Coast Starlight
Train travel is an amazing experience.
Ok. Let’s talk about the elephant in the room. It is not a speedy service. It’s not even a glamerous service. But that’s not the purpose of traveling by train. It’s travel where you experience relaxation at its best. Experience the moments of the journey, but do so from a sleeping car, not coach, especially for us old geezers.
Overnight in coach is a challenge, not only physically but mentally. It’s difficult to sleep while sitting, especially in the morning when your body has been contorted into a pretzel the night before. Sarah and I both recommend a bedroom or roomette for any journey that is more than 24 hours.
ToDo’s: Pack a lunch or two. Amtrak cafe food is just fine, but limited. Its not meant to be five star cuisine. Twix and cheetos were the staple for David. “Together, they hit all the major food groups… chocolate, caramel, and cheese powder.” Sarah brough keto scones and leftover Easter ham that actually sustained us throughout the evening. When you have a bedroom or roomette, you have many more food options from the dining car. A bedroom or roomette will let you have the “North by Northwest” experience, especially if you get a table with Eva Marie Saint.
Pack the essentials, not the kitchen sink; remember you have to carry it all. Yes, you can take so much more on a train. There are some restrictions, but they are nowhere near the restrictions of airlines, so yes, you can take the kitchen sink, but do you really need to? Remember, you have to carry it. You’re on vacation. You don’t need that kitchen sink, however you do need charging cords for your iPhone; learned that one the hard way. Part of the experience is roughing it a little, and when I say roughing it, I mean you don’t have your internet and cell signals. Its like glamping, a little more “ping” than “glam”, but again that’s part of the experience.
Download your movies before you get on the train. Cell service is slim to none. Wifi is almost non-existant. You ususally can get a cell phone signal or wifi signal when the train is stopped at a station, but you only have a few minutes before it takes off again and you’ve lost your connection. Not enough time to download a full 2 hour movie, or even a 20 minute YouTube video...or an Audiobook!
A highlight on this first leg for Sarah was seeing snow outside of Eugene and Chemult. Its April and there still is alot of snow in the mountains.
A highlight for David was sitting in the observation car coming into San Luis Obispo. What amazing vistas, plants, grasslands, hills, and tunnels.
One of the highlights of this leg of our Grand Rail Adventure is the HearHere app. A big shout out to the makers and staff of the HearHere app. The app gives you great audio presentations that link stories and history with your locations; very similar to Road Scholar. Sarah and I would be sitting playing a hand of cribbage when the app beeps and tells about something interesting about the area that we’re traveling through. (We divided Sarah's earpods...Sarah = right ear, David = left ear...Thank you kids for the Christmas gift!...good for sharing movies on the idpad, too.) We learned so much about the history of San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara. We should have started using the app when we left Portland. If you’re iPhone connected with an iWatch, it’s super simple and a great addition to the trip. For our friends who have traveled with Road Scholar, this gives you a very similar experience, but at your own pace.
On the whole, this first leg was incredibly enjoyable. Would we do it again? Absolutely, without question, but not in coach for trips longer than 24 hours.
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