Seat 2A

UPRISING BEACH RESORT

On past trips to Fiji, I’ve stayed in either hostels or cheap hotels. While I expect that such choices would be considered sacrilege amongst the well-traveled cognoscenti here at Flyertalk, I have fond memories of my stays in those establishments – especially at the hostel on Momi Bay. It was actually a budget hotel that also offered hostel beds. The setting right on the beach was beautiful and the place was a lot of fun – popular with locals and travelers alike. Here are some pictures from that trip:



The Property


The deck outside my $8.00/night room


Evening view from my deck overlooking the pool


Sunset on Momi Bay


I spent about ten days at this place and I thoroughly enjoyed my time there. The property was owned and operated by a couple of guys from Australia and – as a 26 year old backpacker – I thought it was fabulous. There was a restaurant/bar downstairs that served good food and cold beer. Local Fijians would often stop by to drink, chat and play billiards on the bumpy old pool table that had so many hills and valleys it lent a real challenge to the game. That thing must’ve come over with Captain Cook.

Sadly, that property was razed a few years ago and today is home to the 250 room Fiji Marriott Resort with prices starting at over $200.00 per night. While that might seem heavenly to some, I was looking for a smaller more intimate setting yet one that also offered high quality accommodations. And, I was willing to pay as much or more than I’d ever paid for a hotel before!

After much research, I found what I was looking for in the Uprising Beach Resort. Located 140 miles from Nadi in the pretty little town of Pacific Harbour, the property sits amidst tropical palms overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Beautiful Beqa Island can be seen just 6 miles across the lagoon.



Uprising Beach Resort on the coast
Photo courtesy of Uprising Beach Resort


Uprising Beach Resort overview
Photo courtesy of Uprising Beach Resort


Accommodations range from traditional thatched roof Bures (cottages) to larger Commodore Villas. Both are available in either garden setting or beachfront ocean view with each providing all of the amenities that you’d typically expect in any hotel room including refrigerator, high speed internet and ensuite bathrooms with open air showers.

I really liked the interior layout of the bures but they have only a ceiling fan for cooling whereas the larger villas have air-conditioning. Additionally, the villas include separate living room and bedroom, a 42” flat screen television and a large attractive veranda. I booked six nights in the larger villa primarily because I wanted air-conditioning. Total cost came to $115.00 per night, which included a full cooked breakfast each morning.



The entrance and front deck to my garden villa


The view from my deck


Garden villa interior
Villas include air-conditioning, refrigerator, sink, television
Photo courtesy of Uprising Beach Resort


The view from my bedroom


Uprising Beach Resort – Bathroom
Photo courtesy of Uprising Beach Resort


My outdoor shower
A more traditional indoor shower is available in the bathroom, along with a huge bathtub


Ocean front villa
This is what I’m going to book next time


And what of the rest of the property? Starting with check-in, the reception desk is open 24 hours and throughout my stay the staff could not have been friendlier or more helpful. I really enjoyed walking the tropical paths around the property. Here are some photos of the path to the pool and beyond past the bures to my villa…



The paths around the property were beautiful


The path to the pool


Pool with a view


The path past the bures


A typical bure interior
Photo courtesy of Uprising Beach Resort


The restaurant and bar were under a large open-air pavilion, adjacent to the pool. I really liked the setting as well as the food which was not gourmet but which I thought was good to occasionally very good. I particularly enjoyed the Fijian and Indian theme nights which offered specialized regional dishes. One night a week Fijian performers would perform songs and the exotic fire dance.



Uprising Beach Resort – Bar and Dining building
Photo courtesy of Uprising Beach Resort


Uprising Beach Resort – Bar and Dining building
Photo courtesy of Uprising Beach Resort


Dining Area


Dining view


Colorful clouds at sunset


As for day to day life around the resort, first and foremost there’s a beautiful beach. I’m a big proponent of simple pleasures such as enjoying a swim at the beach or a good book and a cold beer under the shade of a tropical palm. A volleyball court is available as well as a pool table in the bar and an on-site spa.



South Pacific Splendor


The view from the volleyball court
Photo courtesy of Uprising Beach Resort


The front desk staff is able to book a variety of adventures and activities ranging from dives to local cruises, water sports, regional sightseeing trips and golf outings. Adjacent to the resort is the practice field for the Fijian national rugby team, which was busy winning the Hong Kong 7s while I was at the resort. I rented a car for a couple of days and drove around the island. In Suva I got a bit lost but managed to drive my way out of it. Unfortunately one of the days I had the car was a rainy day.

Just a mile up the road from the resort is the village of Pacific Harbour. The main downtown district is described as an arts village with a variety of quaint shops, a restaurant and a grocery store set amidst the forested hills. I bought a Fijian print shirt there and arranged to have a couple of souvenirs mailed home to friends and family.

The slogan of the Uprising Beach Resort could be more appropriate:

It’s not perfect, it’s paradise.

Everything about my stay – from accommodations in the air-conditioned garden villa to the quality of the meals to the friendliness of the staff to the beautiful weather throughout most of my stay could not have been more idyllic. It was exactly what I was hoping for when I booked my stay. No doubt there are more polished accommodations available around the island but there was a comfortable down home vibe to Uprising that for me at least felt much more inviting than the elegant lodgings and grounds found at the ritzier resorts. In short, I would rather pay to stay at a place like Uprising than stay for free at the fancy resorts. I am already plotting a return trip for next winter. ^

Seat 2A

April 11, 2017
Air New Zealand Nadi to Auckland 200p – 505p Boeing 777-300 Business Class

When I was dropped off at Nadi International Airport, I couldn’t help but flash back to the last time I flew out of here. It was 1988 and I was booked in Economy Class aboard an Air Pacific 747 bound for Auckland. The line at check-in was like something out of a Stephen King movie. Worse, local Fijians were actively encouraging friends and acquaintances to cut into line. The counter staff did nothing to dissuade this activity. Then the computers went down. I vowed never to fly Air Pacific again, which I did not though it was not particularly difficult to follow through on since I live in Alaska and hadn’t been back to Fiji until now.

In the 29 years since, Air Pacific has become Fiji Airways and – given the changing nature and expectations of modern day air travel – has had to improve its overall product. How much improvement remains to be seen but as I mentioned earlier, I would be willing to risk a one way Business Class award for a seat aboard Air Pacific’s 7:30pm departure between Nadi and Honolulu. I have a real weakness for sunset departures around the Pacific islands and I can already see myself comfortably reclined in Seat 2A, gazing out on a beautiful Pacific evening while sipping a tasty tropical cocktail and munching macadamia nuts... What’s that? Some canapés with my drink? Yes, please!

Hey! Wake up! It’s time to check in!

Oh, right! Stepping into the now air-conditioned International Departures terminal, I made my way over to the Air New Zealand counters. Thankfully, my circumstances are markedly different from my last experience here 29 years ago. Today I’m flying in Business Premier aboard Air New Zealand. There was only one person ahead of me at the Business Class counter and they were just finishing up.

Ten minutes later I was through security and immigration and on my way to Air New Zealand’s Business Class lounge. An elevator took me down one level from the central gate lounge and opened into a sparse utilitarian hallway. To my left was what appeared to be storage and custodial rooms while to my right was a sign indicating the lounges were down the hall. Rather an inauspicious entrance if I do say so.

Right next door to Air New Zealand’s lounge was Fiji Airways’ Tabua Club Lounge. A sign indicated it was a temporary facility. Another sign indicated that the lounge was accessible to Priority Pass cardholders. Hmm… it was only 11:45am. With a 2:00pm departure, I had more than enough time to visit both lounges. Why not start with the Tabua Club?

A receptionist welcomed me into a medium sized room crowded with standard lounge chairs arranged in four long rows. Along a side wall were groups of four chairs. A few low tables and plants broke up the monotony. Toward the rear of the lounge was the food and beverage area. By U.S. airline lounge standards, I thought it was reasonably well stocked with a nice selection of sandwiches, wraps, mini-quiches and a salad station. A good looking display refrigerator held a variety of bottled waters, juices and beers. Unfortunately, the bottles weren’t cold to the touch, suggesting that they’d been loaded into the refrigerator on an hour or so earlier. To the left of the fridge was a collection of spirits including Jack Daniels. I was tempted, but having just polished off an entire liter over the preceding seven days, I instead grabbed a cup of coffee and a mini-quiche.



Fiji Airways’ Temporary Tabua Club Lounge


Tabua Club food offerings


As one who thrives on natural light, I found the Tabua Club and its sterile overhead lighting to be a bit gloomy. I spent the next fifteen minutes perusing that morning’s Fiji Sun newspaper before deciding it was time to relocate to Air New Zealand’s lounge where hopefully the ambiance might be a bit more cheerful.

And so it was, but not by much. Again, there were no windows but the overall facility was indeed brighter and more varied with more intimate seating areas, a much larger food and beverage area, three different “rooms” including a dedicated “Quiet Area” and its opposite - a children’s play area.



