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Published: October 22nd 2016
Enjoying the view
Sitting at lunch enjoying the views of the coast as we eat.Well our day started at 0600 as we got up and ready to meet the town car to take us to the train station. That was an experience from hell, the driver was falling asleep and texting at the wheel, the car was in rough shape mechanically and appearance wise. I contacted the car service and lodged a complaint; I will be receiving a full refund for this time.
We left for Los Angeles Union Passenger Terminal(LAUPT) at 0630 and arrived at about 0730 after many delays related to the driver's abilities. We proceeded into the service and checked in our luggage. For those of you that have never ridden Amtrak before you are allowed two checked bags (up to 50 pounds) free, two carry-ons (airplane style) and then a personal item. Jennifer and I are sharing a bag as we will be able to do laundry during our travels and this limited our need to check too much. We then proceeded upstairs for a new experience for me at LAUPT, and that was the metro lounge. This is a relatively new place for first class passengers to wait for their trains. At 0930
Chicken Salad Sandwich
This was lunch the first meal on the Starlight. we started the line up for a Red Cap service to give us a lift out to the train. They put our luggage on a golf cart piled 5 of us on as passengers and drove us to where our train would be arriving. Our train arrived a few minutes later at 1010 (when it was supposed to be departing) this meant that would be leaving late. This is all part of the adventure of Amtrak and to be expected.
After all the people and bags had been loaded, we departed at 1034hrs and rolled through our first stops at Burbank-Bob Hope Airport and Van Nuys. We then went through the rest of the San Fernando Valley before going over the Santa Susanna Pass and dropping down into Simi Valley for our station stops in Simi Valley, Ventura and Oxnard. At this point, our Lunch Reservation was called for the Pacific Parlour Car, and we walked from our swivel observation seats to our booth for lunch. The Pictures of Lunch are included.
We then went back to our swivel seats where we watched more of the
Molten Chocolate Lava Cake Desert
Desert was a Molten Chocolate Cake with a warm caramel center. This was what I had as I am a chocolate lover. 109 miles of coast running that the Coast Starlight does in California. After watching this for quite a while, we decided to retire to our rooms for some naps and reading time. This brings me to one of my favorite parts of the train. I get to relax and watch the scenery or read a book while the train just keeps trundling along. It is nice to leave the driving to someone else for a change.
Well, we just passed Mile Marker 99.1 on the Union Pacific Line with 56 Axles at a speed of 58 MPH. The train has peaked at 78 miles an hour so far today. I know this by a couple of ways. I have a GPS app running on my phone, and I also have my scanner programmed so I can listen to the banter between the train crew and the dispatcher as well as amongst themselves, this is my way of still having an idea of what's going on.
Back to the good stuff, so after passing a couple of horseshoe bends, we moved on to San Luis Obispo and
got off for a fresh air break. Some people ask how can you stand being on a train for so long; the truth is you aren't there are designated stops where you can get on and off and enjoy some fresh air. This also isn't like a plane you can get up and move between cars relax in one of the lounge cars and eat great food. I mean who wants to spend five bucks on a bag of stale peanuts.
Oh, I haven't mentioned our sleeping car attendant he is a guy by the name of Jose who has been with Amtrak for 11 years now and loved the Coast Starlight. His job is essential to make sure we are comfortable. He sets up the beds when we are going sleep he also works to keep the rest rooms and showers clean as we make our way to Seattle. He stays on board all the way from LA to Seattle spends the night in Seattle and then returns to LA the next day. This is in contrast to the engineer and conductor who only work 8-hour shifts and will change about six
Enjoying the Scenery
Jennifer with her Souvenir Mug. times on the way up the route. The first crew change was SLO, and the next one will be in Sacramento.
We just passed MP 67.1, 56 Axles at 75 MPH. Just as we are passing this detector, I heard we had a slow order from Mile Post 60.0 and 59.8 and we are not allowed to exceed 10 MPH.
At 1800 we went to dinner in the dining car where all three of us had the Amtrak Signature Steak which is a grilled NY strip with a Morel Mushroom Sauce. Jennifer and I had Mashed Potatoes, and Angie had the baked potato. We followed this up with Amtrak signature coffee and a repeat of the deserts from lunch.
We then returned to our rooms where Jennifer and Angie decided to take a nap, and I sat down to work on this entry. The music that I am listening to while, I write this is Hamilton An American Musical as well as the scanner as I mentioned before.
There will be a lot of pictures tomorrow however this evening are rather limited by the
FRESH AIR!!!
Jennifer and I off the train in San Luis Obispo for a breath of fresh air. For those smokers this is where you get off to breath your air but you must be at least 5 feet away from the door. availability of reliable internet. With that being said I think I am going to ring the call button have the beds put down grab my PJ's and go to sleep along with everyone else. I know it is rather early as it is only 2016, but I tend to wake early on the train anyway so I might as well.
Good night and Amtrak 14 High Ball out of here until tomorrow,
Tyler
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Barbara Colwell
non-member comment
Must Be Nice!
You are just enjoying yourself too well. I am glad you finally got away to enjoy some time together as well as finally making it to Seattle. Have fun! Stay out of trouble!!!