docks for what was a really good tour.
Claudia wants to go back to Chinatown so we hop aboard another trolley bus and go back to the Ferry Bldg area. We catch a Cable Car on California St and get off at Grant St. We walk down the street and find some shops that have cat dishes and other related items to bring back to Ohio. We walk down Washington St and return to the Embarcadero Plaza to look over the wares of the exhibitors. It is now getting close to our time to catch our bus back to Emeryville so we move over to the other side of the street. The San Francisco Giants ballgame has just let out and there are all kinds of fans walking up the street toward the restaurants in the Ferry Building. People in their cars yelling out the window and a rather joyous atmosphere.
Our Amtrak bus is supposed to leave at 5:05 so that we can catch the 5:45 Capitols Corridor train at 5:45. We board the bus but the driver is busy talking to people and decides to hold the bus for a male passenger whose girlfriend is running late. After sitting for fifteen minutes, he decides to leave. Then the guy sees his girlfriend running up the street and we stop at a corner for her to board. By this time the bus may have a difficult time making it across the bridge to Emeryville in time.
We arrive at the station just at 5:45 and everyone rushes through the depot to the train that is on the platform. I hear the double horn signal and the train then moves out, leaving all of us stranded on the platform. There is considerable discussion, much of it very loud, with the Amtrak agents, about why our bus was late and did not make the connection. It was clearly the bus drivers fault for not keeping the bus moving and delaying for one passenger. One family was very irate and they went after the agent at the window. She did not provide a satisfactory answer other than telling everyone the next train will be here at 7PM.
This was not a big deal for us, other than we had planned to get dinner in SAC and walk back to our hotel since it still would have been light when we arrived on our scheduled train. But others were making connections and had plans that did not call for them to be boarding a later train. A request to talk to a supervisor met with similar results. Each party trying to cover their butts and lying about policy and procedure. She tried to tell everyone that this bus was not a connection to this train, but that was not true. It would have been better to just admit the error, chastise the bus driver and get on with apologizing to the passengers. But she did not handle it well and left Amtrak again with egg on its face.
Since no one was going to get their supper at the expected hour, some of us walked across the street to the Subway and got a sandwich. Lots of continued rumbling but nothing to do but wait until the #544 Corridor train arrives at 7PM.
Got a chance to take some pictures around the depot since our other trips through here were always in a hurry to catch buses or trains. A few freights came by but not much traffic on the rails. At 7PM the next train left with our not-so-merry- band of Amtrak passengers. It was an uneventful trip but as darkness came when we got to Davis, our thoughts of walking back to our hotel were changed. We grabbed a cab back to the Comfort Suites and settled in for repacking and getting ready for another early start toward San Diego tomorrow.
Monday June 1
We are up early again this morning as our San Joaquins Train #702 is set to leave Sacramento at 6:40am. We are getting a bit weary of all the early morning preparations for our trains and will be glad to spend some restful time in San Diego for a few days. Our cab arrives at 5:30 and we arrive at the depot shortly after. We decide we will need to check our large bags to LA instead of SAN because our connecting Surfliner does not have baggage car and we would need to wait for the next train to get our bags in San Diego. We have Business Class seats on our Surfliner so there should be plenty of room to store them for that trip.
We grab a blueberry muffin in the station and then board our SJ at 6:15am. We get a table seat which we may not get to stay in if the train fills up. Other people board the car but we are able to maintain our table setup for now. We place our maps, timetables and camera ready for the day’s journey. It is a nice sunny day as we pass the same little towns and farm fields as our trip on Saturday. Got a nice photo of the Lodi depot, which looks a lot like my model railroad depot in its yellow paint. Lots of BNSF action as we pass the Stockton diamond.
It seems like a few people get on and off but we have not had to share our table seats yet. Lot easier to take pictures sitting here. Thousand of almond trees as we passed the modern Modesto depot. Intermodel facilities are busy but many of the yards don’t seem to have that many trains made up. By 8:45 we are back to Merced and the wonderful memories of the trips to Yosemite. We arrive at Bakersfield around noon and we scurry to board our bus for the trip to LA. Would have preferred to have taken the Coast Starlight from SAC To LAX but it arrives so late into LA that our Surfliner would have gotten us to SAN after midnight.
Our bus driver seemed to have difficulty shifting gears as we climbed into the mountains and it seemed like forever before we reached the suburbs of LA. We had plenty of time before our Surfliner #582 was to leave at 4:10pm. We retrieved all of our bags from the bus and hauled to the station waiting area. There were lots of birds flying around inside the station and they sometimes left a nasty mess on the seats. Finally found some that were clean and settled in for the wait. No one at the Amtrak desk would have any specific information as to when and where we would board. One person said one thing—another had a different time. The speaker system in LAUPT seemed as bad as the one in Sacramento and you could hardly make out what they were saying.
Finally a boarding call came at 3:45 and we walked down the long platform to catch the train. Since we had several bags and we looked “senior citizen types”, the conductor said it was o.k. to sit downstairs in the business car. That was nice since we didn’t have to climb those long stairways. This Surfliner originates in LA so only bussed passengers from the north are boarding with us. They brought around a nice snack bag and beverages/wine included and we sat back and enjoyed the trip out of LA. There were only a couple of other passengers downstairs so it was a quiet ride. Close to the restrooms.
As we left LA, there were plenty of Metrolink trains coming and going. We passed the nice Mission Tower and came upon a Metrolink train across the LA River ditch pulling an Albuquerque RailRunner coach. An unusual sight here in LA. Rows and rows of Union Pacific power from small switchers to the big road locomotives. Many of them shared the same graffiti that adorned the concrete walls of the riverbank. Got a nice shot of the Hobart Tower and some blue and yellow Santa Fe locos next to a warbonnet paintjob and some green Burlington’s waiting for a paint job.
A pleasant ride down the coast as many commuters are getting off the train in Fullerton and Santa Ana. At San Juan Capistrano we see the ocean beaches. There are a few surfers out in the cold water but not many people on the beach. A Coaster train was waiting at Oceanside to return to San Diego. As we climbed over the mountains for our final approach to San Diego, we again were amazed at how people here in California built their homes on the sides of mountains. Not surprised how the mudslides and earthquakes take their toll.
We passed Old Town just before 7 and in a few minutes were pulling into the beautiful Santa Fe depot in San Diego. We grabbed our bags and looked to see if a cab was available. Normally we have walked to the hotel but with five bags, we didn’t want to carry them that far. Across the street were several waiting cabs, but we were first addressed by a man with a pedacab who offered to take us anywhere in the downtown. He was happy to learn we were only 2 blocks away but he still wanted $20 for a ride. We passed since the cab ride should be less than $10.
We crossed the street and were engaged by several drivers, all from someplace other that the USA. The man in charge directed us to the first cab in line, a tall African man who did not seem to speak any English. I explained where we were going and the address on Ash Street. We took off down the street, made a right turn and then he continued on past our cross street. I said “whoa” you are going the wrong way. Turn left here and just around the block”. After some prodding and wondering if this was just a way to pick up some extra quarter miles, we made it to the hotel. Bayside Inn Best Western.
We had requested that we have a room on the upper floors facing the city and sure enough we got a room just like the one we had last year. A beautiful view of downtown, especially at night, a balcony and a nice size room. Since it was now nearly 8PM we did not want to venture far to find supper. Our desk clerk said there was a Jack-In-The-Box just a few blocks along Kettner St. We walked down there on a nice balmy night and found just a few people there, some of which were some interesting characters. A street guy down on his luck, another man bought him some food. A few regulars and us. Claudia had a burger and I had chicken. Time to go. We walked up the street toward Little Italy and found more choices that we might have made there. Walked back along India St to our hotel. It had been a long day since leaving Sacramento this morning. Checked my email on the public computer in the lobby and then some TV, a nice view from our window and off to bed.
Tuesday & Wednesday June 2&3 in San Diego
We decide to sleep in after several days of getting up at 5am. A joy not to have to get up early. The free breakfast at the hotel in served in the building next door which is also a restaurant. Eggs, toast, pastries, potatoes are the bill of fare. A nice quiet place with plenty of room to sit. The jacaranda trees are in full bloom again and along with many other species of plants, the city is dressed in colors of purple and red.
We walk down to the depot and get a two day pass for the trolleys, buses, etc. We are then off on the Blue Line north to Old Town where we will transfer to a city bus for a ride to the Ft. Rosecrans National Cemetery. Yes, we are looking for dead people on our vacation. My great uncle Frank was a veteran of WWI and died of TB in Arizona in 1940. He was buried in San Diego and I wanted to see his grave. I had plotted our path before the trip on the Internet and it seemed like an easy bus ride to the cemetery.
The Old Town terminal is a center of bus and trolley traffic and we must walk under the road to get to the bus platforms. Bus #28 would take us to a transfer point known as Shelter Island and then we catch Bus #84 to the cemetery and the Cabrillo National Park. We get to see some new neighborhoods of San Diego, bustling businesses that are near the Naval sea bases on the peninsula. Our driver drops us off at the cemetery entrance and using the maps I found online we were able to quickly locate the grave site.
The cemetery looks like a small version of Arlington Cemetery with white grave stones all along rolling hills and reaching to the ocean on one side and the San Diego Bay on the other. I took several photos of the grave. I am sure none of my grandmother’s relatives had ever been here to see it. Sorry that Grandma Homman could not be here.
We walked all over the cemetery, reading several commemorative monuments and plaques that honored sailors and Marines from previous wars. It was a bit of a walk up to the entrance to the park and lighthouse but we made it. The park ranger gave us a family pass and then we walked up the hill along the ocean to some displays of coastal defenses. Took some nice photos of the submarine base down below. Several subs were returning or leaving port with escorts and tugs nearby. Lots of fighter jets, helicopters flying overhead as well. We walked further up the hill to the Point Loma Lighthouse. An interesting display of life in a lighthouse. Then walked down to the Cabrillo Monument and the visitor center.
Since the bus only comes once per hour we headed for the parking lot to board our bus. There was a man in a wheelchair with his little dog, Toby, that boarded our bus as we headed back to our transfer point. As we passed the cemetery, there was an honor guard getting ready for a memorial service. It looked like several funerals were about to take place that afternoon.
After a bit of a wait at the transfer point we eventually made it back to Old Town. Walked around a little and then headed for Café Coyote for lunch. I had the Grande Burrito with Chicken, Claudia had the Pork, Veggie dish. We had eaten here last year and found the food to be very good and reasonably priced. Good service.
We decided to take the Green Line trolley out to the east for awhile (remembering our last excursion, we would not venture too far.) We got off at the Valley Center Mall which is quite a place. After walking down the large platform to the mall, you will find every high end department and specialty shop there is. Plenty of signs warning vagrants and gangsters to steer clear. Lots of security. Nordstroms, Macys, Neiman Marcus and Bloomingdale’s to mention a few. This is where the upper echelon of San Diego must shop. We stopped for a lemonade at the food court and walked around a little before heading back to the Green Line station.
We transfer to the Blue Line at Old Town and then depart at the Little Italy stop. Walk up to India Street. Claudia finds a Dick Blick store with all kinds of art supplies. She gets some paint which hopefully will stir motivation to paint again. We then look for some place to eat supper. Although there are many nice restaurants, we were still full from our late lunch.
We walk back to our hotel, check the email again, and grab a few snacks before retiring for the evening.
Wednesday June 3
After sleeping in again, we shower and head downstairs to breakfast. Eggs, pastries, juice, fruit and milk. We decide today we will ride the Blue Line Trolley down to San Ysidro and the Mexican border across from Tijuana. We do not have passports so we cannot go across the border, but wanted to see what this side of San Diego is like. Our two day passes are still getting us around town for $5 a day
As we move past the streets of downtown and south to the Transit Center near Petco Park, there is an increasingly large volume of passengers getting on the trolley. Mostly Hispanic people who may be heading to work or returning from a night shift somewhere. We pass the trolley yards and shops and there are many red cars waiting for their turn under the electric wires. We pass the entrance to the San Diego Naval Base which provides a large amount of employment to this area. Navy shipyards and General Dynamics construction yard working on several large ships.
