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An American Adventure

May - June 2019
A coast to coast trip across the USA. Read more
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  • Robert FyfeAn American Adventure
    1
    Day 11

    Morro Bay - Hearst Castle

    June 1, 2019 in the United States ⋅ ☁️ 13 °C

    Off early on the train again, and took the Coast Starlight (another great train name) from San Francisco (Oakland) to San Luis Obispo approximately 6 hours away. Had lunch on board with two ladies (who obviously lunch a lot). ‘You speak pretty good English to say you’re from Scotland’ declared one of them, a Hattie Jacques look alike. ‘I try my best’ I meekly replied.

    When I disembarked, an ageing hippie at the bus stop, who seemed to have spent too many years in the sun and on the wacky backy, wanted to discuss President Trump’s forthcoming state visit to the UK. “I tell you something’ he declared emphatically, ‘I wouldn’t let that man anywhere near the King and Queen of England’. I didn’t have the heart to tell him that neither of these personages actually existed.

    It was quite a walk from the Amtrak station to the town centre. A jolly-hockeysticks young woman offered me a lift in her rickshaw type of bicycle. ‘You’re in luck” she announced ‘I’m getting sponsored today so rides are free’. She gratefully accepted my tip though. Then I took the local bus to the coastal resort of Morro Bay 12 miles away and a bargain at $1.10 (senior fare). An lady on the bus who introduced herself as Marilyn chatted about the local attractions.

    What a pretty town Morro Bay is, lined with seafood restaurants and with a huge rock, like Paddy’s Milestone, sitting just off the coast. I took a lovely walk right out to the Rock enjoying the wildlife - sea lions; sea otters lying on their backs and balancing their young on their tummies, and cute little ground squirrels looking for treats from visitors. Given the distance I had walked, I decided to take the tourist tram back to town. As I boarded, the female driver, sporting a hairstyle like the bride of Frankenstein, greeted me with ‘I know who you are - Marilyn told me - you’re Robert from Scotland’. Although I am sure it was meant as a friendly gesture, it creeped me out a little.

    Next day I paid a visit to one of California’s top attractions - Hearst Castle at San Simeon. On the bus there I met 85 year old Hester whose nephew told me she was longest serving volunteer at the Castle. ‘She’s given 5000 hours’ he boasted. ‘It’s over 6000 now’ she corrected ‘and I am still waiting for my goddam 6000 hours pin!’ Nice to see such selfless dedication from a volunteer.

    Hearst Castle is a fabulous place built by William Randolph Hearst, the publishing tycoon and movie producer. The venue for high society parties in the 20s and 30s, it was great to view the grand rooms, gardens and pools, and see film footage of the Hollywood stars who enjoyed hospitality there. Back to San Luis Obispo for an overnight before another early start tomorrow...    Read more

  • Robert FyfeAn American Adventure
    Day 12

    City of Angels

    June 2, 2019 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 29 °C

    Up early to catch the Surfliner Train down the Californian coast to Los Angeles. I would have posted a photo but it was a bit cloudy and overcast and it looked a bit like Saltcoats at the Glasgow Fair. The train called in at Santa Barbara but there was no sign of Aunty Babs. Maybe she was out entertaining the old folks!

    As I arrived at the 1939 art deco Union Station, Los Angeles, I felt I should be carrying a small dog like so many wannabe stars of yesteryear looking for fame and fortune in Tinseltown. As I only have one day in LA, I decided to make the most of it. Took the Metro then bus to Melrose Avenue and caught the last tour of the day at the legendary Paramount Film Studios. We were a small group of 6 and had an excellent guide - Jackson, an aspiring writer - who gave us a 2 hour tour of the back lot in a buggy. It was quite a thrill walking through the famous Bronson Gate as so many stars have done in the past (Aileen you would love it à la Norma Desmond). I particularly loved the older part which was originally RKO Studios (where King Kong was made), before being bought by Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz, Jr who turned into Desilu Studios and created shows like I Love Lucy and the original Star Trek. As we stood in Sound Stage 29, we were told that this was the very spot where Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers had created their movie magic - unbelievable!

    The back lot too was impressive, with mock ups of New York streets etc where the Godfather was made. Altogether a great visit and a place to be recommended if you are interested in old Hollywood.

    Three buses later and I arrive at the Griffith Observatory high in the Hollywood Hills, near the famous sign. The beautiful deco building featured heavily in the 1955 movie Rebel Without A Cause starting James Dean. It is free to enter and a very popular place to visit especially at sunset, with fabulous views over Los Angeles.

