took the train to the People's Republic of Oregon. I hopped on the train from San Diego to Klamath Falls, Oregon. Then took the bus from there to Ashland. It was definitely a nicer check-in experience than the airport. No crowds, or disrobing either!
I had a sleeper cabin on the train, and while it was better than sleeping in a chair, it was more like sleeping through an eight hour long magnitude 2-3 earthquake. I was told that there would be a gentle swaying of the train. However, maybe it was my cabin (on the bottom) or the train being old, but gentle is not the word I would have used. The noise was not the soft clacking of the rails either. More like a grating, squealing noise, especially around turns. The scenery was beautiful though, once I left the graffiti filled LA basin.
Looking out of my window at four in the morning and watching the bright stars in a cloudless morning sky helped to put the discomforts in the background for a time. The subtle lightening of the the sky, and fading of the stars was something I had not watched in a long, long time.
Some people say that Amtrak is outdated. But I don't think so. This baggage cart still has lots if years left in it.
View from my window on the way up to LA.
LA train station terminal. Very nice!
View from window north of LA. Some of the track runs very close to the water.
This is my sleeper car, and Guadalupe (just call me Lupe) standing by for passengers.
Night out in the middle of nowhere. Every so often the train stopped for passengers and we could get off, stretch our legs and get some fresh air for a few minutes.
The train goes through Vandenberg Air Force Base, where rockets are built and tested. This is a rocket on the launch pad awaiting its launch. Back in the day, the train had to stop at the entrance to the base, and let military police on. The police were in each car to ensure that the curtains were closed during the train trip through the base. No pictures for you!! Now that the commies were defeated and the wall came down, there isn't a need for closed curtains.
Thanks to Bree for my new green, orange and white (colors of Irish flag) bracelet! Also, thanks to Deb for putting back together my other bracelet. It came apart in the cabin on Winstanley Island in Alaska and was sorely missed. I forgot it when I left for Europe. Sad news: the peace bracelet I was wearing got left somewhere in Europe. It will be missed.
More on Ashland to follow.
Peace to you all my friends!
Bottom cabin? But.... 'no one' wants a bottom cabin. That's right above the trucks and barely a whisper above the tracks. Upper cabins are the best, as all the noise and vibration are muted by the poor saps in the bottom cabins, not to mention all the framing and insulation in between. WHAT were you thinking? :-)
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