Air New Zealand’s Business Class Lounge at Nadi


Air New Zealand’s Business Class Lounge food offerings


Air New Zealand’s Business Class Lounge food offerings


Boarding was called at 1:30pm – only a half hour before departure. It was a beautiful sunny day and our 777-200 positively gleamed in the hot mid-day sun. I paused to take a couple of photographs before boarding the aircraft.



Air New Zealand’s 777-200 at Nadi


The iconic Koru – flying over Oceania since 1973


At my seat, I kicked off my shoes and gratefully accepted a nicely chilled Mimosa from the flight attendant. Menus had already been placed at each seat so as I savored the ice cold effervescence of the Mimosa, I opened the menu to consider my meal options on the two hour and fifty minute flight down to Auckland.



Mimosa welcome on Air New Zealand



LUNCHEON
Nadi to Auckland

TO BEGIN

Seared Venison with Kumara Salad
Pickled red onion and hickory mayonnaise
~or~
Salmon Gravlax with Cucumber and Quinoa Salad
Horseradish and crème fraiche dressing

From The Bakery
Rosemary sourdough loaf, black and white sesame seed loaf, garlic bread and rye rolls


MAIN COURSES

Chinese Style Black Vinegar Prawns
With spicy bamboo shoots, pak choy rice, broccolini and black mushrooms

Slow Roasted Pork Belly
With caramelized red cabbage, mustard seed mash, sage and onion relish with apple cider jus

Sweet Paprika Chicken Salad
With toasted corn, kumara, cos lettuce and avocado chipotle mayonnaise


TO FINISH

Gourmet Affagato Ice Cream
Topped with chocolate sauce and chocolate crumbs

Kaffir Lime and Coconut Panna Cotta
Served with mango and gogi berry and macadamia praline

Fine New Zealand Cheese
served with quince paste and cracker selection



Our take off roll was a mere 29 seconds and as we climbed away from Fiji I couldn’t help but reflect on what a pleasant and relaxing week I’d just had. Though I doubt my next trip down here will be quite as convoluted and exciting a routing as this one has been, I’m sure I’ll find a way to make it comfortable and entertaining. I am already considering a return via Australia later this fall. We’ll see…

A glass of crisp Chardonnay started off the meal service. My flight attendant Fiona informed me that the venison appetizer had been replaced with Lemon Olive Oil Marinated Prawns. This sounded just fine to me as I had already tried the salmon on my flight from Sydney to Auckland. In fact, the entire menu was exactly the same as that SYD-AKL flight. No problem there, however. I remember thinking that if I hadn’t ordered the pork belly dish on that flight, I would like to have tried the Chinese Style Black Vinegar Prawns. Now was my chance.



Chardonnay and Almonds
A great start to any flight


Lemon Olive Oil Marinated Prawns


Chinese Style Black Vinegar Prawns


Everything was delicious! The prawns were plump and juicy, made all that more delectable with the addition of the saffron mayonnaise. I could have easily enjoyed three or four more dishes of just those prawns for lunch. I made due however with the black vinegar prawns which were served in an appetizing sauce that didn’t taste very vinegary but was plenty flavorful. Fiona was nicely attentive throughout the meal, making multiple passes with the bread basket while seeing that my wine glass was well topped off. Unfortunately I never did get the name of that wine but having recently read that New Zealand wines now outsell Australian wines in the U.S. – who knows? – maybe I’ll stumble across it again someday.

Now then – how about dessert? Sigh… Oh, all right. I’ll try out a dish of that Affagato Ice Cream – with all the toppings, please. And yes, I think I will have a bit of cheese – if only for another glass of that tasty port.



Gourmet Affagato Ice Cream topped with chocolate sauce and chocolate crumbs


Fine New Zealand Cheese and Port


As with my previous flight up to Nadi, I asked the flight attendants if I might relocate back to Premium Economy for the remainder of the flight down to Auckland. There were plenty of open seats back there and those seats were really comfortable. Additionally, the seat pitch was a generous 40”. Not only that, but I later discovered that the meal service in Premium Economy is essentially the same as it is in Business Premier with the main difference being that there is only one appetizer offered and one less main meal selection. Honestly, for a day time flight regardless of length, this cabin is the way to go!

Unfortunately, Auckland was still ensconced in various shades of grey storm clouds. Rain pelted the aircraft was we descended over Manukau Heads and Big Bay enroute to an early arrival at Auckland International. Thankfully we parked this time at a terminal gate – right next door in fact to the gate where my Air China 787-9 was also just arriving.



Air China’s 787-9 at the gate in Auckland


As I made my way off the aircraft, I thanked the crew and particularly Fiona for a job well done. Although Air New Zealand no longer offers a First Class product onboard its aircraft, in every other regard its operation is totally First Class. I definitely look forward to flying with the koru many more times.

Well done, Air New Zealand!

Seat 2A

April 11, 2017
Air China Auckland to Beijing 700p – 410a Boeing 787-9 Business Class

If there were any one thing that I’d like to see Air New Zealand add to its already stellar Business Premium product, it would be the ability to fast track through International Transfer and Security/Immigration. The line of humanity waiting to clear transfer security was huge – well over one hundred yards long. Thankfully it moved at a slow but steady pace and after about fifteen minutes I was free to proceed to the lounge.

Oh No! Did everyone from the transfer line also relocate to this lounge? It was packed! The bar, the seating areas, the food and beverage court – all were filled with travelers. After sweating it out in the humid hallway leading to transfer security, I decided now might be a good time to take advantage of a shower. Thankfully – perhaps even amazingly – one was available without any wait at all.

By the time I emerged from the shower, there wasn’t much time left for lounging. I wandered over to the buffet island to have a quick look but resisted the temptation to snack on anything more substantial than a small plate of nut mix. There was a nice variety of both hot and cold foods available and – had there not been so many people milling about – I would have taken a couple of photos for your benefit.

Boarding was well underway by the time I arrived at the gate. Thankfully there was a premium lane available to which I immediately availed myself. You know, I once read that luxury - once experienced - becomes a necessity. How true. Aside from the obvious trappings we associate with luxury, I really appreciate the little things that are also attendant to luxury travel such as the ability to avoid lines most of the time. As such, I presented my boarding pass and strolled unimpeded halfway down the jetway before encountering the crowd. True luxury would have included a separate jetway for the forward cabin, but hey – this is Business Class.

A reception committee of two flight attendants was stationed at the L2 door. After a thorough inspection of my boarding pass, one of them issued a pretty smile and instructed me to head down the aisle to her right. Turning left, I continued into a fairly nice looking Business Class cabin populated with thirty purple and fuchsia patterned seats set in off-white molded plastic housing. The arrangement was 2-2-2 and – opposite from the seats on Air New Zealand – these seats were canted slightly toward the windows. It all looked reasonably spacious and efficient yet, under the cold white light emanating from the ceiling and wall panels … a bit cold as well. A large blanket and pillow at each seat added a bit of warmth but I suspect a bit of mood lighting would have helped the tone of this cabin considerably.



Air China’s 787-9 Business Class Cabin
Photo courtesy of ChinaAviationDaily.com


For comparison purposes, here is the Business Class cabin aboard China Airlines’ 777-300 – a much warmer, welcoming and spacious cabin in my personal opinion.



China Airlines’ 777-300 Business Class Cabin
Photo courtesy of China Airlines


China Airlines’ 777-300 Business Class Cabin
Photo courtesy of China Airlines


Unbeknownst to me, my seatmate was trailing right behind me having followed me since back in the concourse when we stepped aboard the escalator down to the gate. She was an American lady who’d been living and working out of Nagoya, Japan for the past few years. Her job as a teacher had taken her to a conference in Auckland and she was now returning home. Her seat was at the window, mine on the aisle. While I had no complaints about this arrangement, attempts to procure a seat assignment prior to this flight had proven futile. The Air China website indicated that changes to seat assignments could only be done with tickets that had been issued by Air China. Mine had been issued by United. Okay, I’ll call Air China directly, then. That’s how I found out I’d already been assigned 3B. My primary concern had been avoiding a seat that forced my feet into a narrow little cubicle such as those found in these new modular Business Class seats. The best seats are in row one where – with no molded housing in front of them – they have a more open bench at the end when the seat is in lie-flat mode. Unfortunately, seat changes were not possible until day of departure - even for Business Class. And of course, by the time the day of departure had arrived, all of the seats – including those in my desired row 1 - had already been assigned. Sigh…

Thankfully, the actual seats on this ten month old 787 were pretty comfortable to sit in. A flight attendant stopped by with slippers and an amenity kit, then returned shortly thereafter with a selection of newspapers. I’ll take the international New York Times please. Let’s see what our new president’s been up to today. After all, it seems like every day is an adventure in this administration!

The menu and wine list were presented next. I quickly put down the New York Times in favor of the menu, which was very attractively housed in a large artistic binder. More on that in a moment though…

Safety announcements were made in both Chinese and English – first in person with the flight attendants going through the motions at the front of the cabin, then again played out in the animated version on our IFE screens. Even during the latter animated version, two flight attendants stood at attention at the front of the cabin and – at the end of the presentation – bowed in unison.

