Journey North #3

27 Jan 2010.
All I remember from last night are the lights being switched off at midnight and the train leaving Sacramento at 12:26am. We have pillows but no blankets. I guess I did not think of everything. It is rather cold in the car.
Woke up at 6:45am and although the day was barely dawning we could tell that there was snow everywhere. We are still in the forest and for a while all you can see are pine trees.
7:16am. We have left the forest and are now surrounded by vast snow covered plains with mountains in the background. Just majestic. We have crossed the border between California and Oregon.
7:45am. We arrive in Klamath Falls, OR, which is a "smoking stop", the second so far since we left L.A. Instead of the 2 minutes stop smokers get about 15 minutes to light up. Mom and I eat the breakfast that I had packed for us.
8:30am. Klamath Falls is behind us and we are now riding along Klamath Lake. It is overcast and the water looks rather gloomy but it must be breathtaking on a clear sunny day with the mountains on one side and the lake reflecting the azure above. It is still beautiful. We are next to the lake for 14 minutes before leaving its shore.
10:25am. The sun is peaking through the clouds and we are starting to see some blue sky. I have no idea where we are (no GPS signal) but we are surrounded by mountains and the scenery is amazing.
10:50am. Full sun now and a beatiful cloudless sky. We have been through a series of tunnels and now the snow has completely disapeared like by magic.
11:45am. We pass the town of Oakridge completely surrounded by high mountains. A river runs through it...didn't see Brad Pitt though. :-)
I found out that this is the Willemette River. We ride along it until we reach the beautiful Lookout Point Lake.
12:10pm. The lake is harnessed at one end by the Lookout Point Dam which controls the water going into the Dexter Reservoir.
12:40pm. We reach Eugene and I get off the train for a couple of minutes to get some fresh air. We've been on this train for about 26 hours now. We get lunch from The Snack Car and then mom takes a nap. I'm too afraid I'm going to miss something so I am glued to a window changing side every few minutes.
1:52pm. We arrive in Albany. I think I'm ready for a nap. To be continued...