Global Traveller Blog

October 14-15

The Portland to LA route on Amtrak is called the Coast Starlight and it’s a beauty. It’s also a popular route and was significantly more crowded than the prior train. This train also has a very different vibe from the cross country train. The wary attendants treat us like dangerous lunatics which is not fair to the many peaceful lunatics on this train.

There was the guy with the long bamboo pole that was not actually a cane…the woman who needed to share her personal hygiene issues that related to her bipolar disorder…the woman seated next to me who spoke in nonsensical phrases and abruptly left the train along with the sleeping bag Jim had lent us. . .the guy who lost a friend in some famous mudslide here and still could not understand why anyone would talk about climate change.

The only person with her head screwed on straight was a transgender woman who kept me absorbed in conversation for about six hours. An aspiring labor lawyer, she had moved to Lacrosse, Wisconsin “for love” and assured me that there was an artistic, alternative scene there. I found that curious since I boarded the prior train in Chicago with an extended family of Mennonites who also called Lacrosse their home. Must be quite a place. Anyway Louisa had “been places and seen things” and was happy to tell me about her travels and political observations.

The first part of the trip followed the Columbia River.

As night fell I realized that I was going to be stuck next to a crazy person and that the train was due to pick up even more passengers. Louisa suggested I try for “business class” where she was. Not all trains have business class but this one did. Because it costs $20 more ($50 if you book while on the train), the car was far less crowded. The seats were leather and you get a $6 voucher for food or drink. I’m in! Arranging a booking from the train was no easy task as the phone connection was spotty (Amtrak cross-country does not have Wifi). After many, many aborted calls to customer service I finally succeeded in making the change and took my seat–with my free cocktail!

The following day was all California coast and it was spectacular.

So many fields full of cabbage, kale, carrots, greens. If only they made it to the Amtrak dining car. The food there was a step up from airline fare but could certainly have used more fresh fruits and vegetables.

We passed Paso Robles

Los Padres National Forest

But the real highlight was the stretch of coastline that started north of Santa Barbara. Some of the coast can only be seen from the train.

October 10-12

So what is it like taking Amtrak? Pleasant and relaxing. Kathie and Diane opted for a room which is cozy, to put it nicely. Although it theoretically slept three, I think that two adults and a child would be comfortable. Three adults–not so much. They got a private shower and toilet plus all included meals in the dining car.

I opted for coach, at a fraction of the price and I found it comfortable enough. The seats reclined to have a leg rest and a foot rest. It would be comparable to business class on an airline. The train was not crowded which meant that I had two seats to myself. The cafe car sold drinks and snacks but the first night I polished off the remains of the Chicago deep-dish pizza we had ordered for lunch. There were plenty of toilets and even a “ladies lounge” with sinks and seats to change and wash up.

Then there’s the sightseeing car which is a comfortable and convivial way to watch the passing scenery from the huge glass windows on each side.

As we left Union Station in mid-afternoon, we only had a few hours of daylight left. We passed through Wisconsin around sunset.

When we woke up in the morning we were rolling through North Dakota which was suffering through a highly unusual early autumn blizzard. The cafe-car manager, Miss Oliver, announced breakfast with a little song and some inspirational words. She had a beautiful voice but a no-nonsense manner when she served up coffee and pastries.

North Dakota had a certain windswept charm as we chugged across the flat snow-covered plains.

We had a short stop in Minot, enough to stretch our legs and inhale the bracing cold air at the train station which was well-maintained. Like all the Amtrak waiting rooms the TV was turned to CNN, not Fox News.

I fell into conversation with a retired school teacher from around Minot. Although he now leased out his family farm (“can’t compete with Big Agriculture”) he was mightily worried about the effects of the storm on the farming community that was already struggling under Trump’s tariffs. The fact that the storm arrived before the crops were harvested was potentially disastrous. He also bemoaned how difficult it was to enjoy his old social circle. “You can’t talk to people anymore. They all have their own facts and see conspiracies everywhere”. He had high praise for the Federal Fish and Wildlife Service, though, particularly as they regulated the deer and elk population through awarding hunting licenses. I may not wish to hunt the animals myself but I could how letting animals get mashed up in car crashes is not a good solution either.

We spent all morning rolling through the vast, lonely spaces of North Dakota. I found it curious to pass by pools of water and swampy land.I asked a guy on the train who said that the water table has been rising for years. Apparently Devils Lake is rising and flooding the land, changing the whole topography of the region. More here.

By late afternoon we passed out of the blizzard and into eastern Montana.

I was hoping to get a glimpse of Glacier National Park before nightfall but it was not to be. The train was badly delayed by the storm. Also, Amtrak is frequently late because they don’t own the tracks. The freight companies that own the infrastructure insist that freight trains get priority.

We passed through the National Park at night but I was happy to wake up on the Columbia River Gorge.

With Mount Hood in the background