Thursday, October 30, 2014

Day 45 "Bonus Day!" 11-28-14

We consider this as a vacation day because we would be just leaving New Orleans if not for the ECOS award Laurie is being honored with. We stirred slowly back at home but were moving after 9 AM. There was no food or clean clothes to speak of in the house so we started out with coffee at Weatherstone’s. We continued biking and went to the Arden Mall and discovered new bike racks just where we needed them. We set out looking for some good clothing for Laurie to accept an award in. That worked out and our good luck continued when the car valet staff kept someone from messing with our locked bikes outside.

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Laurie is “not” a good clothes shopper…

The rest of the day went quickly and on little food or drink. We were joined by Elle and the little guys and all bicycled down to the event about 5:30 PM. There we found live music, snacks and refreshments and well over 100 people already. There were quite a few friends and some family there to wish Laurie well too. Before we knew it, Laurie got a great introduction and was up giving a motivating acceptance speech. We were all very proud of her and know how hard she works to make the world better. She was quite surprised to be told she was getting this award just before we left on the trip and certainly had it on her mind as we traveled too. After the event ended we were soon biking back home in the cool dark. Now we can slow down and begin to rest with little reserve remaining, just like we planned it.

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Her special cheering section came along to see “Nama” get an award!

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The awards were great looking too

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A table of excellent family support was ready to applaud

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Laurie was a little nervous getting lots of good attention

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Surrounded by her excellent introduction crew

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Laurie provided some great encouragement and thanks while challenging us all to find our passion and “own it”!


Footnote: It has been a bit harder than expected to find the right balance of rest and chores these last couple of days as we have both felt fragile and shaky at times. In between, we go out and get our errands done like food shopping and picking up 6+ weeks of mail.

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No parking hassles at the Coop and we can carry lots of good food home
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At the PO before we picked up 6 weeks of mail and a box sent home during the trip

Day 44 "Homeward Bound" 10-27-14

The train has been running ahead of schedule. Between that and three time zone changes I haven’t been sure of where or when I am some place until I get there or they call us for a meal. Our last meal on the train was dinner last night. This morning we arrived in Los Angeles about 5 AM which was early in any case. Those of us in the sleeper cars had been told we didn’t need to leave until 6:30 AM which helped. We got dressed casually and headed into Union Station. The station has been expanded and refreshed and more since I last visited.
We met the station manager who led us to the sleeper passenger waiting area which had comfortable seats, refreshments and a place to store luggage. We stowed our overnight bags and headed out for Olvera Street in spite of the early hour. It was clean and fresh there with banners for Dia del los Muertos. We couldn’t wait that long but luckily a few shops were starting to cook real Mexican food for the early workers in the area. We got great breakfast burritos to go and headed back to the station. I stayed behind later when Laurie went out for a last chance to shop before our train boarded to leave about 10 AM.
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Some of the great art at Olvera Street

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A little early for the party but we had a nice visit

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Union Station across the street
The new sleeper is a tidy replica of our last one and the menu looks very familiar too. There is a parlor car with additional limited menu and drinks, wifi and oldies music. The view was great from there so I never made it back to the actual observation car. We dined with a grandmother from Brazil who loved the Pantanal like we did and Kurt from Eugene on his way home from a family visit. We talked kids and lifestyles and found quite a bit of overlap and stimulating discussion.
The ocean views were spectacular like the weather with pelicans, deer and lots of other wildlife entertaining us too. As we continued up and more inland the views were up close and very interesting too. This leg of the trip reminded me how special the region we live in is and how much I enjoy and need to get out and do more of just that.

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Leaving LA
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I’ve got to tell Elle about these weird looking bike “lockers”!

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The ocean was shimmering with rich colors

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A little fall color, California coast style


We had distractions from home and family about future dates and travel plans but resisted that to stay on this trip a little longer and the intermittent communication made it difficult to do more anyway. Our dinner was with an interesting couple, retired cop and ice skater, from Coos Bay. We talked families, aging and health, and travel and it was quite thought provoking for all. The train was running late when we saw our friends Bob and Deb from San Antonio off in Salinas in the dark. They seemed to be OK with their Amtrak bus connection to Monterey. We sent them off with good wishes in the narrow hall between our rooms.
The ride in the dark seemed slower and quieter. It way hard to stay awake at times but we managed to keep an eye on the towns rolling by. Our turn to de-train came about 12:30 AM. We had to wait a bit for our bags and found it cool at that hour. We grabbed a cab and stumbled in after 1 AM. Our house was clean, cold, dark, and quiet. We had too much energy to just go to sleep so we prowled around the house doing a few chores like changing linen and some unpacking. We went to sleep knowing that tomorrow would be a long and high energy day full of errands done without a car so that we got Laurie ready for her ECOS environmentalist of the year award the same night. After that, we can rest and come down from the high level of stimulus this great trip has provided.

