After our daughter Kathy and her husband and first baby moved to Washington state we enjoyed several train trips on The Coast Starlight train to see them. I had already gone to Washington on the bus at least once when Laura and I decided on going north by train. We had a great experience on that trip. The scenery included the coast and the mountains as well as cities and farmland. We only spent one night on the train and slept in our seats. We did not spend the extra money for a sleeping car or fancy dining car experience. There was a cafe car to purchase sandwiches or other snacks.
In those days, in the eighties, smoking was allowed on some parts of the train. The problem was that smoke travels to other areas so it was difficult to get away from it. Now days there is no smoking allowed and that is more pleasant. That is how things have been on buses too, as well as other public places such as restaurants. When I was young smoking did not bother me as I grew up around cigarette smoke. But smoke is unpleasant for me now as it has always been for my children. Thankfully "no smoking" laws are in effect on trains and buses now.
After Laura's and my happy train experience Paul and I decided to travel to Washington by train a few times. Two of the trips were to see Kathy and family on Whidbey Island as Laura and I had done. The train goes to Seattle and then we get a ride with family to the island. Later, after Kathy's family had moved from Washington, Paul and I took the train to Seattle to spend time with his cousin. Since then we have taken trips by train to visit Paul's brother Charlie and his wife in central California.
The last time we went to Whidbey Island to see Kathy, John, Becky, Melissa and Michael they were getting ready to move back to California. We enjoyed Thanksgiving with them if I remember correctly. We helped them as they were preparing for their move south. They would have a car full with their family and three kitties. Paul and I brought five year old Becky back to San Diego with us on the train. She had never been away from her family, but she was close to me so she did fine. It was a fun experience traveling with our little granddaughter. That is a way to see the sights with new eyes.
Each time we traveled on the train we managed to add other visits to the itinerary. On some trips we got off in Sacramento to spend time with Charlie and Edye. On some trips we stopped for an overnight stay in Los Angeles to see my sister Donna and her husband Fred. We did our Los Angeles stop when we had Becky with us. This way we enjoyed the last segment of the trip in the morning or early afternoon. I have a cute picture of Becky wearing the conductor's hat on that part of the train ride.
The last time I took the train to Los Angeles was in the fall of 2007. I spent a good part of a week with Donna and Fred on that trip. I was there for Donna's "three times twenty three" birthday. That is how she referred to that birthday. Donna and Fred were coming to San Diego so they brought me home. The fires of 2007 started in our mountains that weekend. Not too many weeks later Donna and I lost our sister Betty, near Thanksgiving.
On one of our train trips in the early '90s Paul, Laura and I traveled together to Sacramento to a wedding. That was an enjoyable family time with Charlie, Edye and their family. We traveled on a different train in the valley that time On that schedule you take the train from San Diego to L.A. Then take a bus to Bakersfield in the valley. Then the train and then another bus. Paul got off earlier when he met Charlie to go to Yosemite as Charlie was on a work related trip in that area. They were in Sacramento on time for Eric's wedding that weekend.
On one of our train trips to see Charlie and Edye in Pacific Grove our destination was another wedding in their family. We traveled by car with Charlie and Edye from Pacific Grove to San Francisco to Deron and Laurie's wedding. We stayed in a hotel in S.F. that night. That was a never to be forgotten experience. We have missed going to other family weddings, but have been happy to be able to go to the ones we did go to.
We do indeed have a beautiful country and we should appreciate it from whatever vantage point we have available to us. For us in San Diego we have access to the beaches and mountains as well as the desert. We also have beautiful parks and the zoo within easy reach. We have trolleys and buses to get to many destinations. Of course most people have access to a car. By train or plane we can get to more distant destinations with other beautiful scenery to enjoy.
"O beautiful for Spacious skies, America! America!
For amber waves of grain, God shed His grace on thee
For purple mountain majesties And crown thy good with brotherhood
Above the fruited plain ! From sea to shining sea !"
America The Beautiful by Katharine Lee Bates in 1893
image credit: jpmueller99; TreyDanger
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