Diary 9^th February & Images
from Sacramento.

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Friday 9^th February.
When I woke up this morning just before 8 o'clock I was surprised to find that Lee had already risen. He was sitting on the other bed watching the weather on TV. I remembered that, as usual when I'm sleeping with a stranger, I'd woken several times during the night. Each time I'd felt the warmth of Lee as he lay on his stomach beside me with his right arm across my chest. I mentally cursed myself for my inattention. I thought I'd trained myself to wake up if anybody threatened my security and clearly he could have packed my suitcases and left with them without my knowledge. Lee appeared to be in a very good mood. "I've been up for over half an hour and by the way you snore." he informed me when he saw I was awake.
"Yes. You're not the first person to tell me that. I guess you've had a shower and are ready to hit the road." I inquired.
"Sure you can call a taxi whenever you're ready or any time you like." Lee replied.
I rose, showered, dressed, packed then checked my email before going downstairs. The cab arrived at 0900 as requested. Lee put the bags in while I recovered the $10 deposit I had to leave at the hotel. A short journey to the Amtrak's Union Station and after the usual formalities I was ready to join the train.

Lee had to shorten his journey as the pass that he wanted to exchange for a ticket was only worth $121 and the journey he wanted to make cost $176. The booking clerk, who looked on the computer, going back station-by-station till he found a fare for $120, impressed me. I cannot believe I would have found British railway staff prepared to be so helpful.

Lee got his boarding pass. Once settled down on the journey and with the sun shining brightly onto the cold earth I suggested breakfast. We had a breakfast muffin filled with scrambled egg, ham and cheese. A bottle of orange juice apiece and we enjoyed the new day.

During the course of the day the train sped southward and I spent a lot of time talking to some other passengers. This is Roger from Holland who was travelling with a male friend and so we had some interesting chat.

His friend, Christian, also from Holland spoke almost all the other European languages as well as his own. Thank you boys for the pleasure of your company.

Just before lunch Lee and me had a run in with the Doorman of our carriage as he would not understand that we wanted to go out for a smoke when the train was stationary at a station. It was not an official 'nicotine replenishment' stop but the train was nearly an hour late and there was plenty time to allow what we had asked.

Denied all we went to lunch and the Restaurant manager came over and apologised for the trouble we had had and was most understanding of our needs and requests. He gave us a beer on the house to make it up.

Before we'd left this morning Lee agreed to use some photographs of me to make an animated heading for my web page. We downloaded a piece of software that he said he needed so all we had to do was take the pics. We took about 16 photographs, much to the amusement of other passengers standing on the platform watching us. I posed in a few positions that indicated I was running to my left. There followed a central shot with me facing the camera. These when lined up and animated should produce a shot of me running across the page, stopping in the centre and then exiting off to the right. Unfortunately Lee was not very useful at animating from the photographs that we took at the station. He spent some time on it but it was clear it would not work for him.

During the course of his wanderings on the train Lee met a chap who had a video camera and spent some time talking to him. This guy had a Sony cam-corder and came to introduce himself as Lane.

His phone was in constant use, ringing every a few minutes. He answered 4 telephone calls before he was free to discuss my needs.When he was free I explained to him what I wanted to do and then went to the dining car where he shot a 15 second video of my greeting.

He did four takes in total naturally the best was the last. We had to wait until the train stopped at a station before he was able to fix the CD as he needed a vibration free environment to do this. Afterwards we downloaded it from the CD to the camera to my laptop. When it came to editing the video I installed a copy of Adobe Premier version 6 from his CD that he happened to have with him.

