Even before gasoline prices soared, I believed that most journeys could be better aboard a train. So when my family planned a reunion in Portland, Ore., I had no difficulty persuading my husband that Amtrak was the way to go.
For one thing, we had made the drive too many times to count when our son was attending college in Portland. Even with rest stops, the 12-hour drive is exhausting. The train trip is scheduled for 17 hours, and I knew it would be better because it affords great scenery that is inaccessible from any highway, roomy seats and space to move and stretch.
A slow start
If there is a downside to train travel, it is that patience and flexible arrival connections are required. On the West Coast, Amtrak uses tracks owned by Union Pacific, and their dispatchers give priority to inanimate freight rather than human passengers. Time after time, our 600-passenger Coast Starlight double-decker train had to pull to a stop on a side track to wait until a boxcar-towing locomotive rumbled by. This was frustrating not only to passengers, but also to the friendly crew members who took the brunt of the ire over a situation they cannot control. More than one Amtrak employee urged passengers to contact our national legislators to try to improve the situation before train travel becomes as extinct as dinosaurs.In addition to the freight train delays, our train, which departed from Martinez, was further delayed when a driver near Oakland tried to go around the lowered barricade, causing the train to collide with his car. But, despite these set-backs, the train kept on going.
Find a seat and enjoy the view
One of the most puzzling aspects of train travel is that in this computer era, seats are not assigned until each passenger steps up to the entry of the train car. Groups traveling together enter first, followed by couples, then singles. Each is told the number of the seat to hunt for, and this causes plenty of confusion as people with carry-on luggage struggle up a narrow, twisting stairway to enter the seating area, often forgetting the number they’ve been assigned. In larger stations, such as Los Angeles and Portland, someone handwrites a destination code and number of passengers on each boarding pass.Finally, we were settled in our seats with carry-on bags stowed overhead. I have traveled the Coast Starlight on its full, scenic route, Los Angeles to Seattle, although not all in one trip. Experience has taught me to bring along my own blanket, travel pillow and bottled water for the overnight part of the journey. I also bring along a paperback book (or two) for the inevitable wait in the station and for diversion when it is too dark to view the scenery.
We awoke before sunrise–unusual for me–to rolling golden hills accented with dark oaks. Gradually we moved into pine forests with rushing river views and peek-a-boo glimpses of snow-covered Mount Shasta. Sagebrush and volcanic rubble came next, interspersed with grazing and farmland. Oregon was noticeably greener, showing paragraphs of evergreen trees punctuated with exclamation points of white birches. Even in July, waterfalls were visible.
Good conversation, good fun
With neither of us gripping a steering wheel, my husband and I had time for good conversations. We chose to eat in the dining car, which offers decent food at reasonable prices, plus the opportunity to chat with fellow passengers, since four are seated at each table. Lines are long in the snack car, and the cost of a hot dog, bag of chips, bottle of water and sack of M&Ms was about the same as having a burger-with-fries lunch served on a fresh table in the dining car. Snack car food has to be balanced back through several cars on the swaying train to be eaten on a fold-down tray at one’s assigned seat.The next two days of family reunion exceeded our expectations, and we were happy to sit and relax in the air-conditioned hotel lobby as the train’s pre-recorded messages told us how late our return train was running. Portland has a magnificent train station, with a brick tower and a marble interior featuring a gilded, coffered ceiling–not something you’d see in an airport or a bus terminal–but this lovely space has no air-conditioning, merely ceiling fans some 50 feet above the wilted passengers.
While waiting in line for an hour, we befriended the family behind us, another plus of train travel. Who knew that there were jugglers’ conventions? Wendy Kolas of Sonora was accompanying home her son Justin, 12, and daughter Aubree, 10. Justin was the first in the family to take up juggling, but he was not the only one taking home a prize. His sister Aubree had won the Flamingo Award, which goes to the young female juggler who shows the most promise. We learned lots about juggling while having dinner with the trio, and later saw both Justin and Aubree demonstrate their skills to fellow passengers in the playroom car.
Another passenger saw us watching the young jugglers and volunteered to provide music for their performance. John Salzano of Coos Bay, Ore. was on his way to a gig in Las Vegas. He treated us to a concert of his mellow saxophone music, and we now have one of his autographed CDs to enjoy at home. Such encounters would not be possible on an airplane.
The final verdict
So would we do it again? We were gone from home only five days, and two of those were spent on the train. My husband is adamant that we will not repeat that experience, especially because he is too tall to sleep comfortably in coach seats (and roomettes are exorbitantly expensive). As for me, I still believe that getting there can be more than half the fun. As I hear the train whistles here in Pleasanton, I know that someday I’ll want to respond again to the call “All, aboooard!”Take the train
For a one-day, fun trip, ride the Capitol Corridor from Martinez to Old Town Sacramento for lunch. Depart from Martinez at 10:04 a.m. and you’ll have time to visit the wonderful California State Railroad Museum before heading for home at 2:10 p.m. (for a 3:10 p.m. arrival back in Martinez). Cost is $15 each way for adults, $7.50 each way for children ages 2-15; children 2 and younger ride free (shared seat with adult). Another option is the Altamont Commuter Express, better known as the ACE Train, that departs daily from the Alameda County Fairgrounds parking lot for San Jose. Buy a $7.50 ($3.75 for ages 6-12 or senior citizens; 6 and younger are free with adult) one-way ticket at 7:55 a.m. and return at 4:24 p.m. (3:35 departure) after exploring museums, shopping and restaurants. Visit http://acerail.com.
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