On the (Rail)Road Again

Day 7. Drove up from Ted's house in Woodside to Emeryville (near Oakland) where Avis thoughfully placed a rental car office that opens in time for me to catch my train on Sunday morning.

Emeryville is the closest Amtrak gets to San Francisco, so it is the starting place for the California Zephyr. Somehow I can't take that name seriously -- always reminds me of The Crepitation Contest.

Anyway, I am comfortably installed in car 0633 room 2. We backtrack as far as Sacramento before diverging and heading east. This is Suisun Bay, where a number of WWII-era ships are mothballed. Hey, you never know -- might need them someday.

Having already seen this part of the country I took a long nap.

This afternoon it is up the long grade to Donner Pass. Yes, named after the Donner Party. (What's eating you, today, Fred? Not what -- who.) Several horseshoe curves and long tunnels to look forward to. More pix to follow.