Sunday, October 26, 2014

Day 43 "Crossing Texas" 10-26-14

"The sun has risen,
the sun has set,
and here we are,
in Texas yet"
(quote from unknown source repeated in observation car this morning)

In our case it was more like the sun setting in Texas and still being there the next morning. The train is running on schedule. I woke up late last night and set foot in San Antonio. I slept lightly looking forward to today, enjoying the baseball results and listening to music on my iPad. We got up about 7 and met Bob and Deb from San Antonio over breakfast. They were on their way to Monterey and we exchanged tips about there and Big Bend. Bob gave me his card for future travel discussions.
We stopped in Alpine Texas, the gateway to Big Bend at about 4500 feet. Among other things Alpine holds a cowboy poetry meet-up. Later we stopped in El Paso long enough to get out and walk around. It was obvious that Mexico, Juarez, was just a stone throw away. Other stops were less memorable. It didn't take nearly as long to cross anew Mexico and Arizona.

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Alpine Texas is the gateway to Big Bend
Local map
Alpine has lots of other activities too
El Paso was less appealing
Juarez was very near
Big views in New Mexico
We met nice people still each meal today including Don from Chicago and arena from LA at lunch and Kat currently living in Newport Beach. We traded stories, caravel tips and well wishes with each of them. LA comes early in the morning and we will get off the train and be there until mid morning. From there it is on the Coast Starlight until home sometime around midnight. What an amazing trip!
Sunset near Tucson

Saturday, October 25, 2014

Day 42 "Heading west across the Gulf" 10-25-14

We had set our alarm early so we could be checked out of the Frenchmen hotel around 7. We discovered last night we could catch a trolley behind the French Market and get a lift right to the Union Passenger Terminal. That made things much easier with our luggage. We enjoyed the ride and learned this is the hardest trolley route because it serves the French Quarter including Bourbon street. No such problems on our early morning ride when most of he city was still sleeping except for those that clean it up or live outside. At the station we had our sleeper car waiting room complete with TV and morning news. Didn't need that reminder.

Waiting for an early morning trolley
Sunrise finds New Orleans quiet
We have a downstairs sleeper for the first time but are right next to the dining car and the observation car is on the other side so we have great access. The views across Louisiana and parts of eastern Texas remind me of Florida and I spotted lots of birds and some other wildlife. Lots to other things experienced too such as crossing the longest bridge in the US, the Huey P. Lewis.

Lots of woods to see
Plenty of wetlands too
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Texas didn't have as much to see

The menu looks very familiar and is the same as when we came down from DC but everything still tastes great and there are a few more options. We can tell we are tired and on the home stretch as we are less chatty. We had fun playing gin rummy with a new deck of Amtrak cards in our room this afternoon. We are hanging out waiting for our room to be made up for bed so we can crawl in and read. Meanwhile I am trying to help the Giants tie the series and Laurie has lots of Sudoku games to play. Two more days on the rails will get us home.

We had dinner looking at the Houston skyline


Day 41 "Big Easy, the Crescent City" 10-24-14

We are really here. We got a taste of this jazzy city last night. Walking the same streets this morning looking for a good coffee spot it was almost eerie quiet. Our hotel had basic breakfast options available but we were looking for more in our ongoing local foodie quest. We wanted the real deal and Cafe du Monte was supposed to be that but we could tell a little too late we got something wrong. More of a tourist trap but we made the best of it and headed out on our day. Hate to waste a meal but no Biggy.

Our Frenchmen Hotel was nearly perfect
We gathered more info and were soon on a trolley heading for City Park rather than Audubon park as planned. We spent some very peaceful time there mostly enjoying the sculpture garden and even recognized the work of some artists from other museums we've visited. We had picked up giant Muffelata sandwiches which were big enough to feed a family of four. Maybe we were too full to go over to the botanical gardens but we enjoyed our stay and made our way back on the trolley. It was packed full by the time we got off to wander the French Quarter as Laurie had some shopping ideas left. We enjoyed Jackson plaza, Frenchman's market and another pass through the streets we had walked the night before. We stumbled by the building that had collapsed into the street and caused some concern about the structural safety of other buildings.

