By Train from California to Jasper Park

Here is a belated Report for my Trip this year from California to Jasper in the Canadian Rockies, and back again... nine days in June, with my long-time Travel Companion "Moonlight Express". All in Coach, all Low-Bucket, all On Time, and No Checked Luggage... the Perfect Way to Travel! Since we were travelling together, we avoided any tight connections or long marathons without a break... basically, a Human Approach to Travel... just to make things different!

The Trip began before Dawn on Friday the Fifth, as my Beautiful Moonlight Express and I walked together to the near-by Commuter Bus Stop. We took the GG Bus down Hwy 101, across the Golden Gate Bridge, and into San Francisco... giving us a Preview of Fisherman's Wharf and the Embarcadero by early Daylight, then through the Financial District and across Market Street, where we stepped out. We doubled back to Battery Street, where we had noticed a fine little Donut Shop in the historic Shell Building there ("Art Deco" lobby and elevators in the main entrance). After a hot cup of coffee and some fresh-baked Donuts, we were ready to face the Day.

We walked down Market Street through all the commotion of a Weekday Morning, and stepped into the Embarcadero BART Station, where we were able to buy Day-Passports for the San Francisco MUNI (including unlimited rides on the Cable Cars, for $11) at the News Stand there. With these Tickets in hand, we continued down to the Foot of Market Street, past the Street Vendors setting up shop in the Park there, and over to the restored Ferry Building. Just south of there, we found the Amtrak Station in its forlorn-looking Brown Brick Building. Once the Attendant had seen to the loading of an early Bus to the East Bay, she gladly helped us to store our luggage for the day so we could tour the City "hands free". Well worth it for the $3 fee. (Fee is "per bag", but if everything straps or hooks together, it all counts as One.)

From there we walked back to Market Street, stepping in to the huge open atrium of the Hyatt Regency Hotel there. After admiring the sculpture and the indoor fountains, we rode the Glass Elevators up to the Top, then back down to Street Level. Exiting through a side door, we found ourselves right by the terminus of the California Street Cable Cars. We watched as they rolled one Cable Car across the Street and into the Loading Area, and then climbed on board. We rode through the Financial District and Chinatown, then up to the Top of Knob Hill, past the Stanford Court, the Fairmont (with its glass elevators), the Huntington and the Mark Hopkins Hotels (lots of RailRoad History on this Hill), the Crocker Garage and Grace Cathedral, then down the other side to Van Ness, which is the End of the Line. Quickly switching to the other side for good views, we rode back again as far as Powell Street.

There we transferred to a Southbound Cable Car for the steep descent to Union Square (past the Saint Francis Hotel with its glass elevators) and on to Market Street. Then we got into line for the return trip... a short-enough line this early in the Morning. We watched as they pushed the Cable Cars onto the Turn-Table, slowly spun them around, then pushed them off again into the Loading Area. The second Car ("Bay and Taylor") had room for us, so we climbed right in.

This ride took us once again over Knob Hill, through the back end of ChinaTown, and past the Cable Car Museum (which stores the Cars overnight, and houses all the Equipment that drives the underground Cables). There we stepped off to transfer to the next Car, with destination Beach and Hyde. We saw the connecting tracks leading to the California Street line, then crossed the Broadway Tunnel and climbed to the top of Russian Hill, with dramatic views down the crooked part of Lombard Street and across to Coit Tower. Then down the steepest section of the trip (overlooking the Bay, Alcatraz, and Angel Island) to the Turn-Table in the Park below.

We stepped in briefly to the Buena Vista Cafe at the corner there (inventors of "Irish Coffee", so they say) as I had heard it was a good place for breakfast. It turned out, though, to be 95% "Pub", and whatever the other 5% was, it would not be our choice for Breakfast. We headed down to the sandy Beach at the Aquatic Park, touching the Water, then climbed an observation platform to watch a dozen swimmers doing their morning laps in the cold Bay Waters. We stepped out onto the Hyde Street Pier where the Historic Ships are, and saw the Paddle-Wheel of the Steamer "Petaluma". Then past the Nautical Supply Shops and the actual Fishing Harbours at Fisherman's Wharf, and into the Restaurant District. There we enjoyed Hot Clam Chowder in a Sour-Dough Bowl, served right on the sidewalk. Just the thing on a cool, fresh Summer Morning!

