Today we began our train journey - 35 hours, split over 7 days, and 1,100 miles.
We booked our trip through a human being at Amtrak (the only way to do it - no travel agent, no on-line). We paid $937 for BOTH of us, which included $383 for a bedroom on the Portland to San Fran segment plus 3 meals in the dining car.
We didn’t board the train until 9:45 am, so I took a short walk around Pioneer Square after breakfast. I saw Occidental Park, where we were last night,
the iconic Smith Tower (once the tallest building at 38 stories outside of New York when built in 1914)
and the Waterfall Garden Park, created in 1978 at the original United Parcel Service Building. It was funded by the Annie E. Casey Foundation to commemorate UPS founder James Casey.
We also had some lovely views from our room of Seattle and the Bay.
The train station looks very new outside (in right with tower), but inside had all the ambiance of an old station.
We took our seats in business class, which was very comfy with lots of leg room, ideal for our 4-hour trip. The train stops multiple times along the way, which is part of the charm. In Tacoma we passed the Chihuly Museum of Glass. I didn’t know there was one there.
Then we passed a little village called Gig Harbor, which is only accessible by water.
Also, along the way, we saw many people who live on houses built on the water with limited access to land.
I spent part of the time in the observation car listening to a park volunteer describe the scenery. A few interesting highlights: we crossed 3 rivers which have their origin at Mt. Rainier. It is the most glaciated mountain in the world with 25 glaciers.
One of the more interesting stories surrounds the Olympia train station. In 1989 Amtrak built a simple 3-sided bus shelter to serve as the station. Imagine. The citizens were outraged that the state capital would not have a real facility. So they raised their own funds and in 1994, they built their own station which is staffed entirely by volunteers. Since it is not officially the station, it is not on government land and cannot check baggage. Beautiful building and great civic pride story.
Then we passed by the Mima mounds, strange circular dome-like humps (bumps) in the landscape that have no identifiable origin — maybe giant gophers or prehistoric people. Nothing really inside of them.
We quickly passed by Mt. St. Helens, catching only a glimpse, and later by Three Rivers Golf Course in Kelso. It was built in 1983 on the dredge soils removed from the Cowlitz River after the Mt. St. Helens eruption in 1980. It is known for its year round playability due to the porous combination of ash, dust, sand and silt which drains well in wet weather.
This is the Cowlitz River.
We arrived in Portland around 2 pm and took an Uber to the Embassy Suites in the Historic Waterfront District. A restaurant called Mother’s Bistro and Bar, which I frequented 11 years ago, is now located in the hotel. It was a great place for lunch during our visit.
Then we took a walk in the area to locate our restaurant for tonight and to visit some iconic spots — like Powell’s City of Books, which claims to be the largest independent new and used bookstore in the country. We could have spent the rest of the day there, since we saw so many books we didn’t even know existed.
We also walked by VooDoo Donuts, which is very much like “High Five” donuts in Louisville - large glazed donuts with crazy and unique toppings. We saw people carrying the identifiable pink boxes everywhere.
Tonight we had dinner at Huber’s, Portland’s oldest restaurant since 1879, and close to our hotel.
It is noted for its turkey dinners — they served turkey sandwiches with beer during the depression and it became a “thing.” However, when we saw halibut on the menu, tradition left us.
We walked back to the hotel on another clear night.
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