So I am not sure where to begin... This was a long, productive day. After going to bed early on Wednesday, I was up early on Thursday. I was a Pike's Place Market before the place really opened. No one was throwing fish, but I got to walk the market without much interference. It is a cool market, you could buy a bushel of flowers for $5, but I thought I would look weird walking around with flowers all day. I needed to eat breakfast, so I chose a cool place with a great view. It was probably the most expensive omelet I have ever had, Dungess crab. It tasted awesome. But my day was just beginning...... read more

I finally heard from my host when I crossed the border into Washington. All was well and my accommodations were ready to go. Relaxed as my train begin to get into the Puget Sound, I can not believe there is a better train view in the world. My pictures will hardly do it justice, which is okay; I was focused on taking it all in. The train runs next to the water. In some spots it seems like you are almost on the water and my sleeper cabin was perfectly positioned to take in the water and the islands of the Sound as the sun hung low in the sky. It was amazing. If nothing else it is worth taking the train North from Portland or Southern Washington just to experience this portion of the journey. ... read more

I chose to sleep on the top bunk rather than try to figure out the chair/bed thing on ground level. It was pleasant, though perilous to get up and down. I began to regret checking in so many beers last night as it meant a couple of late-night climbs down from the top bunk. Why do kids always want the top bunk? It is a pain in the ass. I awoke to beautiful views of mountains and trees. This is why I took the train…... read more

I started the first day of my trip in a familiar location; 50 California Street. It is my sincere hope that when I return from my trip our new lobby will be open and I can sit on one of the new lobby rocks and contemplate how much I enjoyed my trip. I left work and took the first train of the trip. How can someone who hates Bart so much commit to a ten-day train trip? I took the retched Bay Area Rapid Transit to Rockridge and Ben and Nick’s. I needed to check-in a few pre-vacation beers. For those who are counting the number starts at 540. How many beers will I check in before I return? Numbers range from 23 (thanks for the confidence Mike!) to 49, a great number for a great ... read more