At Barrio Logan stop there is some fine artwork on the walls. Native American figures from a time passed. As we get closer to San Ysidro we can see a large Mexican flag flying over buildings on the other side of the border. In only a few minutes we arrive at the depot and end of the line. There are lots of police and security guards around the entrance to the checkpoints to cross the border. Lots of money exchange shops, duty free shops, and fast food places. It seems to be a wild place and we do not spend much time. Lots of people getting on the northbound trolley so we hop aboard as well. We sit with a young boy and girl who are headed for Chula Vista where he is going to attend school? They live in Tijuana and said it only takes about 15 minutes for them to clear border when they come to US.
We arrive at the Transportation Center where we will transfer to Bus 901 for a ride to Coronado, our next destination for today. A large bridge rises over San Diego Bay where you can see the Naval Bases and the San Diego skyline. I have a map of where we are supposed to get off the bus but miss our stop and we have to walk a couple blocks to get back to the main street. We pass several shops and restaurants as we walk down to the location of the original ferry pier. There is a small beach area where a few people are getting some sun and playing. There are expensive looking apartments/condos nearby and then an area where the ferry dock. Several shops and restaurants. Lots of security boats and naval ships in the bay.
We eat lunch at Village Pizzaria with a great view of the bay. Some good subs and club sandwiches. Nice fountains with strange birds and flowers all around. We head out to the street to catch a Bus# 904 to the downtown area. We meet a lady who was former librarian and teacher who gave us some information about the local museum. We get off downtown and see all kinds of shops. We walk across the street to visit the historical museum. Lots of information about L Frank Baum, of Wizard of Oz fame, a nice display about the history of Coronado Island and the hotel.
We walk further down the street to the Coronado Hotel, a famous place where movies were filmed, and the wealthy stayed. Walked around the grounds and lobby. Very nice. And expensive. See photos.
We are ready to head back to San Diego and thought Bus 901 would go back over the bridge but alas we are heading out past the beaches, to the tip of the island. Pick up lots of kids getting out of school. Wait a long time for railroad crossing to clear and find that we have made it almost back to the Mexican border (Iris Avenue stop on the Blue Line). Well, we get off the bus and wait for the next north bound trolley. And we are off to San Diego again.
We sit with an older Mexican gentleman and many others as we head north. We get off at the 12th Street stop with an idea to go over to the Seaport Village but after waiting a long time for the Yellow Line trolley we decide to get back on the Blue Line and return to the depot. We check with the baggage handler to see when we can check our bags for tomorrow’s trip back home. We can bring them down anytime for checked bags and they will store our carry-ons while we tool around San Diego tomorrow morning. Since our Surfliner doesn’t leave until 3PM.
We walk back to the hotel and then decide to head over to Little Italy for supper. We chose a little Italian pizza place called Cetalu’s on India Street. Some young guys trying to make it against the big fancy restaurants. The pizza was good, atmosphere quaint. Reminded me of North Heidelberg at OSU. It was a little cool and each place had heaters near the tables. Still it was in the 60s. Back to the hotel for another night of TV and scenic views out the window.
Thursday June 4
We get up, finish our packing and head down for breakfast at 7am. Eggs, pastry, etc. We return and arranged for the hotel shuttle to take us to the depot at 8am with all of our bags. We checked our large bags through and paid $3/bag to store the others while we spend our last day in San Diego exploring.
We decided to walk south along the bay and see the Seaport Village. The large cruise liner “Elation” had been sitting in dock for a couple days and was boarding new passengers. We walked past the aircraft carrier Midway which we planned to visit when it opened around 10. There were a few runners and people walking their dogs as we stroll along the seawall.
The shops at Seaside are just starting to open up and some do not open until 10. There is a nice statue and art sculpture along the park north of the village. A small stream with fountains running through the village. Mostly touristy shops with expensive clothing. There was a nice carousel that was once in Portland, OR. Lots of flowers, ducks and turtles in the ponds.
We walk back toward the harbor and see a nice group of sculptures that represent events of World War II and beyond. The famous guy kissing the girl in NY after VE Day, Bob Hope doing a routine before soldiers and sailors from the many wars in which he entertained. Very impressive work there. But it is now close to 10 and we walk to the other side of the Midway and head for the ticket booth. There are already buses arriving as well as some midshipmen who are going to tour the ship.
We climb the gangplank which brings you to the hanger area and many examples of planes and military memorabilia. You get a headphone set and taped program as you move through the ship which is very helpful in explaining the complex nature of this huge carrier. We spent three hours exploring the ship, its extensive aircraft and heard some interesting talks by docents who were former members of the crew. A fascinating tour of a massive carrier in our naval history.
It was a great three hour adventure but it was time to cast off to find lunch and prepare for our trip on the Surfliner this afternoon. We walked north of the boardwalk and found a fish and chips place with some good food. Took some last pictures of the Star of India and other ships in the Maritime Museum and then back to the depot.
We retrieved our bags out of storage and I took some photos of our Surfliner and a Coaster train nearby. We would have locomotive #461 and Business Car 6801 right ahead of it running backward. The call came to board Surfliner #583 at 2:50pm for our 3:00 Surfliner to LA. We decided to sit on the upper deck since we had just our carry-on luggage. Sat on the west side to see the ocean.
Service was good as we received our doggie bag of cookies, chips, fruit and a beverage. It is a nice sunny day as we leave San Diego, pass Old Town and head back into the mountains before returning to the coastal areas. Lots of surfers out today although the surf didn’t look that great.
We were making good time until south of Fullerton where we sat for a half hour waiting for freights to pass by. I was hoping we would not be too late so we did not have to rush to get on our SW Chief leaving at 6:45. We ended up being only 25 minutes late (6:10PM) and since we didn’t know what track our SWC would be boarding, we had to walk the length of the train and then all the way back up the ramp to the depot. At 6:15 they called for boarding so back down the ramp we went to Track 11. Another lack of communications here.
We met Hauk To our sleeping car attendant who seemed like a personable guy and he came around and introduced himself, explained how to pronounce his name and said they would be making dinner reservations soon. We are in Room #6 in the 0430 car so we will be close to the diner. We are scheduled for a 7:15 dinner just after leaving Fullerton. We can see the blimp over the Staple Center as the NBA finals are happening. The conductor is giving updates on the score between the Lakers and the Magic. We don’t really care since our Cavaliers were beaten rather handily by the Magic last week.
We head for the diner and our companions are Allison and Johnny from Santa Fe. They were also in San Diego and were actually on our Surfliner and had taken the Midway tour and out to Coronado Island. They stayed in the Gaslamp District. They are traveling all over as he is retired from Air Force at Los Alamos. Allison was born in Coshocton, Ohio and then moved to Toledo. Lots of talk of old times in Ohio.
Claudia had the pasta which was o.k. I had the half chicken and very good as usual. Lemon cake and cheesecake with strawberry topping for desserts. After dinner we headed back to our room. Got off in San Bernardino to take some photos. Hauk put our beds down and we sat up until Barstow when we were both ready to hit the hay. A very nice day, but we are ready to get home.
Friday June 5
Woke up around 4am and noticed our train was not moving. We had passed Kingman and were somewhere around Williams Jct. We apparently hit an elk and it damaged several of the hoses on the front of the engine. His remains were also spread over the front of the engine and was quite a mess. The power was out on the train so Claudia’s sleep machine shut off and we just had the emergency lights off and on. After about an hour delay repairing the locomotive, we headed for Flagstaff down nearly two hours. We got up and showered and headed for the diner for breakfast.
Our companions this morning were David, a former Amtrak engineer for 38 years and his wife Kathy, who was an agent at the La Junta station. They get to ride for free but must pay for their meals. Claudia had oatmeal and fruit and I had the RR French toast.
We stopped in Flagstaff around 7:15 and made an attempt to wash off some of the gore from our lead engine. Back on the train and to our rooms to sightsee along the Arizona and New Mexico border. We pass the large railroad yards in Winslow, AZ. Since we are running behind, it is much lighter than normal and we see the beautiful desert landscape. We do not stop at Holbrook
At Gallup there is a group of African-American passengers that get on and we will eventually meet them at lunch. Gallup is a real “Indian town” with lots of Native American jewelry shops along the main street. The depot is a neat adobe looking structure. Not too far east of Gallup is the Ft. Wingate Army Depot where you can see munitions bunkers all along the hillside.
We schedule lunch at 11:30 so we can be finished by the time we reach ABQ. Our lunch guests are the two African-American ladies who boarded at Gallup. One is the mother and she carries on a brief conversation. The younger woman is her daughter and she does not wish to speak to us and is constantly complaining about food, her room and life in general. Mom said she is part Cherokee, part Irish and part African-American. She is working for Catholic Charities in Gallup where her brothers have lived for many years helping the Indians. The daughter is just out of the military and is in an “adjustment period” They live in Chicago and travel out to New Mexico annually.
Claudia and I both had the special “chicken ragout over rice”, It was very good. Had a mild chipotle sauce. We had the chocolate dessert and cheesecake for dessert.
We’re arriving in Albuquerque about an hour late having made up some time between Gallup and there due to padding. We; therefore are told to stay close to the platform. But the trains must be refueled here so it is still going to take awhile. The Indian sales tables are in their usual place and Claudia makes a few purchases while I walk up to the head of the train to survey the damage. Our locomotives 84 and 98 are being serviced and they are still trying to wash off the front of #84. Lots of RailRunner cars sitting on the sidings. Wonder how business has been?
Of more interest is the Disney Movie Train with painted designs for the upcoming "Christmas Carol" film sitting on a siding on the east end of the platform. There are people directing families around a rope to enter the train for a tour. I am taking photos and am asked by the security person what I am doing on the west side of the ropes. I tell them I am a passenger on Train #4. O.K.
We are ready to leave a little early when a series of events makes for an interesting departure. First, there are two men who get into our car and take up Roomette #3. Hauk To is suspicious of the men whose tickets indicate their names are East Indian in nature. One man is Hispanic and the other is African-American. He calls the conductor who questions their tickets and asks for I.D. They cannot produce any Ids. When we get on the train, there are two “plain clothes” officers talking to them and then they are taken off the train. Their luggage is searched and some suspicious cans are found. They are both whisked off to jail?
Next, an intoxicated passenger is in the lounge car as we leave ABQ and he demands more to drink. Apparently the lounge car attendant said No and he became irate. A call to the LSA led to swearing and threats. A general call to the conductor lead to more swearing and some temporary cuffs until he was taken from the train at Las Vegas, NM. We see the old Castanada Hotel as we leave the town. What history resides in those old walls!!
According to the conductor another passenger had also had too much to drink and was told to go back to his seat or he would be the next one removed. He must have calmed down because we saw no more removals the rest of the way home. Such excitement on Amtrak.!!
We saw lots of antelope as we traveled through the Raton Pass and some fox looking for something to eat. We lose more time and are back to nearly two hours down by the time we reach Trinidad.
We schedule supper at 7:15 and our companions are a couple from Kansas City who were visiting their son in Escondido near San Diego. They lived in San Diego for many years but a transfer of work brought them to KC. They are in Room 4 next to us. We had a great conversation about San Diego. Claudia and I had the new beef bordelaise, like roast beef, potato, mixed veggies and cheesecake. All were very good.
Back to our rooms for awhile and then I get off at La Junta to take some night shots of our train and the station. It is now 9:30 and we are still over an hour down. Hope we don’t lose any more time because we need to make our Capitol Ltd connection. It is leaving earlier now which may be a problem for connection with the western trains.
We had Hauk To turn down our beds around 10 and off to possible sleep at 11 but this track is very rough and we have a difficult time staying asleep.
Saturday June 6
We get up around 6am, shower as we pass through Lawrence, Kansas around 6:45. We make a stop in the KC yards to refuel the engines. Lots of train activity here as the high line can be seen to our south as we move closer to Kansas City. I was hoping to get a chance to see the inside of the station, but it seems like we are always running late on our SWC trips and the conductor said to stay on the platform We made up a lot of time overnight due to padding and we are now only about a half hour down. Lots of people getting off and on at the station. Say goodbye to our dinner companions from last night as they walk across the entryway to the station. We saw several UP coaches and an observation car for Creative Charters in blue and white. Also a Kansas City Southern F unit sitting just inside the terminal opening.