The next announcement was from the cabin security officer and was a bit more ominous in tone. He enumerated a variety of offenses ranging from the usual stuff like interfering with the cabin crew or smoking to odd stuff like damaging the aircraft or grabbing seats, whatever that meant. Those who might engage in such activities were put on notice that penalties ranging from fines, possible detention and even criminal prosecution could be imposed. Further, in the interests of a safe flight, he promised that and his crew would perform their duties in a diligent manner.

Well alrighty then.

Beijing sits 6,480 miles to the north-northwest of Auckland. Tonight’s flight, scheduled for thirteen hours and two minutes, would be flying along a slightly longer routing as we diverted farther to the west in an effort to avoid weather that had shut down operations at Noumea earlier in the day. The planned mileage varied but at one point the Sky Map stats showed it totaling out at 7,107 miles!

Even in a fuel efficient 787, it takes a lot of fuel to fly from Auckland to Beijing regardless of routing. As such, our heavily laden aircraft required a 44 second take off roll before achieving sufficient velocity to take to the heavens. As the nose wheel retracted into its housing beneath us, I once again took notice of how remarkably quiet the 787-9 is up in the forward cabin. Normal conversational tone was all that was needed to chat with my seatmate.

Heavy turbulence started shortly after we’d reached cruising altitude, and continued – at times quite vigorously – for the next 45 minutes. Throughout the turbulence there was never an announcement from the flight deck as to how long it might last. Even the flight attendants were surprisingly silent. Looking at the flight map, I was beginning to wonder if we might have been better served to have diverted to the north initially. During my flight into Auckland from Fiji earlier this afternoon, the conditions had been unremarkably smooth.



Only 12 more hours to go!


Still, we powered on through it - heading west-northwest toward the Australian coast at about Brisbane. Eventually we changed tack and adopted a more northerly heading, paralleling the Australian coast. I watched the lights of Rockhampton pass by before clouds once again obscured the view.

Meanwhile, due to the turbulence the cabin service didn’t actually materialize until we were an hour and eighteen minutes into the flight by my watch. Surprisingly, service began not with the drink cart but rather with the amuse bouche trolley. Both the hot and cold versions were plated together and presented atop a plain white tablecloth.



Cold scallop with dill mayonnaise bread
Hot Cornish Pasty filled with a mixture of potato, lamb and carrot


The drink cart followed about 5 minutes later. I’d better have a quick look at that wine list before they get here…


WINE LIST

Champagne
Beaumont des Crayères Grande Réserve Brut, France

White Wine
Château Jacquet Bordeaux Blanc, France
Château des Mouins au Vent, Graves, France
Domaine Martin, Première Cuvée, Bourgogne, France
Paringa Chardonnay, South Australia

Red Wine
Château Putnard Premières Côtes de Blaye, France
Les Sources du Château de la Rivière, Fronsac, France
Paringa Shiraz, South Australia


A glass of the Paringa Chardonnay really hit the spot in companion with the flaky Cornish pasty and a small bowl of mixed nuts. I asked for and received a refill in order to take the picture below…



Cocktail hour on Air China


Now then, let’s check out that dinner menu…


DINNER
Auckland to Beijing


CHINESE DINNER

Amuse Bouche
Cold scallop with dill mayonnaise bread
Hot Cornish Pasty filled with a mixture of potato, lamb and carrot

Appetizer
Tea smoked duck and salmon
Served atop cucumber ginger salad

MAIN COURSE

Braised Chicken with Black Mushrooms and Carrots
Served with steamed rice and assorted vegies

Stir-Fried Beef with Bell Pepper and Green Onion
Served with steamed rice and assorted vegies

Stir-Fried Gailan with Snow Peas and Peppers
Served with steamed rice


DESSERT

Lemon Raspberry Cake
~or~
Millionaire Shortbread
~or~
Selection of Cheese with fruit and veggies


* * * :-: * * * :-: * * *


WESTERN DINNER

Amuse Bouche
Cold scallop with dill mayonnaise bread
Hot Cornish Pasty filled with a mixture of potato, lamb and carrot

Appetizer
Salmon mousse with spicy radish salsa

Salad
Mixed leaf salad
Offered with Italian or Honey Mustard dressing


MAIN COURSE

Pan-Fried New Zealand Cod
Accented with lemon chive sauce

Stir-Fried Gailan with Snow Peas and Peppers
Served with steamed rice


DESSERT

Lemon Raspberry Cake
~or~
Millionaire Shortbread
~or~
Selection of Cheese with fruit and veggies


It didn’t seem to me that there was all that much difference between the Chinese Meal and the Western Meal - at least, not compared to what I’ve seen offered on airlines from Japan or Korea that often serve scary sounding delicacies from the deep such as succulent seaweed, marinated moray eel or juicy jellyfish along with other similarly unpalatable sounding morsels. I decided to go with the Chinese meal, opting for the Stir-Fried Beef with Bell Pepper and Green Onion as my main course.

I was a bit taken aback when ten minutes later, my meal arrived – all on one tray. I guess I’d been spoiled by three straight flights on Air New Zealand which managed a five course meal served course by course on a trio of three hour flights. Here we were with almost eleven hours left in this flight and the flight attendants couldn’t be bothered to provide a more gracious service. Then again, maybe the service was never designed to be served course by course. This being my first flight aboard Air China, I didn’t have enough experience with their service model to know otherwise. Maybe more turbulence was forecast ahead. (None ever materialized, however)

Regardless, there are worse things in the world of inflight service than an expedited meal service. I received all the foods that I had requested and they were all very good. Garlic bread was offered and I even managed a small bowl of hot sauce to heat up the beef and peppers.



Stir-Fried Beef with Bell Pepper and Green Onion dinner


For dessert I tried to order the Lemon Raspberry Cake followed by the fruit and cheese plate. No can do. The cheese plate was considered one of the three desserts, so it was one or the other but not both. I thought about asking if it might be possible to have a cheese plate if one were left over but something about the flight attendant’s rigid interpretation of the menu suggested no good could come of this. I might even attract the attention of the cabin security officer. I briefly entertained an unpleasant vision of myself sitting forlorn in a Chinese prison…

“你在干什么?”
“Excuse me?”
“What you in for?”
“Um… I… I asked for an extra dessert.”
“Oooooo – very bad!”


I settled for a cup of decaf coffee and a portion of the Lemon Raspberry Cake. Perhaps as a consolation prize, the dessert was served with a plate of fruit.



Coffee and Hot Towel Service


Lemon Raspberry Cake


After dinner, I took my customary stroll to the back of the airplane. I kept my boarding pass with me just in case there were any problems – which there weren’t. Seating was the standard 3-3-3 configuration you see on all 787s, but there was no Premium Economy section. The flight was pretty full back here though, and many people were already asleep. I walked past one elderly Chinese woman whose mouth was open into an almost perfect “0” as she slept. For some reason Edvard Munch’s famous painting “The Scream” came to mind, but the woman slept silently if not blissfully.

Back in the forward cabin, I decided to have a look at the IFE. Aside from the Sky Map, I never could figure out how to select the movies. This may say more about my technological ineptitude than it does about Air China’s IFE, but I’ve flown on a lot of different airlines and until now have never had any problems figuring out their IFE’s. In any event it wasn’t that big of a deal since I’d be trying to get some sleep in the next hour or two. As such, I just left the IFE on the sky map which indicated we were flying north at 34000, making not so good time at just 482 mph. On a positive note, at least conditions were smooth and remained so for the rest of the flight.

Now then, what to do on a 6500 mile long flight which won’t be returning to terra firma for another ten hours. For some people this is a real problem. Not me. I’ve been keeping myself happily entertained for over fifty years. As long as I have a pen and paper, even if I didn’t have anything else to do I could think of something to do. These days however, with tablets and laptops, not to mention a little advance planning with books and magazines, I am at even less of a loss for things to do. This is particularly true when you’re in the middle of writing an 93000 word trip report with over 500 pictures to imbed. There’s always something that needs to be done. As it is, I’ll be lucky if I get this report finished by mid-June, so it’s a good thing I don’t publish incremental reports as I’d be waaaay behind and some people might be frustrated while waiting for timely installments. As it is, for the time being most of you don’t even know I’m writing a trip report, so I can labor at my own pace in blissful anonymity.

I was in the process of transcribing the menu from this flight when I came to the following service:


MOVIE SNACK
The following snacks are available at any time

Assorted fresh fruit
Whittaker’s chocolate
Sandwiches
Potato C hips
Biscuits
Candy


What?!! No hot noodles? That’s alright – I’m not hungry anyway. Closing up the laptop, I reclined my seat into a more comfortable position and read for a bit before trying to get some sleep. “Trying to get some sleep” would be the operative words here as I was never able to get truly comfortable. At just a hair under 6’, I’m not overly tall though I’m certainly not short either. Still. I was too big for this seat. My toes touched the end of the cubby hole and although I was able to lower the armrest on my right side, my shoulder still rubbed up against something.

Meanwhile, seatmate slept peacefully beside me. She was smaller and appeared to fit comfortably into the space provided by her seat. With her pillow and blankets strewn about her, she looked like a little chipmunk curled up in her nest. Well good for her. Sometimes I wish I were small. Most of the time I’m perfectly content with my normal size. Tonight however, I wouldn’t have minded being 5’6”.

