The three of us arose at 6:15 AM, had breakfast and I checked my e-mail before we left the Alkire's house for the last time on this trip and I really hated to leave. Bob drove Elizabeth and I to Edmonds where he dropped us off and would pick up Elizabeth at King Street station and drive her to work in West Seattle.
I bought my Sounder ticket with dollar coins while Elizabeth used her Orca Card as she usually does for her travels. We waited on the handicapped platform for Sounder Train 1707. The two-car train arrived and we boarded the second car, choosing a right-hand seat on the mezzanine bound for Seattle. We enjoyed the ride along the shore of Puget Sound and then our crossing of the Ballard Locks before we going through BNSF's Interbay Yard. We saw the tracks of the former Seattle Waterfront Streetcar before plunging into the downtown tunnel and arrived at King Street Station. After the crowd of workers hurried off to their jobs, we detrained.
The pushing end of the train, Sound Transit F59PHI 903, built by Electro-Motive Division in 2000.
The leading end, Sound Transit cab car 106, built by Bombardier in 1999. We rode the elevators up and over the walkway then walked into the station. Elizabeth watched my luggage while I walked upstairs to the balcony high above the waiting room.
The restored lower level of King Street station. I returned downstairs in this gem of a railroad station.
The lower level. I sat with Elizabeth until Bob called and said he was almost there then we said our goodbyes and would see each other in March at Winterail in Corvallis, Oregon. She walked away and I felt sad to see her go! I was at the bench in front of where the sleeping car passengers received boarding passes for their rooms and I was first in line, obtained mine then waited in front of Gate 3.
Coast Starlight 11 1/9/2017I walked out to the train and met Louie, my sleeping car attendant, put my belongings in my room then detrained to take note of the consist.
An Amtrak Cascades train awaiting its departure.
Coast Starlight Train 11, whose consist was P42DCs 817 and 124, baggage 61507, transition 39033, sleepers 32048, 32072 and 32016 "Pennsylvania", diner 38016, Business Class 34512, lounge 33026 and coaches 34094, 31000 and 34038. Our assistant conductor told me to board now as my door had been shut so I walked through the train back to Room 3 in the 32072. We departed Seattle at 9:39 AM (9:35 AM}, four minutes late, and was on the way home.
Leaving the Sounder train behind. I certainly had two good trips aboard that service.
The Northern Pacific station in Kent still stands south of the Sounder stop; this was a grab shot. The train made its trek south to Tacoma, where we departed at 10:37 AM {10:21 AM}.
Views along Commencement Bay. Later we stopped at Olympia-Lacey and left at 11:22 AM {11:11 AM} or 11 minutes late.
Mima Mounds Natural Area Preserve was established in 1976 to protect rare examples of mima mound landforms and Puget prairie grasslands. The site includes a small Garry oak woodland and savannah (widely spaced oak trees with grass understory) and also supports a variety of prairie dependent butterflies and birds and Douglas-fir forest. The NAP currently comprises 637 acres of grassland covered mima mounds, forest and oak woodland. In 1966, the National Park Service designated mima mounds a National Natural Landmark, for its representation of our Nation's natural landscape. The site is one of only 17 landmarks found in Washington State.
The Centralia station, from which we departed at 11:46 AM {11:35 AM}, 11 minutes late. At noon, I was called into the dining car for lunch and we starting following a freight as I sat down then he was out of our way at Vader. I was seated with a couple from Roswell, New Mexico and a lady from Oakland. I had the Angus Beef Burger and pudding for dessert, then we stopped in Kelso-Longview at the end of lunch and left at 12:42 pm {12:19 PM}. Back in my room, I watched Emerson Lake & Palmer's "Live at Montreaux 1997".
The weather had not been at all bad during my visit to the Pacific Northwest but sleet was now falling as we made our way to Vancouver and more freight train interference was encountered.
An oxbow lake.
The Columbia River as we approced Vancouver, which we departed at 1:45 PM {12:58 pm}.
We crossed the Columbia River into Oregon.
Crossing the Willamette River into Portland, our next stop, arriving at 1:50 PM {2:05 PM}, 15 minutes late, and I detrained for some pictures and supplies.
The Mt. Bachelor Talgo cab car at Portland Union Station.
A Portland Streetcar crossing the Steel Bridge near Union Station. The Coast Starlight departed at 2:34 PM {2:25 PM}, nine minutes late, and started up the Willamette Valley.
Crossing the Willamette River. Next I watched "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull".
Oregon Falls.
Later, a bend in the Willamette River. We proceeded to Salem, leaving there at 3:49 PM {3:37 PM} and Albany at 4:12 PM {4:10 PM}.
A Willamette and Pacific SD9 in the yard at Albany.
The Albany station. We left at 4:21 PM {4:10 PM} and continued to Eugene, where I stepped off for some fresh air and went inside the station for just a minute. We left here at 5:15 PM {5:10 PM}, bound for the Cascade Mountains as darkness took hold. At 5:30 PM, I went to the dining car and was seated across from a couple returning home to Martinez. I had the steak and the chocolate lava cake; both really hit the spot. I watched "Best of Both Worlds" as we left Oakridge then near Cascade Summit, watched another DVD. The train conquered Cascade Summit and stopped at Chemult, where we departed 8:22 PM {8:08 PM} as it was snowing. Our next stop was Klamath Falls, where we would arrive at 9:45 PM, but would not leave until after 12:10 AM when our rested crew would take the train south since teir train did not arrive until 1:37 PM this afternoon. I went to bed and the train departed at 1:04 AM {10:00 PM}, three hours and four minutes late.
