Trip Report: May 12 - June 2, 2002
by Ted & Sylvia Blishak
SPRING JOURNEY ACROSS THE CONTINENT AND RETURN
Day 1, May 12, 2002
This morning we embark on a three-and-a-half week rail journey that will take us to Portland, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Niagara Falls, Toronto, and Vancouver. We had called Amtrak late last night for a report on Coast Starlight #14's expected arrival in Klamath Falls.
"It's on time," the agent told us, "and it has been all week!" That meant we had to get up early for the anticipated 8:25AM departure not really good news, as we had worked until 11:30PM getting tickets and documents ready to send to clients who were traveling within the next month or two. (Although May is usually a quiet month for us, we had booked six Canadian rail tours and several Amtrak trips last week.)
When the alarm jangled at 530AM , Ted called Amtrak again. Now #14 was two and a half hours late, so we went back to sleep.
A bright, sunny morning awaited us, with snow-covered Mt Shasta glinting in the sun out our windows. We arrived at the station, where we were able to check our large suitcase to Cleveland (in spite of what we've been reading about reduced baggage service, so we were pleased we could do this) and went to a local restaurant, Polly's, for breakfast.
Back at the station, we wrestled our luggage out of the pickup and were amazed to find that, in spite of all our promises to travel lighter this time, we had seven bags between us. Since Sylvia was packing fewer clothes (honest!) we concluded that most of it involved our portable offices, as we will be keeping in touch with clients and making bookings while riding the rails.
The Union Pacific provided some excitement for us while we waited for our train, as they had an engine on a yard track just opposite the station with its front three axle truck on the ground. According to the Amtrak agent it had happened last night. "And it sure made a horrible noise when it derailed," he said.
Two white UP pickups and a large crane soon drove up, a group of hard-hats got out, and the waiting passengers watched as the crane hooked a sling under the engine and actually lifted the behemoth enough to move it back on track.
A gleaming teal-colored motorcoach arrived for passengers ticketed to connect in Portland with the Empire Builder, as #14 will be encountering slow orders after leaving Eugene today, making the connection impossible. The bus driver is busy washing its windows as the Starlight pulls into the station. We are pleased to report that your correspondents will not be taking the bus, as we anticipated this and scheduled an overnight in Portland.
Our friendly car attendant, Kyoshi, after receiving a fiver, takes our six heavy bags upstairs. Soon we are settled in Bedroom B in the 1430 car, next to the Pacific Parlour Car, and pull out of the station at 10AM. Next, we work out a schedule for who is going to take a nap first. Ted draws the first sleep on the sofa, while Sylvia begins this narrative and enjoys the view of Klamath Lake, home to flocks white pelicans and egrets, along with snow-covered Mt McLaughlin, Mt Scott, and Mt Thielson. Due to the adequate rainfall this season, the countryside looks green and inviting.
Sure, we'll be late arriving in Portland, but why worry? We have lunch, a wine-tasting, and perhaps an early dinner on the train to look forward to. Our only commitment in Portland is with one of the Westin Hotel's trademark "Heavenly Beds". We can handle it.
We are standing at the Parlour Car bar when lunch is called at 12 noon. There is a different menu on this trip, one which we had not seen before. The only surprise is that the Turtle Ice Cream Cake is not listed for the first time in many years. But there is a delicious cinnamon apple pie with vanilla bean ice cream. (It is excellent, trust me Ted.)
Around us snippets of conversation revolve around the reasons various passengers have for taking Amtrak. "It's a great way to see the sceneryand you don't have to worry about that other driver on the road who may not be paying attention" , and "It's grand to relax we aren't in a hurry to get there." Some folks in the booth behind us said they were taking the train to Vancouver, BC, to connect with an Alaska sailing, proving the rule that many cruise passengers prefer to travel on the surface of the earth.
We elect to pass on the wine tasting in the Parlour Car. It is completely full, the air conditioning is not working properly and the car is getting hot in the afternoon sun. There is nobody on board to fix it. After the wine tasting, the car is practically deserted. We hope it gets fixed in Seattle.
At 4pm we are offered dinner reservations, but as the estimated arrival in Portland is 5:30pm, we decline. Our actual arrival is 630PM, so we could have had the 5pm dinner, but after that good-sized lunch, we were not yet hungry for dinner. It is a beautiful sunny day in Portland, and we observe something new a park and path have been added to the east side of the Willamette River near the bridge. Many citizens are roller-blading or jogging on this side, as well as on the larger park that is on the west side, crossing the river on the newly added sidewalk on the railroad bridge. When the sun shines in Portland, people get outside quickly!
On arrival into Portland, Kyoshi offered to bring all of our bags down from our room to the platform without being asked. I gave him another fiver. Portland Red Cap service is excellent a man is right there at the sleepers as we disembark. He takes our luggage and we have an easy walk to station, where we say hello to one of Amtrak's friendly agents, Jeff, who we have become acquainted with. The Red Cap meets us at the taxi stand where a Yellow Cab soon arrives.
We check into the Westin, have an outstanding dinner downstairs at the Or'Italia Restaurant, and walk around the city doing something that we enjoy when we visit big cities window-shopping. Portland, as always, reminds us of how a city should be. Drinking fountains that run continually grace some of the corners. There are no alleys between buildings, which gives the streets a wholesome appearance. Several restaurants have placed chairs and tables outside. There are trees and flowers along the sidewalks. A City of Portland truck drives by with the official slogan on the side, "Portland The City that Works."
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