Uncategorized – Page 3 – Musings of a grumpy old man

Day 19

February 26, 2025Posted in Train TripTagged food, Trains, travelLeave a comment

Got in about 1:00 am last night. It was a short walk to the hotel. I got a Double Tree cookie. Life is good.

Woke up to the sun shining and went out to breakfast. There is an Original Pancake House three blocks away. I’ve eaten there in Huntington Beach and Utah. Menu was the same but the omelette was made differently. Still good though.

I went for a walk on the river front. They had the World Exposition there in 74. The place still looked good. I walked to the falls and around the clock tower. It was a beautiful day.

After a short rest I went to a local market to buy some fruit which I took back to the hotel to eat. Later on I went to the Onion for dinner. I had some really good cider, a glass of Moon Berries, which had blackberries and blueberries in it and a glass with boysenberries. Dinner a big burger.

On my way to the hotel I stopped at the market and got some things to eat on the train tomorrow. The hotel gave me another cookie. A relaxing day that I needed.

Day 18

February 25, 2025Posted in Train TripTagged Trains, travelLeave a comment

Woke up in McDoel, just over the Oregon border. It’s 26F and there is snow on the ground. Had an interesting hiccup last night at the Emeryville station. I decided to check the status of the train I will transfer to in Portland. The Amtrak app says the train was cancelled due to heavy snowfall. So I ask the ticket agent to check. She said she didn’t show it cancelled but the app was more up to date than her information. She suggested I call Amtrak. I called , got in the automated part, checked on the train and it was cancelled. So I pressed the button to speak with a person and they said they will check on it. They came back saying it’s not cancelled. What to do now? I thanked her, got on my train and decided to check the weather. It was forecast to be in the 40’s with no precipitation.

You know, everyone says to play puzzles to avoid dementia. I think a better option is to take a train. It’s kept me hopping and my mind engaged.

The train is sitting on the side tracks now, waiting for freight trains to pass. The first just went by, now we’re waiting for the second. Looks like there is a good chance for me to miss my connection in Portland.

Had a nice lunch. I was paired with another man and two sisters. The man and one of the sisters were motorcycle riders, so I learned more on the subject than I wanted to.

Well, I made it. I’m on the train to Spokane, even though the Amtrak app now says it’s cancelled. My last post on this trip will be titled Lessons Learned, and one of the lessons concerns the Amtrak app. I get into Spokane at 12:17 am, so I won’t have the bed made.

Dinner will be a cold one because the dining car won’t be attached until we get to Spokane.

Day 17

February 24, 2025Posted in Train TripTagged travelLeave a comment

Last day in San Francisco. I got up and took the cable car to the wharf, stopping at Lombard St. I was lucky for it stopped right at the top of the crooked part and it sure was crooked. I walked down the side walk, which was straight, taking videos of the cars as they went down. I was lucky when two skate boarders decided to go down and got some good video of them. They went down twice while I was there and I gave them copies of what I recorded.

Then I walked down to the Maritime Museum but it’s closed on Mondays. so I walked the wharf down to the Liberty Ship, SS Jeremiah O’Brien, one of two remaining ships, the other being in Baltimore. It wasn’t crowded and I got to wander all over it. I went down to the engine room which was cool.

I then got a pretzel and sat on a bench to do some people watching. It got a little chilly so I grabbed a cable car back to the hotel. Got a few hours to kill before I head to the station to catch a bus to my next train.

Sorry, no food pictures today. I’ve had my fill of seafood for a while.

Day 16

February 23, 2025Posted in Train TripTagged food, Trains, travelLeave a comment

I took the cable car down to the wharf. I got off at Lombard St, not sure why. Turns out it’s known as the crookedess street in the country. Not for illegal stuff but because it has bends in it. So I searched for what to see and it came up with a farmers market. Sounded good so I started walking. I started up a steep hill, at the top I turned right and found a corner grocery store named the farmers market. My bad. So, not seeing any twists and turns and not knowing how to search for them, I headed down the hill to the wharf.

I arrived at pier 39 and strolled among the shops until I came to an out door magic act just starting. I got picked to assist in a magic trick. Thinking of a card number. Then I walked to the end of the pier and took pictures of some sea lions sunning themselves.

I walked to the next pier and went into the Musee Mecanique, featuring antique coin operated arcade games. I tried a couple and took some pictures. I then went to see the exhibit of the WWII submarine USS Pampanito. I just saw the outside because I couldn’t find a place to buy a ticket.