As I tossed and turned, I couldn’t help but think back to some of the best sleeps I’ve ever had on airplanes. Two come immediately to mind – both on United – one in First Class and one in Business Class. The First Class flight was aboard a 747SP with the old 2nd generation sleeper seats. They didn’t lie flat but they were wide, soft and comfortable. We were flying from Los Angeles to Sydney and I fell asleep about two hours into the flight. The only reason I woke up was because of an announcement that due to headwinds we’d be making a refueling stop in Nadi, Fiji. Were it not for that, who knows – I might have slept for a solid nine or ten hours. The Business Class flight was back in 1999 aboard a United 777 flying between Miami and Buenos Aires. United’s 1990s era Business Class sleeper seats were of the cradle variety and remain to this day amongst the most comfortable seats I have ever sat or slept in.

Lie-flat technology is all well and good but from my experience, many of the Business Class platforms are too hard, too narrow and not long enough. Luddite that I am, I would gladly sit in one of the old, well-padded cradle seats from 30 years ago.

Since lie-flat wasn’t really working for me, I decided to treat the seat as a recliner – not unlike the Business Class seats of old. I reclined the back of the seat about 70° but kept my leg rest tucked into the seat. In this way I actually managed to get comfortable enough to knock off about six hours of intermittent sleep.

As always, what woke me up were the sounds and smells of the breakfast service. Throwing off my blanket, I padded to the lav for a quick visit and then returned to fold up my blanket and return my seat to its upright position. Now then, where did I leave that menu…? Ah, there it is behind the newspaper.


CHINESE BREAKFAST

Congee Garnish
Pickled Chinese Nuts with Chilli Oil
Egg Salty
Pickled Chinese Black Fungus with Mustard

HOT ENTRÉE

Congee Chinese Plain
Baked Pork Bun
Beef Suimai
Spinach Dumpling

Fresh Fruits

* * * :-: * * * :-: * * *

WESTERN BREAKFAST

Fresh fruits
Cereal
Yoghurt
Milk Jam

HOT ENTRÉE

Cheese Omelette with Pesto and Parmesan
Served with smoked chicken sausage, hash browned potato, grilled tomato

Breakfast rolls with butter



Oh My Gawd! I just couldn’t see myself eating Pickled Chinese Black Fungus nor the pickled nuts. And what’s an egg salty? Maybe it’s a typo and they meant to say a salty egg. Yes, but what kind of egg? I decided to go with the safe Western Breakfast and was not disappointed.



Air China’s Western Breakfast


Now I reckon this is about as good a breakfast as you can expect in Business Class these days! Indeed, as compared to First Class transcon breakfasts which I’ve been served many times on Alaska Airlines, this is a superior meal. The omelet is larger and more filling and is served with real breakfast bread, not just a cheap Danish. Further, Alaska’s meals don’t include cereal and yogurt.

Well done, Air China!

By the time the last of the breakfast trays were cleared off, there was only about an hour left in the flight. Seatmate and I chatted for a bit and it turned out we’d both be flying onward to Shanghai together. She already had her onward boarding pass whereas I’d need to get mine issued at Beijing. Alas, the “seamless” interaction touted between fellow Star Alliance member airlines was not possible via the check-in counter at Nadi. As a result, they were only able to issue me boarding passes for my first two flights.

I didn’t know it at the time but because Beijing to Shanghai is a domestic flight, I’d have to go through immigration, take the train all the way back to the main terminal and then check in at the ticket counter. Then it’d be back out to the Domestic Departures Terminal for a bit of lounging. More on that in a moment.

Our scheduled arrival time was 4:10am and, weather diversion notwithstanding, we were operating pretty much right on time. We must have picked up a tailwind somewhere during the night. Unfortunately it was still dark outside but even so, I felt like another lap around the airplane would get the morning off to a good start. I didn’t get far what with the meal carts blocking the aisles but from what I could see, the folks back in Economy were eating pretty nicely as well.

Just prior to landing, the flight attendants positioned themselves throughout the cabin, staring straight ahead while another announcement was made thanking us for having flown Air China. Then they all bowed and returned to their quarters. Though it seemed a bit formal in this day and age, I thought it was a nice gesture.

Even though I was on the aisle, I watched through the 787’s large windows as we glided smoothly over the airport perimeter and then the runway threshold, touching down lightly after a flight of twelve hours and fifty-two minutes.

And so ended my first flight aboard Air China, the 191st airline I’ve ever flown on. While I’m glad I got a chance to finally fly with CA, if I had a choice on a long international route, I think I would likely go with the competition. Then again, that might depend upon the competition. There’s little chance I would ever subject myself to “service” from those tired old war horses masquerading as senior Delta flight attendants ever again. But seriously, Air China was … okay. The service is pleasant though not particularly refined or inspired. Similarly, the seats, while meeting all the basic criteria of Business Class seats – are nothing special. If, however, breakfast is served… all bets are off.


April 12, 2017
Air China Beijing to Shanghai 800a – 1015a Airbus A330-300 First Class

As usual, we parked at the last gate at the end of the concourse and departed from the furthest gate down an opposite concourse on my connecting flight. I’ll bet I walked a good mile or more as I made my way all the way over to immigration, then caught the train to the main terminal, walked down to the First Class check-in counters, then made my way back to the train, on to the new terminal and then searched for and located the lounge pavilion, located upstairs above the busy terminal commons.

Domestic flights on Air China are marketed as First Class – so, it was off to the First Class side of the lounge for me. Along the way I noticed a separate room for Platinum Card holders. The chairs looked a bit more comfortable in there and who knows – maybe there were nicer food offerings as well. I tried not to stare as I walked by.



Air China’s First Class Lounge – Domestic Departures


The view from on high


Air China’s First Class Lounge – Food Offerings
There are some noodle cups and hot beverages on the other side


Over the years I’ve made a couple of visits to Air China’s Business Class Lounge in the new International Terminal 3. It is a comfortable and well-stocked facility that would compare nicely with most Business Class lounges. This facility on the Domestic Departures side of Terminal 3 reminded me of a United Club on a bad day ten years ago.

The seating was comfortable enough but the food and drink options were extremely limited. Food offerings were comprised of packaged snack items such as crackers as well as some hot noodle cups. Drinks were tea and coffee and refrigerated bottled drinks that were not really refrigerated. Oh – the refrigerators looked nice enough but in checking each and every one of them, I found that none of them put forth any cold or even cool air. They were just nice looking display cases for bottled drinks.

I grabbed a bottle of water and found an open seat where I finished reading yesterday’s edition of the International New York Times. Lastly, before starting out for the gate, I stopped by the Business Class Lounge across the way. Given the utilitarian ambiance of the First Class Lounge, I was curious as to how much drop off might be expected in the Business Class Lounge. Truth be known, there was none really. In terms of furnishings and food and beverage offerings, it was identical to the First Class Lounge but twice as big.

The departure gate for my flight down to Shanghai was C1, so I’m thinking “Oh Boy! That should be close by.” It wasn’t. Instead it was a good third of a mile hike down to my waiting A330, parked as usual per this trip at the very last gate on the concourse. Gate 1. Right. Along the way I passed another much smaller Business Class lounge. It was small enough to be considered quaint, and if I find myself flying out of the C gates again, I’ll definitely keep that lounge in mind.

Air China has painted some of its A330s in beautiful liveries reflective of nothing in particular – just colorful, flowing Chinese art. I was hoping that I’d get one of those birds this morning but alas, the A330 waiting at the gate looked like a tired old veteran of many a domestic flight. It wore the standard old Air China livery, most of that a carry-over from the CAAC days. A separate boarding lane was available for First Class passengers – indeed there was even an agent calling out to the crowd trying to identify any First Class passengers. This was a good thing because the line of humanity waiting to board this flight stretched well back into the concourse.

Onboard the aircraft, I made my way back to row 14K – on the window. The seats were pretty standard looking Business Class recliners – reminiscent of those found on Asiana’s A330s but not quite as nice. In particular, the IFE screen was this almost square 10” thing housed in the grey plastic molding of the seatback in front of me. It looked like something out of the 1960s.

First Class checked in full this morning, as did Economy I should imagine. Orange. apple or tomato juice was offered followed by hot towels and then an impressive selection of newspapers. The flight attendant even saved a copy of the English language China Post for an old waigouren like me. Very nice.

The safety briefing was next, complete with the behavioral warning from the cabin security officer. I wondered what might have happened aboard these flights in the past to warrant such warnings. The flight attendants then bowed in unison and returned to their stations for taxi and takeoff. Being the attentive guy that I am, I dutifully watched the safety demonstration and couldn’t help but notice that all of the women wore essentially the same hairstyle – hair pulled tightly back and tied into a bun. There were no pony tails, no bangs, no curly hair and certainly no dreads. As popular as the latter are becoming, I don’t believe I’ve ever seen a flight attendant wearing them before, and certainly no Chinese woman - regardless of profession.

