Guy Span

Not long ago, your curmudgeon got the chance to take the train to Portland, OR from the Oakland station in Jack London Square. The departure is 9:40 pm, which affords time to visit the lounge car and spend the next hour looking at Bay views as the train winds it way around the Bay to Martinez. It’s not particularly fast, but the views (even at night) make up for the difference.

The train is well furnished with lounge space, so if you decided to spring for the extra fare and book a sleeping compartment, it comes equipped with a “welcome aboard” package and your own lounge car. All the equipment is double-decked, and the lounge has windows in the roof, so viewing the scenery is easily accomplished. A stroll through the train reveals a full dining car, a coach lounge and leg rest coaches that make sitting up all night a completely different experience from the airlines “Red Eye,” as you have more space in coach than a first class airline passenger.

There is even a children’s play area in the lower sections of one of the coaches, so that travel with small children is comfortably accomplished. But your curmudgeon opted to take advantage of the sleepers (figuring that the cost of a sleeper was fairly similar to motel costs saved by taking the night train). A longer stay in the lounge car revealed an old-fashioned camaraderie where complete strangers were talking to each other like old friends.

The next morning, the lucky passenger awakes to startling views of Mount Shasta and sweeping views of the countryside from the escarpment. Early morning sunlight illuminates the scene in a magical way. Even the air smells good. And then breakfast is freshly prepared and served in the dining car, affording another opportunity to mingle with your fellow passengers before retiring to the lounge car and taking in the views.
Newspapers from Klamath Falls (our early morning stop) bring you up to speed on the day’s news as the train winds its way around the rugged countryside. Mid-morning brings you back in touch with civilization’s cell towers and more than likely your cell phone will prod you with messages missed as you drop down into the Willamette valley. At 3:40 pm, you ease into Portland, rested and willing to take on the rest of the day’s challenges.