I was getting hungry so I started looking for a place to eat. I got a clam chowder bread bowl and cioppino. Then I went over to the Ghirardelli chocolate place. I say place because I there was an ice cream store and chocolate store, but no sign of a museum. By now I was tired so I headed back to the cable car stop and took it bad to the hotel.

Day 15

February 22, 2025Posted in Train TripTagged food, Trains, travelLeave a comment

I’ve got a couple of days in San Francisco to see the sites and recover a bit. This trip has been fun, but it is tiring. I am on the bus that will take me on a tour of Muir Woods and Sausalito.

Last night, riding the bus across the Golden Gate Bridge, I was amazed at how pretty San Francisco looked all lite up. I couldn’t get a good pic, though, so you’ll have to come out here and see it. The buildings are so tall. I know they’ve been designed to withstand earthquakes, so I imagine they will do a lot of swaying during one. The walk to the hotel was nice, not too cold and people were out on Friday night. The good thing was, it was mostly flat. This morning I saw the hills. Also saw the cable cars.

Went over the Golden Gate Bridge on the way to Muir Woods. We stopped at the bridge viewing parking and got some good pictures.

Muir Woods was great. The trees were huge and it was so peaceful. The drive to Sausalito was nice too. I did some shopping and decided to take the ferry back to SF. It was a good choice. Nice ride.

I had lunch/dinner at Nick’s Lighthouse at the wharf, clam chow and Sauté Shellfish Platter. Too much food for me to eat but it was good. I took a cable car back to the hotel and later went out for a donut for dinner.

What a great day. I’m thinking of taking the cable car back to the wharf tomorrow to do some shopping. It’s a 30 minute walk, but these hills are killing me. I thought about doing Alcatraz or Treasure Island, it I think I’ll save them for my next trip to SF. Definitely a place to return to.

Day 14

February 21, 2025Posted in Train TripTagged Trains, travelLeave a comment

Woke up and checked the train schedule. We should get in at 12:09 pm and the next train is at 12:55 pm. The key word here is should. The next train after that leaves at 7:13 pm. The next few hours should be interesting.

Had breakfast with a couple from PA traveling to CA to meet up with old friends.

Good news. Conductor just stopped by to tell me I am getting off at Barstow to get on a bus to meet the train I was supposed to catch in LA. Late train problem solved. conductor stopped by again to give me a ticket for a sack lunch for me to pick up before I get off this train.

I got off the train at Barstow with 14 other people, waited 30 minutes for a bus to take me to Bakersfield. Got to Bakersfield in time to catch train 715, San Joachins. It’s not the Coast Starlight, the train I was told I would be on, but I’m learning that this is part of riding the rails.

Trip was non eventful. Not much to see. Lots of cherry blossoms, some junk yards and farm land. I’ll have to return sometime to take the Coast Starlight.

The hotel Zeppelin is nice. More on that later.

Day 13

February 20, 2025February 21, 2025Posted in Train TripTagged Trains, travelLeave a comment

It’s amazing what a good night‘s sleep can do for my attitude. I woke up this morning to find my train is 3 hours late and I will probably miss my connection in LA. I’m told Amtrak will put me on another train, but it won’t be on the coast. I would have stay overnight and take a train on Saturday in order to get the coast train. Since I didn’t get the trip insurance, the additional cost would be on me. Now I know why the insurance was so expensive. No decision has to be made now, who knows, a miracle could occur and my train could make up the 3 hours.

I left my bags at the hotel and went out for breakfast. Lindy’s Diner gave me a great one as you can see from the picture.

Then I walked down to the Rio Grand River Trail, walked on it for a short distance and hiked back to the hotel. The train is now 4 hours behind schedule and losing more time every time I check. I should stop checking.

Looking over my upcoming schedule, I have a whole day in couch riding from LA to San Francisco. Rather than be at the mercy of what is on the train, I took a walk to the grocery store and bought a few things to eat. I’m sitting in the train station now, have about 3 hours before the train arrives, but my feet are tired. I could use that foot massage I got in New Orleans.

Train is now 5 hours late. It appears that for every 10 minutes that pass, the train gets 5 minutes later. So it will arrive, hopefully I won’t be asleep and miss it. I’m going to publish this now and update you tomorrow.

It’s tomorrow. I got on the train at 7:45 pm, close to a 5 hour delay. Fortunately, they were still serving dinner. I got paired with Jimmy and Shannon. Jimmy recently lost his lower limbs from sepsis. They’re from New Orleans, and to celebrate Shannon’s birthday, they are taking a train trip along Rt 66, stopping in Chicago, St Louis, Albuquerque and ending in LA to see Jimmy’s daughter. The food was good and we had a great time.

