by Pa Rock
Train Tramp
I boarded the AmTrak Coast Starlight this morning at the King Street Station in Seattle for what was scheduled to be a six-hour trip south to Salem, Oregon. The trip actually took eight hours. Part of the delay was due to some unusually high winds that developed in northern Washington, causing the need for the train to proceed slowly so that it would not get blown off of the track! (I hate it when that happens - especially if I am on the train when it leaves the track!)
A good part of the trip was in view of the Pacific coastline, hence the name of that particular AmTrak line: the Coast Starlight. The line runs from Seattle to Los Angeles and back again. The stops that the train made today on the portion that I rode included Tacoma, Olympia, Centralia, Kelso, and Vancouver in Washington, and Portland and Salem in Oregon.
(Kelso, Washington, is where my old high school classmate, Dan Abraham, has lived most of his adult life. I looked for Dan as the train rambled through town, but he must have chosen today to sleep in!)
Train fares are a little higher than airline fares, though not by much - and trains offer much more opportunity for getting up and moving around. I made two trips to the train's cafe where I sat and snacked and watched the world slowly roll by.
The purpose of my trip to Salem is to visit with my daughter, Molly, and her family. We have just returned from dinner where the entire family was wearing the tee shirts that I sent from Skagway, Alaska - and they all fit! We will find some kid-friendly activities to enjoy over the next three days that I am in town. The Oregon State Fair is occurring in Salem this week - and that might be fun!
The road warrior is on the verge of becoming road weary!
Train Tramp
I boarded the AmTrak Coast Starlight this morning at the King Street Station in Seattle for what was scheduled to be a six-hour trip south to Salem, Oregon. The trip actually took eight hours. Part of the delay was due to some unusually high winds that developed in northern Washington, causing the need for the train to proceed slowly so that it would not get blown off of the track! (I hate it when that happens - especially if I am on the train when it leaves the track!)
A good part of the trip was in view of the Pacific coastline, hence the name of that particular AmTrak line: the Coast Starlight. The line runs from Seattle to Los Angeles and back again. The stops that the train made today on the portion that I rode included Tacoma, Olympia, Centralia, Kelso, and Vancouver in Washington, and Portland and Salem in Oregon.
(Kelso, Washington, is where my old high school classmate, Dan Abraham, has lived most of his adult life. I looked for Dan as the train rambled through town, but he must have chosen today to sleep in!)
Train fares are a little higher than airline fares, though not by much - and trains offer much more opportunity for getting up and moving around. I made two trips to the train's cafe where I sat and snacked and watched the world slowly roll by.
The purpose of my trip to Salem is to visit with my daughter, Molly, and her family. We have just returned from dinner where the entire family was wearing the tee shirts that I sent from Skagway, Alaska - and they all fit! We will find some kid-friendly activities to enjoy over the next three days that I am in town. The Oregon State Fair is occurring in Salem this week - and that might be fun!
The road warrior is on the verge of becoming road weary!
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