Carl’s Journey

This has been one busy summer for me.  Gary and I along with various friends and my mother have traveled extensively to New Orleans.  The city is getting more crowded and busy with each month since Hurricane Katrina.  Every weekend that we were there in New Orleans, there have been several big conferences with many visitors each time. 

Back in June, I had written that Noel Boado will write a piece about his train adventure from Houston to California.  

Here is Noel’s “Love Train”.

THE LONG TRAIN RIDE

by Noel Boado

Go west . . . that’s what they say, but if you took the train, it’s a long ride and interesting ride from Houston to Los Angeles. I have always been fascinated by trains, and of course being the drama diva that I am, I always think that train trips are dramatic and fabulous, just like in the old movies. They can be, if you have the right attitude.

The trip started out at the Amtrak Station, behind the main post office in downtown Houston at 10 pm on a Friday night. It’s such a shame that the largest city in the US has a train station that looks like a shack, but I guess with the ridership dipping real low, and most folks don’t even realize that there is a train depot in Houston, this shack will have to do. As we boarded the Sunset Limited, we were escorted to a double decker car. The main luggage rack is on the first floor by the door and you come up a very narrow stairway to the second floor where the sleeping rooms are located. The roomettes are very narrow, with two seats facing each other, which eventually slide down to make the bottom bunk of the double bunker sleeping quarter, with the top bunker hooked up to the ceiling and out of the way. The beds when made up are actually comfortable.

Since it was late at night when we boarded the train, there was very little to see. However, it was interesting to see what path the train took, as one would have thought that it would have plainly gone down a track alongside Interstate 10. But no, the train went down alongside Washington Avenue, and then it went south just before you got to IH610 and went all the way west to Main Street. This set the path of the train for the rest of the trip, traveling alongside Highway 90, all the way to California. The rest of the trip to San Antonio was uneventful. This is where the Sunset Limited hooked up with the Texas Eagle, coming from Chicago, to make an even longer train. We tugged though all the little towns in Texas for most of Saturday, ending in El Paso at 4 pm on Saturday afternoon.

 

The El Paso station is very beautiful, such a contrast from the Houston station, which makes the Greyhound bus station downtown look nice. We were in luck because the Spanish (from Spain) Club of El Paso was celebrating a feast of Our Lady of Rocio, right on the train station. We were treated to a display of Flamenco dancing performed by the children. I got to practice a little Spanish with the hostesses. What a delight that was!

Food on the train is a mixed bag of surprises. Although better than airplane food, it is far from being gourmet. But the scenery was good, and they seat you with strangers which make for interesting dinner conversation. We met couples who have been on other routes and people who are taking the train for the first time. We met a couple of nice guys from Germany who were so much fun to talk to. The service is as varied as the food. Of course we had the pleasure of having a dining attendant who is bipolar, or at least he acted like it. But the dining room is nice and it has a great atmosphere.

The lounge car was David’s favorite. He could sit there for hours, just looking at the floor to ceiling windows and the great scenery. On this leg of the trip, we saw our fair share of deserts. Just outside of El Paso, you can see the border of Mexico and the City of Juarez from a distance. It is an interesting contrast to see the dirt roads and the shacks on the other side of the border. Also interesting were all the fences to keep the people out. The scenery doesn’t change too much through Texas, New Mexico and Arizona. It was all dry and dusty. The scene gets a little better as you enter California. We went along a beautiful lake called Salton Sea. The terrain gets even better as we get closer to Palm Springs. All the wind mills on the side of the hill are a sight to see. As we get closer to Los Angeles, the terrain becomes greener and greener. All the little towns we pass are lusher than the last one. And at last, on Sunday Morning, we arrived at the Union Station in Los Angeles and we were ready to explore this exciting city. Although 34 hours on the train seems like a long time, it is very relaxing and is quite an experience. You can take advantage of the extra time to read about your destination and all the things you are going to do. Or you can do what David does, drink beer and be merry with the rest of the other passengers.

We spent four days in Los Angeles. The city’s subway system is great if you are only staying in the downtown/Hollywood area. It’s great that we were able to take this train to Universal Studios and the Hollywood areas to see the walk of fame.

The second leg of our train trip was aboard the Coast Starlight route to San Francisco. This would have taken us all the way to Seattle on another 36 hour trek. In contrast to the Sunset Limited, this trip was spectacular. The sleeping car was the same and we even ended up in the same basic room as we were in the Houston-LA trip. But this route was entirely different. The attendants were very enthusiastic. The room attendant checked on passengers on an hourly basis. The food was about the same, but there was something different on this route. Amtrak is testing the addition of refurbished ca. 1940’s Parlour Cars on this route. This is a very plush and comfortable lounge car, exclusive to the passengers who are riding on 1st class. This is reminiscent of the train rides you see on the old movies. They even had a movie theater in the lower level!

But the true attraction of this route was the spectacular view. As soon as you leave the downtown Los Angeles area, you are treated to scenes of beautiful beaches and resorts along the shore. If you have taken a ride on Pacific Coast Highway, this is similar, except that the tracks are situated closer to the shore than the highway even. As soon as you pass San Luis Obispo, the train takes a turn inland. This gave us a great view of the vast California farmlands familiarly called America’s salad bowl. From the sea to the mountains, this route will give you an opportunity to witness the beauty of this state. As an added attraction, the US Parks and Wildlife Services provide rangers who pointed out the significant sites as you pass through them. What a wonderful way to spend a sunny day! Next time . . .the midnight train to Georgia,

THANK YOU NOEL for such a wonderful article.  MAYBE we all should take a train ride to California!

Until next time.  Happy traveling.

Carl Han