    Lastly a quick visit by Metro to Hollywood proper, and Grauman’s Chinese Theatre and the footprints of the stars. Still can’t see mine there - it must be an oversight.

    Back to Union Station to enjoy the hospitality of the Metropolitan Lounge before boarding the 10pm Amtrak Sunset Limited Service, and my sleeper for the two nights Zzzz...    Read more

  • Robert FyfeAn American Adventure
    Day 13

    Deep in the Heart of Texas

    June 3, 2019 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 32 °C

    The Sunset Limited sped through the night via Palm Springs and into Nebraska. The landscape is now much more desert-like, with great cacti lining the track. My lunch companions were interesting - Rob, a young, overweight railroad worker whose only trip outside the USA was to China where his wife comes from. ‘They do great Chinese food there’ he explained. Really?

    We were joined by a loud voice approaching our table which exclaimed ‘Hi, am Hooleeana and am a cansa suvayva fom Mehico.’ Come again? Oh, you’re a cancer survivor from Mexico, Juliana - thanks for sharing that. ‘Yo wanna see ma scas?’ No thank you ... but it was too late, the top was raised. ‘You like ma haya?’ she said, pointing to her bright red Tina Turner coiffure. ‘Ees a wig’ . ‘El Paso looks nice’ I said, trying to change the subject. ‘El Paso - yoo kidding - ees the ampit of yoo ess of a.’ Ah well, back to lunch.

    We travelled through the great belly of Texas - hour after hour of endless desert and scrubland with occasional mountain ranges - like scenes from so many westerns. Early on the morning of day 2 on the Sunset Limited we arrived in San Antonio. My planned connection to Dallas was interrupted due to flooding on the line, and the Texas Eagle train only went as far as Fort Worth. From here I caught a local train for the hour-long trip to Dallas (sings: ‘Big D, Little A, Double L,, A S’ - name the musical).

    Big D was hot and humid but still cloudy. Went for a walk to the Texas Book Depositary and Dealey Plaza where President John F Kennedy was assassinated in 1963. It was a strange feeling to be standing on the spot so familiar from TV documentaries.    Read more

  • Robert FyfeAn American Adventure
    Day 15

    Dallas - Texas

    June 5, 2019 in the United States ⋅ 🌧 21 °C

    Had a great sleep in a huge double room with a giant bathroom you could have swung a pussy or two in. The Hampton Inn and Suites had good facilities including a laundry (which I used) and a gym (which I did not). Unusually for American hotels, breakfast was included.

    After a hearty repast, I set off to spend the morning at Dallas’s top attraction - The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza. Spent almost 3 hours in this fascinating museum exploring the events leading up to and following the assassination of JFK on 22 November 1963 - over 55 years ago. I remember as a 10 year old standing in our kitchen in Easterhouse seeing my Mum upset as the news broke out on the radio. It was a very moving experience standing on the 6th floor spot where Lee Harvey Oswald fired the fatal shot (although the museum acknowledged the many other theories that exist even to this day).

    As the trains north of Dallas were still disrupted due to flooding, my only alternative was to go by Greyhound Bus to my next destination - Austin, Texas. Dallas Greyhound Terminal was packed, and it struck me that I was the only Caucasian there. Again a lot of homeless folk had congregated to escape from the heat and enjoy the air conditioning. One lady demonstrated considerable skill by holding a baby on one arm while removing two tee shirts and a bra from under her multicoloured top with the other. Well, it was hot.    Read more

  • Robert FyfeAn American Adventure
    Day 15

    Austin - Texas State Capital

    June 5, 2019 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 28 °C

    For some reason the Austin Greyhound Bus Terminal is nowhere near the city centre, and I had to cross a motorway and take a local bus to the Downtown area. Thank goodness for Google Maps! I was staying in hostel accommodation in a converted fire station, and was glad to arrive there and enjoy the air conditioning due to the searing Texan heat outside. I got a very warm welcome - would you like a free ice cold beer? Would I! My room mates were Mitch from Australia and Karl from Sweden - both very polite and here to sample Austin’s famous music scene. I managed to bag a comfy bottom bunk this tine. (I forgot to mention that my last experience of being in a hostel was in San Luis Obispo when I was in a mixed dorm and had the top berth of a very squeaky and shaky bunk bed. As I tried to creep into my bunk in the darkness, the old lady in the berth below cried out ‘well, it’s been a long time since I had a man climb on top of me!’ If only she knew).

