Trip Report: Februray 9 - 14, 2001
by Ted & Sylvia Blishak
A Cultural Tour of the Pacifc Northwest
With Travel Tips and Digital Photos
Friday, February 09, 2001 Klamath Falls to Eugene, Oregon
Last evening before retiring we made our usual phone call to Amtrak, "What is the ETA for No 14 into Klamath Falls tomorrow morning?" We were told that the Coast Starlight was reported only twenty-five minutes late out of Oakland, California. We set our alarm for a 5:30 AM wakeup, fully anticipating that all the padding in the schedule would permit an on- time departure from Klamath Falls at 8:03 AM. However, upon awakening, we called reservations again to find that No. 14 was running two hours and twenty- five minutes behind schedule, so we were able to have a leisurely morning of breakfast preparation and cleanup, as the diner would be closed before arrival in Klamath Falls.
Click on images for enlargement
When the Klamath Falls station opens at 6:45 AM, the capable staff there prepare a recorded telephone message advising passengers of check- in time and train arrival time. Brian Lewis, the chief agent, advised an 8:45 AM check-in for an anticipated 9:15 AM arrival of No. 14. After picking up the mail at our box, dropping off the outgoing mail, and making our bank deposit, we arrived at the station at 8:55 AM, to find two cheery agents and a waiting room full of bored prospective passengers.
TRAVEL TIP: Ask your travel agent for the local phone numbers at your boarding points, or you can get these numbers by calling 1 800 USA RAIL. Rather than arriving at your station at the scheduled train time, then waiting there for a late train, call Amtrak to get an estimated arrival time for your train. Don't depend on the information available from the central reservations number on your ticket jacket (800 USA RAIL) or from ETAs on Amtrak's website. Get a better opinion by calling the local station phone number as the local agents often have more accurate data than is available at central reservations. While many stations have comfortable waiting areas, like the newly-renovated Klamath Falls station, there are some stations throughout the system, such as McGregor, Texas, where you would not want to spend any time unnecessarily.
We experiment taking photos in and around the station with our new Agfa Photo CL18 Digital Camera. You should be seeing some of these along with this trip report. Once onboard the train, I download the pictures into my laptop, then select and attach the decent-looking ones to e-mail to my web-wizard, Ken Barrett, who has been urging us for some time to get a digital camera . He will edit for brightness and contrast, (and who knows what other magic he can perform with his software), and post them on our site along with this report.
Whistling off at 10 AM, we repaired to the Pacific Parlour car to enjoy a cup of hot herbal tea and Danish pastries. Then I set up my portable office in Standard Room 5 and downloaded my pictures and prepared to send them to our web wizard. I would not actually be able to send my e-mail messages until we approached Eugene, as there is a Sprint Digital blackout area between Klamath Falls and Eugene.
This is wild country, with the tracks skirting the edge of partially-frozen Upper Klamath Lake. We spy two bald eagles as we roll along next to icy Highway 97, and are very happy to let our Amtrak engineer do the driving. After a lengthy stop at Chemult, we begin our ascent of the Cascades, with snow clinging to the trees and covering the ground.
First call to lunch occurred at noon and we dashed to the diner, as we wanted to be able to finish our meal before disembarking in Eugene. We enjoyed the company of Richard and Lavella, a retired couple from Santa Barbara. They were disembarking in Eugene to attend a wedding reception for a family member who had recently married his sweetheart in her native Ireland. Those family members who were unable to travel to Belfast were invited to a sit-down dinner for three hundred in their small hometown outside Roseburg. Asking if their families were really that big, we were told that in this small Oregon town, when you have a party, you invite everyone in the valley. It is a custom that is never broken!
We eventually arrived in Eugene at 2:15 PM, only one hour and forty five minutes behind schedule. Michael assisted us with off-loading our luggage and we walked the two short blocks to the Eugene Hilton. Our friend, Dr. Anthony Stakis, had been winging his way to Eugene from Pittsburgh since 6 AM Pacific Time, and when I called his cell phone number, he was already in the Hilton van heading in from the airport. After a fine dinner at the Oregon Electric Station restaurant, a relic of the old Oregon Electric Railway, we attended a performance of Mozart's "Cosi fan tutte" (The Way of All Women) by the Eugene Opera Company at the Hult Center for Performing Arts, adjacent to the Hilton.
Travel Tip: Although it is customary in Europe to have railway stations in the heart of town, with adjacent hotels and restaurants, it is most unusual in the US. But there are some locations, like Eugene, were you can enjoy this convenience. This makes for a very easy and fun visit, with no taxi cabs or car rentals required. When planning your Amtrak trip, ask your travel agent where you can find a good hotel conveniently located near the station, for that European-style experience without having to cross the "pond". (In Canada, hotels are adjacent to the VIA Rail stations in Toronto, Montreal, and Halifax.)
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