Flight time down to Shanghai was a leisurely one hour and forty-five minutes, cruising along at thirty-some odd thousand feet. Sorry, detail freaks, but I’ve never paid much attention to altitude unless it’s very high or very low. With the average flight operating at 35-40000 feet, it’s all the same to me.

I was curious what we’d be offered on this flight being as the distance between Beijing and Shanghai is 660 miles, about the same as New Orleans to Miami. My answer came quickly as the flight attendants wasted no time in coming through the aisles to take meal requests featuring either a Chinese or Western breakfast. Linens were laid, drinks served and breakfast trays were then delivered.

I was impressed. The overall service was very efficient and the Western Breakfast was very good. I received a nice omelet accompanied by two red sausages, hash browns, a flaky croissant, a fruit dish and a bowl of that old All-American classic – Corn Flakes. Very nice, and again - way more than we’d ever see stateside on a flight of similar length. Now if only I could find an airline that offered Lucky Charms for breakfast!



Breakfast over China


When I was just six years old, we flew from Denver down to Phoenix aboard a Western Airlines 720B. The distance flown is similar to Beijing – Shanghai but the difference in perception of time and space was considerable. At six years old, flying was so exciting that I could hardly sleep for nights before our departure. Once we took to the air, the flights just seemed to last forever. From my six year old perspective, that was a good thing.

Fast forward to today and over 5,200 flights since and it seemed like this hour and forty-five minute flight just flew by! Breakfast was enjoyed at a leisurely pace, after which I’d just gotten into a good long article in the China Post when my ears alerted me to our initial descent. Shortly thereafter an announcement confirmed that fact and twenty minutes later we were on the ground, spending about fifteen minutes taxiing the long and scenic route around the 10,000 acres upon which sits Shanghai’s Pudong International Airport. The airport is the second busiest in China and the ninth busiest in the world, so when I reference the “scenic route”, I’m talking plane spotting.

In yet another example of how the “seamless” connections between Star Alliance member airlines is more fiction than fact outside of Europe and North America, when I’d checked in earlier this morning in Beijing I was unable to have a boarding pass issued for my connecting flight on EVA from Shanghai to Taipei. As a result, from where we parked at gate 85 I had to walk all the way out of the terminal (A sign indicated I’d have to walk 850 meters to where you turn for arrivals. From there another sign indicated it was a further 300 meters to baggage claim) and then make my way over to the International Departures area, a distance I’d guestimate at about 300 meters. From there it was a simple matter to check in for my EVA flight but then I had to wait in quite the line to re-clear security and immigration.

The Star Alliance has been touting its seamless interaction for years now. I wish they’d put more effort into ensuring that this were really true. I’m curious if things are any better over at OneWorld or SkyTeam?

EVA Business Class passengers departing out of Shanghai are invited to visit Lounge 71, so named because of its proximity to Gate 71 – the very gate from which my flight would be departing this afternoon. I was thankful for that because I was getting a bit tired of all this unplanned exercise while navigating my way around China’s Airports.

More to the point, Shanghai sits at about 31°N, about the same as Jacksonville, Florida. It’s a potentially if not realistically humid area that would seem to have realized its full potential for that condition on this day. Because of the 1600 meters (about 1 mile) that I’d walked since deplaning at Pudong, by the time I presented myself at the reception desk I was a sweaty mess. Like a man requesting water after a week in the desert, the first thing I requested of the receptionist was the availability of a shower. I was directed upstairs and told to check with the shower attendants at their desk.

Presenting my bedraggled self at the shower desk, I was asked to present my boarding pass whereupon almost immediately a lounge attendant appeared and beckoned me to follow her into the back recesses of the lounge. There, in a nicely air-conditioned hallway, was a collection of four shower suites. Cue the harp glissando and the chorus from the heavens! In keeping with today’s exercise regimen, I was led to the one farthest down the hall, handed a key and told to return it in exchange for my boarding pass.

Ahhhhhhh…….

There wasn’t much time for lounging once I emerged from the shower suites. I had a quick look at the surprisingly extensive food offerings – at least seven different hot pans plus a nice variety of open sandwich and snack trays – but settled for a cold glass of water and a copy of that day’s New York Times.

I apologize to any lounge lizards who might be dismayed at the lack of photos of this impressive facility. It was certainly worthy of a few shots but it was also filled with a lot of passengers. The food center in particular was a constant hub of activity to the point where I felt trying to get a photograph would be more intrusive than was really called for. There are a couple of pictures of Lounge 71 on the Priority Pass website but they really don’t do it justice. My best advice would be to get over to Shanghai yourselves sometime and experience this lounge on your own time. Come early.


April 12, 2017
EVA Air Shanghai to Taipei 110p – 300p Boeing 747-400 Business Class

I’ve been looking forward to this flight since the day I booked it way back in early November. Flying aboard a Boeing 747 is becoming an increasingly rare and cherished experience, especially for flights under 500 miles. Back in the 1970s we used to see 747s being flown on all sorts of improbably short routes here in the U.S. such as Chicago to Detroit or Minneapolis, Los Angeles to Phoenix or my all-time favorite – the Seattle to Portland route, on which I flew aboard a Northwest 747 back in 1976.

But I digress.

I’ve always thought one of the most exciting sights in all of commercial aviation is gazing upon the distinctive nose of your 747 parked at the gate – especially when you know that your premium class seats will be up in that nose.



Your 747-400 Awaits


As such, I wasted no time in joining the line when boarding was announced for Premium Laurel Class passengers on this afternoon’s flight to Taipei. The walk down the jetway, the warm greeting from the flight attendants at the door – it’s all very nice – but nothing beats the excitement of walking into that spacious forward cabin of the 747. There’s a real intimacy to the high ceilings and tapered fuselage of the forward cabin that to my mind at least has no parallel amongst any other jetliners. It is my favorite place to be while up in the air.

As I type this, I’m trying to figure out a way that I could effectively convey all of these thoughts via photographs but alas, nothing comes to mind. That probably says more about my deficiencies as a photographer than my abilities as a writer but at this stage in life, I’m unlikely to change my style. Perhaps someday – if I ever learn how to take good photographs – I can submit these reports in photo form like most everyone else in the Trip Report forum but until then - you know the drill – you can’t teach an old dog new tricks. As such, I submit to you this meager photograph of my seats in row 6 – the very first row of the forward cabin.



EVA’s Premium Laurel seats aboard the 747-400


The distance between Shanghai and Taipei is 420 miles. Imagine then that you are flying from New York to Cleveland or from San Francisco to San Diego. Or even from Sydney to Melbourne. As is so often the case, you’ve been upgraded to First Class. What then would you expect for inflight service on a 1:00pm departure? I’m pretty sure First Class passengers in Australia could still expect a meal, though it being the luncheon hour it would probably be a light meal. Here in the U.S. however, we could expect no more than a bag of pretzels and a free drink or two.

Following is the wine list and menu from my one hour and ten minute flight between Shanghai and Taipei.


WINE LIST

Champagne
Champagne de Castelnau blanc de blancs Millésime 2007

White Wine
Petit Clos Sauvignon Blanc 2015, Marlborough, New Zealand
Prinz von Preussen Reisling Kabinett 2013, Rheingau, Germany

Red Wine
Château Paloumey 2012, Haut-Médoc, Bordeaux, France
Diemersfontein Pinotage 2014, Wellington, South Africa

Fortified Wine
Cuesta Fino Sherry
Taylor’s LBV Port

Spirits
Kavalan Single Malt Whisky
Johnnie Walker Black Label Scotch Whisky
Camus XO Excellence
Bacardi Light Rum
Bombay Sapphire Gin
Smirnoff Black Label Vodka

Liqueurs
Campari
Kahlua
Bailey’s Irish Cream
Melon Liqueur
Cointreau


LUNCHEON
Shanghai to Taipei

Hors D’Oeuvre
Salmon Roll with Cream Cheese
Smoked Duck Brest


MAIN COURSE

Green & Safe – Steamed Sticky Rice & Scallops
With Tainan’s Super Grandma’s Ragu Sauce
Wrapped in Lotus Leaf with Mixed Vegetables

Simmered Pork Belly and Abalone
Mixed Vegetables and Steamed Rice

Pan-Fried Beef Steak in Mushroom Demi-Glace
Mixed Vegetables and Potatoes


DESSERT

Fresh Fruit
Coffee and Tea


Wow! Check out the artwork on this wine list and menu:



EVA Air Premium Laurel Wine List on a 1 hour flight


EVA Air Premium Laurel Menu on a 1 hour flight


So many choices! So little time! What would you order?

My mind drifted back to my last set of flights aboard EVA Air back in 2013. On two occasions my seatmate had ordered the Green & Safe special while I opted for one of the more traditional choices. In both instances I remember looking on with envy as seatmate tucked into a magnificent spread of food while my meal – though hardly a bad meal – seemed to pale in comparison to the Green & Safe entrée.

So – this time I played it Green & Safe and ordered accordingly. I was not disappointed.