We are off and running again as we pass through the city and eventually come upon the Missouri River to our north. We have breakfast with our African American lady from Chicago and our conversations are much friendlier as Claudia and she had a good time back in ABQ looking at jewelry. I have the French toast, Claudia the cheese omelet and potatoes.
By the time we reach La Plata we are only 20 minutes behind and I am feeling more confident about our Chicago connection We pass the Trainweb motel and Chris G observation platform as we move quickly across Missouri. We decide to go up to the lounge car and watch the scenery. It has started to rain a little. We see some Mennonite girls playing cards, an Hispanic family with their cute little children enjoying the ride. The attendant is doing a great business as everyone is getting something to eat or drink.
The window at our seat is leaking water from the now heavy rains and so we head back to our room to watch the world go bye. We arrive in Fort Madison around 11:30 and are given a brief stop to stretch legs and placate the smokers. There are some freshly painted /washed BNSF pumpkins behind the depot of which I must get a photo. We begin our crossing of the Mississippi River shortly after. A call for lunch early since the dining car staff wants to get things organized for our entry into Chicago. Don’t remember what we had but perhaps the Angus Burger and some ice cream.
We are close to Galesburg, IL as we cross over the CZ tracks west of town and move to the depot. We are still 20 minutes late but there is a lot of padding in the schedule between Princeton and Chicago and we will eventually get into CUS about 10 minutes early.
We say goodbye to Hauk To who was an excellent car attendant. Kept the restrooms spotless, a friendly guy who got the job done. Amtrak needs more like him.
We walked up to the Metro Lounge and decided to just hang out there and watch some TV and rest. Not much sleep last night. Most of the western trains had left and it looked like both the CZ and EB were running very late for some reason. There was some concern that neither train would make a connection with the Capitol or some of the other eastbound trains. Both were due in around 4PM but 4:30 came and still no trains. But the EB made up most of its lost time and made the calls for the Pere Marquette and Wolverine
The Cardinal left on time and without any CZ passengers onboard.
We grabbed a drink and or felt glad we had made our connection on time. The call to board the Capitol Ltd was made at 6:30 and we boarded car 3001 Room 9 soon after. We had a dinner reservation at 7:00pm and as the train moved out of CUS on time we saw the California Zephyr heading into the station. I was surprised they didn’t hold the train but perhaps they did a “bustitution” at Galesburg for those passengers as has happened in the past. I believe there would be some very unhappy passengers riding that bus all the way to Toledo.
We had our sleeper all the way to Toledo but then would need to give it up because someone had our room at TOL. We took a cat nap across Indiana and then had to walk the length of the train to a coach car about midnight. There was a long line of passengers boarding and we were glad to see two seats together when we climbed the stairs. It was an uneventful ride to Cleveland. We found our car in good shape (a welcome relief after our SLC trip in March). We picked up our checked bags outside the station and were on our way back to Ashland. An hour and half later we were back home and our cat, Mr. Gato, was glad to see us.
Our final evaluation of the trip was that we had a good time, saw new areas of the country, experienced one of the great natural wonders in Yosemite National Park, and enjoyed our day trip to San Francisco and the four days in San Diego.
Amtrak was its typical inconsistent self. Most of our car attendants were attentive and did their job well. The dining car staffs were especially good on all trains. Communications on the trains was generally pretty good as well. But the condition of the cars is becoming a major factor in promoting travel by train. Most of our sleeper cars were in deplorable condition, especially any of the Superliner 2s. We had one refurbished SL1 with a great modern shower and bathrooms. This should be the case on all the cars. People we talked to on the train were most critical of the status of the equipment, leaky windows, carpet that was worn, paint peeling in the lounge cars. As much as people criticize the CCC cars, they are at least modern looking and clean. There is a need to vary the menus so they are not the same on every train. And as with any organization, there are some people who need to retire.
Security on the trains outside of the NE Corridor is pretty lax. When we can walk onto a train without anyone checking our tickets or caring that we were in a sleeping car or business class car, there is something wrong. I would favor spot ID checks (like they say they will do) at various points along the line to insure some awareness of who is on the train. Half the time I did not have my ticket on my person at rest stops and was permitted to enter the train in coaches or sleeping cars without providing an ID. It is true that I do not look like the typical terrorist, but neither did Timothy McVea.
But we still love riding trains and will continue to do so. It is a great way to see the country and an efficient means of transportation (most of the time!)
Hope you all enjoyed this exhaustive report. As you can see we needed a rest from our vacation when we returned
Railroad Bill
Finally completed the trip report for our western excursion in May/June. Will try to get some photos on ASAP.
Amtrak Summer Vacation
May 24-June 6, 2009
Cleveland-Los Angeles Capitol Ltd, Texas Eagle/Sunset Ltd
Los Angeles-Merced San Joaquins
Merced-Sacramento San Joaquins
Sacramento-San Francisco Coast Starlight & California Capitols
Sacramento –San Diego San Joaquins-Surfliners
San Diego-Cleveland Surfliner- Southwest Chief-Capitol Ltd.
We ordered our Guest Rewards tickets last fall and were anticipating an exciting trip to California to see Yosemite National Park, another stop in San Francisco and an extended stay in San Diego. It would be our first rides on the Texas Eagle and San Joaquins trains.
After the usual preparations for the trip and working all day Saturday at the library, we were ready to head off to Cleveland around midnight on the 24th of May. A call to Julie indicated the Capitol Ltd was arriving into Pittsburgh on time.
We arrived in Cleveland around 1:15am and decided to check our large bags through to Merced CA. We were a bit concerned that our bags might arrive there before our train but the agent in Cleveland said they would hold bags for a couple days before charging any storage fees. It was likely our bags might go to California via the CZ while we were leisurely riding across the country on the Texas Eagle.
We were also hoping that we might get into a sleeper in CLE even though our 2-zone Rewards tickets would only allow us to board the roomette in TOL. The Amtrak Discussion Group said there was a chance we might get into our roomette early, but as the CL arrived in at the station 15 minutes early (2:32am), we were told we must ride with our coach tickets to TOL. The conductor was very accommodating and said we could sit on the lower level of the Superliner coach car so we wouldn’t need to climb the stairs for a seat. There were several seats available on the lower level and it was generally pretty quiet down there.
At 2:47am we sped off into the night crossing the Cuyahoga River and heading south toward the airport where the tracks then turned to the west and Elyria. No one got on the train at Elyria; next stop would be Sandusky, no riders there either. We didn’t sleep much since we knew we would need to leave our coach car and walk the train to our 2901 car at the head in.
We arrived in Toledo early around 4:45am as well, which made for plenty of time to walk the platform. There was a long line of passengers waiting to board our sleeper but we eventually made it to Roomette #7 and got settled in. Our beds were made up and we crawled in for a brief nap before breakfast It was a warm evening and no rain.
We were up early since the train attendant, John, said they would only serve breakfast until we reached South Bend, IN. Breakfast was in the CCC car and our seating mate was Joanne. She was married to an Amtrak conductor and lived on Southside of Chicago. She now worked for Orbitz travel, but once for Amtrak herself. She had been visiting relatives in Pittsburgh and was returning home. Her train fare was paid but she had to pay for meals on the train. We had one of the curved seats, which only comfortably seats three. Had an interesting conversation about our train travels.
We arrived in Chicago at 8:21am CDT, almost 20 minutes early and I managed to get the numbers of the locos on our train # 91 and 139. The walk to the CUS was loud; exciting as ever with the many trains sitting under the train shed and everyone rushing to get inside.
We know our way around CUS pretty well now and we headed to the Metro Lounge to check our bags, get some refreshment and a “pit stop” The lounge was nearly empty as most western trains do not leave until afternoon and everyone else must have already checked in and out. The Metro Lounge is a very nice place to rest and we enjoy it each time we come to Chicago.
Since our Texas Eagle would be leaving around 1:45 and our boarding call was for 1 PM we decided to just walk around the city and not take in any museums on this trip. It was a very nice morning so we walked west on Jackson Street to some areas not yet explored. We passed Lou Mitchell’s doing a bustling Sunday AM business. Sometime we will forego our breakfast on the train and stop at this famous eatery. We continued walking west and passed some large churches finishing their services, looked over the many unusual apartment complexes, crossed over the interstate bridge on Monroe Street and then headed back toward the station.
Some boats starting to ply the river now and decided to walk over the bridge and catch a quick ride on the EL around the city. Took the Purple Line for a nice ride getting off at the Merchandise Mart and then a Brown Line train back to Quincy Station.
We decided to pass on the Giardano’s pizza as we were still a bit full from breakfast. Sunday mornings are very quiet in the city and it makes for a nice walk. Lots of flowers out.
Decided to go over to the Great Hall and sit for a while. It is an awesome place with so many memories wrapped up in its walls and statues. The benches were back in so there were plenty of places to sit.
The deli where we usually eat was opening up at 11am so we headed over to the food court and had a great sandwich, chips and drink (Turkey for me, Egg Salad for Claudia) at Panini’s Deli before heading back to the Metro Lounge to wait for the boarding call. Retrieved our luggage and then conductor came in to take tickets for the TE. It is now after noon and the lounge is filling up fast. We find a seat, watch a little TV and then at 1:15 the call comes for Trains 21 and 421 to board at the side door. We are on Track 16 and as we walk out the platform I notice the cars are still numbered 22 for the northbound train. The car attendant Lonnie, said we had the correct car 2130 and that the numbers had not yet been changed. We said hello and headed up to our Roomette #7. We got settled in our little “cave” and then Lonnie came up to introduce himself. Seems like a friendly guy and as the trip progressed we would find him to be a very good car attendant.
We were excited about this train since it was our first ride on the TE and there would be some new scenery for a change. We headed out of Chicago on time (1:45PM) on a new route, seeing different rail yards, apartments and suburbs. We decided to move up to the Lounge Car to see more sights. There were not that many people in the car so it was a quiet and relaxing ride. An announcement was made for making dinner reservations but I had to go back to our room to await the dining car steward. Not a long wait and I made a reservation for 5 PM. Returned to the lounge car, we had some drinks and I went downstairs to take a photo of the lounge car menu for Alan B who had asked for a copy to send him.
We traveled across a flat Illinois countryside enjoying the sights on this very nice but warm day. Read the TE Route Guide and learned some interesting things about the land we were crossing—large stand of virgin timber. Arrived in Joliet around 2:45, saw the prison and the nice depot there. My Uncle Frank is from Joliet but do not think he has been back there for a long time.
Our next stop was Bloomington, IL, the home of George Pullman and one of the cities where Lincoln gave a famous speech. Lincoln, IL was the first city named for Lincoln before he became president. Saw lots of rail yards, a whole line of HLCX rental engines sitting idle in a yard near Pontiac, IL. Another line of camp cars was sitting idle as well.
We arrived in Springfield, IL about the time our dinner call came so we moved to the dining car and were seated with the man and his son who were across the hall from us in Room 6. They were from St Louis and had traveled to Chicago for a day trip. His wife and other son were in New York City on another trip. He was a lawyer who now is in private business.
Claudia and I had the flat iron steak with baked potato and it was very good. Our server Jane was a funny lady who kept everyone hopping. Our guests had the ribs special and said it was good as well. They had ice cream, Claudia had the pecan pie and I went for the cheesecake. All were yummy!!. We had a CCC car, but were seated in a regular booth, which was nice.
We enjoy the trip across west central Illinois passing by Alton where the Abolitionist movement began with a murder of a printer. We reach the outskirts of St. Louis and pass under the EADS Bridge, which was the first to cross the Mississippi River. As we cross the railroad bridge over the river we see the Gateway Arch and remember the research trip to St Louis many years ago when we went to the top of the famed structure.
We arrived at the refurbished St Louis station on time around 7:30PM and we had about 40 minutes to get out and stretch. I took the long walk up the stairs to the platform but there were many people waiting to board and they were checking tickets to be able to go out on the platform. Since I didn’t have my ticket with me I decided to pass on going into the station. Took some photos through the colored glass windows and then moved back down to the platform. Our lead loco was #58 and the HEP loco was #184. There was also a nicely refurbished Union Pacific coach sitting on the track nearby named the Kenefick. Lots of UP power passing by us while we refueled the locos and boarded the new passengers.
