20 May 2019 - Amtrak Train 14 - Coast Starlight

Amtrak Train 14 - Coast Starlight

2113. 20 May 2019.

On the Puget Sound. South of Tacoma.

Updated: 1449. 22 May 2019. Train 8 - the Empire Builder. Near Malta, MT.

It's been a good long while since I posted on this blog, mostly down to the hectic schedule I maintained, and continue to maintain, after arrival in Los Angeles. Below is a brief summary of my itinerary; I will elaborate more in this and further posts once I'm en route to Chicago.

2019.05.15, 0415: Arrival in Los Angeles. I spend the time until my next train resting, sitting around, getting breakfast at Phillipe Restaurant near Union Station (home of the French Dip sandwich, 1001 N. Alameda St., Chinatown, Los Angeles, CA)
2019.05.15, 0911: Departure for San Luis Obispo. I take train 763, the Pacific Surfliner, northbound. A beautiful ride. I arrive in San Luis Obispo, where I spend the night with my brother and catch up with a cousin. Beautful scenery, until the next day, when...
2019.05.16, 1533: I depart north on train 14, the Coast Starlight, bound for Santa Cruz via San Jose. A beautiful ride, climbing into the hills above San Luis Obispo. Not too long until I arrive in Santa Cruz, after 21 o'clock, after a bus transfer. I visit K.D., and have good talks, until the morning, when...
2019.05.17, Midday: We leave on Caltrain at around 13 o'clock, bound for San Francisco. En route, D.G. joins us at California station. We go into the city, wander around, eat lunch, get coffee, and catch up. K.D. and I depart on Caltrain around 1830 towards San Jose, and after he departs on the bus to Santa Cruz, I board the Coast Starlight. Then...
2019.05.17, 2017: I am en route on train 14, the Coast Starlight, bound for Albany Station, and home. I meet three exchange students from UBC, S.,B., and R., from Sweden, England, and Scotland respectively. They are completing a three-week trip down and up the Pacific Coast, all the way to Los Angeles in the South, on an Amtrak California Railpass. It was really interesting to get their impressions of Amtrak, of the West Coast, and of the United States in general. In the morning, we pass into Oregon, and climb through the Cascades, eventually descending and reaching Oregon in the evening of the 18th.

Spending time at home was lovely - I was able to see friends and family, and spend some time recuperating. Perhaps more practically important, I was able to do laundry. I did not leave Corvallis until Monday the 20th, heading north on the Coast Starlight, bound for Seattle.