©2014 Ted H. Schaar
6. Zona
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Friday
Woke well before dawn; train was stopped. Looked out and saw the Flagstaff, Arizona, depot. Many boarded. A psychic-tarot-card reader parlor was visible across the street. It was hard getting back to sleep. When I looked at my watch again it was 5:00 a.m. Walked to the observation car with a cup of coffee (free to deluxe bedroom passengers). Irritations
small and large
A woman was expressing major dissatisfaction to the conductor about what was going to be our five-hours-plus late arrival in LA. He listened patiently and calmly explained that there wasn't a thing he or Amtrak could do about it. On the way back to the sleeper car for my second cup, I spoke with Vincent and a dining car attendant. They knew all about the unhappy woman. Evidently she complained a lot. Life's too short. Told them about Great Grandma Bertha's: "When you have your health, you have everything." Another adage I heard from my mother many, many times and only realized the simple truth of years later. The lady, who appeared to be in her mid- to late-sixties, was reading Rolling Stone. |
Sunrise, Arizona.
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Barren
Rolling through the rocky dessert of western Arizona at 6:18
a.m. The train is curving around a landform I guess because one minute the Sun is to my right, the next to my left. "Get
your kicks"
Just stopped somewhere on the western edge of Zona not far from Highway 66; various signs promoting this connection are visible in the distance. Must have hitched through here in December, 1971, and January, 1972. |
Deluxe bedroom, note jump seat and shelf. Nicely designed.
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Eastern
California
Checked on Solana Beach and discovered the train indeed
stops there. Vincent said it might make sense for us to get off at the Fullerton Station, which is southeast of LA. He thought we could catch the Pacific Surfliner south to San Diego at 12:59 p.m. but we didn't arrive until 1:15 and the 12:59 was on time. Amtrak's agent said the next train, the 3:30, had been canceled so we had to wait until 4:39 before we could head south. |
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Photos ©2014 Ted H. Schaar except where noted.