We Arrive in Seattle

Sunday afternoon and we finally hit the ocean coast and now there are inlets, boats and rugged coastal beauty. Little strings of homes nestled along niches in the coast. We are cruising right on the water at sea level. We pass piers with ships loading people ready to cross to island within walking distance. Onward to Tacoma where industry lives along the shore. The light is becoming low in the sky as I see Mount Rainier in the distance highlighted by the sun and surrounded by a halo of wispy clouds.

I selected the last dinner option at 6:00 pm. I am paired with a retired couple from Northern Wisconsin. This is the second time on the trip that i have been paired with a couple from Northern Wisconsin. I went on to tell them about the other couples experiences. Like the other couple they had come from the Midwest via Amtrak.

My conversation takes an interesting twist when they discover that i am vegetarian. the man tells me he is too. He was diagnosed with Leukemia 3 years ago and decided to stop eating meat and most sweets to stay healthy. He smiles with a really big grin and tells me that his passion is traveling to remote places and then sending his doctor postcards from the location. He tells me that he had 8 chemotherapy sessions and is still going strong. His doctor says that he is a walking miracle and his number one patient. it is impossible to forget his smile.

After dinner i head back to my room to clean up and prepare for the landing. Paul is cleaning a room across the hall and is all excited because we are running hard and fast. He says it is 35 minutes to Seattle. Paul reminds me that he will be going back to Los Angeles in the morning then he will have 6 days off. He is excited because the return trip has been booked full. I am confused with his statement about being full because he told me the same about our trip. Maybe he is referring to the coach seating because my area appeared to be about half full? We are really moving the last miles at what my GPS shows to be 75 miles per hour. Just as the sun is setting we roll past the mariners stadium and into the Amtrak station at about 8:00 pm on Sunday night. Seems fitting coming in at dusk. Just a few people left on my car as we wait at the lower door for the train to stop. Our lunch room server Maurice is there in civilians cloths. My buddy from Vancouver asks him if he likes the 4-6 schedule. He answers “you bet, yes. Especially when you have vacation because it means you have 16 days off”. We stop, I get off and I am the first to hit the taxis. In the distance i see Paul helping elderly ladies down off the train. Amtrak, you need to give Paul the attendant of the year award.