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Published: August 29th 2011
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After a great stay at the Moore Hotel, Seattle we got the free bus (all the buses in the downtown area are free!) to the station for the Coast Starlight train to Klamath Falls – a 12 hour journey (handy hint on the Amtrak trains you have to give your ticket to the conductor at the station who gives you a boarding card – you can’t get on without it). The first 4 hours to Portland are through some stunning scenery (sit on the right hand side for the best views), they had a couple of park rangers on who were explaining what you were seeing and telling funny stories which was really interesting. A lot of the towns are named after the native American indian tribes who lived there originally. The blue rivers (Pugot sound) the miles of woods going down to the shore and the mountain ranges in the distance (Olympic mountains) just conjured up images of what the past must have been like you could almost see the teepees on the river banks – reminded me of a song …blue lake and rocky shore…..
At Portland we got a 40 minute stop which was the
opportunity to
stock up on the nicotine! While out smoking we met up with a young girl who we had stood next to at the station who is on her way to Klamath Falls to see her boyfriend and her ambition when she finishes school is to backpack round Europe and desperately wants to go to Ireland. Also a woman from Montreal who used to sing in a hardcore band and has travelled with her kids round Mexico and recommended visiting Tulum and getting off the tourist trail and sleeping on beaches – apparently the locals are very friendly! A woman who had been up to Seattle as she is in a 7 year long battle with her ex-husband over the parentage of her child, she also has a father who went on a Mission to England (Mormon – which she apologised for as apparently no one likes Mormons!) and said English people are really lovely. Then a young girl who had been up near Seattle for her cousin’s wedding but went on to have a spiritual experience and stayed for a month and is now thinking of moving up there permanently – she reckons train journey can have a strange spiritual
effect on you!
Arrived at Klamath Falls station about 9.50 pm and no sign of our lift, while waiting I got adopted by some half cut cowboy who insisted on showing me his belt buckle (several times) which apparently he got for coming 13th in the national rodeo hmmmmmm, at 10 the station was closing and luckily the woman at the counter rang the motel for us and eventually they turned up.
We are staying at the Cimarron Inn which is a really nice motel, comfy bed, fridge, microwave and tv. It also has a
pool.
26th August ‘11
We spent the next day sorting out the hire car, dealing with guarantor forms for Billy and having a look around the town. We had a picnic down by the river and then found the Walmart. Thank god for Walmart aka Asda – the prices are so much cheaper and Howard managed to get a new watch as he lost his on the train. We got a cooked chicken, bread and salad for tea, went back to eat and watch the 3 all new episodes of True Blood on the tele.
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