Oregon

My Chair in the PPC for most of the morning

I sat in the PPC to enjoy the view for most of the morning. The weather outside had turned into a pretty fierce snowstorm, and we seemed to be winding our way up into the mountains. I could see beautiful pine trees and what looked like a very alpine scene. We went through many tunnels and around many turns that were big and round so that I could see the front half of the train going around the curve or the back half of the train coming around behind us.  I saw many little waterfalls gurgling water down the mountain.

Trust me, it is snowing out there!

Unfortunately, I don’t think many pictures from this section will come out very well because it was hard to take them without the rain on the windows messing up the view. But trust me when I say that it was breathtakingly beautiful. We passed Mount Shasta and continued on into Oregon. I chatted with a few people in the Pacific Parlor Car and enjoyed the view. I enjoyed a mimosa at 11 am, and then headed back to my room to take a little nap and get some down time.  One of my fellow passengers informed me that Oregon is the “Christmas tree capital of the world.”

I also noted that one of the other sleeping car passengers had a service dog with him on the trip. The dog looked to be some sort of yellow lab mix, as he was smaller than a lab but with the same type of body type. He was wearing a vest that said medical alert. Not wanting to be a jerk, I didn’t ask the gentleman about the dog, but I was curious. The dog was clearly a working dog that followed commands and lay at his feet quietly, but it did make me miss my dog.

Winding through the Mountains

Oregon as seen from Coast Starlight

I returned to the PPC at 12:30 PM for lunch. Mel had set up all of the tables for lunch service. I had pre-ordered my lunch with him the day before, and he let me choose my seat.  As I sat for lunch, we continued to pass through a mountainous area with snow and pines. We also went through many tunnels that seem to have been cut through the mountains. I am curious as to which railroad built these tracks and when, as the sheer engineering feat of it must have been enormous. I didn’t really see any roads, either. 

Eggplant Parmesan in the Pacific Parlor Car, Coast Starlight

Strawberry Rhubarb Tart in the Pacific Parlor Car, Coast Starlight

For lunch I had the Eggplant Parmesan, which was accompanied by….you guessed it, Amtrak roll and salad! I switched it up and went with some blue cheese dressing this afternoon. I also decided to have some water and diet Pepsi to drink. For dessert, Mel gave me a strawberry tart with fresh strawberries and whipped cream. This dessert was very good, and the eggplant parmesan that I had for lunch was also one of the better dishes I have had on the train. I decided to also make a reservation with Mel in the PPC for dinner, since I have eaten several meals already in the regular dining car. Additionally, Mel doesn’t make me sit with strangers, which is definitely a fun aspect of the train but it is getting a little tedious after 5 days :)

After lunch I went back to my room to relax. I discovered that if I leave the door open and put on a tank top, that I could sit comfortably in my room. Also, if I sit on the sofa facing backwards there does appear to be some cool air coming out of the top vent, which helps deal with the torrent of hot air pouring out from the bottom vent near the chair. If there is one thing that I would ask Amtrak to work on, it is the heating/cooling system of the train. There must be a way to let each guest control the temperature in their compartment better, or at least a way to turn off the heat vents blasting hot air onto me.

The conductor just came on to announce that we would be running about 20-30 minutes late at some of our stops this afternoon, but he seemed to think that we would arrive in Portland, OR on time. That bodes well for my 10:45 PM scheduled arrival into Seattle.

I also plan on heading back to the PPC in about half an hour for the Day 2 wine tasting. Hope everyone is having just as much fun as I am this week!