San Francisco to Phoenix (almost)
Sunday, November 24 – Wednesday, November 27, 2024
San Francisco to Phoenix (almost)
We were up bright and early this morning to catch the 8:30 am train from Emeryville to Los Angeles.
Since the trip was only about 12 hours long with no overnight, we chose to sit in coach seats rather than get a room. When we boarded the train, two people were already sitting in our assigned seats. There were lots of other seats available including a pair of seats at the bulkhead on the right hand side of the train. Happily no one challenged us for sitting there and we enjoyed the scenery out that window as the train made its way through San Francisco and out into the countryside.
It was fascinating to see so many parts of the city as we moved slowly through town. There were times when the train was actually traveling in the middle of a business area or adjacent to a residential area. There were high pedestrian bridges built to enable people and pets and bicycles to cross the tracks safely. The train whistle blew frequently which must have been annoying to people living or working in the area. I wonder if you can ever tune it out.
Once out of the city, we traversed many different forms of countryside. There was a huge amount of market gardening, acres and acres of crops. Some of the fields had been newly planted and some of them were lying fallow, waiting for the right time of year to produce a crop. We passed by orchards and orchards of oranges; olive trees were prolific; grapevines and wine production were very apparent; vast numbers of cabbages were being harvested and strawberries were being picked being hand picked by at least 50 pickers in the field.
Cattle, horses, goats, sheep and pigs occupied large and small fields. Of course, there were well maintained fences that kept them contained. We also saw a few wild animals along the way, mainly muledeer.
Although there were not many scheduled stops along the route, we did pass through many towns and villages, sometimes at the edge of town and sometimes right down the main street. As it was Sunday, the commuter trains were generally not running but the communities were certainly well serviced with modern stations and platforms and many, many trains.
Of course, we saw many industrial areas and agricultural businesses – heavy equipment, feed, veterinary clinics, shipping facilities, storage units, and a myriad of shopping areas, large and small. And, let's not forget the fields of photovoltaic panels.
About two thirds of the way to LA, the train tracks flanked the ocean. We enjoyed the proximity to the vast Pacific Ocean, quite calm today. As it was the weekend, there were many, many people on the beach in spite of the chilly weather … and a few actually in the water. Brrrr!!
There were dirt trails that rose and fell in the mountains along the seaside. At times, there were diversions down to the beach or rising high on the hillsides. We saw a few people peddling to their heart’s content. I imagine that these trails are well used in other seasons.
Gradually the sun set and it grew dark. It was time for dinner on the train. Jim and I chose to pick something small from the snack bar as we had enjoyed the more formal and larger meals on the train from Chicago. Everything we ordered was quite tasty and very fresh. Sadly, all the dishes and containers that were used, including pop cans, were thrown into the garbage. No effort was made to recycle anything. We were very discouraged about that practise.
For most of the day, we sat in the Observation Car which has larger windows and seats that face to windows. Once dark had arrived, we moved back to our regular seats. It was a bit warmer there and, of course, we could virtually see nothing along the way.
We arrived in Los Angeles about 9 pm and were picked up by a small bus to transport us from the train to the station. Once in the station, we were grateful that the driver took us to retrieve our checked luggage and then delivered us to the taxi stand. The train station is enormous and I would not have been able to walk the distances required from the train to the luggage to the taxi. He was a jovial fellow and very attentive to our needs. Of course, we tipped him well.
Our taxi delivered us to our hotel for tonight and we were grateful to have completed today’s adventure. Our days continue to be filled with new awareness of the vastness and variety in this country, our neighbour.
Monday, November 25, 2024
We decided early this morning to more or less take the day off. We are staying in Los Angeles for one more day, still hopeful that we might get tickets to attend the taping of the late night Jimmy Kimmel Show. Alas, we were not among the lucky group that got seats. So we settled in for a quiet day. I worked on the blog and also started to organize the photo book that will accompany this adventure. Many of you know that I create a book for each trip we take. It is fun to look back and relive our experiences through the photos.
We set out a new plan for the days ahead, moving up our arrival in Phoenix by a full day, thus giving us more time to explore various places in Arizona. We will take the early morning train tomorrow to San Diego and then rent a car to drive to Phoenix (about 5 hours). We should be there before dark.
As I was browsing Facebook, I came upon an entry describing a restaurant in Los Angeles that included a statement on their receipts that paid tribute to immigrants for their contribution to the food industry. "Immigrants make America great. They also grew, cooked, and served your food today." We reacted so positively to that quote that we decided that is where we would have dinner tonight. Coincidentally, it is on the same street as our hotel and an easy drive for a Lyft ride. I have to say we were very impressed. The menu was unique including a combination of vegan and non-vegan food. It also featured items such as wild antelope, venison, boar, and bison. Foods ranged from soup to burgers to vegan bowls to pizza and tacos. We shared a delicious bowl of butternut squash soup. Jim followed that with a creamy coconut curry and I thoroughly enjoyed my wild harvested antelope curry. We had a lovely conversation with our server who is from Mexico. We mentioned the statement on the receipt and he said they have had many supportive comments about it. It was a great outing at the end of a relaxing day. Now we are preparing for an early morning departure on our next train ride to San Diego. More about that tomorrow.
