It was 7:30 am when I awoke to see the Sutter Buttes, the smallest mountain range in the world, outside my window. The buttes sit right smack in the middle of the Sacramento Valley. I went back to my seat then returned to my sleeping chair get a few photos. Ten minutes later there was an announcement that we had managed to make up some time and were running about two and a half hours late, instead of the four hours that was predicted. Still, passengers transferring to the San Joaquins would be taking a later train from Martinez, and California Zephyr passengers would connect at Sacramento instead of Emeryville.
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As we approached Sacramento we went through a huge Blue Diamond Almond complex, followed by a funky old building with a sign that read Globe Mills. The two facilities so close together offered an interesting contrast between the olden days and now. We arrived in the state capitol at 8:30. I hopped out for a photo of the platform, then went to breakfast. I sat with a retired couple from Montana, Carl and Esther, and a relative of theirs from Portland named Shirley. These were down home country folks, warm hearted and plenty cheerful. The delays didn't seem to ruffle their feathers. They were the type of folks who just enjoyed whatever life gave them.
After breakfast I went back to the lounge for some photo opportunities. As we passed the mothball fleet I looked for the battleship (Iowa?) which had recently been moved there. I saw it, barely, hiding at the far end of a row. Only its distinctive bow gave it away.
We
stopped briefly at 10:35 just outside Martinez to let the California Zephyr,
Train #6 pass. I saw it had two locomotives in the newest paint scheme,
a baggage car, one transition sleeper, one sleeper, a diner, lounge, three
coaches and one express boxcar. It seemed like a pretty short train for
such a long run.
As we left Martinez at 10:45, I saw the new station being built next to the old one. it was very attractive and a testament to the success of rail service in this corridor.
We passed under the twin bridges across the Carquinez straight, near the C&H sugar plant. Past row after row of pilings that no longer support long gone piers. At 11:15 we passed a BART station in Richmond, and three minutes later the Golden Gate came into view. At 11:55 we made a brief stop in Emeryville, where Gill would have gotten off. I didn't have a chance to say goodbye as I was still in the lounge at the time. Not long after we stopped at Oakland's Jack London Square with its modern glass station. What looked like a tour group boarded and filled car 1114 where I had slept alone during the night. We pulled out at 11:55, 2 hours and 35 minutes late.
En
route to San Jose I went to the snack bar to get a sandwich. I would have
preferred to eat in the diner, but I wanted to be able to move about to
photograph some things that were coming up. I got a packaged turkey sandwich
and at down at the rear of the lower level. Across from me at the other
table a man was composing a song usign a guitar and a notepad.
The sandwich was a major disappointment. It came with Swiss cheese on a roll, a little packet of lettuce and tomato, and a packet of honey dijon mayonaise. The turkey itself was OK, as was the lettuce, but the cheese was kind of hard, as was the roll. The dressing was a little too tart for me. I only had about half of it before giving up. The packaged sandwiches we had on the California Zephyr last year were simpler, just plain white bread with turkey and cheese, but they tasted much fresher. I think they were trying to go more upscale on this train, but it didn't quite work.
While I ate, we were stopped for some time to wait for a Capitol Corridor train to pass. It took about 15 minutes of waiting for that one. At 11:20 we were crossing a substantial wetland. This is one place where the line is not double tracked, and why we had to wait for the northbound train. Being a wetland it will require a great deal of environmental review and mitigation before a second track can be added.
I was back upstairs when we passed Paramount's Great America. A mother was next to me with her little boy, a very energetic fellow! He said something I didn't understand, and his mother explained that it was something from the Three Stooges, which he was a fan of. I said "Wooo, wooo, wooo, wooo, wooo!" three stooges style and he thought that was great. His mom said he had found someone who spoke his language. But he was getting a bit too rambunctious so she decided they should return to their seats.
I snapped a few photos of commuter trains at San Jose at around 11:45. Alongside were a few colorful Altamont Commuter Express trains, and a several dingy Caltran cars.
We proceeded south past Morgan Hill towards Gilroy. We were making good speed here, but the tracks left something to be desired. At every single road crossing we experienced a strong sideways jolt. At 2:20 we passed through Gilroy, and soon entered the small valley of the Pajaro River. I had just two frames left on my last roll of film. I used one on the GraniteRock gravel quarry.
I waited until 2:55 to use the last frame of film at Elhorn Slough.
We arrived in Salinas at 3:15, three hours and 9 minutes late. Not bad considering we expected to be at least four hours late the night before. As I walked towards the station, I saw Monique outside the train, and I told her I loved her food. She thanked me for the compliment. While I waited for my suitcase I saw the sleepers on this train were named Vermont, Washington and Ohio. I looked around to see if Mrs. Toy might have made it out here to meet me, but she wasn't around.
So wthin five minutes of arrival I had my bag and was on the mini bus for Monterey. With me was a couple visiting Monterey for the first time. I gave them a few tips on places to do and things to go. We dropped them off at the Monterey airport to pick up a rental car. It might have been simpler if they had arranged a rental in Salinas, for Hertz is on call for the Amtrak station there. The driver then dropped me at the Monterey Transit Plaza at 4:06, leaving me with a 25 minute wait for the MST bus which would take me home. At 4:52 I walked our front door. Mrs. Toy was teaching a piano lesson but she was happy to see me. I went out back to greet our cat, and she was happy too.
