Chicago to Austin

Another overnight train ride took us from wintery Chicago to warm Austin, Texas.

A brief stop in Dallas yielded some reflection photos of a shiny office tower across from the station.









Another stop in Fort Worth was long enough to find a nearby Starbucks and grab a decent coffee. And later, a glass of wine on the train kept us going until we got to Austin.

Parting Shots

Final batch of photos from our trip, I promise!

While we were waiting for the bobsled races in Whistler I couldn't help noticing the frost on the snow and trying to capture it. It's always tricky taking photos of white on white! Good practice for back in Saskatoon.



Back in Vancouver we walked from the train station to Terra Breads for supper and on the way back I quickly pulled out my camera to capture the view. (handheld at 1/30 at ISO 7200 - the wonders of modern cameras!)



As usual we were treated to great scenery on the train ride. But the windows were dirty, and the train moving, and I resisted taking any photos, knowing they wouldn't turn out well. But the sunrise was fantastic and I gave in. And yes, the sky really was that colorful!



This one had a bit of a surreal feel to start with so I reinforced that with the processing.



And finally the sun began to peek over the horizon.



The sunrise lasted a long time - these shots were taken from about 8am to 9am.

For more sunrise photos see all 11 in this album as a slideshow or overview

Saskatoon to Vancouver

We're traveling again - taking the train from Saskatoon to Vancouver (VIA Rail) and then down to Santa Barbara on Amtrak. Apart from being two hours late leaving Saskatoon, the train ride was good. I enjoy the slow pace on the train and watching the scenery go by. Despite running late and trying to catch up, we had enough time in Jasper to go for a walk and find a decent coffee. Our usual spot, Cocos Cafe was closed but the SnowDome was open (in the basement with the laundromat!)



The fall colors were nice.



We made up time across BC during the night and arrived close to on time. We stayed overnight in Vancouver since it's not a good idea to plan tight connections when traveling by train! Crossing Stanley Park we got caught in a downpour and resorted to taking a taxi. After lunch at the Sylvia Hotel overlooking the ocean, we spent a few hours at the aquarium, avoiding the big lineup (in the rain) by buying a membership. (Which I usually do anyway, mostly as a way to support them, since we don't get there very often.)









See all 12 photos as a slideshow or overview

From the Train

A few photos I still had in the camera, taken through the (dirty) window of the train.

Usually the moving train makes it hard to take photos



But due to delays we had quite a lot of time sitting still

Seattle to Monterey

Amazingly, we made it through two days in Seattle with no rain! We finished our visit with coffee at Zeitgeist before boarding the train again for another 24 hour ride to Salinas. We went to bed (we had a sleeper again) with snow outside at Klamath Falls and woke up to palm trees in California.

This train (the Coast Starlight) is apparently the only Amtrak train with a "parlour car" (exclusively for sleeper car passengers). We spent quite a bit of our journey in here since it had good windows and comfy seats. We had another (mostly local) wine and cheese tasting. The other excitement was a couple who got drunk and disorderly and eventually "volunteered" to get off the train (rather than be arrested)

After getting off the train we had lunch at Olivia's - a little Mexican cafe near the Salinas station. Then we took the bus to Monterey - a bargain at $3.50 for the hour long ride. We could have taken another bus, but it was a warm sunny day so we decided to walk the roughly 3 kms to Pacific Grove where we were staying.

When we reached the waterfront the first thing we saw were harbour seals sunning on the rocks. They looked like they were enjoying the sun as much as we were. After leaving Saskatoon at -30c the sunny +15c here was very nice.

We followed the bike/pedestrian Monterey Bay Coastal trail past Cannery Row and the aquarium to Pacific Grove. Most of the walk is right beside the ocean. We're staying at Green Gables Inn. After arriving we sat in the front room and had tea looking at the ocean. Wine and appetizers starts soon so we better go get cleaned up.

See also: all the posts from this trip and all the photos from this trip

Circumnavigation

We're setting off on another adventure - circling the United States by train with 45 day Amtrak rail passes that allow up to 18 stops. We'll drive to Minot and leave the car in long term parking at the airport. (Apparently they're geared up for this because it's common for Canadians e.g. from Regina to drive to Minot to catch cheap American flights.) The rail pass doesn't cover sleeping cabins but we're planning to upgrade on a few of the longer segments.

We've done some planning, but we haven't booked everything so we can adjust our plans as we progress. The trains run daily on most of the route, except from Los Angeles to New Orleans which only runs three days per week.

Some of the stops we have planned are:

• Seattle, WA
• Salinas - to go to the Monterey aquarium
• Santa Barbara, CA (to avoid stopping in Los Angeles) 
• Tucson, AZ - meeting up with Shelley's dad
• Alpine, TX - backpacking in Big Bend National Park
• New Orleans, LA
• Suwannee River, FL - five day kayak trip
• Jacksonville, FL - hoping to take in the nature photography / symphony event
• Savannah, GA and/or Charleston, SC
• Charlottesville, VA - wine country and Skyline Drive through Shenandoah Nat. Park
• Washington, DC
• Chicago, IL

Unfortunately, the train no longer seems to run from New Orleans to Jacksonville so we'll have to take the bus on that section. (or go further inland)

 I've loaded my Kindle with a stock of reading matter, including Waiting On A Train: The Embattled Future of Passenger Rail Service: A Year Spent Riding Across America

This is a trip I've thought about for a number of years. It should be fun. Stay tuned for more blog posts and photos from Shelley and I.

See also: all the posts from this trip and all the photos from this trip