And so, the final day. It was an epic journey that lasted 16 hours, from when I left my hostel in Eugene to the arrival at my front door back in Vancouver. 12.5 hours of that was spent on a train. That might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but the cost (USD 67.00 total) and the experience were enough for me to try it out.
Amtrak Cascades train after its arrival in Portland
This was the second time I’ve ridden Amtrak Cascades, but it will be the first doing the full route from Eugene to Vancouver, with a layover in Portland. Having ridden on some trains while I was in the UK and Ireland a couple of years ago (including the Eurostar from Paris to London), I feel that most of North America is missing a lot because the rail infrastructure isn’t there. To me, watching the scenery fly by (much different than trying to do that while driving) while comfortably seated in a train car has that allure of a forgotten era when this was the best way to get across the country.
The Cascades trip certainly has a lot scenery to pass through. The best part is when it hugs the coast between Tacoma and Bellingham. That alone was worth the ticket price, and for me, is the reason I will take the Cascades for my next trip to Seattle and/or Portland. Here’s one of sunset as the train was approaching Bellingham:
And so ends my travelogue for this trip. I’m not too sure where I’m going next, but I’ll certainly post it here when I know. All the pictures I’ve posted with the text are found in this flickr set.