EVA Air’s Green & Safe Steamed Sticky Rice & Scallops wrapped in Lotus Leaf


EVA Air’s Green & Safe Close Up


EVA Air’s Excellent Hot Sauce Accompaniment


Picture an Asian burrito filled with rice and veggies and the occasional scallop. Add to that a healthy portion of Tainan’s Super Grandma’s Ragu Sauce along with a side order of EVA’s own special brand of hot pepper sauce and you’ve got one of the better airline meals I’ve ever been served aloft – regardless of the distance flown. Check out the scale of the “burrito” relative to the wine glass or the roll and you’ll appreciate that this was a fairly substantial amount of food. I accompanied it with a glass of the Riesling which – as usual – did not disappoint. When it comes to white wines - by my tastes at least – the Germans rarely disappoint. Indeed, I can’t remember when they ever have.

Much like a kid at an amusement park riding aboard his favorite ride, this flight ended all too soon. I’ve seen EVA’s 747s in Vancouver over the past year. If this airplane is still being employed on the long Vancouver to Taipei trans-Pacific route, well – that’s one flight I’d love to be on someday. Even though these Premium Laurel seats are not 180° lie-flats, I would still rather enjoy 13 hours in the unparalleled ambiance of the 747’s forward cabin than in the new Royal Laurel lie-flat suites aboard EVA’s 777-300s.

Whaaaat?! Has old Seat 2A finally lost it?! I’d like to think not but for me at least, sitting in a Premium Class seat up in the nose of a Boeing 747 is truly one of life’s great travel experiences. From this point on I will count myself extremely fortunate for each and every opportunity I get to sit there once again. And believe me, I will try!

Once I’d cleared immigration at Taipei, I headed outside in search of a taxi to my hotel – the enticingly named Pleasant International Hotel in the “nearby” suburb of Taoyuan. When I flew through here ten days ago, my “Taoyuan” addressed hotel was only a six or seven minute taxi ride away. Tonight I watched as we sped past it on the motorway and continued another six or seven minutes before we turned off onto a main thoroughfare taking us into the heart of Taoyuan. I became increasingly uneasy as the driver continued on – he spoke no English so I had to trust that the taxi assistant at the airport had given him the right address to my hotel. Whereas my last taxi fare cost just 175.00 NTD, I watched with growing unease as the meter spun over 300, then 400 NTD. I breathed a sigh of relief when I watched us make a turn on Daxing Road – from there it was only another couple of minutes, though y the time we arrived the meter read 490 NTD. Although the hotel did not provide a shuttle from the airport, I was thankful that it did provide a free shuttle back to the airport the next morning – even if the only morning departure that would work for my flight was at 6:30am.

Seat 2A

April 13, 2017
Japan Airlines Taipei to Tokyo 1000a – 200p Boeing 787-8 Business Class

In planning this trip, one of the highlights for me was the chance to fly aboard five 787s from five different airlines. Although I’ve logged a total of seven flights aboard Boeing 787s so far, it’s still essentially a new airplane for me and as such every flight is cause for real excitement and anticipation. I remember when I used to feel that way about 727s and 737s. It’s a good feeling.

As exciting as it is for me to fly aboard a relatively new airliner like the 787, it’s every bit as exciting to fly aboard a new airline. Today I’ll be checking off both of those boxes with a flight up to Tokyo aboard Japan Airlines’ new 787-8. Japan Airlines will be my 192nd airline flown.

The early morning shuttle from the hotel dropped me off at Terminal 1 at 7:00am – perfectly timed to check-in for JL 802, the 10:00am 787 to Narita. Even three hours in advance of the flight, there was a surprisingly large group of people lined up to check-in. Thankfully, they were all in the Economy Class line. Over at the Business Class counter, it was just me and two agents.

Honestly, even though I’m a veteran of 2000+ flights and over 2 million miles of premium class travel, I am still so thankful for not having to wait in lines. I know that many of the “Been there, done that” crowd – of which we have quite a few here at FlyerTalk – don’t give a second thought to this benefit relative to the entire array of premium class travel benefits available to them, but for me it’s still viewed as a real privilege that I’ve just never quite been able to take for granted. Above all, it means that I can get through the boring part of air travel that much faster – stuff like check-in, security, immigration – and move on to the things I really enjoy like spending time in the premium class lounge.

Today I had a choice of multiple lounges. Although Japan Airlines operates its own dedicated lounge here at Taipei, I also had access to a couple of Plaza Premium lounges. One of those I visited ten days ago when I flew through here. Why not visit the other one today? There’d be plenty of time to check it out and then relocate to the JAL Lounge conveniently located at gate D6, just up from my departure gate at D7.

One nice aspect of the Plaza Premium lounges at Taipei is that they each have an on-site chef who will cook up a variety of freshly prepared items including eggs, potatoes and sausage during the morning hours. That’s what I had, along with a couple cups of fairly decent coffee. A copy of the Taipei Times provided intellectual entertainment and – after about an hour or so – I returned the paper to the rack and relocated to the JAL Lounge.

Oooo – now this is a nice facility! It isn’t a very large lounge and it may not have its own chef but I immediately liked the bright, open ambiance of the place. It also had a nice spread of finger foods available. I actually took a couple of pictures with my little Canon SX-160 but I didn’t particularly like the way they turned out so I dumped them. Sorry about that, but the way I see it - just because I took the picture doesn’t mean I need to publish it – especially if it’s blurry or poorly composed. As it is, this report will have about 90000 words of text and approximately 500 photos. I’d like to think that between those two mediums I will have supplied enough intellectual and visual stimulation to have satisfied most readers.

Arriving at the gate about 30 minutes in advance, I took a brief moment to admire my steed for the day – I think the 787 is a particularly good looking aircraft from the nose back – and then I proceeded down the jetway and onto the aircraft.

JAL operates two different versions of the 787 – one for regional flights and the other for international flights. JAL’s regional 787s have two separate Business Class cabins totaling 42 angled-flat seats. The seats in both cabins are upholstered in attractive brownish-black fabric that I found to be every bit as comfortable as it was good looking. Seat pitch was a generous 60” and the overall ambiance was both pleasant and welcoming.

A menu was located in the seatback pocket and covered meal offerings for each of the months that comprised the spring season. I wasted no time in checking it out. This month’s offerings were as follows:


LUNCHEON
Taipei to Tokyo


WESTERN MENU

Appetizer
Bacon Quiche
Smoked Salmon Cheese Ball
Parma Ham

Consommé with Vegetables

MAIN DISH

March: Beef Stew with Mushroom Sauce
April: Pan-Fried Pork with Tomato Demi-Glace Sauce
May: Beef Stew with Mustard Demi-Glace Sauce

Fresh Salad

Bread

Ice Cream

* * * _ * * *

JAPANESE MENU

Sautéed Potato Julienne

Chicken Breast & Cucumber marinated with Orange Vinegar

Soy Milk Tofu

Grilled Chicken with Almond
Egg Roll with Eel
Smoked Salmon & Egg Yolk Sushi
Stuffed “Shiitake” Mushroom
Fried Taro
Skewered Baby Cord, Prawn & Cucumber

Dainomono

March: Grilled Sea-bass “Yuzu” Flavor with Steamed Rice
April: Grilled Chicken Japanese Pepper Flavor, Steamed Rice
May: Grilled Salmon Miso Flavor, Steamed Rice

Miso Soup

Ice Cream


Once the ubiquitous hot towel and welcome drink were dispensed with, the captain came on to give his welcome while advising us of a surprisingly expeditious flight time of just 2 hours and 27 minutes for today’s 1360 mile flight - this despite the fact that we’d be battling a 58 mph headwind.

Push back was on the dot. I thought it was a nice touch that the ramp agents lined up and waved goodbye as we taxied off. Seven minutes later we soared into the beautiful blue skies over Taipei. I watched out my window as we passed over the coast of Taiwan. The sun sparkled off the East China Sea as I reclined my seat a bit and settled in for the ride. Today was a day made for flying.



Route of flight: TPE-NRT



The view out my window


We were 38 minutes into the flight by the time the drink cart made its way back to me at row 9. Hmm… let’s have a look at that beverage list…


WINE LIST

Champagne
Charles Heidsieck Brut Reserve N.V.

White Wine
Louis Max Mâcon Villages (Bourgogne)

Red Wine
Louis Max Bourgogne Hautes Côtes de Beaune (Bourgogne)

Japanese Shochu
Imo Shochu “Tomi no houzan” (Kagoshima)
Mugi Shochu “Nakanaka” (Miyazaki)


Hmm… got anything stronger? Ah… here it is:


Spirits
Suntory The Hakashu (Single Malt)
Chivas Regal
Jack Daniels
Bombay Sapphire Gin
Absolut Vodka


“Jack Daniels on the rocks, please.”
“Would you like a chaser with that?”
“Sure, why not?”

I’ve ordered a lot of JD over the years and I don’t believe I’ve ever been asked if I’d like a chaser before. Again – a nice touch.



Cocktail hour at 37000 over the East China Sea


Turning my attention to the menu, I thought it interesting that it covered three months’ worth of meals – March, April and May. I saw this done on ANA a few years back when I flew from Beijing to Osaka. Though ANA’s menu presentation was nicer, the Business Class meal I was served that day was not particularly impressive, the main course being a scrap of meat better tossed to the dog under the table than presented for human consumption. I looked forward to seeing what JAL might offer by comparison. When the flight attendant returned to take meal orders, I requested the western option.

