Jan 4. Day 12. Seattle Downtown. The last 2 days, I spent with Ronald and family in Bremerton and Silverdale, catching up on stories of our lives. We talked about anything and everything that just pops up from our minds, from past memories to current events. Some funny, some had seriousness in them. This is how Day 11 went by. Jan 4. Today, Ronald and I left Bremerton for Seattle downtown before lunch. I would be staying in the downtown area for a night before the final trip back home tomorrow. Checked in at the Westin Seattle, with a special … Continue reading Day 12. Seattle Downtown

Dec 30. Day 7. Lombard Crooked Street.  And a Walk to Crissy Field. I only have 2 places to see today – Crissy Field and the Lombard Crooked Street. The Lombard Crooked Street is a popular local attraction in the area, and is on the way to Crissy Field by foot. It’s about a 4mi trek rom the hotel.  I wanted to see Crissy Field and scout the area for tomorrow’s event. It’s cold, cloudy, and wet today. Didn’t realize I would be traversing the hilly streets of San Francisco to get to Lombard Street. Just getting there was already a workout, … Continue reading Day 7. Lombard Crooked Street

Dec 29. Day 6. Japanese Tea Garden. Kinokuniya Building. SFO Airport. We have a very light, but tight schedule for today. We wanted to explore the Japanese Tea Garden and the Kinokuniya Building before heading to San Francisco Airport for Jackie’s flight back to New Jersey. We had an early breakfast, took the earliest hop-on, hop-off, bus ride to Golden Gate Park where the Japanese Tea Garden is. It was such a good decision not to skip this visit. The Japanese Tea Garden is a gem in San Francisco – a very calm and peaceful garden in a very busy world. … Continue reading Day 6. Japanese Tea Garden

Dec 28. Day 5. San Francisco. We arrived at the hotel in downtown San Francisco last night.  Checked in and went for a walk to find a place for dinner. We saw a big huddle of people in front of a small Japanese noodle house so we thought it must be good. We signed our names on the wait list. We had 2 big bowls of ramen noodles, and yes the wait was worth it. Jackie saw a you-tuber whom her friend follows. She took the courage to approach the guy and asked for a picture. That was funny and … Continue reading Day 5. Exploring San Francisco

Jan 2. Coast Starlight – Emeryville to Seattle. Last night, I boarded the Coast Starlight train from Emeryville, taking me to Seattle for the continuation of this adventure.  This is a 21hr trip.  I was so tired yesterday that I slept the moment I tucked in. This leg of the journey was also beautiful, but not as scenic as the California Zephyr one. I was given an upper deck sleeper this time.  This turned out better because the car we’re in experienced a water leak, making the bathrooms and shower in our car unavailable.  Some of the sleepers in the … Continue reading Day 10. Coast Starlight. EMY-SEA

Jan 1, 2016. Happy New Year. Good Morning.  Woke up with achy feet.  Legs were ok, no pain.  I have a great view of the Golden Gate Bridge just outside my tent.  Took a picture of the finisher’s medal with the bridge on the background.  Runners doing the 24hrs were still on the course.  The event officially ended at 9AM, with the awards ceremony for the top finishers around 9:15AM.  This would conclude the event, New Year’s One Day. For me, it’s the start of another journey.  Took an Uber back to the hotel to get my luggage.  Had a … Continue reading Day 9. New Year’s Day. EMY-SEA.

Dec 27. Day 4. Utah to Emeryville.     Good morning. We’re at the last leg of this journey. Somewhere past Salt Lake City to Emeryville, California. Breakfast today would be in the cabin, as Jackie preferred to catch on some extra hour of sleep. I finished the egg omelette plus pancakes, while Jackie had the bacon. Nice meal to start the day. This would be the most scenic leg of the journey, with more snow capped canyons and valleys ahead. Also ahead is the well known Donners Pass (follow the link to get the story). We spent the whole … Continue reading Day 4. The End of the Journey.

Dec 26. Day 3. Denver to Utah. We woke up in Denver, Colorado, MST. Had an extra hour of sleep because of the region and time  change. This would be the start of the scenic views of the journey. Breakfast. Went to the dining area and had our names on the list. This time, we were joined by Chris and Will, mother and son, doing a skiing trip from Omaha to Salt Lake City. Since I’ve known their names, you should’ve figured that we had some conversation with them. In fact we had an extended interaction with them after breakfast … Continue reading Day 3. Scenic Views Ahead

Dec 25. Day 2. Chicago to Denver. This is the 2nd day of the journey, aboard the California Zephyr from Chicago to San Francisco. The California Zephyr is a Superliner train, a double decker train, bigger than the Shoreline Limited. Again, it has comfortable coach seating cars, sleeper cars, a sightseer lounge car with a cafe bar, and a dining bar. The big difference is the sightseer lounge, on the upper deck, with reclined seats and tables, and all around views from both sides of the car. You’d have a wonderful view of the scenery from both sides. The Chicago to … Continue reading Day 2. Aboard the California Zephyr.

Dec 25. Day 2. Chicago Union Station. We arrived in Chicago at 9:45AM CST, with a 4+hour layover before the California Zephyr leaves at 2PM bound to San Francisco. Part of the upgrade package we have on this trip is the access to the Amtrak Business Class waiting lounge, similar to Airline lounges at the airports. Free luggage storage is also included. We checked in our luggage and decided to visit the Skydeck at Willis Tower, aka Sears Tower. It’s a short walk from the station, on Adams street side. The Skydeck is a scenic view of the whole Chicago … Continue reading Day 2. Skydeck at Willis Tower