Day 0: Coast Starlight Train to Los Angeles

I have a little “roomette” on the train to Los Angeles. It is my favorite way to start a bike tour. You don’t have to box or disassemble your bike (on some Amtrak routes) and you get a little bed to sleep on.

You eat your meals with other passengers and you have to talk to them, because they won’t seat you alone.

My first meal was with Boyd, from Washington. He is traveling to Louisiana to visit family. I could tell we were compatible, because our other meal partner, who works for Cray Computers (or whatever it is now) for the US government, wanted to know if everything he saw on the TV about out Seattle was true. I said, “Not if you saw it on Fox News.” I left it at that, but Boyd explained it carefully. I avoid political discussions on bike tours as a rule, but Boyd saved the day.

My next meal was with Nicky, a Half Price Books worker and fantasy novel enthusiast from Sacramento. We bonded over our love of books.

This morning I had breakfast with a couple from England who are prodigious travelers. They wanted me to know how Amtrak stacks up to trains everywhere else. Enough said…

Finally, I had lunch with a young electrical engineer from Dallas who was heading home after helping his brother move to Santa Barbara to start as a dermatologist. We joked about how his student loan debt would probably be easy to pay down as a dermatologist in Santa Barbara. We also shared some dark observations about how AI is affecting both of our professions.

For my last meal on the train, I shared a table with Shanelle and Antoinette. Shanelle, a special education teacher, is moving to Santa Barbara, and Antoinette is going to Los Angeles for a BTS concert. Shanelle and Antoinette met earlier on the train, and I hope they stay in touch with each other!

I feel bad for not taking pictures of my meal companions. I need to remember that I have a camera!

I scouted out some bike stores to hit up along my route tomorrow to get a new stem cap and, possibly, a new stem, as well as a couple shifter cables. I am going to miss my front fender when it rains, but I don’t think trying to replace it is going to be super fruitful.

I am in a sketchy hotel next to the train station, and I couldn’t be happier! The adventure starts tomorrow!