They say a picture is worth a thousand words. What words come to mind for you when looking at the colorful array of foods? If I were to apply just one word to this meal, it would be Delicious!



Pan-Fried Pork with Tomato Demi-Glace Sauce
Consommé with Vegetables, Bacon Quiche, Smoked Salmon Cheese Ball, Parma Ham, Consommé with Vegetables


Ice Cream and Coffee


After the meal, I had a refill on the JD (Hold the chaser, please) and decided to look into the entertainment options. It was the usual mix of current film offerings – stuff I generally like to wait and watch on the big screen back home – so I moved on to documentaries.

OMG! I could hardly believe my eyes! There – under sports – was NFL Films’ America’s Game documentary covering the Denver Broncos’ 2015 season and victory over the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl 50. As a Broncos fan, I’ve been wanting to watch this for over a year but it’s never been released in DVD form. I have about 20 dvds of these well produced films covering other teams that I like such as the mid-seventies Steelers, the early 70s Raiders, Jimmy Johnson’s Cowboys and the Bill Belichik led Patriots – and of course the 1998/1999 Denver Broncos. I never would have thought my first opportunity to watch this particular video would come aboard a Japan Airlines flight.

By the time the video ended, we were well into our descent into Narita. It was a beautiful afternoon as we flew just off the coast of Japan’s Honshu Island. I tried to imagine how we might have looked to a young aviation enthusiast as he or she watched us head north into the Narita approach pattern.

When I was a boy, I used to take pause and watch as airliners made their approach into Denver’s Stapleton. Those early Pratt & Whitney turbofans – especially the JT3Ds that powered most 707s and DC-8s – had a distinctive whine to them, especially when they were powered back for slower approach speeds.

Conversely, I remember the thrill of seeing brightly colored Braniff 720s climbing away from Denver as they sped southeast to Dallas. Golden tailed Continental DC-9s were also common sights as they headed for Colorado Springs or Albuquerque. Of course I envisioned myself on each of them – in First Class, of course

We landed smoothly at Tokyo’s Narita International Airport and taxied into our gate on the satellite terminal. I should have known – a longer walk than even last time I was here was as a transit passenger in 1987. I’d arrived in First Class aboard a Swissair 747-300 and departed aboard a United 747SP bound for LA. Two days later I was stranded in a three day blizzard on the Colorado-Kansas border as I was driving east to join friends on the Grateful Dead’s Spring Tour. It was the last good year of touring with the Dead.

Once I’d cleared customs, it was a simple stroll to the outside of the terminal building where – at slot 25 – a courtesy bus from the Narita Tobu Hotel would depart every half hour. I didn’t have long to wait though I wouldn’t have minded given the beautiful spring day. The temperature felt close to 70°F.

Warning signs lit up as we approached the hotel. It looked to be an older facility and of particular note was the fact that about a third of its windows were open. At check-in I asked about air-conditioning and was informed that because it was still early spring it hadn’t been turned on yet. Open your window. Oh, geez… well, you get what you pay for, I guess – in my case about $65.00 USD per night. I asked for and was given a room on the non-sunny side of the hotel.

The room was small but functional. Getting a room on the shady side of the building was also a good call as climate control was never an issue. I turned on the flat screen TV and found English language programming from the usual source – CNN. While it was nice to be able to understand what was being said, my ongoing complaint with CNN is that it seems to cover and discuss nothing but Donald Trump. To be sure, ol’ Donald and his minions do provide plenty to discuss but you’d think there’d be more news to cover than just the president. CNN: The Trump Channel.

That night I had a beef risotto in the hotel restaurant that was quite possibly the best risotto I’ve ever had. Who knows – maybe I’ll come back to this hotel just for the risotto.

Back up in my room, it sounded like a party was going on next door. I had a 6:00am wakeup call and figured I’d give them until 11:00pm to mellow out. Thankfully, they must’ve had an early flight as well because at about 10:30 their television went off, the boisterous conversation ceased and we quickly transitioned into blissful silence.

Seat 2A

April 14, 2017
Japan Airlines Tokyo to Chicago 1110a – 855a Boeing 777-300 First Class

When I stepped out of the elevator and into the lobby this morning, it looked as if I was number 78 in line for a seat on the 7:00am shuttle to the airport. People and their luggage were spread out everywhere, including a couple of Japanese tour groups. Thankfully the hotel operates full size busses to each terminal and even added an extra van to cover the overflow to Terminal 2. Well done, Narita Tobu!

Upon arrival at Narita’s Terminal 2, I easily located JAL’s check-in counters. The First Class security checkpoint didn’t open until 7:30am and so I was directed to take a seat in the premium class waiting area, complete with comfy chairs and copies of JAL’s inflight magazine. Once the checkpoint did open, I was through there with ease and on to immigration where again, no line awaited me. It was downright dreamlike! Even better, as soon as I cleared immigration I was directly across the hallway from the First Class Lounge.



JAL First Class Lounge

I was immediately taken with the subdued lighting contrasting the natural daylight from the large windows along one wall. This is a very tastefully done facility. In addition to the usual lounge amenities like food zone, dining area, a self-service beverage bar and a business center, the lounge was divided into a number of different seating zones. This went a long way towards lending a sense of intimacy to these areas as opposed to the convention hall like atmosphere of a large room filled with chairs and tables as is unfortunately the case in quite a few other lounges.



JAL First Class Lounge Seating Area


JAL First Class Lounge Seating Area


JAL First Class Lounge – Business Center


After settling in at a table in the Business Center, I sauntered over to the food area to have a look at this morning’s selections. Hmm… very nice. There were hot dishes featuring traditional western fare such as really soft scrambled eggs, roasted potatoes, bacon and sausage. There were also a nice variety of finger foods, a salad bar and even a dessert bar. I was suitably impressed.



JAL First Class Lounge Finger Foods


JAL First Class Lounge Salad Bar


JAL First Class Lounge – Sweet Trays


JAL First Class Lounge – The Bar Selections
Hey – that’s me in the reflection!


This ought to tide me over until flight time…


I spent the next couple of hours noshing on finger foods (I must’ve eaten five or six of those delicious salmon and cream cheese hors d’oeuvres!) and working on this trip report. As ever, I had a lot to catch up on. Although I take plenty of notes while in the moment, I spend most of my time enjoying the moment with the result being that I am SO far behind in keeping this report up to date. As I said though, I keep good notes and I have the memory of an elephant on Ginkgo Biloba. As such it’s not at all difficult to come back to my notes up to a month later and pick up writing as if it all happened just yesterday.

Above all else though, my number one goal on these trips is to enjoy myself. Every once in a while – especially in situations like this where I’m spending a couple hours of pre-flight lounging – enjoying myself translates into working on this trip report. I enjoy writing, especially because I feel I can express myself, my impressions and my overall experiences much more effectively with words than I ever could with pictures alone.

There is a lot to read in my reports though, and in an era when many people text or email more than they actually write and where the instant gratification of a photo report with 1000 words is vastly preferred over slogging through a long written report of 10000+ words or more, I can only hope that a significant percentage of you will continue to find my style of trip reporting amenable to your interests and expectations. If you’ve actually read this far, I kid you not when I say you have my sincere gratitude.


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The announcement to board JL 010 to Chicago was made at about 10:40am – a half hour out. Quite a crowd was gathered in the gate area and as I strolled past the long line waiting to board Economy Class, a large blustery American man said “Hey! The line starts back there!”

Maybe it was my daypack. Maybe it was my limp. Maybe it was my rumpled Ivy League professor appearance with my tweed jacket, cap and beard. Then again, maybe the guy just liked to talk first and think later. I turned around, smiled, flashed my First Class boarding pass to him and said “Sorry about that. I’m in… First Class.”

“Oh” he stuttered. “Well, uh… have a good flight.”

“Thank you” I said. “I expect I will” as I continued on to the well signed First Class boarding lane, presented my boarding pass and proceeded regally down the jetway.

A warm greeting awaited me at the door and I was then escorted to my home for the next twelve hours – Suite 2A. We didn’t have far to go as I’d boarded at door 1L and JAL’s 777-300s have only eight First Class suites arranged in two rows of 1-2-1.



[b]Suite 2A aboard JAL’s 777-300/b]


I like large seats. I mean – we’re in First Class here – they ought to be large, right? And spacious. It’s not really important to me to have the complete privacy afforded by an enclosed suite a la Emirates or Etihad. Mainly I want to be comfortable and not feel walled in. JAL’s First Class suite scored well in both of these areas. Compared to the First Class suites aboard fellow OneWorld carrier British Airways’ 747s, this seat was far superior.

All of the usual amenities were waiting on or nearby the seat including a nice large pillow and a set of Bose QuietComfort® 25 headphones. The pillow had some decent density to it, too. Few things are more worthless to me than a soft, airy pillow. I want support and this pillow felt really good. I couldn’t wait to go to bed! Just kidding, of course – I placed the pillow and its accompanying blanket in the storage bin above the seat and then accepted a glass of Champagne graciously delivered by the beautiful and charming Miki – the flight attendant working my side of the cabin.