Got Lonnie to pose for a photo in front of our sleeper (still numbered 2230 **smile).
We left St. Louis on time and as we moved across southern Missouri, the sky darkened, a little rain started to fall and we were ready to call it a day. Lonnie came in to change our beds around 9:00PM. He has done a great job keeping the restrooms very clean, plenty of refreshments, and a personality that is a credit to Amtrak.
We met two new neighbors across the hall in Room 6 as our St Louis dad and son departed. Two ladies who we will learn about in more detail tomorrow.
The track is very rough as I head up to my upper bunk and managed to fall against the bed frame and cut my foot. OUCH!!. It would be a long night trying to sleep across Arkansas.
Monday May 25.
We awaken after a very rough ride through Arkansas. These tracks are the worst we have experienced on all of our trips. I was rocking and rolling in the upper bunk and got little sleep.
It was around six o’clock and decided to go down for a shower and get ready for breakfast. We went down to the CCC car as we left Texarkana and were now officially in Texas. Claudia had the continental breakfast and I had the cheese omelet; both were very good. Our breakfast companion was a lady who lives in Sierra Vista near Benson, AZ. She was originally from Michigan and had an auto dealership.
We finish our breakfast and conversations and are soon slowing down for the Marshall, Texas stop. We will have some time here since we are running early. I get off to take some photos of the beautifully restored brick depot. There was an old Texas & Pacific #400 steam engine in the rear of the building as well as a nicely restored Union Pacific caboose. A nice morning with the sun shining and its getting a little warm.
I strike up a conversation with a man who is taking his mother to visit her sister in Shreveport, La. They were from Illinois and would be getting off in Longview, Tx and taking the Amtrak bus to Shreveport. They were then going to pick up his aunt’s car and drive it back to Illinois to give to his son to drive. Our conductor calls for the all aboard and we say our goodbyes.
As I board the train, I see Jane and her colleague taking a break after breakfast serving and ask to take her picture. She is quite the personality with her wild red hair and big smile. She will keep us in stitches for the entire day.
It seems like no time and we are stopped in Longview (9am). I catch the guy and his mother walking up the platform for their Thruway bus and think again how the people we meet on the train are just a fleeting moment in our life’s journey. There are many people getting on and off at this station including the two ladies who were across the hall from us. They were on their way to Shreveport as well. Connections to and from Houston, Tyler, and Shreveport as well as those who will go to Dallas/Ft. Worth on a short 3 hour trip are moving on the platform.
We decide to head to the lounge car for the morning ride. It is almost empty and we enjoy the quiet ride as we pass several lakes, some oil fields, and beauty of East Texas. We make a brief stop in Mineola, where they have a nicely restored Western Pacific Lines red caboose in the railroad park next to the depot.
The lounge car is now full of the guitar music of two guys playing their tunes. Both are pretty talented and we enjoy their conversations about their individual guitars, their goal to play some gigs in “San Antone” and life in general.
We pass some small towns on the outskirts of Dallas and see a large stadium that looks to be used by several high school football teams under the Friday night lights. It is nearly 11am and we see the skyline of Big D in the background. There is a large blimp in the sky but not sure whether it is a Goodyear or some other company. The lounge car attendant is a nice guy and lets me have a nice menu card from the café downstairs.
We are still running early with all the padding in the schedule and we arrive at the large Dallas Depot around 11:15. The yellow light rail trains are moving around the depot and a large tower next to the depot housed a restaurant at one time. Some nice photos of the Dallas skyline as we head into downtown.
I anticipated meeting Chris (Saxman) from the Amtrak Discussion Group when we arrive. We had conversed over email before the trip and he thought he might be able to meet us here. As we disembark from our car I see a young man talking to the conductor asking for us. Yep, that was Chris and we smiled and introduced ourselves. Since I told him I would be 6’6” tall and wearing a railroad teeshirt (Pennsylvania RR), he could not help but find us. **smile**.
Chris was volunteering at the depot, but took some time to show us the depot, which was very nice and then we walked up the street to the Dailey Plaza where the Kennedy assassination took place. The book depository building with its open window was an eerie site and seeing the place in person brought back memories of my 6th grade classroom on the day of the shooting in 1963. Our teacher gave us the news and most everyone was crying and it was a sad day for America. Took some pictures of the various places (Grassy Knoll, site of the shooting on the street, and the underpass the limousine traveled to the hospital. A nice park in the plaza has monuments and fountains.
We decided to walk back to the depot so as not to miss our train. We greatly appreciated Chris meeting us and showing us the streets around Dallas. We walked back through the underground tunnel entrance and soon we were back to our car. Lonnie said we should get aboard for a short ride over to Ft. Worth. Said goodbye to Chris and we head back to our room. I take some photos of the downstairs area of our sleeper car for future Amtrak programs.
We leave Dallas on time at 12:20 and then we head for the diner for lunch. We have lunch with Fran and Guy. Her name is not really Fran but she looks and sounds just like the character on the TV series.(see photo) Claudia has the vegetable lasagna and I have the Angus Burger.
It isn’t very long before we are pulling into the yards of Ft. Worth. We move past the Tower 55 and soon are in the station. We are 20 minutes early so we have a long layover here as well so decide to get off and see all the action at the depot. It is very hot outside. Feels like 90s and people are sitting under the platform cover to avoid the sun.
There are three Amtrak trains here, the Heartland Flyer that goes to Oklahoma City, and the northbound Eagle has also pulled in. There is an interesting switching of locomotives here as some are disconnected and then connected to other trains. I have a difficult time trying to figure out what they are doing.
As we walk to the depot building we pass an old trolley car display and some interesting artwork murals on the wall leading to the door. We go into the depot and there are many people there. It is also the Greyhound depot so some are riding buses as well as trains.
With all three trains in the depot there is a flurry of activity by train crews and maintenance workers to get everything fueled and ready to go. Locomotive 19 was on the front end of the Heartland Flyer. Engine 90229 is an older unit that looks like it has a baggage compartment on the side? It is on the headend of the northbound Eagle. Engine #128 is being boarded by another train crew and will be backed up to our train. Loco #16 was also on the head end of the northbound Eagle but it is pulled out. Looks like its whole side was crushed in by something? #128 is now backed into the position on the NB TE. So after all this musical chairs with locos, it is time for everyone to leave. What a dispatching challenge for the people at Forth Worth along with the many freights that are in and out of the yards.
We leave Ft. Worth at 2:40pm and decide to stay in the lounge car as there is going to be a ranger talk by volunteers. Some of their program is interesting about the missions along the way to San Antonio but they spent too much time talking about financial matters dealing with their funding and not enough history for me. A nice talk about Cleburne Texas. A nice depot there as well. Major shops for the Santa Fe here at one time. We come across a large hilly section that is known as the Balcones Escarpment, which is a fault line that runs all the way to San Antonio. The Brazos River is full of boats today as we cross over the bridge
We move south past McGregor and Temple Texas and see lots of UP& BNSF action, large elevators and some livestock along the tracks. An announcement is made that supper will be served early and quickly as some of the crew will be getting off in Austin. Wondered why the dining crew gets off here, but that is the way it is. We moved to the dining car and sat with two ladies heading for New Braunfels, Tx where they reside. They are getting off at San Marcos just before San Antonio. I have the chicken special and Claudia has the burger but we are told that if we want dessert we will have to take it with us as the crew is going to get the car cleaned up so they can get off in Austin. We grab a couple of Hagen Daz ice creams and off to our room we go.
We pull into Austin early and have time to get out and walk around the small depot area. Lots of students (U of Texas) waiting for rides. Some photos of the skyline although the area around the depot is rather desolate looking. Claudia enjoys a conversation with the two ladies we had dinner with and I am snapping photos like a true tourist. We have a new person in the room across the hall #5. She is a woman from Fresno, Ca who has come to Austin for her daughter’s graduation with an M.A. from UT. Her husband and other daughter have flown from California, but she will not fly and is taking a leisurely trip back home on Amtrak. Her other daughter has a degree from Cal Poly at SLO. We will become casual friends as we travel across the country on the TE, and SJ.
Back on the train for a 7PM departure as we cross Colorado River (not the big one) and in a half hour we are in San Marcos, home of Texas State U. Large stadium there and nice park. We say goodbye to our dinner mates and anticipate our run into San Antonio in a couple of hours.
As we enter from the northwest, the train almost completely circumnavigates the city on the west side and we get a great view of the skyline at night. We finally reach the depot and say goodbye to Lonnie, who will get a rest tonight and then head north on the Eagle tomorrow morning. A generous tip in appreciation of his service. The train arrived at 9:13pm nearly an hour and fifteen minutes early. There is so much padding in the Eagle schedule.
We are told we will be sleeping in the yards but can get out and walk around while the crews clean and service the train. Most everyone is getting off for a while but then many return to the train and go to bed. It is now about 10PM. There are people in the depot that may spend the night sleeping because they cannot board the Eagle/SL trains until morning.
Claudia and I go up to the depot and take some night shots of the train and city. We walk down the track to where the old steam engine is located. We remember walking this way, not too far from the Alamo on our trip out west a few years ago. We had a nice time on the Riverwalk and seeing the Alamo but it is too late at night to walk around in the city. As we walk back, the northbound Eagle/Sunset Ltd is pulling in on the inside track blocking our train entrance. A young couple with four little girls had been walking around and they too wanted to reboard our train and go to their rooms. They had Bedrooms D&E on our 2130 car.
We walked between the two trains through steam and oily messes and found our sleeping car doors were locked. Now what do we do? Lonnie had left the train and no one seemed to be around except for the maintenance guys. I banged on the door and someone came to the window. We explained our dilemma and he told us to walk around the front of the locomotives and enter on the other side. It would have been nice if someone had explained how we were supposed to get back on our train. Anyway, our little caravan of munchkins and adults made it to the other side and the man let us onboard.
It was a nice quiet night to sleep after our rough ride the night before. Didn’t even feel the connection of our car and the other coach to the Sunset Ltd consist overnight. A lightning storm came in early but even that was a pleasant sound as we slept the night away.
Tuesday, May 26th. San Antonio, Texas
I was up at 5am and went down to see that our cars were now at the back of the Sunset Ltd #1 train. Our new car attendant, Lloyd was standing by the door welcoming a few new passengers that were boarding. Our train is scheduled to leave at 5:40am. It is still raining a little and after getting our showers, we head for the diner for breakfast around 6:30am. There is also a problem with the restrooms in the 21 coach ahead of us and some of those people are coming into our car to use the restrooms downstairs. Lots of “new faces” showing up on the lower floor. Several people in our car complain to Lloyd and the conductor about this and he ushers them back to their coach and tells them to use restrooms in other coaches. There are two young people who continue to show up in our car and we are suspicious of their purpose since they hang out near the luggage downstairs. I mention this to Lloyd and we do not see them again in our car.
We have a very long walk now since our sleeper in the last car on the train. Several of our sleeper car mates decide they will not walk that far and have Lloyd bring them their meals in their rooms. This causes lots of problems for him since he is continually moving from the diner to our sleeper bringing meals and returning for more. Lloyd is an older gentleman who has worked for Amtrak a long time but still got stuck in our sleeper with lots of whiners. This is the worst car we’ve been in regard to passengers demanding service. Mellow out people!!
We have breakfast with a couple from Room #2 in our car. They are from Oklahoma and connected from the Heartland Flyer in Ft. Worth yesterday. They are going to Stockton, renting a car and then visiting friends and going to Yosemite as well. They are newly married but are in their 40s and he likes to “sing”. They are a colorful couple indeed. Claudia had the continental breakfast with oatmeal, yogurt, and fruit. I had the cheese omelet and potatoes.
After breakfast we move to the lounge car and see some fantastic scenery across the plains of south Texas. We are running a little late and arrive in Del Rio about 30 minutes down. It is a smoke stop but Lloyd says don’t go too far away from the platform because we will leave soon. There are some nice flowers blooming and a beautiful brick station but I stay on the platform and take photos.
