Rocky Mountain High: The Coast Starlight ~ October 2 - 3, 2018
The Coast Starlight
October 2-3, 2018
Wednesday, October 2, 2018
We were up early to catch our Uber ride from our airport hotel to Union Station in downtown LA. Rosey, our driver, did a great job weaving us in and out of traffic (although Jeff thought she was driving "too fast"), getting us to Union Station in plenty of time for our 10:10 departure. We made our way to the Metropolitan Lounge and checked in. Soon after, it was time for boarding. Our journey on the Coast Starlight will take us 1,377 miles in just about 35 hours (provided we are on time and not delayed).
We were up early to catch our Uber ride from our airport hotel to Union Station in downtown LA. Rosey, our driver, did a great job weaving us in and out of traffic (although Jeff thought she was driving "too fast"), getting us to Union Station in plenty of time for our 10:10 departure. We made our way to the Metropolitan Lounge and checked in. Soon after, it was time for boarding. Our journey on the Coast Starlight will take us 1,377 miles in just about 35 hours (provided we are on time and not delayed).
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| The Metropolitan Lounge |
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| Waiting for our Train on the Platform |
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| The Redwood Empire |
The pictures above are of a privately owned railway car that was tacked on to the end of the Coast Starlight. The Redwood Empire , Santa Fe No. 33 was built in 1923 for the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railway by the Pullman Manufacturing Company. Their website (linked above) has a number of pictures of the interior, and gives a flavor of what it might be like to travel on this car.
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| Waiting to Board our Sleeping Car |
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| Cloudy Skies |
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| Lush Fields |
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| Pumpkin Patch |
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| Brightening Sky |
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| Sunshine! |
As we pulled out of the station I feared that it would be a cloudy, grey, dreary day, but those clouds began to break up and the skies were brighter, brighter, and bluer as we made our way out of the city and into the country-side. We passed verdant green fields and then were delighted to come upon several fields of pumpkins, their round orange heads poking up from the greenery!
The last time Jeff and I rode the Coast Starlight, we came from Seattle to Los Angeles (with a stop in Sacramento). I remember being awed by the vistas through the Cascade Mountains and not quite so impressed with the leg from Oakland into LA. This time it was almost the reverse -- the views along the ocean were spectacular! My vigilance in scanning the ocean for dolphin paid off while we were seated in the dining car having lunch. We happened to be on the right side of the car to see them.
Last time I think we were on the mountain side of the car having breakfast, and we did manage to see some mountain goats, but were too far away to spot any dolphin. With 350 miles of coastal scenery, it was quite a bit to take in.
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| Lunch in the dining car overlooking the sea |
Somehow this trip on the Coast Starlight did not feel as elegant and special as our last one. The antique "club car" we had last time was reserved only for the sleeping car passengers. The lounge car was really not big enough to accommodate the number of passengers on the train, and the train seemed to have quite a few passengers who were more interested in holding loud conversations about politics. The scenery was beautiful, however.
We saw a spectacular sunset as we meandered through farmlands. After eating dinner and playing some cards it was time to call it a night and get a good night's sleep. Our room steward, Doris ("like Doris Day," she said) had made up our bed which was surprisingly comfortable.
Thursday, October 3, 2018
We enjoyed our breakfast on the train and then tried to get a seat in the lounge car where far too many people thought it was fine to "stake out" seats on both sides of the train. I finally decided that the view was far too pretty for backpacks to see, so we went over, moved the backpacks and sat down. A young girl said, "I am sitting there." I replied that it seemed to me that she was sitting across the way. She said, "Yes, I am sitting there too." I said, "You need to decide which seat you want; you can't have both." It surprises me that some folks seem to think it's okay to do that on a crowded train!
Today's journey took us through the Cascade Mountains and into Seattle.
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| Dramatic skies over pine trees |
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| More aspen under cloudy sky |
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| Speeding by the woodlands |
As we sped through the Cascades, I kept my eyes peeled for woodland waterfalls, and saw several, including one that was like a curtain of water -- impossible to capture as a photo, it was a beautiful sight to see.
The pictures above are of Lookout Point Reservoir near Eugene, Oregon. Coming out of the forest and seeing this flat area at the base of the mountains was a surprise - and very pleasing to my eyes.
The menu on the Coast Starlight was identical to that of the California Zephyr. It would have been nice to have some regional variety to the meals, but other than that, I cannot complain. Our dining car attendant, Alex, was friendly and always smiling at Jeff and Peter's jokes. She was very efficient as well.
Peter and Betty Lou got off the train in Portland for a bit of a walkabout. It was fun to see them outside our vantage point in the lounge car.
Another spectacular sunset over the water between Portland and Seattle! Viewed from the dining car as we ate dinner, we couldn't ask for anything more beautiful.
At long last we arrived at Seattle's King Street Station at about 8:30 p.m. We ordered an Uber and headed to 2415 Second Avenue and our "home" for two nights.
Thank you, Coast Starlight, for a memorable feast for the eyes and soul.
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