Day 9: Portland 




Finally arrived at Portland Union Station around 10:30 last night... almost seven hours late. One of the connecting trains hit and killed a pedestrian in Fresno, which forced us to stop at Sacramento for three hours while police investigated and connecting passengers arrived. After that, it was typical Union Pacific freight congestion, which in this case is lumber -- lots of lumber -- pushing us off onto sidings while we passed through the mostly single-track line through the Cascades. But if you're gonna sit still in a train I can't think of a better place to do it (see above). Every time I looked out the window I saw something beautiful and awe-inspiring. Due to the late arrival, we got another dinner (meals are included in the sleeper cost) and wine tasting. During the wine tasting, we hit the highest altitude of the trip and experienced snow.



We have all day in Portland while our hosts, Matt and Natalie, are at work. The only major thing we have on the agenda is to ride the Portland Aerial Tram, which just opened this year. Tomorrow morning we leave for Seattle to catch the Empire Builder. I should note that both the Empire Builder and the Southwest Chief run on BNSF tracks and run mostly on time, barring any derailments or severe weather. 

Posted: Thu - April 12, 2007 at 09:50 AM          

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