We are looking forward to another ranger talk as they set up their materials in the lounge car. They are from the Amistad Recreational Park and provide an interesting program about the history of the area from Del Rio to Sanderson Tx. Lots of hands on materials for kids and great scenery out the window. They explain the history of the huge lake and dam that we are passing by. We cross over a large railroad bridge over the Pecos River, see Langtry where Judge Roy Bean held court and watch as the land becomes more desert-like. Lots of cactus and not much else growing out there.
It is now close to noon and we arrive in Sanderson, TX where our rangers depart. The old depot area is pretty dilapidated with paint peeling from the outside walls. A lone park service Chevy truck picks them up for the long ride back to Del Rio.
We decided to go to the diner for lunch and meet a Native American woman from ABQ who will be riding to El Paso where she will get the bus to ABQ. She is a genealogist and has been to the library in Salt Lake. She was visiting friends in Corpus Christi. Our other seat mate was Sanford from Los Angeles. He was an African-American man who was visiting his sister in Shreveport, La and now heading home. What an interesting lunch and conversation. Claudia had the curry chicken (very good) and I had the ravioli (also good).
After lunch we go back to our room but the whiners are still complaining about distance to the diner, coach people they have to walk by (snobs). An announcement is made about smoker on the train will be “detrained” if caught. I did smell smoke in our car and think our neighbor up the hall may be sneaking a puff.
I decide to take some photos out the back of our car. There is another woman there taking photos. She is German and from Dresden. She is traveling across the country but my German is non-existent and her English is broken so our conversation is limited to “beautiful country”.
We arrive in Alpine Tx at about 1:30. A small town with an old caboose near the depot
I later return to the rear of our car for some more pictures since the German lady has now gone elsewhere.
At 3:15 they come around to make reservations for supper. We decide to go at 5:30 since we are scheduled to get to El Paso around 4:30 and leave at 5:30 and that will let us get off the train and see the depot. We decide to return to the lounge car and watch the nice scenery in western Texas. There is a Hispanic lady teaching her mother to play cards at one table. The nice couple with the four girls watching the scenes go by.
We arrive in El Paso and pass by the huge railroad yards and engine shops. Lots of UP and SP locos in the yards. The skyline of El Paso, such as it is, is now coming into view and we can see across the border into Mexico
We arrive in El Paso about on time and Lloyd says we should have about a half hour here. Claudia and I get off and head for the depot. A very nice place with lots of people. Take photos of the murals on the walls, ceramic floors and ceiling architecture. There are several vendors selling burritos and souvenirs on the platform but since we are having supper when the train leaves, we pass.
Finally got some good photos of our three locomotives on the train. Our head unit was #55. second in line was #98 and the third engine was #58, which had been our lead loco on Train 21 down to San Antonio. Not sure how they determine which engines go with what trains on the switch in SAS.? The first two locos were “elephant style” while our old #58 was facing backward.
The engine let out its two horn toots and we scurried back on board and headed for the diner. One of the coaches seemed nearly empty now as many people left the train in ELP. We were seated with a couple from New Zealand. She was a native of NZ while the man was an American who had lived there for many years. They had traveled to NY City, D.C. Charlotte and Oklahoma City visiting relatives and had taken the Flyer to Ft. Worth and were now heading for LA, a stop in Hawaii and then home. It would be a 12 hour flight. She had two kids in NZ and he has 2 in the U.S. We have the “new” steak with baked potato. It is more like a roast beef but very good.
As we eat, we see the Mexican border towns west of El Paso and the mountains in the background. The Rio Grande seemed rather like a small ditch in places and then it turned north toward La Cruzes, NM. The sun starts to go down and we pass some magnificent desert scenery as we pass through Deming and Lordsburg, NM. We pass a rail yard with gray and blue locomotives from the Southwestern Railroad in Deming, NM. This was a private line that serves copper mines and small towns in New Mexico.
We enjoyed the sunset as we crossed into Arizona and it was about time to have Lloyd put down our bed. I noticed there were no towels downstairs and wanted to mention how the electricity kept going on and off. I wanted to stay up to see Tucson but fell off to sleep and that was that. Woke up when some people got off the train in Maricopa. Still no towels down stairs.
Wednesday May 27
We are up early, get showered and head up to breakfast since the dining crew said they will be closing early. We are running ahead of schedule and will be likely arriving in LA nearly an hour early. As I look out the window there is a glimpse of Palm Springs but by the time I get my camera out we are back in the desert again.
We have breakfast with Dick and Elizabeth from Seattle. They were in Atlanta and had ridden the Crescent to NOL and then Sunset Ltd. They are hoping to make their Coast Starlight connection for home this morning and it looks good since we are running early. She graduated from OSU but doesn’t have much to say other than complaining about Amtrak service. “Old equipment, casual attitude of the staff”.
Claudia and I both get the cheese omelets and juice. It is very good. We say goodbye to Gabriel and the dining car staff that did a great job. We returned to our room and our beds had still not been put up. Lloyd apparently was running out of gas at the end of the trip and didn’t exactly keep things tidy. Restrooms were a little messy, no towels in bathroom, etc. We tipped appropriately this time also. He was not Lonny.
As we gathered our things together we reflected on the Texas Eagle/Sunset Ltd trip.
It was a nice ride with different scenery from our other trips. Service in the dining car was very good on the whole route. We had a Superliner I refurbished on the Sunset end, nice shower, etc. But as usual, the car attendant consistency was lacking. Never know if you are going to get a quality employee or a less motivated one. We liked the scenery on the TE across the Southwest, didn’t find it boring as some have said. But I doubt if we would take this route to California again since it is one more night on a train than my back can handle.
We move closer to LA as the morning commuters are starting to fill up the streets and freeways. Metrolink trains running fast and often. We cross over the LA River, such as it is, and before we know it, we are passing the PRR coach in the LA yards. It is now 8:20 and we are over an hour early. Going to try to change our bus tickets to Bakersfield so we can leave around 10 instead of 1 and get to Merced earlier.
We march up the long passage way to the station lobby and head over to the Amtrak desk to see what they can do. A very nice agent listened to our plan but said because we had Guest Reward tickets, she might not be able to change them. She talked to a supervisor who said no. Well, that was o.k. since we wanted to explore some areas around the station and go over to the old town on Olivera Street. We took our carry on bags to the checked baggage station and paid the $3 fee to store each one. We decided to grab something to drink and as we walked back into the terminal area I heard someone yelling at us. It was the nice lady Amtrak agent. She said there was room on the 10am buses and it would be o.k. to ride them to Bakersfield. It was nice of her to try and find us in the busy station but I guess my head stood out among the crowd**smile**.
Since we still had some time, we decided to go across to the Old Town Pueblo and walk around. The vendors were just getting their booths set up. We took a quick tour of the art museum in the basement of the old church on the square. Bus loads of tourists were arriving so we took some more photos of statues, the Pico House hotel and the many flowers and fountains. Would like to spend some time in LA seeing the tourist sites and riding some Metros and subways. Just not enough time on this trip.
It was then time to get back to the station, retrieve our bags, and head out to the side of the depot where the buses were parked. We ran into our old friends from Oklahoma, the lady from Fresno heading back home and several other familiar faces from our Sunset Ltd train.
We were shifted around to two different buses as they decided to add a bus with passengers going on to Las Vegas from Bakersfield. The bus was nice and clean but not much room for someone with long legs like mine. We had to place our luggage under the bus since there was little room in the storage compartments above the seats. I was a little apprehensive since they gave no bag checks.
At about 10:45am our bus pulled out and down I-5 we went. Never been through this part of LA so scenery was nice. We saw the HOLLYWOOD sign on the hill and then started up a steep grade with multiple lanes for trucks and cars. We passed the Six Flags Amusement Park and then a large lake on the north side of the bus called Pyramid Lake. A passenger gave us the history of the reservoir which supplies water to the valleys below.
We came down off the mountain from the Tejon Pass and there was the broad San Joaquin Valley with vegetables growing everywhere. We arrived in Bakerfield around 1pm and were told there were some mechanical problems with the locomotive on our Train #715. There is a very nice modern station near the tracks so we went over there to utilize the facilities, get a drink and get out of the very hot weather. It had been over a 100 degrees earlier in the week but now was leveling off to around 95 whew!!.
After a short delay, (we found out the mechanical problem was really just that the radios for the conductor weren’t working, nothing wrong with the locos themselves). First time on the San Joaquins trains and they are very nice. Very much like the Capitol Corridor trains we rode from SAC to EMY last year. They have a locomotive on one end and then run backwards in the other direction. As the train heads north we see thousands of acres of vegetables, almond trees, dairy farms, etc. The fruit and veggie capital of the US!!.
It is 168 miles from Bakersfield to Merced and we pass through some small towns that are probably much like the little agricultural villages in our state (except everyone here speaks Spanish**smile***.) Lots of people get off in Fresno, including our friend who husband and daughter flew back from Texas. We had a sandwich and drink in the café car from a very energetic car attendant. He sold a lot of food just with his personality. Enjoyed the SJ ride.
We arrive in Merced about 5PM. We are anxious to see if our checked luggage from Cleveland had made it. A nice young man with red hair was working the agent’s desk and he smiled when we asked if had a couple bags from CLE. He said yes they are here. "Wondering where you folks were?" They had been shipped on the California Zephyr and then down the SJ the day before. We are happy to see them. He said there should be a cab out front in the parking lot.
We looked around for a taxi to take us to our Courtyard Marriott hotel. There are two taxi companies in Merced, the one with the cute yellow cars attracted our attention and the lady driving seemed nice so off we went. The driver said they had contracts to carry Amtrak and BNSF employees back and forth but that she would have a cab for us in the morning to bring us back to the depot for our ride to Yosemite. It was $6.50 for the cab ride across town.
Our hotel was very nice, the desk was very friendly and the rooms large and clean. There was a nice breakfast area in which a buffet was served in the am. Unfortunately, we must leave to get back to the depot at 6:00am so will have to find something else to eat. There was a nice restaurant next door called Carrows—like a Dennys back home, so we headed there for supper. Chicken Bacon Stack was good and came with free dessert—such a deal!
We walked over to the Valero station and grabbed a box of donuts for our breakfast tomorrow and then headed back to the hotel. It has been a very long day since leaving our TE train in LA. Off to bed we go.
Thursday & Friday May 28 & 29.
I will not bore you all with our adventures in Yosemite but rest assured it is one of the most beautiful places we have ever visited. Spent two full days there riding the YARTZ bus and the free shuttles around the park. Lots of hiking (sore feet) and photos galore. I will continue our train trip as we leave Merced on Saturday May 30 for Sacramento.
Saturday May 30
We awoke at a later hour this morning since our train does not leave for Sacramento until 10:08am. We thought we would try the breakfast bar downstairs. It is not a free breakfast as most of our places have been but decided to have a nice leisurely meal after the rushing around of the last few days. The choices were o.k.,but nothing special. A somewhat expensive breakfast at $20. We checked out and caught our taxi back to the depot to wait for our train. Purchased our tickets for the ride to Sacramento hoping to arrive around noon.
The northbound San Joaquins #701 is on time and we get our seat on the east side of the train for photos. We pass an old Air Force Base that is now a museum. Lots of old planes sitting out. More vegetable fields as we go through Denair and then arrive in Modesto and its modern looking station. When we get outside Stockton we switch over to UP tracks at a large diamond. We are glad we took the SJ that is a direct line into Sacramento instead of the bus transfer that was part of our original itinerary. Another 45 miles and we are in Sacramento.
We get our tickets for tomorrow’s Coast Starlight & Corridor Train to and from San Francisco and decide to get the San Joaquins and Surfliner tickets as well for Monday' trip.
We go outside and look for a cab but none can be found in the parking lot. This is odd since our previous adventures in Sacramento found numerous cabs waiting. As I was about to ask the clerk how to get a cab I noticed there were some in back of the depot near the train platforms. Yes, this is now the new cab stop. The drivers said the city told them they must park in the rear so as not to block traffic in front of the depot and take parking spaces. We were taken quickly across the bridge to our hotel, the Comfort Suites on Jibboon St. We have stayed here twice before and it is a clean and close-to-the-station hotel. After getting organized, we decide to take a bus to downtown and try to find a battery for my watch that has died. After our last bus ride to Rio Linda (see 2008 report), we now believe we have the bus numbers and routes figured out.
