Day 2: Another day of books and (even more!) train time (A post by Trish)

 

Not having a 4:30AM wake up call meant that rolling out of bed at 8AM we were completely bright eyed and bushy tailed and ready to BUY MORE BOOKS!

We fueled up with free hotel breakfast and grabbed some pastries for later while we waited for Powell's to open at 10AM. By 10:05AM we were through the doors and confirming the entrance we'd meet back at for 11:30AM. Leaving Powell's was definitely not easy for either of us, but we managed to peel ourselves away with only another 2 books each. (please note. book count total: Eight). After trying to find spare nooks and crannies to fit our new purchases into our luggage, Jen committed to have more things to need to send back to Kitchener (items TBD).

With an hour left before we needed to get back to Union Station we went searching for lunch, and found a few interesting art pieces/monuments relating to the Green Man of Portland, a legendary creature of historical significance in Portland:

 

 Our lunch experience had the added bonus of a customer coming in with an adorable fluffy white husky type dog that I was able to coo over (so far zero live cat sightings, although a few signs and stuffies have been seen).

Shortly after boarding, we met our train attendant, David, who would provide much sass and support during our next 18 hours of train travels. He persuaded us to take advantage of the free lunch offered in the dining car, even though we'd just eaten. Mindful that we were so ill prepared food-wise for our last train trek, we decided we'd take advantage of all food available. 

Stomachs full(er), we retreated to our sleeper room for what we'd perfected yesterday: hours spent chatting, reading, dozing, listening to podcasts, and excitedly pointing out the window. 

 

At dinner we were informed we’d be sharing our diner table with another couple. Our dinner companions were a couple traveling from Seattle, down the coast, and then back to Atlanta in celebration of their 50th wedding anniversary. We ended up having a lovely chat with them, learning about the exciting adventures they'd been on in their 50 years together. We also shared laughs over the difficulty of capturing any good photos on the train, especially the brief glimpses of waterfalls, that kept catching us without enough time to snap a shot.

Anticipating we might not have the soundest sleep on the train overnight, we decided to tuck in early after dinner to see how the rattle and roll on the rails affected our sleep, and since we'd need to be awake in time to get packed up for our 8:30AM Emeryville, CA arrival. San Francisco, we are coming for you!