Lee and me went for dinner at 1840 and then we pulled into a station at 1900 so we had to leave the train during the meal for a 'nicotine replenishment' stop. Lee tried to get a spliff to smoke from a guy on the platform but was unsuccessful. Back in the restaurant car the waiter brought our order and we immediately pulled him on the roast potatoes and told him these were baked. He argued so I told him exactly how to roast a potato. I explained it was not by leaving them in their skins ands putting them dry in the oven, which was how these appeared to have been done that one could achieve roast potatoes. The headwaiter came to try to offer something else but all he could suggest was rice. I told him I wanted to have a roast potato and both Lee and the middle aged gentleman across the table came to my defence saying that these very baked not roasted. "Sorry we don't have any other roast potatoes and if you don't want rice there is nothing further I can do." He was reasonable enough and left. When we had finished our main course the headwaiter came over and offered us a free dessert to compensate for our earlier disappointment. I had one but the others declined. Each meal sees a freebie by way of "I'm sorry."

The train was warm and comfortable and this tattooed felllow looked peaceful enough as he slept in the night.

I had not seen Lee since around 0230 as he had been chatting with some people and had eventually crashed out in the observation car.

I woke just after 0730 to find the train stationary, the power off and my Nicad batteries were only party charged. When I looked out the window I saw that there was about 8" of snow on the ground all around me.

Saturday 10^th February.
In the end we pulled into Sacramento a little after two in the afternoon instead of six thirty-five in the morning. I decided that I would not go to Chicago after all in view of the bad weather in the North. When I tried to make sure that my baggage remained on the train so that I could continue to LA instead I was advised that it had already gone to Chicago on a different train and would take at least four days but probably five to have it sent back.

I had by this time walked the length of the train twice and to the baggage office at the station twice so I was sweating profusely and feeling both knackered and annoyed now. As a result of this I decided that it would be in my best interest to proceed to Chicago even if only to collect my baggage. Accordingly I went to say cheerio to Lee and Christian and Roger from Holland.

At the station I went to see the woman who was responsible for looking after the passengers who had arrived late. She gave me $115 telling me that $75 was to pay for a room at the Vagabond Hotel across the Street, $30 for food and $10 for any additional expenses. I took a cab and went to the hotel where I was allocated room 328.

When I had trekked up there and put my key-card in the door I discovered that it had been allocated to the woman who had been in the queue before me. I asked if she would telephone reception and ask them to reallocate me. She did and came out to tell me that they wanted me to return to the reception desk. I asked her if she minded calling them again and asking them to bring a new key to me. She offered me the telephone and asked me to call them, which I did. When I got through to the girl she asked me to return to reception and I told her that I was a disabled person with a sore leg. I indicated I would prefer not having to return to reception but would appreciate someone bringing me a new key.

It took them five minutes more to send someone up to the third floor with a key to room 332. I didn't spend a very long in my room because I wanted to get out and enjoy the very warm and sunny afternoon. The cab driver had taken me on a little tour around Sacramento old town and I wanted to go there to take some photographs and experience it for myself.

Again I found myself with a large double room with all the necessary acoutrements.	Wandering around the town with the original buildings and old railway stock was an interesting experience.	The Town features many original artefacts.
Though I have no idea if this large couple were locals or travellers like myself.	There are many horses pulling folk around to see the old buildings in the comfort of a carriage.	There is a museum where trains from the cowboy era are displayed.
I came first to the waterside where I found this paddle-boat called the Delta King Hotel.	On closer inspection I found a wedding had recently taken place and the photographer was deeply engaged in his work now the service was concluded.	The ancient buildings contrast with the modern automobiles parked outside.
In the rail museum I found what looks more like a car than a train.	There were of course trains that looked like trains there too.	I was invited in to view a free slide show on the history of Sacramento by these people dressed in the costumes that were worn in days of yore.
There is too an original printing press that is fully operational.	I went into a bar to refresh myself and got talking to the handsome bartender.	Another large couple sit outside the wine tasing room that promotes the wines of California.

I stopped off for dinner on my way back to the hotel before I crashed in the evening, as I was very tired and short of energy.

Diary 9th February & Images from Sacramento.

Diary 9^th February & Images
from Sacramento.