We walk under the Interstate bridge and to the corner bus stop. There are lots of police cars around and not sure what they are doing. Many times we have seen homeless people living under this bridge and think they are looking for someone.
We see a bus leave just as we cross the street and figure another should be around soon. We waited, and waited some more. Finally another rider came to the stop and informed us that on Saturdays the bus only runs on the hour. Sooo-we have been standing in the hot sun for an hour and the bus finally comes. The driver must have felt sorry for us because he just charged us a small fee to cross the bridge and drop us off downtown.
We walk over to the mall and find a kiosk that fixes watches. We have a little wait so we walk around in some stores and get a drink. We then pick up my watch and walk down the street to the underpass to Old Sacramento. This is an interesting place full of shops and touristy souvenirs. Since we spent quite a bit of time here a few years back, we decided to go over to Joes Crab Shack and have a late lunch.
There was a pretty large crowd but they took us right to a table and we enjoyed the seafood shrimp & fish dinner. Lots of fun and frolicking inside. Very loud but nice view of the river and the many boats out today.
Walked down toward the old depot and a steam train was coming back with a full load of passengers. We decided to walk back to our hotel which is not a bad walk in the daytime. Lots of boats on the river as we made it back to the Comfort Suites.
We settle down to watch some TV but are getting up early in the morning to catch the Coast Starlight at 6:30am. I call JULIE and the CS #11 is running close to on time. Good night!
Sunday May 31
We had changed our train ride to San Francisco a few months ago so that we would ride the Coast Starlight instead of a Capitols Corridor train in order to have breakfast in the diner. It would also get us into San Francisco a little earlier so we might be able to ride more cable cars this time.
Had we known our hotel clerk had breakfast ready to go at 6am we would have had time to eat there but such is life. Our cab picked us up around 6 and we were off to the SAC depot.
Because the Coast Starlight had come in early it was already boarding people when we arrived. We had to go through the tunnel and around to the east side of the tracks. We found two coach seats that were unoccupied and waited until the train started before heading to the dining car. The conductor never came around to take our tickets and so wondered about security on the train. How did they know we had a ticket?
The car was not that full, I suppose many of the sleeper passengers had their breakfast in the Pacific Parlour Car. We had the omelets and potatoes, juice and then headed for the lounge car to watch the scenery. It was a bit foggy this morning and somewhat chilly. Glad I decided to go with long pants today.
Having breakfast as we pass through Davis and before we knew it we had reached Suisun and the bay full of old ships mothballed for many years. It was a little clearer outside and I got some better shots than on our previous trip. Since the Coast Starlight only stops at Martinez and passes by the Capitols stops at Suisun, Richmond and Berkeley, we make a much quicker trip to Emeryville. We head over the huge bridge and are soon in Martinez for a brief stop. The train then moves along San Pedro Bay, past old wharfs, some refineries and more large bridges before making the turn into Emeryville. We arrive around 8 am and head into the depot and out front to our waiting bus. There are many people getting off the Starlight and the bus is filling up fast.
It is a quick trip to the Oakland Bay bridge and we notice that the construction of the new bridge continues, more concrete being laid since our trip to SF in 2007. Not sure how long it will be before it is finished. For a Sunday morning the bridge is still full of cars but we move quickly to the Ferry Building where we will embark on another whirlwind tour of the city by the bay.
But first we must go to the Amtrak desk because I have noticed that we do not have the tickets for the return trip to SAC. When we got our tickets at SAC on Saturday, I failed to check that all parts of our trip were attached to the tickets the clerk gave us. I believe she never gave us that section of our trip. The Amtrak clerk checked his records and apparently the clerk had seen later that the tickets were not picked up and credited our account. We then had to buy two tickets from Ferry Blg to SAC and then be off.. It was a very cool and windy morning and I did not have a jacket. Big mistake as I am freezing as we walk the "Streets of San Francisco!!."
As we crossed the Embarcadero we noticed a group of tents being set up on the concrete walkway and there were several art vendors putting out their paintings and jewelry. We did a quick check to see what was there but wanted to get over to California St to ride the cable cars. We bought our day passes and hopped aboard for the ride up and down the hills.
We decided to ride the California St car to the end at the Nob Hill area. We had not walked this area in our last trip so enjoyed the different scenery. Lots of interesting shops, huge hotels and apartment buildings, theatres, etc. Walked down Van Ness St and then down Washington and Jackson Sts. We saw an old church where people were exiting and some Oriental folks doing Tai Chi in the park.
After walking down the hill to Hyde St we caught the cable car east and then south to Market St. By now the crowds were starting to form at the turntable and the lines are long. We were going to ride back up the hill and down to the wharf but opted for some old bus rides instead. The pass we have will allow us to ride all sorts of transportation in town including city buses, the nice old electric buses and the cable cars.
We walk along Market St and see all the big department stores, Nordstroms, Bloomingdales, etc. Looking for a jacket for me but the large stores aren’t open yet and no else has anything my size. We decide to take an electric antique bus up Market St. to the Castro. Have some curiosity about the area where the movie, MILK, was filmed and the traditional stereotypes of SF being a gay community. It is an interesting bus ride with all sorts of people getting on and off along the way . We pass the Civic Center where it looks like a market is taking place. Will stop there on the return trip. We finally reach Castro St which is the end of the line for the F Street trolley buses.
Not sure where Harvey Milk’s shop was. Walked along Castro St for a few blocks or so. We are not too far from the Haight-Ashbury section where the hippies invaded in the 1960s but without a bus map decide to just return on another trolley bus down Market St. There are still many areas of San Francisco to explore on another trip.
We get off the bus at 10th Street and walk over to where all the activity seems to be. It is on the Civic Center Plaza and is a farmer’s market full of fruits and vegetables and lots of flowers. Many vendors and I suspect that local residents pick up their fresh veggies each Sunday. It is starting to mist rain a little so we catch another trolley bus that will take us back to the Ferry Bldg.
We walk through the giant marketplace inside the Ferry Building, find some restrooms and then explore the many booths. We head back outside and catch another bus, SRO, to 39th Street Pier.
There is a man playing a sax who is really good and lots of people walking around in the amusement park atmosphere. Finally find a place with a cheap jacket and am finally warmed up. There is a sailing regatta out in the bay and a large speedboat ride that whizzes past the docks. We look around for someplace for lunch and find a deli that has sandwiches and some tables to sit.
The seals are still lounging on the pier docks as we saw on our last trip and we walk on up the Embarcadero St to Fisherman’s Wharf. We are looking for some form of transportation that will get us to the Golden Gate Bridge which we really want to see. After checking out some of the tour barkers, we stumble upon some young guys who are giving boat tours of the SF Bay and promise to take everyone under the bridge. At $15 a ride this seemed like a good deal.
The boat tour is called Captain Joes and the three guys who run it have a good personality that makes the trip across the rough and chilly bay a pleasure. They point out some historic points on shore including an old fort and some condos owned by movie stars. There are many sail boats following our path as we approach the Golden Gate Bridge. I get some good photos as we rock and roll on the waves. We move under the bridge and turn around for some more pictures. The guys take pictures of the couples on board with the bridge in the background.
We then take off for a trip around Alcatraz Island. Although we do not get off the boat, they slowly go around the entire island and point out all the historic buildings and some tales about the inhabitants. We then head back to the docks for what was a really good tour.
Claudia wants to go back to Chinatown so we hop aboard another trolley bus and go back to the Ferry Bldg area. We catch a Cable Car on California St and get off at Grant St. We walk down the street and find some shops that have cat dishes and other related items to bring back to Ohio. We walk down Washington St and return to the Embarcadero Plaza to look over the wares of the exhibitors. It is now getting close to our time to catch our bus back to Emeryville so we move over to the other side of the street. The San Francisco Giants ballgame has just let out and there are all kinds of fans walking up the street toward the restaurants in the Ferry Building. People in their cars yelling out the window and a rather joyous atmosphere.
Our Amtrak bus is supposed to leave at 5:05 so that we can catch the 5:45 Capitols Corridor train at 5:45. We board the bus but the driver is busy talking to people and decides to hold the bus for a male passenger whose girlfriend is running late. After sitting for fifteen minutes, he decides to leave. Then the guy sees his girlfriend running up the street and we stop at a corner for her to board. By this time the bus may have a difficult time making it across the bridge to Emeryville in time.
We arrive at the station just at 5:45 and everyone rushes through the depot to the train that is on the platform. I hear the double horn signal and the train then moves out, leaving all of us stranded on the platform. There is considerable discussion, much of it very loud, with the Amtrak agents, about why our bus was late and did not make the connection. It was clearly the bus drivers fault for not keeping the bus moving and delaying for one passenger. One family was very irate and they went after the agent at the window. She did not provide a satisfactory answer other than telling everyone the next train will be here at 7PM.
This was not a big deal for us, other than we had planned to get dinner in SAC and walk back to our hotel since it still would have been light when we arrived on our scheduled train. But others were making connections and had plans that did not call for them to be boarding a later train. A request to talk to a supervisor met with similar results. Each party trying to cover their butts and lying about policy and procedure. She tried to tell everyone that this bus was not a connection to this train, but that was not true. It would have been better to just admit the error, chastise the bus driver and get on with apologizing to the passengers. But she did not handle it well and left Amtrak again with egg on its face.
Since no one was going to get their supper at the expected hour, some of us walked across the street to the Subway and got a sandwich. Lots of continued rumbling but nothing to do but wait until the #544 Corridor train arrives at 7PM.
Got a chance to take some pictures around the depot since our other trips through here were always in a hurry to catch buses or trains. A few freights came by but not much traffic on the rails. At 7PM the next train left with our not-so-merry- band of Amtrak passengers. It was an uneventful trip but as darkness came when we got to Davis, our thoughts of walking back to our hotel were changed. We grabbed a cab back to the Comfort Suites and settled in for repacking and getting ready for another early start toward San Diego tomorrow.
Monday June 1
We are up early again this morning as our San Joaquins Train #702 is set to leave Sacramento at 6:40am. We are getting a bit weary of all the early morning preparations for our trains and will be glad to spend some restful time in San Diego for a few days. Our cab arrives at 5:30 and we arrive at the depot shortly after. We decide we will need to check our large bags to LA instead of SAN because our connecting Surfliner does not have baggage car and we would need to wait for the next train to get our bags in San Diego. We have Business Class seats on our Surfliner so there should be plenty of room to store them for that trip.
We grab a blueberry muffin in the station and then board our SJ at 6:15am. We get a table seat which we may not get to stay in if the train fills up. Other people board the car but we are able to maintain our table setup for now. We place our maps, timetables and camera ready for the day’s journey. It is a nice sunny day as we pass the same little towns and farm fields as our trip on Saturday. Got a nice photo of the Lodi depot, which looks a lot like my model railroad depot in its yellow paint. Lots of BNSF action as we pass the Stockton diamond.
It seems like a few people get on and off but we have not had to share our table seats yet. Lot easier to take pictures sitting here. Thousand of almond trees as we passed the modern Modesto depot. Intermodel facilities are busy but many of the yards don’t seem to have that many trains made up. By 8:45 we are back to Merced and the wonderful memories of the trips to Yosemite. We arrive at Bakersfield around noon and we scurry to board our bus for the trip to LA. Would have preferred to have taken the Coast Starlight from SAC To LAX but it arrives so late into LA that our Surfliner would have gotten us to SAN after midnight.
Our bus driver seemed to have difficulty shifting gears as we climbed into the mountains and it seemed like forever before we reached the suburbs of LA. We had plenty of time before our Surfliner #582 was to leave at 4:10pm. We retrieved all of our bags from the bus and hauled to the station waiting area. There were lots of birds flying around inside the station and they sometimes left a nasty mess on the seats. Finally found some that were clean and settled in for the wait. No one at the Amtrak desk would have any specific information as to when and where we would board. One person said one thing—another had a different time. The speaker system in LAUPT seemed as bad as the one in Sacramento and you could hardly make out what they were saying.