1/10/2017 Before Dunsmuir, the train was delayed and passed a major rock slide, then left Dunsmuir at 3:29 AM {12:35 AM} and we went from siding to siding, meeting Union Pacific freight trains. I arose at 6:00 AM and prepared for the day then at 6:30 AM, was seated in the dining car with a man from Laguna Woods, a student for Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and another man from San Luis Obispo. I had the buttermilk pancakes and sausage patties then we stopped at Redding near the end of my meal at 7:09 AM {2:21 AM}, four hours and 48 minutes late. I returned to bed and was asleep again as we stopped at Chico at 8:24 AM {3:50 AM}, four hours and 34 minutes late. I arose a second time a short time later and arranged the room for the daylight trip.
Flooded fields before we crossed the Feather River then turned onto the former Western Pacific at Binney Junction as I listened to Keith Emerson's "Honky" on this rainy morning in Northern California.
Flooding in North Sacramento.
Crossing the Yuba River before we switched onto the Haggin Connection to the former Southern Pacific mainline for the rest of the short trip to Sacramento, where we arrived at 9:52 AM. We departed at 10:14 AM {6:35 AM}, three hours and 39 minutes late.
Crossing the rain-swollen Sacramento River as we made our way through West Sacramento.
The crossing of the Yolo Bypass. This was the first time in 11 years that the bypass had been used to keep flood waters out of Sacramento.
Davis station, where my brother Bruce once worked. I really miss him, even after all this time. We left here at 10:34 AM {6:50 AM}, three hours and 44 minutes late and proceeded next to Martinez, as I listened to The Young Dubliners' "With All Due Respect".
Crossing the Martinez Carquinez Strait Bridge into Martinez. Union Pacific 2678 East passed by while we were here, after which we departed at 11:26 AM {7:34 AM}, three hours and 52 minutes late.
Rolling along the Carquinez Straits west to Emeryville. I had a noon lunch reservation then we stopped at Emeryville and I was called into lunch, being seated with a quiet couple from coach. I enjoyed the Angus Beef Burger and a chocolate cake, after which we departed at 12:12 PM {8:20 AM}, three hours and 52 minutes late and continued to Oakland's Jack London Square station. Passing through Amtrak's West Oakland Coach Yard, I saw the non-running California Zephyr set due to a rock slide on Donner Pass and two new Caltrain F125 locomotives. We arrived at Jack London Square at 12:12 PM and had to wait longer than normal due to an FRA inspection of the locomotives on our train. We departed at 1:13 PM {8:50 AM}, now four hours and 23 minutes late as I watched Alice Cooper's "Cooperstown Reunion 1998", which took me to San Jose and beyond.
Caltrain locomotives at their maintenance facility in San Jose.
Caltrain commuter trains at Santa Clara. We departed there at 2:23 PM {10:07 PM}, four hours and 16 minutes then started the journey to Salinas. My next DVD was Emerson, Lake & Palmer's "Live at Montreaux 1997" and it was still raining. We rolled south of Gilroy and went into the Pajora Gap, the point where the San Andreas Fault is crossed back to the Pacific Tectonic Plate.
A Conrock switcher at their plant. We were delayed by maintenance workers clearing the tracks of debris from the floods south of Watsonville Junction.
Elkhorn Slough on this rainy afternoon, after which we continued to Salinas, where we departed at 4:15 PM {11:48 AM}, four hours and 27 minutes late. I had a 5:30 PM dinner reservation and was seated with a coach passenger and just had the steak. We made it to Paso Robles and left there at 6:15 PM (1:38 PM}, four hours and 37 minutes late. I napped and while doing so, we stopped at San Luis Obispo 7:46 PM {3:20 PM}, four hours and 26 minutes late; Santa Barbara at 10:35 PM {6:02 PM}, four hours and 43 minutes late; Oxnard at 11:19 PM {7:05 PM}, four hours and 14 minutes late, and Simi Valley at 11:19 PM {7:46 PM}, three hours and 43 minutes late. It was here that I arose and Louie made up my room.
1/11/2017 The train stopped and left Van Nuys 12:11 AM {8:22 PM}, three hours and 49 minutes late and left Burbank Airport at 12:19 AM {8:31 PM}, three hours and 46 minutes, and then finally into Los Angeles at 12:36 AM {9:00 PM}. Despite the lateness, it had been an excellent ride with great food and many outstanding views. I want to thank Louie and the entire dining car staff for excellent service and Bob and Elizabeth Alkire for an excellent stay and visit with them. I was first off to the bus bays.
On to Santa AnaThe only bus was the late train bus and I lined up and the driver put my bag under the bus. The bus representative came out and tried to scan my ticket but her scanner did not work. She left, then a Thruway Bus from Bakersfield to Santa Ana arrived and since I knew this bus only stopped in Fullerton, I wanted to board it as it would be quicker. After about five minutes, it was decided that all Fullerton and Santa Ana passengers would ride that bus. The five of us retrieved our bags and walked over to the bus then as we were all on the manifest, we boarded and soon left LAUPT. I called my mother and told her that I would be at the northwest parking lot in forty-five minutes. It was a rainy night and our driver did an excellent job, dropping off three people in Fullerton then drove to Santa Ana, where I thanked the driver for the safe journey. My mother drove me home, ending an excellent trip on the Coast Starlight.
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