Rock island to Vancouver/Seattle/LA.

[Mahigeer]

Rock island to Vancouver/Seattle/LA.


Still Sunday……



1-So much water and trees. No drought here I would think.







2-Found a car wash to clean the top as well as the under carriage of the rental car before returning it.


It is called “touchless” for obvious reasons.

Had a very nice hotel room at a reasonable price in Vancouver.



3- Visited one of the big shopping centers in Vancouver.







4-A simple yet so useful idea.



5-Even if you are stuck in traffic, such pleasant scenery makes it a bit more bearable.


After returning the rental car before their closing time, I went to the hotel and stayed there.






Monday, July 25, 2016


At night around mid-night I woke up to what I thought was a severe earthquake. It was road work machinery that was being used to build a new road next to the hotel. Finally it stopped and I got a few hours’ sleep.



6-At 3:45 AM in Vancouver, I am waiting at the Greyhound bus station to get on the Amtrak contracted bus for a ride to Seattle.



7-I knew something was not right when the bus was to leave at 5:30 AM, yet the station did not open until 6:00AM.


From this moment until I was on the train again the trip went south for a while.
For about six months I watch every YouTube recording of the train ride, I checked the Amtrak website for information, yet somehow I missed the fact that the last stop of the bus which would take us from Seattle to Vancouver, is the Pacific Central Station. I assumed the bus would be going to the Greyhound station. The second mistake was not to wait until the last stop (PCS) and to off and instead got off in Surry. The thinking was I would be closer to my hotel in Surry.

Well to make a short story long, I missed the connecting bus from Vancouver to Seattle, and of course the train.
I had to pay about $140.00 and take a Greyhound bus (which took 4.5 hrs. vs 2 on the way up) to Seattle. Then, I had to stay one night in Seattle and pay for a coach seat as well. The coach seats are much more comfortable than the airplane seats. Still no comparison to the Sleeper version, which included meals.

While in Seattle, I did some sightseeing, though I was not in the best moods to enjoy it.

8-A tribute scene to the 911 event was in a public park.






Tuesday, July 26, 2016



9-Next day at 5:30 AM in Seattle, I got on the metro to go to the train station. I took this picture. Later on the Amtrak train heading for Los Angeles, I noticed that the lady in the picture is riding with me.



10-Starbuck coffee house in Seattle? What would they think of next!



11-The train station in Seattle was impressive.





12-The Seattle Seahawks stadium is walking distance from the train station.



13-I am ready to go home.



14-The coach seats are much roomier, recline more and more comfortable than airplane seats.





15-My seat was literally the last row of the train. I had an easy access to the window at the back of the car.




16-For a long duration, we had two volunteers that would give information about the scenery passing by.


17-A pier in the distance.



18-Some of the communities on the way.



19-This is a famous bridge that once was collapsed due to oscillation many years ago.



20-They even taught us how to remember different species of salmon:

Pinky finger for pink, Ring finger for silver, long finger for king, index finger for Coho (?) and thumb for chum salmon.


21-Some rivers were seen on the way as well.








22-Misc. pictures








Wednesday, July 27, 2016



23-We had a one hour stop at the Sacramento Station.



24-Some marshlands on the way.




25-Wow what a difference in scenery? Made me thirsty.



26-Once again at the SLO curve.





We finally arrived on time about 9:00 PM to Union Station in Los Angeles. An Uber ride later, I was home.

“ Be it ever so humble, there's no place like home.” as the poet said.


It was an adventure to be sure. I enjoyed all of it. Even the mishaps will be a found memory when enough time passes by. It was one for the books.

I hope you enjoyed reading it and got a feel of my trip of a lifetime.
Here is a small recording of some action:








The End

[katchfish]

Awesome scenery and adventure!

Thanks for sharing.

[MrPukaShell]

What a great trip, thanks for sharing

[hobieuser]

Thanks for sharing. Pictures n stories are beautifully done.

[Mahigeer]

Thank you all.

[cabojohn]

Pretty neat trip. Thanks for all the pics & taking time to share here.