Finally a boarding call came at 3:45 and we walked down the long platform to catch the train. Since we had several bags and we looked “senior citizen types”, the conductor said it was o.k. to sit downstairs in the business car. That was nice since we didn’t have to climb those long stairways. This Surfliner originates in LA so only bussed passengers from the north are boarding with us. They brought around a nice snack bag and beverages/wine included and we sat back and enjoyed the trip out of LA. There were only a couple of other passengers downstairs so it was a quiet ride. Close to the restrooms.
As we left LA, there were plenty of Metrolink trains coming and going. We passed the nice Mission Tower and came upon a Metrolink train across the LA River ditch pulling an Albuquerque RailRunner coach. An unusual sight here in LA. Rows and rows of Union Pacific power from small switchers to the big road locomotives. Many of them shared the same graffiti that adorned the concrete walls of the riverbank. Got a nice shot of the Hobart Tower and some blue and yellow Santa Fe locos next to a warbonnet paintjob and some green Burlington’s waiting for a paint job.
A pleasant ride down the coast as many commuters are getting off the train in Fullerton and Santa Ana. At San Juan Capistrano we see the ocean beaches. There are a few surfers out in the cold water but not many people on the beach. A Coaster train was waiting at Oceanside to return to San Diego. As we climbed over the mountains for our final approach to San Diego, we again were amazed at how people here in California built their homes on the sides of mountains. Not surprised how the mudslides and earthquakes take their toll.
We passed Old Town just before 7 and in a few minutes were pulling into the beautiful Santa Fe depot in San Diego. We grabbed our bags and looked to see if a cab was available. Normally we have walked to the hotel but with five bags, we didn’t want to carry them that far. Across the street were several waiting cabs, but we were first addressed by a man with a pedacab who offered to take us anywhere in the downtown. He was happy to learn we were only 2 blocks away but he still wanted $20 for a ride. We passed since the cab ride should be less than $10.
We crossed the street and were engaged by several drivers, all from someplace other that the USA. The man in charge directed us to the first cab in line, a tall African man who did not seem to speak any English. I explained where we were going and the address on Ash Street. We took off down the street, made a right turn and then he continued on past our cross street. I said “whoa” you are going the wrong way. Turn left here and just around the block”. After some prodding and wondering if this was just a way to pick up some extra quarter miles, we made it to the hotel. Bayside Inn Best Western.
We had requested that we have a room on the upper floors facing the city and sure enough we got a room just like the one we had last year. A beautiful view of downtown, especially at night, a balcony and a nice size room. Since it was now nearly 8PM we did not want to venture far to find supper. Our desk clerk said there was a Jack-In-The-Box just a few blocks along Kettner St. We walked down there on a nice balmy night and found just a few people there, some of which were some interesting characters. A street guy down on his luck, another man bought him some food. A few regulars and us. Claudia had a burger and I had chicken. Time to go. We walked up the street toward Little Italy and found more choices that we might have made there. Walked back along India St to our hotel. It had been a long day since leaving Sacramento this morning. Checked my email on the public computer in the lobby and then some TV, a nice view from our window and off to bed.
Tuesday & Wednesday June 2&3 in San Diego
We decide to sleep in after several days of getting up at 5am. A joy not to have to get up early. The free breakfast at the hotel in served in the building next door which is also a restaurant. Eggs, toast, pastries, potatoes are the bill of fare. A nice quiet place with plenty of room to sit. The jacaranda trees are in full bloom again and along with many other species of plants, the city is dressed in colors of purple and red.
We walk down to the depot and get a two day pass for the trolleys, buses, etc. We are then off on the Blue Line north to Old Town where we will transfer to a city bus for a ride to the Ft. Rosecrans National Cemetery. Yes, we are looking for dead people on our vacation. My great uncle Frank was a veteran of WWI and died of TB in Arizona in 1940. He was buried in San Diego and I wanted to see his grave. I had plotted our path before the trip on the Internet and it seemed like an easy bus ride to the cemetery.
The Old Town terminal is a center of bus and trolley traffic and we must walk under the road to get to the bus platforms. Bus #28 would take us to a transfer point known as Shelter Island and then we catch Bus #84 to the cemetery and the Cabrillo National Park. We get to see some new neighborhoods of San Diego, bustling businesses that are near the Naval sea bases on the peninsula. Our driver drops us off at the cemetery entrance and using the maps I found online we were able to quickly locate the grave site.
The cemetery looks like a small version of Arlington Cemetery with white grave stones all along rolling hills and reaching to the ocean on one side and the San Diego Bay on the other. I took several photos of the grave. I am sure none of my grandmother’s relatives had ever been here to see it. Sorry that Grandma Homman could not be here.
We walked all over the cemetery, reading several commemorative monuments and plaques that honored sailors and Marines from previous wars. It was a bit of a walk up to the entrance to the park and lighthouse but we made it. The park ranger gave us a family pass and then we walked up the hill along the ocean to some displays of coastal defenses. Took some nice photos of the submarine base down below. Several subs were returning or leaving port with escorts and tugs nearby. Lots of fighter jets, helicopters flying overhead as well. We walked further up the hill to the Point Loma Lighthouse. An interesting display of life in a lighthouse. Then walked down to the Cabrillo Monument and the visitor center.
Since the bus only comes once per hour we headed for the parking lot to board our bus. There was a man in a wheelchair with his little dog, Toby, that boarded our bus as we headed back to our transfer point. As we passed the cemetery, there was an honor guard getting ready for a memorial service. It looked like several funerals were about to take place that afternoon.
After a bit of a wait at the transfer point we eventually made it back to Old Town. Walked around a little and then headed for Café Coyote for lunch. I had the Grande Burrito with Chicken, Claudia had the Pork, Veggie dish. We had eaten here last year and found the food to be very good and reasonably priced. Good service.
We decided to take the Green Line trolley out to the east for awhile (remembering our last excursion, we would not venture too far.) We got off at the Valley Center Mall which is quite a place. After walking down the large platform to the mall, you will find every high end department and specialty shop there is. Plenty of signs warning vagrants and gangsters to steer clear. Lots of security. Nordstroms, Macys, Neiman Marcus and Bloomingdale’s to mention a few. This is where the upper echelon of San Diego must shop. We stopped for a lemonade at the food court and walked around a little before heading back to the Green Line station.
We transfer to the Blue Line at Old Town and then depart at the Little Italy stop. Walk up to India Street. Claudia finds a Dick Blick store with all kinds of art supplies. She gets some paint which hopefully will stir motivation to paint again. We then look for some place to eat supper. Although there are many nice restaurants, we were still full from our late lunch.
We walk back to our hotel, check the email again, and grab a few snacks before retiring for the evening.
Wednesday June 3
After sleeping in again, we shower and head downstairs to breakfast. Eggs, pastries, juice, fruit and milk. We decide today we will ride the Blue Line Trolley down to San Ysidro and the Mexican border across from Tijuana. We do not have passports so we cannot go across the border, but wanted to see what this side of San Diego is like. Our two day passes are still getting us around town for $5 a day
As we move past the streets of downtown and south to the Transit Center near Petco Park, there is an increasingly large volume of passengers getting on the trolley. Mostly Hispanic people who may be heading to work or returning from a night shift somewhere. We pass the trolley yards and shops and there are many red cars waiting for their turn under the electric wires. We pass the entrance to the San Diego Naval Base which provides a large amount of employment to this area. Navy shipyards and General Dynamics construction yard working on several large ships.
At Barrio Logan stop there is some fine artwork on the walls. Native American figures from a time passed. As we get closer to San Ysidro we can see a large Mexican flag flying over buildings on the other side of the border. In only a few minutes we arrive at the depot and end of the line. There are lots of police and security guards around the entrance to the checkpoints to cross the border. Lots of money exchange shops, duty free shops, and fast food places. It seems to be a wild place and we do not spend much time. Lots of people getting on the northbound trolley so we hop aboard as well. We sit with a young boy and girl who are headed for Chula Vista where he is going to attend school? They live in Tijuana and said it only takes about 15 minutes for them to clear border when they come to US.
We arrive at the Transportation Center where we will transfer to Bus 901 for a ride to Coronado, our next destination for today. A large bridge rises over San Diego Bay where you can see the Naval Bases and the San Diego skyline. I have a map of where we are supposed to get off the bus but miss our stop and we have to walk a couple blocks to get back to the main street. We pass several shops and restaurants as we walk down to the location of the original ferry pier. There is a small beach area where a few people are getting some sun and playing. There are expensive looking apartments/condos nearby and then an area where the ferry dock. Several shops and restaurants. Lots of security boats and naval ships in the bay.
We eat lunch at Village Pizzaria with a great view of the bay. Some good subs and club sandwiches. Nice fountains with strange birds and flowers all around. We head out to the street to catch a Bus# 904 to the downtown area. We meet a lady who was former librarian and teacher who gave us some information about the local museum. We get off downtown and see all kinds of shops. We walk across the street to visit the historical museum. Lots of information about L Frank Baum, of Wizard of Oz fame, a nice display about the history of Coronado Island and the hotel.
We walk further down the street to the Coronado Hotel, a famous place where movies were filmed, and the wealthy stayed. Walked around the grounds and lobby. Very nice. And expensive. See photos.
We are ready to head back to San Diego and thought Bus 901 would go back over the bridge but alas we are heading out past the beaches, to the tip of the island. Pick up lots of kids getting out of school. Wait a long time for railroad crossing to clear and find that we have made it almost back to the Mexican border (Iris Avenue stop on the Blue Line). Well, we get off the bus and wait for the next north bound trolley. And we are off to San Diego again.
We sit with an older Mexican gentleman and many others as we head north. We get off at the 12th Street stop with an idea to go over to the Seaport Village but after waiting a long time for the Yellow Line trolley we decide to get back on the Blue Line and return to the depot. We check with the baggage handler to see when we can check our bags for tomorrow’s trip back home. We can bring them down anytime for checked bags and they will store our carry-ons while we tool around San Diego tomorrow morning. Since our Surfliner doesn’t leave until 3PM.
We walk back to the hotel and then decide to head over to Little Italy for supper. We chose a little Italian pizza place called Cetalu’s on India Street. Some young guys trying to make it against the big fancy restaurants. The pizza was good, atmosphere quaint. Reminded me of North Heidelberg at OSU. It was a little cool and each place had heaters near the tables. Still it was in the 60s. Back to the hotel for another night of TV and scenic views out the window.
Thursday June 4
We get up, finish our packing and head down for breakfast at 7am. Eggs, pastry, etc. We return and arranged for the hotel shuttle to take us to the depot at 8am with all of our bags. We checked our large bags through and paid $3/bag to store the others while we spend our last day in San Diego exploring.
We decided to walk south along the bay and see the Seaport Village. The large cruise liner “Elation” had been sitting in dock for a couple days and was boarding new passengers. We walked past the aircraft carrier Midway which we planned to visit when it opened around 10. There were a few runners and people walking their dogs as we stroll along the seawall.
The shops at Seaside are just starting to open up and some do not open until 10. There is a nice statue and art sculpture along the park north of the village. A small stream with fountains running through the village. Mostly touristy shops with expensive clothing. There was a nice carousel that was once in Portland, OR. Lots of flowers, ducks and turtles in the ponds.
We walk back toward the harbor and see a nice group of sculptures that represent events of World War II and beyond. The famous guy kissing the girl in NY after VE Day, Bob Hope doing a routine before soldiers and sailors from the many wars in which he entertained. Very impressive work there. But it is now close to 10 and we walk to the other side of the Midway and head for the ticket booth. There are already buses arriving as well as some midshipmen who are going to tour the ship.
We climb the gangplank which brings you to the hanger area and many examples of planes and military memorabilia. You get a headphone set and taped program as you move through the ship which is very helpful in explaining the complex nature of this huge carrier. We spent three hours exploring the ship, its extensive aircraft and heard some interesting talks by docents who were former members of the crew. A fascinating tour of a massive carrier in our naval history.