Nearby at Jones Street, we boarded a "Peter Witt" Heritage Streetcar from Milan, riding through the Tourist District, past Pier 39, down the Embarcadero by the Cruise Ship Terminal and a popular Dinner Circus, then all the way up Market Street to the Castro. At that point we transferred underground and caught the M-Line Streetcar out through the Twin Peaks Tunnel and down to San Francisco State at the south-west corner of the City. From there we doubled back to the Geneva Station (which contains the Balboa Park BART Station), and rode the next J-Church Streetcar past the historic Mission Dolores and back across Market Street. There we entered the Subway and continued on to the Montgomery Street Station.

We bought a minimum-fare BART Ticket from Montgomery to Embarcadero (one stop down the line), and rode there by the Scenic Route... through the Trans-Bay Tunnel to West Oakland, where we crossed the Amtrak Line and the UP Yards, underneath Downtown Oakland, then along the Freeway just south of the U.C.Berkeley Campus and under the Hills to Orinda, Lafayette, Walnut Creek, Concord, and Pittsburg-Bay Point (in the California Central Valley, with views of Suisun Bay and the Delta in the distance). Back the same way, and off.

Since we were near the Amtrak Station at the Ferry Bldg, we stepped over and picked up our luggage, then enjoyed Toasted Subway Sandwiches while seated on the Sidewalk of Market Street. From there, we caught the "T-Third" light-rail from beneath Market Street, along the South section of the Embarcadero (with fine views of the Bay, the Bay Bridge, and Yerba Buena Island) and the BaseBall Stadium, stepping off at 4th and King for the CalTrain to San Jose. We had a smooth, fast ride down the Peninsula with all the familiar landmarks.

At Mountain View we saw the San Jose Light-Rail and a little historic Depot. Getting off at San Jose, we found we still had time to ride the Light-Rail. So we headed through Downtown and the Heart of Silicon Valley, past the Moffett Field NASA Station and back to Mountain View once again. By running over to the next track, we were able to catch the returning Light-Rail, timed to depart exactly at our arrival. We enjoyed the Jacaranda Trees with their purple blossoms, and the pink clouds of Sunset back at the Station. Waiting there for the Northbound Coast Starlight, there was plenty of Train Action with numerous arrivals and departures of the CalTrain and the Amtrak Capitol Corridor Run.

The Coast Starlight arrived on-schedule. Consist was 2 Engines, plus a "Cascades" Engine, Baggage Car, 4 Sleepers, Parlour Car, Diner, Lounge, and 3 Coach Cars. We found good seats together on the left side, for best views of the Water, and settled in for the long haul. North through Santa Clara, Alviso, the Salt Marshes at the southern tip of San Francisco Bay, then along the Mulford Line near the Bay Shore up to Oakland. Following the familiar route north from there along the Water, we enjoyed great views, familiar sights, and sparkling lights all the way to Sacramento, then dozed off for a few hours of restful sleep. The Trip was now well underway, and we could count "Day One" as a complete success.

(to be continued in this Thread...)

Part II

On Saturday, we came to Dunsmuir at 5:20 AM as it was first starting to get light. We climbed up the Canyon of the Sacramento River to the area of Mt. Shasta by early morning. Through breaks in the clouds, we got brief views of the Summit. Then across dramatic fields of rugged lava, with distant views of dry grasslands and cinder cones below. As we headed east into Ponderosa Pine forests, the clouds cleared and the Day became sunny and bright. We arrived early into Klamath Falls (7:45 AM) so there was extra time to walk around the Station area and enjoy the fresh air. We continued North along the shore of Upper Klamath Lake, then climbed up the rugged Canyon of the Williamson River to the Klamath Marsh wildlife area. Heading north-west from there, we got fine views of the snowy Volcanic Peaks of the Cascades Range. Passing Odell Lake, we crossed Willamette Pass and began our descent, through thick clouds, into the steep Canyons of the Cascades. On reaching the bottom, the weather began to clear and we saw the covered bridge by Westfir.

Continuing North through Oregon's Willamette Valley, we arrived at Portland where there was time for another good walk around the Station. We crossed a Pedestrian Bridge over the Tracks, just south of the Station building, so we could watch our Train being serviced. Walking back from there, we were encouraged to see new Tracks in place for the Light-Rail service.