Day 12

February 19, 2025Posted in Train TripTagged Trains, travelLeave a comment

I woke up in Dodge City where the temperature is -8F. Went for breakfast and got paired with a delightful woman who is riding the rails. I learned a lot from her experiences.

We stopped in La Junta CO to change crews. I got out to stretch in -3F. It really wasn’t that bad. Albuquerque is 5 stops away. It’s supposed to be 57F when we arrive. This is train 3, Southwest Chief.

First casualty of the cold. The trains pipes are frozen, so lunch has been changed to pizza. Too bad, the menu looked very good. I wonder what it is about pizza that you can serve it with frozen pipes?

We stopped in Raton, NM for a stretch break. it’s 24F and flurrying. A heat wave. Pizza in 25 minutes.

The pizza was not good. Looked like a dried out 7-Eleven product. The good news is it’s warming up.

We seem to be on a delay. The train slows down, accelerates a little, then slows again, the net effect is we’re going to reach Albuquerque a couple hours late. No word from the Amtrak people on what is going on. I’m getting hungry and cranky. The country side is really beautiful.

Ok, the train trip from hell finally ended. I got in at 5:00, hungry and tired. The hotel is really nice. I got a burger and Amy going to sleep. I already know my train tomorrow is 3 hours late and I got a 2 hour window when I get into Los Angeles to catch my train north. Do the math, it’s going g to be interesting. I checked with Pam, the attendant on today’s train and I have a plan.

Day 11

February 18, 2025February 18, 2025Posted in Train TripTagged food, Trains, travel2 Comments

I woke up to cold, very cold. It’s due to start snowing this afternoon. My train leaves at 10:17 pm. Most of the places I planned to see are closed due to weather. The hotel, a Hilton Home2 property, has extended my checkout until 1:00. It’s a great place. I spent the time doing my laundry. Not too many hotels have a washer/dryer for the guests, but Home2 does.

I decided I had enough of sitting in my room watching old comedies. The Amtrak station has a lot of stuff to see and do, so I checked out and walked the short distance. It’s cold. Surprise, surprise, most of the attractions are closed due to the weather. I got a few hours to figure out something to do.

Good news. I was able to leave my bags with the Amtrak ticket person. Now I can tour the station and take the walkway to the shops on the other side of the street.

Lots of good stuff to see, unfortunately, most of it closed because of the weather. I tried to go back to the bbq place I ate at last night, but it was too cold. So I went to one at the shops at the end of the walkway, called Burnt Ends. Good stuff, but I think I’ve had enough ribs for a while. Kansas City is a place I will return to when the weather is warmer so I can see all the things I’ve missed.

Back at the station I met a young man on his way from Arkansas to Los Angeles to help his aunt. Stephen is a nurse, married for two months to an airman (airwoman?). It’s people like him who give me hope that the next generation can fix some of the problems that my generation has created. Meeting people has been one of the best experiences of my trip.

Day 10

February 17, 2025Posted in Train TripTagged food, Trains, travelLeave a comment

Had to get up early to catch the train to Kansas City. I debated walking vs Lyft, Uber was more expensive. After talking to the hotel desk clerk, I decided to walk the 1.2 miles in 13F weather.

I’m taking the 311 Missouri River Runner. It makes 9 stops so I won’t get into Kansas City until 1:50 pm. I have a piece of pie from yesterday’s ginormous lunch and I’ll get a cup of coffee on the train.

Riding on the train and passing through towns called Otterville and Knob Noster. There was a 50 minute delay outside of Sedalia blamed on track congestion. Country side is nice, a lot of undeveloped land and manufacturing plants with small towns around them. One made corn cob pipes. Wonder if they’re still in business?

The train got in an hour late. No big deal, still daylight and it’s too cold to do anything. It’s 19F in Kansas City, going down to -8F on Thursday. Fortunately, I’m leaving tomorrow night. The low tomorrow is 0F.

The hotel room was a short walk. I’m having dinner at Jack Stack BBQ – Freight House, a very short walk from the hotel. Got a ginger bull drink to take the chill off. I’m feeling good. One of these is plenty. Got a sample plate of pork ribs and burnt ends, it’s good. Definitely a place to return to. I’m having carrot cake for dessert. Fortunately there isn’t a scale nearby. I’m going to have to rename this blog ‘how to eat yourself into a cross country stupor’.