Trolleys provide a unique form of public transit here
We missed the Voodoo Music but enjoyed the park
We were well provisioned
Great shady trees in the park
The art was fine too
And fun too
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Every place you look has style &astride to tell

Old buildings can fall down
Spotted Cat Music Club rocked on with attitude while renovations were underway
We had a dinner picnic in a nearby park with the rest of our lunch sandwiches and wandered back for an early evening and to get packed up. There was louder music outside tonight and more happy sounds coming from around us in the hotel.
Even the corner markets are colorful
It is very clear that more time is needed to explore the greater area here and it should come earlier in a trip so we have more energy. It has still been a great stop on our grand tour. Tomorrow we will be on the return leg of the tour with home just s few days and nights away on the train.

Friday, October 24, 2014

Day 40 "Heading South" 10-23-14

We slept restlessly. Our first time in a sleeper for several weeks, this small room is different than previous ones but they all vary. The upper bed is a one piece unit that slides up and down. Our two chairs face each other. The big change is having a toilet in the room. It lifts to open and is out of the way when shut like the pull down sink. It serves as a bench seat or step otherwise. The other sleepers had a toilet in a small closet within the room. These sleeper cars don't have bathrooms at the end of each car like the coaches do. The coach cars are on the other side of the sleepers, dining car and cafe cars. There is no observation car on the train so most time is spent in the room when not eating. It is quiet and peaceful there.
We read in bed and I tracked the Giants game last night. Later, I lay in bed with the curtain open so I could watch the lights go by while wrapped in thin blankets. This morning we got up one at a time squeezed into the open space in front of the sink to wash and dress. We were ready early this morning and had a good laugh about the accommodations and such. All part of the experience.

Kudzu covering much of the other vegetation
Oaks and hardwoods too early for fall colors
The meals are cooked on the train and are very good. The help all has different personalities and provide good service with a mostly friendly attitude. We dined alone this morning which was unusual. Last night we shared a table with Paul and Sally going to Birmingham to visit a son for the first time there and by train. They are elderly but had a good attitude and laughed s lot. We traded stories and photos after breakfast.
Paul and Sally got a nice send off from attendant Shana including a hug
Their son met them for a nice reunion
Our attendant Shana is full of Bigfoot, mermaids and other stories. She is creole from New Orleans and likes to camp. We got some good tips about places to visit for coffee and to visit the zoo. She wants to give us a longer list of tips for another visit next year. We gained an hour back this morning somewhere in Georgia or Alabama. The views are very green with thin forests of oaks, hardwoods and pines. The ground was covered in what we think is kudzu. As we crossed Alabama and especially Mississippi I noticed they like to mow a lot and keep things tidy.

Lots of mowing in Mississippi
Some of the trains don't move much
We got into New Orleans nearly on time and collected our baggage. Warren and Sharon from the train offered us a ride but declined and caught a cab to the Frenchmen hotel. We checked in and quickly found out what it means to be in the French Quarter. The music, food, and drinking crowds filled into the streets on a Thursday in this vibrant city. A couple of hours was all we had energy for. Wow!
A long water crossing coming into New Orleans
We missed the partial eclipse but got a great sunset
Lots of nightlife right by our small hotel
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Some say New Orleans can be a scary place

Thursday, October 23, 2014

Day 39 "One more time" 10-22-14

We heard the rain most of the night and knew it would continue today. We had a little cleanup to do with out last packing and would decide how to get to the station based on the rain and our mood when we left.we packed overnight bags to take on the train and would check our luggage. The plan was to store the overnight bags for the day and travel lightly around the museums until our 6:30 departure.

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We took the rain in stride. If only we could bring it home.
How could a little rain be a problem...
Always a good way to start a day
As close as I could get to a baseball game in DC now...
For Lennon and Theo. Grrrrr!!
Back at the great National Museum of the American Indian
Unfortunately the only option we could find after checking three places was too expensive ($40) for our tastes so we "schlepped"them. First we had a great organic breakfast in the station building and then headed for the natural history museum again. We were lucky and found a working locker for a quarter that someone left behind for us. That allowed us to really enjoy the excellent Hall of Mammals, Origin of Man, and some smaller exhibits. It was later than planned when we got back to the National Museum of the American Indian. Unfortunately they had no lockers or other storage so we fortified ourselves with another great lunch. Afterwards we found the larger cafeteria with even more meal choices and yet another reason to return soon. We squeezed in several hours before tiring from the load and headed back to the station. We got there about 5 and found we had preferred waiting in a special room with refreshments, wifi, and free luggage storage! Too late but it made us smile.
We were glad to board after listening to some loud passengers for too long. Our small room has a toilet and different configuration to learn. We had a very good meal with Sally and Paul on their way to visit a son and take this train for the first time. No wifi or observation car made for an early evening. A bit of an abrupt change but another good day and tomorrow will bring us an hour back and an arrival in New Orleans about 7 pm. It is very quiet in our rooms with some nice chats with those we have met on the train.
Back on the train in a cozy sleeper to New Orleans