Right after Portland, we enjoyed Dinner in the Dining Car, sharing our table with a couple of Volunteers from the "Trails and Rails" program out of the Klondike Gold Rush National Historic Park in Seattle. From there, we crossed the Columbia River (which we would see twice again in Canada) and through pleasant country to the shores of Puget Sound, with outstanding views of near-by Islands. Coming into Tacoma, we saw the Ship "Cape Island" (carrying a little orange Submarine), which is a "Roll-on/Roll-off" Ship for the Military Sealift Command. Passing the Harbour and the Downtown district, we headed inland, then turned North for Seattle. We came into Seattle on-time at 7:50 PM, and made our way on foot to the Best Western Hotel in Pioneer Square.

Sunday Morning, we enjoyed a fine Buffet Breakfast in our Hotel, then walked back to the King Street Station (by way of Union Station on the hill just to the East). We boarded the Cascades Train for Vancouver BC. The trip along the shores of Puget Sound was very scenic. We saw several Bald Eagles and had many views of the Islands along the way. At the Resort Town of White Rock, we entered Canada. The Train follows the Fraser River to the East, then crosses it near the dramatic Cable-stay Bridge used by the Vancouver SkyTrain. After backing into the Station, we passed through Customs and stashed our Luggage for the day in the Lockers by the Bus Station there. Then we crossed the street and boarded the SkyTrain, using Day Passes.

At the Broadway stop, we had lunch at the A&W Root-Beer and Burger Place. Then we continued on the SkyTrain to Surrey (across the Fraser River). We returned on the Millenium Line, then on to the Waterfront, where we took the scenic Ferry across the Harbour to Lonsdale Quay on the North Shore (same ticket as the SkyTrain). We walked through the busy Marketplace there and enjoyed the views of the City, the Water, and the Mountains, then returned by Ferry to the historic Canadian Pacific Station on the Vancouver Waterfront. A short walk from there led us to "the Lookout", atop one of the tallest office buildings in town, with outstanding views in every direction. There were several huge Cruise Ships in the Harbour, including the "Star Princess".

Then we returned to the SkyTrain, exited at the Stadium, and walked through the "International Village" into ChinaTown, where we toured the Public Portion of the Sun Yat Sen Gardens. We continued through ChinaTown on foot, noting (and avoiding!) the decrepit neighborhood just a block North around Hastings and Main, then had an excellent dinner at Hon's House of Noodles, 268 Keefer St. After Dinner, we saw the beginnings of a Chinese Street Fair called the "Night Market", then found our way on through ChinaTown and down Quebec Street, through an Apartment Complex by the Sky Train, and back to Pacific Central Station for our evening Departure on "the Canadian"... the thrice-weekly Train to Toronto which we would be riding as far as Jasper Park in the Canadian Rockies.

Departure was on schedule, the accommodations were comfortable, and the ride was smooth. We especially enjoyed the view from the Dome Car immediately behind our Coach. The Full Moon that night enhanced the Scenery as we crossed the Farmlands east of Vancouver and began our climb up the Fraser River Canyon into the Night.

(to be continued in this Thread...)

Part III

Our Canadian Train had 20 cars altogether: 3 Engines, Baggage Car, 2 Coaches, Dome Lounge, Diner, then a dozen other Dome Lounge and Sleeper Cars.

On Monday we woke to Daylight at 4:50 AM, then crossed the River a couple of times on the approach to Kamloops. About 6:00 AM we stepped out for the stop at North Kamloops, then headed up the Thompson River (with high water) through the Selkirk Range and towards the Rockies. We saw several herds of Bighorn Sheep along the way. We had a full Canadian Breakfast on board the Train, including Eggs and Potatoes and Pancakes and Canadian Sausages with Real Maple Syrup... outstanding!

Around Valemont the Scenery became truly spectacular. We slowed for our close pass of Pyramid Falls, and had an unsurpassed view of Mt. Robson, completely free of clouds. We arrived in the Town of Jasper around 4:00 PM. We checked in to our Hotel, the "Athabasca" just a block from the Station, then set out to explore the Town on foot. There was an interesting store selling artwork and hand-crafts by Native American groups (called "First Nations" in Canada), and a new kind of gemstone with pearly rainbow-colors made from the fossilized shells of ancient Ammonites (called "Ammolite"). We peeked into a small wildlife Museum with stuffed Animals, and had a (mediocre) dinner at the Cantonese Restaurant. (Evidently they had changed ownership since my previous Trip there a few Years ago.) Returning to the Hotel, we picked up a few gifts and souvenirs (such as a bottle of Real Maple Syrup) and some postcards, then called it a Night.