Tuesday, November 26, 2024
Our day began very early. The alarm went off at 4:30 am. We promptly arose and quickly readied ourselves for a full day of travel. The Uber arrived at 5:15 and we were off to the train station for the 6 am train to San Diego.
The Los Angeles train station is a huge and beautiful historic building. Scores of soft white lights in front of the building illuminated the fine architecture and wonderful landscape at the front of the building. Our driver dropped us off near the door and Jim went in to request a Redcap to come and take us to the ticket office. A redcap is like a porter but drives a small electric cart, slightly larger than a golf cart. It carries luggage and between 1 and 4 passengers. Our driver took us to the ticket office and the luggage check counter before dropping us in the elegant waiting room for business class passengers. A Starbucks was just across the hall and Jim brought us each a coffee to sustain us until train time. About twenty minutes before the train was scheduled to leave our Redcap arrived to transport us to the very door that we needed to be at to board the train. What wonderful service!!
We had booked ourselves in coach seats again today for this three hour journey. Business class coach ... we chose to sit upstairs on the train in order to better see the scenery. What we had not realized is that in business class there is also complimentary coffee, juice and pastries in the car. Breakfast was served!! Along with the amazing peanut butter cookies we had purchased at the restaurant last night. Yum!!
We travelled through central Los Angeles and along tracks the hugged a range of neighbourhoods - apartment buildings, townhomes, single family dwellings, both modest and elaborate. We passed by the backdoors of a great number of industries, not unlike the train tracks that run through Canadian towns and cities.
Finally, after about 90 minutes, we arrived at the seashore. This is what we had been waiting for. It was beautiful, water shimmering in the sunlight; gentle waves lapping at the wide sandy beach. The air certainly had a chill in it but that did not deter the hundreds of people who were brave enough to go into the water. Most of them were wearing wetsuits but there were a few who just dove right in. Paddle boards were aplenty and there was a wide range of ability apparent as we travelled along in the train. Many a splash into the water and the remounting of the board to try again.
Other beachgoers were more timid about the water and either set up a chair to watch or simply stroll on the firm, damp sand. Some were walking their dogs; some were riding bikes; some were riding scooters. Everyone appeared to be enjoying themselves.
After about an hour along the shore, the train turned inward again as we drew closer to San Diego.
More neighbourhoods, enormous sand dunes, roads and pathways running adjacent to the train line. As we came closer to the city, huge overpasses shadowed the train as vehicles headed toward the city. It was a workday for most, even though Thursday is Thanksgiving, one of the most celebrated holidays in the USA.
We arrived in San Diego right on time and, with the help of the redcap, we boarded a taxi that took us to a nearby Hertz office where we rented a car. We are taking a short break from train travel and driving to Arizona where we will explore the state for a few days before boarding one last train to take us back to Chicago. Scottsdale, Sedona, Flagstaff are all on our list of places to visit. We will see how far we get.
No paper maps were available so we were totally reliant on Jim's phone for our itinerary. We were actually quite close to the freeway we needed to get to Phoenix so off we went. Happily the sun was still shining; the gas tank was full and the traffic was light. And it was still on ten o'clock in the morning. The whole day was ahead for us.
We travelled along commenting on the rugged mountains that flanked the highway. High peaks covered with boulders of all sizes. We stopped at one rest area to take some photos of the mountains as well as some of the vegetation, fall colours were abundant.
About an hour into our drive, we noticed something unusual tracking with us somewhat south of the road. Curious as usual, we took an exit off the highway headed toward the object of our curiosity. Before long, we realized what it was. It was the famous wall that was built along the Mexican border. It is imposing to say the least, at minimum it was 12 feet high with slats reaching to the ground so that everything is visible on both sides of the fence. There is a solid metal slab along the top of the slats and barbed wire on the very top. It was a continuous fence that went on for miles and miles. We came to a town called Calexico and a road across the Mexican border. Passports in hand we briefly considered the option but wisely decided to remain on the American side of the border. We followed the wall along a secondary highway for miles and miles, commenting on how it was continuous no matter was the topography was. There was even a cut made through the mountain range so the wall could provide a continuous deterrent for would be transgressors. Fascinating!
