Coasting Down the Northwest Corridor

  • Sunday, July 12, 2009
  • Diane Siskin
Jamie and Molly Hubbard settle in for the Amtrak trip from Seattle to Portland
Jamie and Molly Hubbard settle in for the Amtrak trip from Seattle to Portland
photo by Diane Siskin

As the train pulled away from Seattle’s King Street Station, built in 1906, (with its replica of the San Marcos Tower of Venice Italy) there was not a cloud in the sky.

Mother Nature could not have been more cooperative. The glorious sunshine provided views of the countryside that just days before had been encased in a shroud of gloomy weather, which had prevailed for several months prior to our journey.

When we had checked our bags at the counter, we had been surprised that such a large number of passengers, including many families, seemed to be awaiting the mid-morning departure.
Our family group of four settled into comfortable seats on the upper deck of the Amtrak train. Our coach tickets provided wide reclining seats complete with a leg rest, folding tray table and overhead lights. You could even have a pillow!

The train offers a Sightsee Lounge car for scenic viewing with large panoramic windows and informal seating, but we immediately were very comfortable in our assigned seats and turned out attention to the view from our own windows.

Quickly the Qwest Field, home of NFL Seahawks, and Safeco Field, home of the Seattle Mariners, (baseball team) both of which are located on the same street, came into view.

Next we saw Boeing Field, where Boeing Company tests its aircraft. The original red brick plant, now the Museum of Flight is just across the test runway.

All these sites were things we did not have time to explore during our visit to Seattle, but the train trip provided a great glimpse.

My husband and I had ridden long-distance trains in many different countries, but we had never taken a trip within the confines of the United States. Furthermore, we wanted our daughter and granddaughter to experience train travel as it should be; relaxing, fascinating and relatively easy.

We chose a short journey that would incorporate many of these objectives. Amtrak’s Coast Starlight route from Seattle, Washington to Portland, Oregon fit the ticket for us.

This route begins in Seattle and ends in Los Angeles, Calif., and actually only hugs the coast at certain points, mainly after it arrives in the state of California. Still our short journey, of about four-and-half hours, provided spectacular scenery from snow-capped mountains of the Cascades to glimpses of the inland waterways of Washington through Commencement Bay, the southeast arm of Puget Sound and then along the Tacoma Narrows.

In the distance and on the far side of the Puget Sound were the Olympic Mountains.

We viewed the towns of Tacoma, (a major seaport city) Olympia/Lacey, Centralia, Kelso/Longview and Vancouver, Wash., before the train rolled into the city of Portland, Ore.

Olympia is the capital of Washington and also the farthest point west on the famous Oregon Trail.

On the outskirts of Centralia is Mt. St. Helens. When the volcano erupted in 1980, it sent some ash as far away as Oklahoma.

From Kelso-Longview to Vancouver, Wash., the Coast Starlight follows the Columbia River. On the right side of the train (on which we were seated) Oregon is on the opposite shore.

Until the War of 1812, this river was the border between the U.S. and Canada. And Vancouver was the oldest continuous settlement in the Pacific-Northwest. Therefore, this train excursion provides history and education along with fabulous scenery.
And that aspect doesn’t end as you enter the state of Oregon.

After the train crosses two arms of the Columbia River and then the Willamette River we looked left and upriver for a view of Mt. Hood, the tallest of Oregon’s Cascades, at the height of 11,239 feet.

During the spring and summer, Volunteer National Park service rangers provide narrative on aboard the train along parts of the route.
When our seven-year-old granddaughter tired of the scenery and her electronic games, we checked out the Arcade coach with its high-tech video
games.

Later we had lunch in the dining car. Molly dined from a special children’s menu while the adults in the party continued to enjoy the view from the windows of the dining car.
The dining specials of the day were tasty, reasonable priced and served on white clothed table with quasi china. The food was better than on most airlines.

Passengers can also avail themselves of the Parlour Car and Café Lounge Car with their amazing observation windows. But the miles fly by and before we knew it we had arrived at our destination.

Those making a more extensive journey on this rail line can opt for the sleeping car experience.

As the train pulled into Portland, Oregon’s largest metropolitan area, known for its parks, fountains and well-known Rose Festival we were dismayed to realize our trip had come to an end so quickly. We easily claimed our luggage inside that city’s historic and beautiful station.

All four of us, with lots of bags, packed into a taxi right outside the terminal and within just minutes we arrived at our downtown hotel.

This mode of travel was easy, fascinating and economical; all four fares totaled only $89. 60.
Americans and its leaders are once again embracing train travel to bypass too-busy airports and highways.
Last year Amtrak set an all-time rider ship record and managed to remain in business with a little more than $1 billion from the federal government.

In the future, it is hoped that U.S. cities located within several hours travel from one another will have high-speed trains, which will whisk its passengers between its cities with comfortable journeys providing a look at the countryside between the destinations.

Train travel offers an alternative to costly airplane and automotive gasoline costs.

Recently, President Obama included $8 billion in his economic stimulus package for train development. The money will go to Amtrak, the national passenger rail service, along with other rail projects to develop high-speed technology.

The Southeast part of the U.S. wants to have a share of this stimulus money. Some rail enthusiasts are saying that the infusion of the stimulus money “Just the beginning of the renaissance of rail in this country.’’

For more information and reservations: (800) USA RAIL. Or online at Amtrak.com

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