Next Morning, Tuesday, we had an outstanding full Breakfast in our Hotel, then headed to the Station to pick up our Rental Car for the scenic Return to Vancouver. This had been both expensive and tricky to arrange, as Jasper is a small place and there is a substantial "drop off fee" as a penalty for one-way Trips. Our destination that day was Banff, via the famous Icefield Parkway.

The little car ran fine. We headed out at 9:00 AM, taking the older road on the West side of the River as far as Athabasca Falls. We saw the landmark "Old Fort Point", which we have climbed for the view on previous Trips, then picked up our Park Permit at a Ranger Station along the Highway.

I'm not really used to driving with an Automatic Transmission... just more new-fangled Gadgetry as far as I'm concerned. As we were heading down a steep Straight-away and gaining speed, it seemed wise to downshift. Moving the Lever one notch towards "Park", where I expected Second Gear to be, the Car didn't slow down at all, but started gaining speed even faster. (It turns out this position is "Neutral", not Second after all.) Feeling the urgent need to gain control, I pushed the Lever one notch further towards "Park", hoping that First Gear would effectively slow the Car as desired. Unfortunately, this was actually "Reverse". I'm pretty sure you're not supposed to slam into Reverse at Highway Speed. Fortunately, the Transmission did not explode or fall off the Car. Unfortunately, it immediately killed the Engine... which meant we had no Power Steering and no Power Brakes, just minimal Steering with effort, and very slight Braking with sustained firm pressure.

My first thought was to get the Engine restarted... easy to do in a Manual, of course, but with an Automatic the Engine will only start in "Park". I know for a Fact that you're NOT supposed to Jam it into "Park" while cruising 80 mph (that's 133.33 Kilos per hour for all you Metric fans out there) down a Mountain Road. Anyway, we eventually brought the Car under control, pulled off to the Side, and re-started the Engine. Everything ran just fine. I only made the same mistake once more along the way, showing that I eventually DO learn from Experience!

At Athabasca Falls, we had a fine scramble up and down all the Trails and over all the Bridges with many fine close-up views of the Falls. We continued on (past dramatic Mt. Edith Cavell) to Sunwapta Falls for more of the same. Then we came to the Athabasca Glacier, with signs marking its retreat over the last Century and since our last visit there. We climbed up onto the Glacier, ignoring all the warnings about falling into a Crevasse like other unfortunate Guests. Higher and higher we climbed, along the main Trail. Most Hikers there were equipped with Mountaineering Boots and Ski Poles. My California Flip-Flop Sandals must have seemed rather pitiful by comparison, but they Did the Job just fine! Finally we emerged onto the main face of the Glacier, with great views of the Icefalls at the Head, connecting it with the great Columbia Icefield above. About that point, the Crevasses started looking scarier and the Ice looked mushy and unstable in places, so we figured it was probably time to turn around. On the way back, we peered deep into one Crevasse (lined with Icicles) and heard rushing water far below in the Heart of the Glacier.

Back at the Foot of the Glacier, we explored both left and right along the edge of the Ice, and were impressed to see a whole River of melt-water which dove under the Ice to the left, then emerged further down on the right... meaning we had walked right over it without knowing! Walking back to the Parking Lot (and crossing back to the Official Trail where all the Signs said "Do Not Pass Beyond This Point"), we saw one of the Lateral Moraines, which turns out to have a solid core of Ice which has just been sitting there for Centuries, slowly melting away.

On to the Highway again, for its most Dramatic section... great Cliffs and Crags all about, with Glaciers and Ice-Caps atop every Peak, and over Sunwapta Pass into the Valley of the North Saskatchewan River. We stopped to admire a majestic Waterfall on the left. Continuing on, we found the turn-off to Peyto Lake to be closed by Snow, but had fine views of Bow Lake (half-covered by Ice) from the Highway. At Lake Louise Village we found a place with excellent hot sandwiches for Dinner. At Lake Louise itself, we hiked past the historic Hotel and along the North Shore to the far end of the Lake, then upstream for some ways beyond that. There were some dramatic ice-falls along the cliffs there, and we watched some rock-climbers attempting a sheer vertical ascent. Back on the Road just before Sunset, we took the Scenic Alternate "Bow Valley Parkway" down to Banff, following along with a long eastbound Freight Train on the Canadian Pacific Mainline there. On arrival to Banff, we checked in at the "Tunnel Mountain Resort", then drove through Town and saw beautiful Bow Falls by Moonlight (which was new for us), then had a delicious Italian Dinner (Ravioli and Lasagna) in Town.

