In late November, the Princess and the coyote took AmTrack from Solana Beach to Los Angeles where they transferred around noon to the Coast Starlight , a train that goes all the way to Seattle , with twenty or so stops along the way. They had a nice sleeper...comfortable bed and private toilet/bath combination...a bit snug but very satisfactory for a Princess, a coyote and a bear. (Teddy got to take this trip since Warty got to go to New Orleans .) Teddy liked looking out the window, and the Princess was happy to point out interesting sights. This picture is close to Dunsmuir near Mt. Shasta. Teddy was fascinated with the sight of snow, and anxious to change into winter clothes!
The following morning, and after a nice breakfast in the diner, the travelers sat back and enjoyed Oregon's scenery. Below is a train window view of Klamath Lake.
They passed through Salem at sunset...and got a picture of it from the window of the moving train.
As always, the train encountered delays, and they arrived in Seattle on day two at 10:30 in the evening. It was brisk, clear and city lights were ablaze, but they were so tired they went straight to bed. The next morning they were up early to catch a cab to the terminal for their ferry trip to Vancouver Island. The Victoria Clipper is a huge catamaran-hulled passenger water-jet boat that cruises at 38 knots! The trip took over two and a half hours. They got to their hotel by noon, checked in and had a most welcome lunch. Teddy took a sensible nap. The Empress is quite the gem.
They had two rooms (174, the Royal Suite). Teddy was very impressed! "I get to sleep in the same bed as the Queen? Will she be dropping in while I'm here?"
He was disappointed when he found out that she had other plans, but insisted that his picture be taken on her bed.
Not wanting to be identified as a tourist, he'd slipped into his new Canadian sweater. He liked the big maple leaf.
The Princess wrote cards from the Queen's desk - while the coyote searched for the royal bath.
"Found it," he said.. "Hmmmmmm, if I see her, I won't mention it to the Queen."
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