    I enjoyed a walk round Austin - signs everywhere saying ‘Keep Austin weird’. I visited the State Capitol Building - the biggest in the country - well, it is Texas. Then Austin’s next top attraction - looking out for 1.5 million bats flying out from under the Colorado River Bridge at dusk. (I told you Austin was weird). Hundreds of tourists waited in vain but the bats were clearly having a long lie in tonight.

    Live music seemed to emanate from every bar in this music city, but I headed back to the fire station in case any one else stole my lower bunk.    Read more

  • Robert FyfeAn American Adventure
    Day 16

    Remember the Alamo

    June 6, 2019 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 32 °C

    What a beautiful city San Antonio is. Definitely my favourite of the three Texas cities I’ve visited. My top priority was to visit the historic Alamo - and it didn’t disappoint. I knew very little about the historic battle in 1836 other than seeing the movie years ago, so the visit was interesting, informative and moving. One elderly gentleman was giving out information about the battle and asked if there were any questions. One wee boy put his hand up: ‘ sir, were you at the battle of the Alamo?’ Moving on swiftly...

    San Antonio’s other main attraction is the River Walk - an extensive European style development of cafes and restaurants along the San Antonio River. I took a river cruise and it was relaxing to see the historic parts of this beautiful city from the river. Another place to be recommended.    Read more

  • Robert FyfeAn American Adventure
    1
    Day 17

    The Big Easy - Nearly

    June 7, 2019 in the United States ⋅ 🌧 26 °C

    Not a great start to the day. A massive thunderstorm and torrential rain last night caused the power to go off in my hotel, and the air con refused to come back on, resulting in a hot sweaty night. Got up early to catch the 6.25am train which showed no sign of moving until well over an hour later. Amtrak’s customer service rivalled ScotRail with the lack of information, and keeping passengers, including pensioners like me, standing on the platform.

    The Eastbound Sunset Limited to New Orleans was packed and we were allocated seats as we boarded by a very camp, self important young man, relishing his moment of power: ‘No we DON’T have any window seats available, Ma’am’. I was assigned a seat next to an odd looking middle aged man with some kind of mental health issues. His small table contained 4 large McDonald’s drink cups filled to the brim with iced water. ‘I need to get up all the time and move about’ he said in a Forest Gump kind of voice. ‘Does that bother you?’ ‘Of course not’ I said. ‘I mean I have to get up all the time and move about. Does that bother you?’ He repeated this a number of times before saying ‘I have to get up now!’. He did so, and stretched up to reach his bag in the overhead locker, extracting another four 2 litre bottles of water. As he did so, he leaned over me with his flies open, and I could somehow tell he hadn’t availed himself of the shower facilities on board.

    I asked the Conductor to find me another seat, which he did, in the middle of a large black family enjoying a huge breakfast of indescribable foodstuffs while laughing uproariously. I decided to remove myself to the relative calm of the Observation Lounge Car.

    It’s a 16 train journey from San Antonio to New Orleans, and we encountered the by now usual issues of giving priority to freight trains - 2 miles long and often 2 containers high. Again no WiFi on this route (come back ScotRail), so I welcomed the meal breaks in the dining car.

    My lunch companions were Rod, a retired casino worker from Atlantic City who mourned the decline of his employment there, and who now spent his time riding the rails all over the country (a bit like me); and Jeff and Alice, self styled food critics who described In detail every meal they had eaten over the past five years. ‘I mean we love the food in Italy - have you ever been to Rome?’ he enquired ‘I mean Rome, Italy’ he clarified, lest I thought he was talking about Rome, Georgia. Jeff spoke with the assured confidence of a military guy (Yessir, I am in the American Air Force), and his younger wife giggled a lot and took strange photos (oh, look - there’s the highway - click!).

    I have to say that the clientele on this southern crossing of the States was not as sophisticated as it was coming across from Chicago on the California Zephyr. Without wishing to offend, trailer trash springs to mind. Regular announcements had to be made by the Conductor about not putting anything but paper down the toilet as blockages were occurring - boak! Feet on the seats, leaving trash around and speaking loudly while other folk are trying to read - I really must learn to behave properly on the train!

    This Eastern side of Texas greener and and lusher than the earlier arid desert landscapes, and what a huge state Texas is. We passed through Houston and eventually crossed the State line into Louisiana (shades of Whistle Down the Wind).