(to be continued in this Thread...)

Part IV

Wednesday was to be our long drive back to Vancouver. We were up before Daybreak and on the Road before Breakfast. We saw the first rays of Sunrise on the high Peaks around Banff. Taking the Freeway north through the Park, we noticed that a number of earthen Overpasses are being built as Wildlife Corridors... an excellent idea. Past Lake Louise, we crossed the Pass back into British Columbia. On the way down through Yoho Park, we came to an exhibit about the Spiral Tunnels... two corkscrews inside the Mountain to allow the Canadian Pacific Trains to climb up to the Pass.

As we were reading the historical details, we heard a Train approaching. Looking down, we watched intently as a long Freight Train climbed to the right just below us, then entered the Tunnel. While still entering the Tunnel, we saw the Head of the Train emerge across the valley, then double back again to the right. While the last third of the Train was STILL entering the tunnel (and the middle section still emerging from it), we saw the Head of the Train passing leftward directly below us. So the same train was going right, left, right, and left at the same time, crossing over itself, entering and leaving the same tunnel and doubling back past its entrance once again. From there it continued on to the Upper Spiral Tunnel where we could not see it from the road. But as we continued driving, we did see sections of the Track leading to and from the Tunnel, with one quick view of an entrance to the Tunnel itself.

At the Base of the Mountains, we came to the town of Golden, with extensive RailRoad Yards. We had a fine Breakfast at a Coffee Shop in town, then continued on our way Westward, following Highway One, the "Trans-Canada Highway". We crossed the Columbia River where it flows to the North, then climbed over Rogers Pass in Canada's Glacier National Park. At the Summit we stopped to visit an interesting Museum about the Pass, the surrounding Countryside, and the RailRoad History of that Area. We certainly saw lots of dramatic Track sections, winding up and down the Mountains, with frequent Tunnels and Snow-Shelters. Near the Pass itself, even the Highway passed through a series of Avalanche-Shelters.

Coming down on the West side of the Selkirk Range, we went through the edges of Mt. Revelstoke National Park. The forests here have a complex mix of Coast Range and Rocky Mountain vegetation. Then we crossed the Columbia River again where it flows South, and came to a remote stretch of highway through resort districts on the shores of several large Lakes. Traffic was slow in several areas for Road Construction and one serious accident. By mid-day we emerged into drier Country and the town of Kamloops, where we enjoyed Lunch at another A&W Restaurant.

We left town at 2:00 PM, seeing a couple of Freight Trains on our way back to the Freeway. Then we left the Trans-Canada to take a more scenic Route on smaller Roads. At 3:00 PM we were at Cache Creek, in Gold Rush Country. By 4:00 we were at Lillooet in exceptionally rugged dry country along deep Canyons of the Upper Fraser River. From there we climbed into lushly forested Coastal Mountains, following a series of Creeks and Rivers to the West. We crossed the main Summit at 5:00 PM, passed through Pemberton at 6:00 PM, saw the Olympic Developments and Ski Runs at Whistler, came to Squamish at 7:00 PM (after some dramatic look-outs to Misty Mountains further North and West), and, rounding the Ferry Terminal at Horseshoe Bay, came to North Vancouver at 8:00 PM, "on schedule". (If anybody else wants to drive this route, you might prefer to divide it up over a couple of days.)

We checked into our Motel, the Comfort Inn on Capilano Road, and had a fine "Fish and Chips" dinner at a near-by Restaurant.

For Thursday, we had the whole day in Vancouver. We drove to the Pacific Central Station to turn in our 48-hour Rental Car at 8:00 AM as arranged. This took some doing as they were not open when we first arrived, then knew nothing of our arrangements, then found that the Agents in Jasper had never entered anything about us into their Computers (figuring they would do this as usual "when we returned the Car"). After a few calls to Jasper, waiting for THEM to open and then wake up their Computers and then make the appropriate entries, we got everything straightened out at last. It looked for a while that we would be double-billed for the whole Rental, but fortunately this turned out not to be the case.

