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| Amtrak's Pacific Surfliner rolls past the beach in San Clemente, CA. |
What about truly escaping via the confines of a
train? Being that I don’t hold a driver’s license I take the train often.
Stepping onto the platform awaiting the vehicle that will whisk me up the coast
always makes me tingle with anticipation. A watch around me as other soon to be
passengers mill around keeping a close eye on their baggage. You can sense the
building excitement from them as well. Granted, they are traveling for work and
not really getting away. But I am.
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| Oceanside, CA train depot |
I await the arrival of the train in Oceanside on a
lightly overcast day. As I wait the cloud cover slowly rolls back revealing one
our flawless beautiful days. I inhale the fresh scent of the ocean. I am
traveling to Santa Ana, just an hours journey north via rail. I have a book in
my bag and am eager to begin my journey.
The voice of an Amtrak clerk blares from the
speaker overhead. I stand instantly as I hear the horn in the distance. The
train is on its way. It is just minutes away. Down the road the markers fall
into place blocking traffic from the tracks, their yellow lights blinking
rapidly as a warning of the oncoming train. And then, there it is barreling
down the tracks. My escape for the day has arrived. At first it is small and
then suddenly, like something jumping out of hyperspace, it is right in front
of me.
Locomotives of today bear little resemble to the
classic ones from way back when. This one is a rectangle on wheels streaked
with dirt and soot from moving at high speeds and years of wear. It’s a
towering silver-grey with a blue line painted down the center traveling
horizontally down the car. Pacific Surfliner it says. It is appropriately named
as this train with coast literally up the coast. In some places it looks like
the tracks are right on the beach and you wonder how we aren’t sinking into the
waves. Thank goodness for the capable hands of engineers and those who built
this rail line; we don’t need to worry about such afflictions. They have built
a sturdy track that has stood the test of time.
I head for the top deck of the train and take pick
an open seat on the car designated for business class. The seats are spaced
apart more generously than that of the tight coach cars. Quieter too as most
passengers aboard are business people traveling to or from work. They whisper
into their phones and type frantically into their laptops, not one of them
noticing my laid-back and care-free spirit sitting amongst them. I pick a seat
next to the window on the coastal side of the car. It’s comfortable and plush
making me glad I shelled out a few more dollars for this seat.
As I get comfortable the conductor makes an
announcement telling us we are on the move. Sure to his word the train jolts
forward and my day away has begun. One of the many things I love about train
travel is the gentle rocking motion as the car sways back and forth over the
tracks. It’s soothing and relaxing. I’m already in a relaxed mood but now a nap
threatens to steal the trip from me as I feel my lids grow heavy. As if sensing
my pending demise a conductor comes along asking for tickets. They no longer
punch a hole into them. Now they scan the tickets as they have an electronic
barcode printed on them.
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| Santa Ana, CA train depot |
They place a pastel colored strip of paper above my
seat; a secret code for the Amtrak staff letting them know they’ll be down a
passenger in the near future. I glance out the window and take in the scene of
the ocean beating against the beach. The sky is now clear and bluer than I have
ever seen it. My attention is suddenly diverted by a friendly face asking if I
would like a snack or beverage. Unlike the airlines I am not nickeled and dimed
aboard this wondrous vehicle. I agree to both and soon am being hand delivered
a snack pack and an entire can of soda. Yes, I get the whole can here in
business class.
Feeling like a king I did into my snacks and sip
from my royal beverage. Soon I find myself lost in thought and staring
absent-mindedly out the window. Beach goers are sun-bathing, biking, jogging
and playing volleyball as we thunder past at break neck speed. By now I am
giddy with excitement as we draw ever nearer to my destination. It isn’t that I
grow tired of the train. In fact, I could ride this train all day and all
night. Perhaps even many days in a row. I absolutely love train travel and when
I arrive in Santa Ana and have to step off this grand vehicle I am just a tad
bit saddened to have to leave it.
Even as I think about de-boarding I am notified
that we are nearing the Santa Ana Train Depot. The station in Oceanside is one
that is built for commuters and travelers and is probably one of the busiest
stops in southern California. However, the one in Santa Ana is a monument to
train travel. It’s a grand station covered in terra cotta roof shingles and
painted a taupe color with rich brown clay tiles. Wood benches, no doubt
hand-crafted long ago, sit side by side in the station happy to be a place of
reprieve for the many travelers passing through.
I step off the train and feel that little tug to
get back on. But my rowdy and dear friends are awaiting me out front by the
fountain that is void of water due to the drought in our fine state. Instead we
see the detail and craftsmanship that adorns the fountain and is hidden by the
sprays of water. As I open the heavy iron door and exit into the Santa Ana heat
I turn to pause and take in this majestic station. Its high tower is the center
of the depot lined with windows for a glimpse into the world of train travel.
Soon lunch and a few drinks will be over and I will
once again step aboard the Pacific Surfliner, heading home at a pace that is a
bit faster than I would like as I don’t want my day of escape to well, escape
me too soon.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Adam Lottes writes book reviews and travel articles
when he’s not operating his online retail book, clothing and gift store, The
Secret Stash. For more on the Stash
click here.
www.thesecretstash.net
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The Secret Stash on your favorite social media platform:
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MORE ON THE SANTA ANA DEPOT Click here.
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http://www.greatamericanstations.com/stations/santa-ana-ca-sna/
OTHER SURFLINER IMAGES:
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| Fountain outside Santa Ana train depot |
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| Arriving in San Diego during a rare storm in Southern California |
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| Departing San Diego via the beach between Torrey Pines State Park and the City of Del Mar. Pacific Surfliner shares the tracks with local "Coaster" commuter. |
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