The Coast...by Starlight! Train, That is.....

'We're off to the West Coast Ukulele Retreat at Asilomar State Beach Conference Center on the Monterey Peninsula!  Why not travel by train?!

Because we live on San Juan Island, traveling anywhere takes a few more arrangements than those who operate their lives from a mainland home base.  We begin by getting a ferry reservation and traveling to Seattle on Sunday, by car.  Our hotel room is near the airport and comes with 8 days of parking.  It's also a convenient three blocks from the Metro Link station!

Monday morning we head out early for the train to downtown Seattle and Union Station.  $3.00 buys the tickets!

No ticket for our ukulele buddies.

From the Link station, it's up a set of stairs and off toward Union Station where we find the Amtrak trains.

It's a "beautiful day in the neighborhood"!  Arriving in a quick 30 minutes...then a short two block walk,  we have an hour to wait for our train, the Coast Starlight.

Union Station has had a recent face lift.  It's beautiful!

No security checks or long lines with train travel.  Show your ticket and proceed to your car.  

We meet our friendly steward and settle into our cozy (little!) roomette.

Each sleeper car has coffe, juice and fruit set out for the passengers.  Kinda fancy!

The dome car and the parlor car are part of the travel by train adventure.  From Seattle to Portland we have guides from the National Park Service to narrate the sights.  

Then it's off to wine tasting in the parlor car!  Nice afternoon activity...while the train speeds south.

Did you know there is a movie theater on this train?  Neither did I!  The show of the afternoon?  "Minions"....of course!

On "fresh air stops" we walk around train stations, and lap the length of the train once or twice.  Then it's the parlor car for happy hour before our dinner reservation at 6:30!  Three meals a day come with the sleeper car ticket.  

Off to sweet dreams, after much arranging this and that in our roomette.  Guess who drew the short straw?  (Actually...there was no straw.....what a guy!)

We arrive at the Salinas station at 11:00 a.m., after 26 hours of riding the rails on the Coast Starlight.  The Amtrak connecting bus meets us at the station and takes us directly to the gate at Asilomar Beach Conference Center in Monterey, CA.  Such service!  

It's time to break out the ukuleles and join the fun at the West Cast Ukulele Retreat!

Winding Our Way Home

"Why does it take you so long to get home," they ask.

"Oh, you know, things to do, people to see," you reply.

Crossing the border at Tecate puts us only 30 minutes from Steve's Air Force buddy, Arnie, and his wife Marie...and star of the show....granddaughter, Gaby.  We pull in just in time for story hour in the pink reading house, hosted by Gaby.  She is so excited for this visit...because the dogs are coming to visit!

The Story House is open for business...but first, how to entice Skipper and Sparky to enter??

Oh boys....right this way!!

Just a little more this way....

Sparky seems to have done a disappearing act....but for Skipper, seems his fate is sealed....

Hey!!!  Help!?

Sparky does a little empathizing but...he will be happy to listen to the story from outside the window!

We say goodbye to Arnie and Marie...and the dogs woof bye to Gaby.

First it's a stop at Palm Oasis RV for a little pool fun.

It's off to Scottsdale, AZ to visit with good friend, Dee...

Good lemons from her backyard, a few bar-b-que nights...and it's onward to riding the Grand Canyon Railroad from Williams, AZ up to the canyon grand!

The Boyz want to go with us...but, the rules say they must spend the day at the doggie "spa" instead.

Skipper practices to come aboard disguised as the conductor....

Sparky gives it a try too...

Nope...not even in the caboose...

Not much of a "spa" experience by human standards...but...safe and sound for the day while we ride the rails.

It takes about two and a half hours to arrive at the station by Bright Angel Lodge.  It's a great ride up...as the only tickets available at the last minute were "First Class"....or..."Economy Coach"... So we take one way of each!

Nice morning treats in the dome car.

And a little time in the parlor car!

Some entertainment from a young cowboy and his guitar...

And then..on the way home....

The great train robbery!!!!

"Your sippy cup or your life...!!"  

Coach class was a little different!

A beautiful afternoon on the rim of a canyon grand.

We are happy to get back and break our own doggie family members out of spa jail...and they were happy too!

On to Las Vegas....and then, Death Valley.  The weather gives us pause to consider the storm that's headed our way...and so does the refrigerator ....as the cooling unit seems to be taking it's own vacation.  Now our route is ruled by where we think we can acquire dry ice.  (Some big grocery stores...but not all of them)

In Death Valley we make a try for the magic light hour for a few photographs.  Since we can't take dogs on the trials ...Steve goes up, and I stay down...wth the fur Boyz.

The next morning we abandon Death Valley to try to beat the incoming wind.

Hum.  Not so much.

Somehow we get up the pass out of Death Valley and across the valley toward Bishop...

I find it hard t believe (admit) that the road we are traveling...goes...Right. Down. There.

Yep.

Then it's on to Bishop...and hoping to make Reno...we must make a decision....drive on into snow and ice as snowflakes start to pile up, with one more mount an pass ahead or...stop on the gravel lot across from the Shell station...and break out a bottle of wine. Pretty fast decision!

Morning views tell us...smart decision!

We arrive in Reno about noon...and are happy to spend the night at the KOA...only 12 minutes from a dry ice stop...and let the remaining storm move itself eastward.

Skipper LOVES snow!!!

Moving north and west from Reno the drive is easier, the weather more friendly and now we are really in homeward bound mode.

Over hill, over dale.....thinking about the green, green hills of home...

Over "the" bridge....but not through the woods...

 Across the plains...

Up and over the purple mountains majesty ....

The water is wide....Ahoy Mates!  It's Friday Harbor off the bow!

Second drove on the right...

Look who bounces out the door of the RV....and....makes a run for it!

Tonight...a fire in the fire pit at Camp SIMPSON...Norte.  Where are the flip flops, you ask?