So off we went to the SkyTrain across the Street (after again stashing our Luggage for the Day at the Bus Station), picking up a Day Pass and heading Downtown. We exited at Burrard Station and took a scenic walk around the Financial District there, then out for Breakfast at the White Spot Restaurant (Georgia St & Cardero) near the Entrance to Stanley Park. We had another fine Canadian Breakfast including a fancy Omelette and Pancakes with Real Maple Syrup (what else?). Then we walked along the beautiful Waterfront at Coal Harbour and into Stanley Park. We enjoyed the Totem Poles there (possibly the Number One Tourist Attraction in the entire area), and had refreshments inside the Gift Shop. Then along the North Shore of the Park to the Children's Water-Play Area (complete with a "Kid-Dryer" for when they're done), then inland past the Aquarium to the Little Train and Barnyard.

We thoroughly enjoyed the Little Train Ride through a cutely-decorated section of the Park Forest. Usually it is teeming with Kids and their distracted Parents, but due to the timing of other events the two of us had the Whole Train just to ourselves. Very relaxing!

With every two tickets for the Little Train, you get one Free Pass for the Barnyard. We declared our sorrow that one of us would thereby be forced to MISS that Outstanding Barnyard. On our return from the Train Ride, they called us back over to the Ticket Window. They had reconsidered, they said, and found us worthy of a Second Free Pass, enabling us to vist the Barnyard together, as seemed most fitting.

So off we went, past fountains and turtle-ponds and into the Children's Barnyard. More Kids than Animals, but that's fine too. We saw a little Donkey and some young Llamas, a fine snake and lizard exhibit, and some frisky goats that loved to climb on rocks and fences but bitterly resisted having me grab them by the horns. No pigs, unfortunately, but overall a fine little place.

Then back out into Stanley Park, north along the Shore (past a "Little Mermaid" statue of a Young Lady in a Wetsuit, on an offshore Rock) to the hidden Forest Creek which lead to the Beaver Pond (complete with Beaver). Around the Pond, enjoying Irises and other woodland flowers, then cutting back through forests and formal gardens to Lost Lagoon (with a tall Fountain just across the way). Circling around to the West, we saw a lady feeding proper woodland food to a family of young Raccoons, who evidently knew her from daily visits. Swimming offshore were Swans and Cygnets making their morning rounds.

Crossing the Road we came to "Second Beach", where there is an outdoor swimming pool for Kids and Families. It was Low Tide at the Beach, so we walked down the steps and saw some mussel beds, and tracks on the sand where somebody had been dragging a small boat. We continued south along the beach for some distance, ending up at English Bay Beach in a pleasant part of Town with wonderful Ocean Views. Picking up Refreshments at the little Stand there, we re-entered the Town and used Denman Street to cut through colorful neighborhoods with lots of different sorts of Restaurants, back to Coal Harbour. There we continued East along the Vancouver Waterfront, past parks and joggers and sunbathers and skaters "just like in California". We walked over and around the new Convention Center (great views from on top) and saw lots of Seaplanes landing and taking off giving scenic flights for Tourists. In due course, we made it back to Waterfront Station (historic Canadian Pacific) and rode the SkyTrain back to the other Station (Pacific Central). Along the way we saw the colorful little Water Taxis which run from the Science World down False Creek to Granville Island.

We were in good time for the Amtrak Cascades Train back to the States. (No Talgo Service either way, unfortunately, just regular SuperLiners.) We had Dinner on board (Hot-Dog and Pepsi, naturally!) and enjoyed the views of Puget Sound at Sunset. We had no difficulty with Customs or Immigration. They wouldn't believe that we were Tourists, we must have been visiting Family they figured, but that's OK too so no problem. Back in Seattle, we headed once more through Pioneer Square to our Best Western Hotel for the night.

(to be concluded in this Thread, in the next Post...)

Part V (Conclusion)

Friday Morning we awoke in Seattle at our Pioneer Square Hotel. We had an excellent Buffet Breakfast in the Hotel, then headed on foot to the King Street Station. We caught the Southbound Coast Starlight for the scenic return trip. We had good maps from AAA which we had marked with our Route, so we could follow along pretty closely for the whole Trip.

We had Dinner while climbing the Cascade Range south of Eugene. I had the Roast Chicken, and Moonlight Express enjoyed the Crab Cakes (which had been recommended by the Klondike Park Rangers, as regulars on this run). I tasted them myself, and can confirm that they are excellent!

