On The Road at Last

The train pulled out of Sacramento right on time last night. It was wonderful to get on the train and be in a room in about 3 minutes. Settle in, unpack, and off we went. First leg is to Seattle Wa, a 20 hour trip. The roomette I am in is an excellent way to travel. It is quiet and private and comfortable. You know, imagine a coffin… well, one that is 3’6” wide and 8 feet tall any way. Two comfortable seats face each other, there is a plug in (note 1 plug!!) for the room, I am glad I brought a 3 way outlet with me. Reading light at each seat, overhead light, private air controls, a tiny 6: wide closet, a storage shelf by one seat, and a table that folds out of the wall to between the seats. The glass door can be shut, and the curtains drawn so you can be in your own private cocoon with a picture window of the countryside going by. The seats recline, and at night fold down into a 3’ x 6’6” bed. Above that a bunk folds down if needed for the second person. A nice trip today, over night we went through the Sacramento Valley, and sunrise showed up right around Mt Shasta. After a stop in Klamath Falls, we headed north and west over the mountain range and into Eugene. That was a beautiful trip over the mountains with some long switch backs and multiple tunnels with big canyon views. Then up to Portland, eventually following the Willamette River and then crossing the Columbia as night fell… Into the late evening we went through Washington… reaching speeds of 80_ MPH .. . yes I have a GPS… my favorite toy! Outside of Tacoma, we followed the edge of Puget sound for quite a ways, I wish it was daylight to see the water there.