It was a great three hour adventure but it was time to cast off to find lunch and prepare for our trip on the Surfliner this afternoon. We walked north of the boardwalk and found a fish and chips place with some good food. Took some last pictures of the Star of India and other ships in the Maritime Museum and then back to the depot.
We retrieved our bags out of storage and I took some photos of our Surfliner and a Coaster train nearby. We would have locomotive #461 and Business Car 6801 right ahead of it running backward. The call came to board Surfliner #583 at 2:50pm for our 3:00 Surfliner to LA. We decided to sit on the upper deck since we had just our carry-on luggage. Sat on the west side to see the ocean.
Service was good as we received our doggie bag of cookies, chips, fruit and a beverage. It is a nice sunny day as we leave San Diego, pass Old Town and head back into the mountains before returning to the coastal areas. Lots of surfers out today although the surf didn’t look that great.
We were making good time until south of Fullerton where we sat for a half hour waiting for freights to pass by. I was hoping we would not be too late so we did not have to rush to get on our SW Chief leaving at 6:45. We ended up being only 25 minutes late (6:10PM) and since we didn’t know what track our SWC would be boarding, we had to walk the length of the train and then all the way back up the ramp to the depot. At 6:15 they called for boarding so back down the ramp we went to Track 11. Another lack of communications here.
We met Hauk To our sleeping car attendant who seemed like a personable guy and he came around and introduced himself, explained how to pronounce his name and said they would be making dinner reservations soon. We are in Room #6 in the 0430 car so we will be close to the diner. We are scheduled for a 7:15 dinner just after leaving Fullerton. We can see the blimp over the Staple Center as the NBA finals are happening. The conductor is giving updates on the score between the Lakers and the Magic. We don’t really care since our Cavaliers were beaten rather handily by the Magic last week.
We head for the diner and our companions are Allison and Johnny from Santa Fe. They were also in San Diego and were actually on our Surfliner and had taken the Midway tour and out to Coronado Island. They stayed in the Gaslamp District. They are traveling all over as he is retired from Air Force at Los Alamos. Allison was born in Coshocton, Ohio and then moved to Toledo. Lots of talk of old times in Ohio.
Claudia had the pasta which was o.k. I had the half chicken and very good as usual. Lemon cake and cheesecake with strawberry topping for desserts. After dinner we headed back to our room. Got off in San Bernardino to take some photos. Hauk put our beds down and we sat up until Barstow when we were both ready to hit the hay. A very nice day, but we are ready to get home.
Friday June 5
Woke up around 4am and noticed our train was not moving. We had passed Kingman and were somewhere around Williams Jct. We apparently hit an elk and it damaged several of the hoses on the front of the engine. His remains were also spread over the front of the engine and was quite a mess. The power was out on the train so Claudia’s sleep machine shut off and we just had the emergency lights off and on. After about an hour delay repairing the locomotive, we headed for Flagstaff down nearly two hours. We got up and showered and headed for the diner for breakfast.
Our companions this morning were David, a former Amtrak engineer for 38 years and his wife Kathy, who was an agent at the La Junta station. They get to ride for free but must pay for their meals. Claudia had oatmeal and fruit and I had the RR French toast.
We stopped in Flagstaff around 7:15 and made an attempt to wash off some of the gore from our lead engine. Back on the train and to our rooms to sightsee along the Arizona and New Mexico border. We pass the large railroad yards in Winslow, AZ. Since we are running behind, it is much lighter than normal and we see the beautiful desert landscape. We do not stop at Holbrook
At Gallup there is a group of African-American passengers that get on and we will eventually meet them at lunch. Gallup is a real “Indian town” with lots of Native American jewelry shops along the main street. The depot is a neat adobe looking structure. Not too far east of Gallup is the Ft. Wingate Army Depot where you can see munitions bunkers all along the hillside.
We schedule lunch at 11:30 so we can be finished by the time we reach ABQ. Our lunch guests are the two African-American ladies who boarded at Gallup. One is the mother and she carries on a brief conversation. The younger woman is her daughter and she does not wish to speak to us and is constantly complaining about food, her room and life in general. Mom said she is part Cherokee, part Irish and part African-American. She is working for Catholic Charities in Gallup where her brothers have lived for many years helping the Indians. The daughter is just out of the military and is in an “adjustment period” They live in Chicago and travel out to New Mexico annually.
Claudia and I both had the special “chicken ragout over rice”, It was very good. Had a mild chipotle sauce. We had the chocolate dessert and cheesecake for dessert.
We’re arriving in Albuquerque about an hour late having made up some time between Gallup and there due to padding. We; therefore are told to stay close to the platform. But the trains must be refueled here so it is still going to take awhile. The Indian sales tables are in their usual place and Claudia makes a few purchases while I walk up to the head of the train to survey the damage. Our locomotives 84 and 98 are being serviced and they are still trying to wash off the front of #84. Lots of RailRunner cars sitting on the sidings. Wonder how business has been?
Of more interest is the Disney Movie Train with painted designs for the upcoming "Christmas Carol" film sitting on a siding on the east end of the platform. There are people directing families around a rope to enter the train for a tour. I am taking photos and am asked by the security person what I am doing on the west side of the ropes. I tell them I am a passenger on Train #4. O.K.
We are ready to leave a little early when a series of events makes for an interesting departure. First, there are two men who get into our car and take up Roomette #3. Hauk To is suspicious of the men whose tickets indicate their names are East Indian in nature. One man is Hispanic and the other is African-American. He calls the conductor who questions their tickets and asks for I.D. They cannot produce any Ids. When we get on the train, there are two “plain clothes” officers talking to them and then they are taken off the train. Their luggage is searched and some suspicious cans are found. They are both whisked off to jail?
Next, an intoxicated passenger is in the lounge car as we leave ABQ and he demands more to drink. Apparently the lounge car attendant said No and he became irate. A call to the LSA led to swearing and threats. A general call to the conductor lead to more swearing and some temporary cuffs until he was taken from the train at Las Vegas, NM. We see the old Castanada Hotel as we leave the town. What history resides in those old walls!!
According to the conductor another passenger had also had too much to drink and was told to go back to his seat or he would be the next one removed. He must have calmed down because we saw no more removals the rest of the way home. Such excitement on Amtrak.!!
We saw lots of antelope as we traveled through the Raton Pass and some fox looking for something to eat. We lose more time and are back to nearly two hours down by the time we reach Trinidad.
We schedule supper at 7:15 and our companions are a couple from Kansas City who were visiting their son in Escondido near San Diego. They lived in San Diego for many years but a transfer of work brought them to KC. They are in Room 4 next to us. We had a great conversation about San Diego. Claudia and I had the new beef bordelaise, like roast beef, potato, mixed veggies and cheesecake. All were very good.
Back to our rooms for awhile and then I get off at La Junta to take some night shots of our train and the station. It is now 9:30 and we are still over an hour down. Hope we don’t lose any more time because we need to make our Capitol Ltd connection. It is leaving earlier now which may be a problem for connection with the western trains.
We had Hauk To turn down our beds around 10 and off to possible sleep at 11 but this track is very rough and we have a difficult time staying asleep.
Saturday June 6
We get up around 6am, shower as we pass through Lawrence, Kansas around 6:45. We make a stop in the KC yards to refuel the engines. Lots of train activity here as the high line can be seen to our south as we move closer to Kansas City. I was hoping to get a chance to see the inside of the station, but it seems like we are always running late on our SWC trips and the conductor said to stay on the platform We made up a lot of time overnight due to padding and we are now only about a half hour down. Lots of people getting off and on at the station. Say goodbye to our dinner companions from last night as they walk across the entryway to the station. We saw several UP coaches and an observation car for Creative Charters in blue and white. Also a Kansas City Southern F unit sitting just inside the terminal opening.
We are off and running again as we pass through the city and eventually come upon the Missouri River to our north. We have breakfast with our African American lady from Chicago and our conversations are much friendlier as Claudia and she had a good time back in ABQ looking at jewelry. I have the French toast, Claudia the cheese omelet and potatoes.
By the time we reach La Plata we are only 20 minutes behind and I am feeling more confident about our Chicago connection We pass the Trainweb motel and Chris G observation platform as we move quickly across Missouri. We decide to go up to the lounge car and watch the scenery. It has started to rain a little. We see some Mennonite girls playing cards, an Hispanic family with their cute little children enjoying the ride. The attendant is doing a great business as everyone is getting something to eat or drink.
The window at our seat is leaking water from the now heavy rains and so we head back to our room to watch the world go bye. We arrive in Fort Madison around 11:30 and are given a brief stop to stretch legs and placate the smokers. There are some freshly painted /washed BNSF pumpkins behind the depot of which I must get a photo. We begin our crossing of the Mississippi River shortly after. A call for lunch early since the dining car staff wants to get things organized for our entry into Chicago. Don’t remember what we had but perhaps the Angus Burger and some ice cream.
We are close to Galesburg, IL as we cross over the CZ tracks west of town and move to the depot. We are still 20 minutes late but there is a lot of padding in the schedule between Princeton and Chicago and we will eventually get into CUS about 10 minutes early.
We say goodbye to Hauk To who was an excellent car attendant. Kept the restrooms spotless, a friendly guy who got the job done. Amtrak needs more like him.
We walked up to the Metro Lounge and decided to just hang out there and watch some TV and rest. Not much sleep last night. Most of the western trains had left and it looked like both the CZ and EB were running very late for some reason. There was some concern that neither train would make a connection with the Capitol or some of the other eastbound trains. Both were due in around 4PM but 4:30 came and still no trains. But the EB made up most of its lost time and made the calls for the Pere Marquette and Wolverine
The Cardinal left on time and without any CZ passengers onboard.
We grabbed a drink and or felt glad we had made our connection on time. The call to board the Capitol Ltd was made at 6:30 and we boarded car 3001 Room 9 soon after. We had a dinner reservation at 7:00pm and as the train moved out of CUS on time we saw the California Zephyr heading into the station. I was surprised they didn’t hold the train but perhaps they did a “bustitution” at Galesburg for those passengers as has happened in the past. I believe there would be some very unhappy passengers riding that bus all the way to Toledo.
We had our sleeper all the way to Toledo but then would need to give it up because someone had our room at TOL. We took a cat nap across Indiana and then had to walk the length of the train to a coach car about midnight. There was a long line of passengers boarding and we were glad to see two seats together when we climbed the stairs. It was an uneventful ride to Cleveland. We found our car in good shape (a welcome relief after our SLC trip in March). We picked up our checked bags outside the station and were on our way back to Ashland. An hour and half later we were back home and our cat, Mr. Gato, was glad to see us.
Our final evaluation of the trip was that we had a good time, saw new areas of the country, experienced one of the great natural wonders in Yosemite National Park, and enjoyed our day trip to San Francisco and the four days in San Diego.
Amtrak was its typical inconsistent self. Most of our car attendants were attentive and did their job well. The dining car staffs were especially good on all trains. Communications on the trains was generally pretty good as well. But the condition of the cars is becoming a major factor in promoting travel by train. Most of our sleeper cars were in deplorable condition, especially any of the Superliner 2s. We had one refurbished SL1 with a great modern shower and bathrooms. This should be the case on all the cars. People we talked to on the train were most critical of the status of the equipment, leaky windows, carpet that was worn, paint peeling in the lounge cars. As much as people criticize the CCC cars, they are at least modern looking and clean. There is a need to vary the menus so they are not the same on every train. And as with any organization, there are some people who need to retire.
Security on the trains outside of the NE Corridor is pretty lax. When we can walk onto a train without anyone checking our tickets or caring that we were in a sleeping car or business class car, there is something wrong. I would favor spot ID checks (like they say they will do) at various points along the line to insure some awareness of who is on the train. Half the time I did not have my ticket on my person at rest stops and was permitted to enter the train in coaches or sleeping cars without providing an ID. It is true that I do not look like the typical terrorist, but neither did Timothy McVea.
But we still love riding trains and will continue to do so. It is a great way to see the country and an efficient means of transportation (most of the time!)
Hope you all enjoyed this exhaustive report. As you can see we needed a rest from our vacation when we returned
Railroad Bill
