Amtrak Refugees
June 16 - We have been having a tough ride with Amtrak.  They were so hopelessly late coming from El Paso, that they bused us from Palm Springs to Bakersfield.
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We got on the modern Amtrak train at Bakersfield, and rode to to Sacramento (where we were supposed to meet up with the Coastal Starlight), only to find out that there is a coastal fire just north of Santa Barbara, and they are not allowing the Coastal train through.  So they have put us up for the night in Sacramento.  We aren't supposed to be connecting back with the train again untill late tomorrow am (10ish).
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On the good side,  Robin (msnsc21@aol.com) met us at the Sacramento Train station.  She left us with wonderful chocolate chip brownies (no calories, right?) for travel food.  And, Amtrak is paying for the hotel.  All in all, Sacramento, Calif is turning into a nice haven. Thanks Robin

Tamra (EnigmaticDr) and Robin (msnsc21@aol.com)
Tamra and Robin
photo by Rydell
 

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June 17th Stuck in Sacramento  Amtrak predicted we would leave at noon, maybe one.  Then they said it might be 2:30.  Then 4:30.  At that point we took the kids (Roy was dying to go) to see the movie Scoobie Doo.  We did the Doo!  When it got out at 5:00, guess what?  They said the train would be there soon...  We left at 6.  On our lovely train trip along the California coast, and all we saw was beautiful BAKERSFIELD and Sacramento.  Aaaggggg!
 
 
Here we are with our fellow Amtrak Refugees in the Sacramento Train Station.  We all go to know each other pretty well during this ordeal.

June 18th Tuesday. It was soooo nice waking up on our sleeper....
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Only to find out, that to get the train back on schedule, the train would turn around at Portland Oregon, and, you guessed it, we would take a BUS to Vancouver.   At least we were able to meet with my college friend Lucy Krakowiak in Seattle.  She accompanied us accross the Canadian border to Vancouver.

Amtrak Bus service, in Seattle
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"Go by Train", yea, I would like to.   Telly Walthall and Lucy Krakowiak (my college friend)--no they are not sisters! Canadian border.

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Seabus                                Skytran

We finally made it at 6p,m.  Then we took the Skytran and the Seabus across Vancouver*s Coal Harbor to the North Shore.  We tried to visit the Grouse Mountain Tramway (Duane Barrie) it had stopped taking passengers up by the time we got there.  So we went back to our hotel, and enjoyed an nice dinner together.

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Site of Duane Barrie, Grouse Mt Tramway, Vancouver, BC

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