    Due to the timing of the long distance trains, which don’t run every day, I always knew this connection would be tight. However the very late arrival of the train - 18.5 hours after we left San Antonio- left little opportunity to see much of New Orleans before it was time for bed and another early start. This was disappointing as I hadn’t been here for many years and I believe there have been a lot of changes. Ah well, I’ll just have to come back for that ‘Jambalaya, a- crawfish pie and-a file gumbo...’    Read more

  • Robert FyfeAn American Adventure
    Day 19

    The Nation's Capital - Almost

    June 9, 2019 in the United States ⋅ ☁️ 21 °C

    The 7am Crescent Train Service departed New Orleans promptly, and I noted that this was a different type of train - a single decker, and a bit more modern in appearance than the other Superliners I have been on. There was no observation car, but it had a lounge and a dining car, and once more all meals were included.

    Again I was glad I had booked a roomette which allowed me to lie down and catch up on my sleep. Although fairly small, these are ideal for 1 or 2 passengers, although my neighbours did say that lying in the pull-down top bunk was like having an MRI scan. The addition here was that this tiny cabin had its own WC and wash hand basin, handy for those nocturnal visits when you reach a certain age, although you had to be a bit of a contortionist for anything other than ‘pouring the potatoes’ as Aunty Lesley would say!

    We left Ol’ Man River, and crossed Lake Pontchartrain, the train appearing to float across the expanse of water. How they ever managed to build some of these railroads beats me. This train was much quieter, and the most relaxing to date, as we left Louisiana and travelled through the southern states of Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, the Carolinas and Virginia. I was excited to be passing close to the summer camp I worked at for 2 summers on the Camp America programme 45 years ago at the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains in Georgia.

    My neighbours across the way were sisters on the wrong side of sixty, who were returning to their home in New York (‘well, it’s actually the Hamptons’ the older of the two clarified). I joined them for breakfast and they were good fun, reminding me of my friends Rea and Maggie. ‘Why don’t you keep Trump over there’ declared Rea loudly, at which point they both dissolved into uncontrollable laughter, ‘we’re fed up spending our weekends protesting outside the White House’. They were later reprimanded by the Conductor for being too loud and laughing like hyenas.

    By the time Ashley, my short and stout cabin attendant, had converted my roomette into a bedroom, the train had been idling behind a freight train in Georgia for 3 hours. ‘Relax, just chill out’ Ashley assured, ‘we’ll make up that time by breakfast, no problem’. Sadly, Ashley’s optimistic predictions proved to be inaccurate, as I awoke at 7.30am to the Conductor’s announcement that this express service was now running 8 hours late! ‘If this causes any problems, just let us know, folks’, he added cheerily.

    So much for my leisurely day exploring the nation’s capital. The novelty of admiring the lush green scenery waned, and the train eventually limped into the nation’s capital city at 6pm (instead of 10am) after a journey of 35 hours. I only had time for a quick walk outside (in the rain) before heading for the Lounge ready to board my final marathon train journey to Orlando, Florida on The Silver Meteor.    Read more

  • Robert FyfeAn American Adventure
    Day 23

    The Sunshine State

    June 13, 2019 in the United States ⋅ 🌧 29 °C

    Had a lovely trip on The Silver Meteor - my last long train trip - from Washington DC to Orlando, Florida. Met a lovely couple in the next sleeping compartment. I heard the female’s accent and asked where she was from - ‘Cambuslang’ replied Pauline, a scientist who had lived in the States for 15 years but not lost her accent. Her boyfriend, Hector was a heating engineer from Mexico. We hit it off and had dinner together on board the train, and later Hector appeared with a bottle of red wine - a great nightcap!

    Passed through Georgia, and in the morning we arrived in Florida. Had breakfast with Pauline and Hector, and before I ‘detrained’ as they call it, in Orlando, I had lunch with a lovely older lady who gave me her card. She was a ‘Daughter of the American Revolution’ and gave lectures about the revolution, especially the Battle of Yorktown. She was amazed I had heard of it from the musical Hamilton, and was thrilled to listen to it on my phone.

    From Orlando Station I took the bus to the International Airport (a bargain 40 minute trip for $2). If was good to meet Campbell off his flight from Glasgow - so glad that this part worked out. Campbell tried out his new Uber app, and before long we arrived at our hotel for the next 3 nights.

    Had a great couple of days at Walt Disney World, visiting the Magic Kingdom, Hollywood Studios and Epcot. ‘What’s your favourite ride?’ I asked Campbell. ‘Its A Small World’ came the reply!    Read more

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