Washington - my final state on the train!

I arrived back in the PPC at 3 PM for the wine tasting.  Mel, the PPC attendant, was setting out cheese and glasses. He said that this time he was going to do the wine tasting throughout the entire car. I sat in the middle section, which was comprised of sofa level seating with high top tables for two. There was enough room for four people to sit on the “sofa” on each side of the car, with a table at an appropriate level for drinks for pairs.

Today we tasted Oregon wines, and after each wine Mel gave us the tasting notes and noted that we could purchase entire bottles of the wine. He was also encouraging purchase of a $5 Coast Starlight souvenir wine glass, so I went ahead and purchased one to help me remember my trip. Embossed on the glass is the symbol used in the advertisements/posters for this train, which is also found on the seatback covers on this train.

During the tasting, I spoke to a young couple who had gotten on the night before in Emeryville and who lived in Portland. They were having a great time on the train. I also met an older couple who also had boarded last night in Emeryville and were visiting their college aged daughter at school in Portland. Mel made the wine tasting fun and got everyone involved in it.

After the wine tasting, I retreated back to my bedroom. The scenery at this point had turned into mostly farmland and rolling hills. I noticed as we pulled into Salem, OR that there were flowering fruit trees and daffodils and crocuses in the planters.  How nice to see some flowers! As we proceeded north up to Portland, the grass looked green and we passed several swollen rivers. I also noticed a very interesting paper plant that seemed to get much of its power from water.

We arrived in Portland about 2 minutes late, which was pretty amazing considering that we had been running a few hours late earlier today.  We left Portland exactly on time, and I got some nice pictures of the Portland skyline.  As we arrived into the city, we went over this very big bridge and there was a bike path right next to us. I saw many people jogging and biking – even in the rain! It struck me as a very west coast thing.

We pulled out of Portland, and I made my way to the PPC for my 6:30 PM dinner reservation. For this meal, I decided to eat in the PPC because I was tired of the dining car, even though I wasn’t too thrilled about the two choices (lamb or lobster bisque).  I chose the lamb, since of course everyone knows that I am allergic to lobster, which I tragically discovered while attending college in Maine, the lobster capital of the country.

After I sat down, we briefly stopped in front of a large drawbridge so that a very large tanker ship could pass through. I took a couple of pictures but only had my iPhone down in the PPC so I don’t think they came out that great. In any case, after about 10 minutes we continued our way up north, and I continued to eat my delicious dinner. As always, Mel was a pleasure in the PPC. I had salad with blue cheese dressing, Amtrak roll, and the lamb shank with mint and rosemary sauce. The lamb was very, very good, but not quite as good as the ancho-chile beef from the previous evening. The lamb was accompanied by rice pilaf and a vegetable medley comprised of broccoli and carrots. I ate all of the veggies, ¼ of the rice, and about ½ of the lamb which was served on the bone. As with previous meals in the PPC, I was able to dine at a table all by myself. However, I made a little conversation with the young family traveling with their 10 month old son in the table kitty-corner from me, as well as with the couple across from me. I would estimate both of their ages as around mine.

Mel of course offered me dessert, and I opted for the cheesecake. This cheesecake was much better than the cheesecake I had on the Lake Shore Limited, and Mel told me that the desserts in the PPC are not the same as those in the dining car. In any case, I ate about half and was completely stuffed. I sat in the PPC savoring the last of my cheesecake and pinot gris until the sun set, and then headed back to my room to finish up this trip report.  I am not back in my bedroom, where I am sitting with the curtain closed but the door open because of the heat. It is not completely unbearable, but I am afraid to close the door because the heat is still pumping.

I also have the “nightlight” on in my bedroom. It is now dark outside, and the nightlight function in the renovated Superliner I cars are like a blue/black light. It provides some light without providing a complete glare so that one is still able to look out of the window. However I am not seeing much out there right now. I think I might put the bed back down and take a little nap in anticipation of our arrival into SEA in less than three hours.

In any case, I have thoroughly enjoyed my 100+ hours on Amtrak this week. I definitely miss Tim, and of course my little dog Corky, this trip has been an amazing opportunity and a great way to see some amazing landscapes. The highlights in terms of scenery have all been on the Coast Starlight, so I am thrilled that I took an extra day and included this train. Additionally, the service was better on the CS than on the other trains and it really added just a little something for me to end my trip on a positive note.  Lastly, the age of the passengers in sleepers on the CS was much more diverse and seemed to include more folks that were under 50, which just made it easier for me to talk with them.

Thank you to everyone for following along, and I will definitely add pictures tomorrow when I am at my sister’s house in Seattle and can use the real internet and not my traveling MIFI.