As we travelled along this secondary highway, we passed through many different landforms. The high mountains gave way to vast productive farmland - fields of grain and hay; vast vegetable plantings - cabbage and salad greens. Clearly, agriculture is a year round activity with both planting and harvesting occurring simultaneously. There were many, many workers in the fields picking crops by hand.
Another feature that covered many, many square miles of land were photovoltaic cells. We were astounded at many there were.
As we travelled along the highway, the topography changed and took many forms, ranging from high mountains, to tall hills of stones, vast expanses of sand dunes, complete with dune buggies for rent, and the flat lands where the agriculture was underway. We were happy that we had found an alternate route to the freeway that exposed us to so much information and scenery.
We finally rejoined the freeway. Altitude signs were occasionally posted along the road. We climbed as high as 6000 feet above sea level winding among the mountains ... and then we started to go down. With a 6% slope on the highway, we quickly travelled down in altitude. It was a bit breathtaking to realize that we were moving forward and going down at such a high rate. Transport trucks stayed in the right lane and in low gear as car whizzed past them. 5000 ... 4000 ... 3000 ... 2000 ... 1000 and then 300 feet above sea level.
The day was moving on the journey was beginning to feel long. After all, we had been up since 4:30 am. We decided that we would travel until we crossed the California/Arizona border and stop in Yuma. We had lunch/dinner in a Denny's and then settled into a hotel for the night.
Tomorrow will be a new and fresh day. Phoenix and Scottsdale are only about two hours away. We look forward to an early arrival.
Wednesday, November 27, 2024
We enjoyed a relaxing breakfast at our hotel and then, fortified with A Starbuck’s coffee, we headed off on the but freeway in the direction of Phoenix.
It was only a two hour drive … but true to form, it ended up taking us much longer. First of all, there were many trains that travelled along the tracks parallel to the highway – train cars layered in doubles rolling down the tracks. How many cars were attached in each train? Of course, we had to count them.
We took many photos along the way of mountains and plains. There were times that we were barely able to see mountains in the distance because of the heavy mist that was in the air. We also frequently smelled foul air, possibly due to stagnant water in the drainage canals. There was also an odor like ozone, probably due to pollution. Fortunately, we were able to drive through it all and came upon cleaner and clearer air as we travelled along.
And then, we saw something quite unusual … a vast array of what appeared to be photovoltaic panels literally covering 1920 acres of land. We took the next exit from the freeway to go and have a look. The company was called Solana Generating Station and featured a locked gate at the entrance. Sadly, no opportunity to explore. What we did learn was that the panels were in fact not photovoltaic cells. Each panel was a parabolic trough which reflected the sun to a pipe containing thermal liquid which was heated and used to generate electricity. The output from this generating station produces enough electricity to power 70,000 homes. Wow!!
Directly across the road from the Generating Station, was another installation of note. Over 3000 holstein cattle were kept contained in a feedlot where food was delivered to feed them. They were all milked twice a day and the milk was trucked to California. It was a sophisticated feedlot as there were roofs over their heads and also fans and water spray to cool them when the weather was hot.
We learned that there was another similar operation at the next exit on the freeway. So, of course, we had to go and see it. This enterprise housed 7000 cattle. It also had a gated entrance so we were not able to get any closer than the road.
What we could see, though, was the vast fields where hay and grain was being grown to feed the cattle. Irrigation canals ran along the roads and across the fields to use for the crops. Thousands of bales of hay and straw were piled and stored under cover to maintain its quality for the cattle.
Once we had satisfied our curiosity, we headed back to the freeway to continue travelling toward Phoenix. As we really wanted to go to Scottsdale and not Phoenix, we ultimately ended up on a secondary highway that took us to Scottsdale. That road was also interesting as we travelled through the Sonoran Desert Reserve. One of the prominent plants in this desert is saguaro cactus which grows high into the air, up to thirteen metres. Some of the cactus grow straight up; some actually grow branches that gives each cactus a unique shape. Of course, stopped to take pictures of many.
We finally arrived in Scottsdale about mid afternoon. We settled into our hotel and headed out for an early dinner. We had skipped lunch totally today. Because we crossed the state line between California and Arizona, we lost an hour in the day. We headed for an Olive Garden and thoroughly enjoyed our meal. We specially enjoyed the bottomless salad which we have always ordered when we ate there. (We miss having that option in Canada.)
We have made a very loose plan for tomorrow, American Thanksgiving, when most stores and tourist activities are closed. We could not believe the traffic on the highways as the afternoon wore on. Everyone seemed to be going somewhere to celebrate Thanksgiving with family and/or friends. We hope we can find a restaurant that is serving a turkey dinner tomorrow. Time will tell.
(A footnote …. Our cameras are certainly taking many, many photos but for some reason, my computer has stopped processing them. I am sorry not to be able to include any photos along with the blog text. I hope that when we get home, I can find a photo expert to help me out.)
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