Next morning (Saturday) we came into Sacramento. We were able to store our Luggage at the Station for the Day, then headed on foot into Old Town. We enjoyed the historic shops and covered wooden sidewalks. As things began opening, we looked around inside. We had tickets for the First Run of the Day for the Steam Train from the Old Depot there. A fine run three miles down the banks of the Sacramento River, then back again. We watched as they completed checking and lubricating the Engine before the Trip, then boarded into the open Car (covered for Shade). They also have an enclosed Coach Car, and (for an extra charge) a restored luxury car from the turn-of-the-century Era.

At the far end, the Engine uncouples and does a photo drive-by. Then they throw some switches by hand, and hook up the Engine to the other end of the Train for the return Trip. On the way back, they stopped to blow off residue from inside the Boiler. Opening a valve below the Boiler, they shoot an impressive geyser of Steam off to the side, carrying with it any mineral deposits that might have been forming. On return, we watched as they unhooked the Engine again and drove it over next to the Turn-Table behind the RailRoad Museum, where they filled the Tanks with Water from an adjacent Hydrant.

Having completed our ride on the Steam Train, we had now ridden on ten different and distinctive types of Rail Transportation, as follows:

1) Cable Cars in San Francisco

2) Heritage Street Cars in San Francisco

3) Light Rail in San Francisco and San Jose

4) BART Heavy-Rail Transit

5) CalTrain Commuter Rail, SF to San Jose

6) Amtrak Long-Distance, the Coast Starlight

7) Amtrak Short Runs, the Cascades to Vancouver, and the Capital Corridor

8) Automated People Mover... the Vancouver SkyTrain

9) Children's Train... in Stanley Park

10) Tourist Train... the Steam Train at Sacramento.

As well as the Ferryboat across Vancouver Harbour, and the VIA Rail long-distance Train from Vancouver to Jasper.

We caught an early-afternoon Capitol Corridor Train back to the Bay Area, enjoying my final Train Hot Dog of the Trip. At Martinez we connected directly to our Through-Way Bus to the North Bay. We caught a Taxi home from the Bus Stop (a major luxury!), then drove for a Mexican Dinner Out at Chevy's Restaurant. The Restaurant is located inside the historic remodeled Depot for the P&SR RailRoad!... making it an exceptionally appropriate way to conclude our Trip, as well as being fun and delicious.

Well, that pretty well wraps it up for now. My Beautiful Moonlight Express has reviewed and approved this Report, and says she is eagerly looking forward to our next Adventure by Rail!

Thanks for the excellent report. Sounds like you had fun driving the rental car for sure.

Great trip,great report!Felt like I was riding along,what a wonderful adventure eh!

Thank you, p&sr, for a fine serial report. My only gripe - I always have one - is that it appears in the front page topic listing as "By Train from California to Ja..." Naturally I assumed you'd discovered a hitherto unknown rail route between Los Angeles and Tokyo, and was sorely disappointed upon learning the reality. Other than that, good job.

Here's a tidbit that could come in handy for the next time. If you let your mouse hover over the title on the main page, it will show you the full title.

FYI about the automatic transmission, you can restart the engine while the stick is either in "Park" or "Neutral" position.

gswager said:

FYI about the automatic transmission, you can restart the engine while the stick is either in "Park" or "Neutral" position.

Click to expand...

Wow! I never knew that. I figured that I'd probably burn out the Starter or something and end up in even worse trouble.

Reading up on the subject, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Automatic_transmission :

"Not coming to a complete stop (when shifting into Reverse) can cause severe damage to the transmission."

As I figured...

"Some electronic transmissions prevent or delay engagement of reverse gear altogether while the car is moving."

This must be what saved us. The car was evidently pretty modern, so it must have been Protecting against the use of Reverse Gear at Highway Speeds.

In fact, the car (when we started, anyway) was practically New. When we turned it in, about 2/3 of the Miles on it ("Kilometers" for you Metric Fans out there) were the ones we had driven.

Back in the 60's, somebody told me you could only start the Engine in "Park". But evidently things have changed since then: "By the late 1960s most of the fluid-coupling four-speeds and two-speed transmissions had disappeared in favor of three-speed units with torque converters. Also around this time, whale oil was removed from automatic transmission fluid."

Whale oil? Who would have guessed. Think of the slogans... "Put a Whale in your Tank"... and maybe some plastic Flukes that could dangle out to look impressive, like the "Tiger Tails" we used to see...