Northwest Travel

Peter E.

October 25, 2009 - 9:44 AM

Amtrak is the way to travel. As I mentioned in my previous post, I've been in Seattle this weekend, but now it's time to get back to "The EUG." I rode the Amtrak up to Seattle on Thursday afternoon, and am currently sitting on the Amtrak headed back down. Coming from the Southwest, we don't have the luxury of a good Amtrak system or the lush scenery of the Pacific Northwest, and I'm incredibly blessed to have the opportunity to take it all in now.

Headed South, you pass through the southern tip of Seattle. Once you get outside the industrial area, you leave civilization, straddling Puget Sound for about an hour. The train overlooks the water with rich wildlife, islands dotting the Sound, and the snowcapped Olympics rising in the distance. It's truly an amazing sight.

As I currently write, we have moved south of Puget Sound, and pass farm land, creeks, and rivers; it's an incredibly beautiful, lazy Sunday morning. A fog sets the mood, blanketing emerald fields with cows kneeling in slumber. Complementing the dark green flora, fall color is in peak season. Oranges, yellows, and reds dot the landscape between evergreens, as we slowly wind our way south towards Portland.

Once we cross the Columbia River into Oregon, the beauty only continues through Portland's dramatic skyline giving way to the fertile Willamette Valley. The Pacific Northwest is the most amazing place I've been, and it's incredible to experience some of its most beautiful features in a seven hour train ride.

I often try not to think about graduating because my job is likely to take me away from the Northwest, and I don't want to think about the reality of that. The Northwest has become my home, and I hope to return here in the longterm. As it stands, my time here is fleeting, but I can't think of a better way to spend it than watching the Northwest roll by outside my window.