An amenity kit was next – an interesting presentation in a plastic wrapped hard red case. Still, it’s all about what’s in it and in this regard, this kit was more than amenable. Additionally, we were given a separate box of gender specific products from skin care specialist Shisheido. Combined with the amenity kit, it all comprised what has to be in terms of overall contents the best amenity kit I have ever received.



JAL’s First Class Amenity Kit XXX


JAL’s First Class Amenity Kit contents XXX


Interestingly, when pajamas were offered they were described as “Elastic Wear”. It took a little back and forth before I understood exactly what was being offered. Oh – pajamas! That’s alright – pajamas aren’t all that important to me – even if they’re Japan Air Lines pajamas which I understand are quite nice. Aside from the fact that I’m perfectly comfortable sleeping in just my pants and a t-shirt, I just don’t have room to be hauling anything more around with me. My bag’s already stuffed to the breaking point with amenity kits and a one inch high pile of menus.

On the other hand, I really would have liked one of those “Happi Coats” that JAL used to bestow upon its First Class clientele back in the 1960s. Check out this picture of the Beatles wearing their Happi Coats upon arrival in Japan for their 1966 tour. Word is these coats made a brief comeback with JAL last year but unfortunately it was only for a short lived promotion

As I sat and sipped my tasty Salon Champagne, I took a moment to try out the various seat adjustment functions. Over the years I’ve learned to do this while on the ground during the boarding process. It’s a good habit to get into because if anything is wrong with the seat, the chances of fixing it satisfactorily are markedly better at the gate than they are in the air. After the seat tested out well, I reclined it a bit and took in the view ahead of me. It included a 23” monitor and a large table area that was your dining table. When needed, you just slid it out toward you.



Looking forward from suite 2A


Looking sideways from suite 2A


Before much longer we were buttoned up and ready to go. I love the sound of that tractor revving up beneath us, followed by the first gentle tug as we begin our push back from the gate. I also love the muted hum from the huge GE90-115B turbofan engines as they spool up and then rev up as we begin our taxi way from the gate.

Out my window, four ramp agents lined to give us an enthusiastic wave goodbye.



So long from your friends on the amp in Tokyo


As we made the turn to line up for our take off roll, I viewed an impressive lineup of one ANA 787-9 and two JAL 787-8s behind us. A moment later, I was treated to a nice view of the runway that we’d soon be thundering down.



787s line up for departure


Runway 16R beckons


The Captain turned on to the runway, paused briefly to perhaps appreciate the moment and then pushed his throttles all the way forward. 42 seconds later, we were airborne – climbing steeply away from the green countryside surrounding Narita. For such a large airplane, I thought the 777-300ER had an impressively steep climb out.



Steep climb away from Narita


We were 18 minutes into the flight when the Wine List was presented. I thought it a bit surprising that the Wine List was presented separately from the menu but hey – we’ve got 12 more hours before we’re due to land in Chicago. There’ll be plenty of time to check out the menu. As for the Wine List, let’s see what’s on offer this afternoon:


WINE LIST

Champagne
Champagne Salon 2006
Charles Heidsieck Blanc des Millénaires

White Wine
Château de Meursault 1er Cru Charmes 2011, Bourgogne, France
Yealands Estate Single Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc 2016, Awatere Valley, Marlborough, New Zealand
Durnberg Rabenstein Gruner Veltliner Reserve 2015, Austria
Coco Farm & Winery Kaze no Etude, Japan

Red Wine
Château d’Armailhac Pauillac 2012, Bordeaux, France
Albert Bichot Gevrey Chambertin Les Evocelles 2013, Bourgogne, France
Ch.Igai Takaha “SONO” Pinot Noir 2014, California, USA
KUSUDA Martinborough Syrah 2014, New Zealand

Premium Japanese Sake
Hakurakusei
Isojiman

Premium Japanese Shochu
Mori Izo
Kanehachi

Port Wine
Graham’s Tawny Port 30 Years


BEVERAGES

Aperitif – Cocktail
Tio Pepe Dry Sherry
Martini Extra Dry Vermouth
Campari
Lejay Crème de Cassis
Plum Wine
Martini
Kir Royale
Kir
Bloody Mary

Whisky
Chivas Regal Royal Salute 21 Years
Suntory Hibiki 17 Years Old
L&G Woodford Reserve

Spirits
Bombay Sapphire Gin
Absolut Vodka

Brandy-Liqueur
Rémy Martin V.S.O.P.
Cointreau
Bailey’s Irish Cream




Miki returned five minutes later, whereupon I ordered a glass of 21 Year Old Royal Salute - on the rocks, please. It was tempting to order a glass of the Woodford’s, but I can have that any old time at home. As for the highly regarded 2006 Champagne Salon, I’m just not enough of a Champagne drinker to go wild on it like some others here have famously shared. A welcome aboard glass at boarding was enough for me, thanks.

A few minutes later my drink was delivered with a nicely plated collection of canapés. Three minutes later Miko returned with a basket bearing dried seafood, fruit and nuts and something I couldn’t figure out what it was. Dried seafood and whiskey? (Shiver!) No thank you. I accepted some of the mixed fruit and nuts and passed on the rest.



Cocktails and Canapés over the Pacific


Whisky and tidbits


Reclining my seat a bit more, I reminisced a bit on this wonderful trip I’d taken so far. Thirty-eight thousand five hundred miles traveled aboard eighteen airlines, most of that in premium classes with twelve flights having been aboard airlines never before flown by me. Add to that a fantastic week long journey across Siberia in the comfort of the very best accommodations available plus short stays in Bangkok and Bali and a week relaxing under the palms in Fiji and you’ve got one of the best around the world expeditions I’ve ever made.

Out my window puffy white clouds floated amidst azure blue over the deep indigo blue of the North Pacific. The flight map indicated that our route of flight would take us on a northerly route up over Alaska, much like you’d see on a westbound flight. It was unusual inasmuch as the primary reason for that northerly tack is to avoid headwinds across the Pacific. Flying eastbound, those same headwinds would be tailwinds.



Initial route of flight ~ NRT-ORD


Well, avoidance of tailwinds is just fine by me – especially when I’m ensconced in the lap of luxury while being wined and about to be dined like royalty. I sat back and took another sip from my drink. Is this the life, or what?! God, I love flying International First Class…

We were 37 minutes into the flight when the main menu was delivered. It was presented in a 6” X 14” grey folder embossed with the letters BEDD, which I’m told is an acronym for Bed, Dining, Delicious and Dream. Okay… Although it appeared that everyone else in the cabin was preparing to eat right away, I asked if I might hold off on the luncheon service until about 1:00pm. Miki didn’t speak English all that well, but she spoke it well enough to convey all aspects of the service to me as well as understand my questions and meal requests. In between, we worked it all out - Luncheon at 1:00pm and a refill on my drink, please.


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Do you remember back when you were only 6 or 7 years old and how excited you used to get in the days leading up to Christmas? Did you ever go over to the tree and just pick up and shake a couple of the more attractively wrapped or shaped presents while trying to get a sense of what might be inside? It was so fun to just sit there and imagine the potentially amazing gifts inside. Well as an adult, the sense of gleeful anticipation is no less fervent for me when it comes to the days and hours leading up to a flight in International First Class – especially when flying my first time in First Class aboard an old and well regarded airline like JAL.

As you might imagine then, prior to this flight I did quite a bit of anticipatory research on JAL’s First Class meal service. There are a number of trip reports and basic reviews available for viewing online, all of them generally quite favorable towards JAL’s inflight premium class product. An initial perusal of the menu appeared to validate those assessments. So then, what to order…

To be honest, I’ve never been a big eater of either fish or seafood. That’s not to say that there aren’t fish and seafood dishes that I’ve very much enjoyed over the years. Inflight, the most memorable of those was a delectable Baked Barramundi in a sublime coconut curry sauce produced by the talented chefs at Singapore Changi’s flight kitchen and served with flair one evening aboard a British Airways 747-400 bound for Melbourne, Australia. The year was 2002, but so delicious was that meal that even now – fifteen years later – the flavor still titillates my memory.

In any event, Japanese food is strongly influenced by delicacies from the deep and, with my tastes leaning more towards continental fare, I turned my attention to the Western Menu.


LUNCHEON
Tokyo to Chicago

JAPANESE MENU

Seasonal Five Colorful Delicacies

Simmered common Orient clam with Japanese Butterbur Miso
Egg Cake
Tender simmered octopus
Simmered conger eel “sushi” wrapped with Sakura leaf
Boiled firefly squid

Owan
Japanese clear soup with Sakura petals
Bamboo shoots fish mousse & simmered abalone

Seafood
Prawn & pen shell “Sashimi” style with bamboo shoots & “Wakeme” seaweed
Cold steamed egg custard with sea urchin with layer of smoked potato potage accompanied by caviar

Dainomono
Braised beef cheek & potatoes

Hanmono
Steamed rice with Japanese pepper flavored young sardines

Tomewan
Miso soup with tofu & perilla
Japanese pickles

Kanmi
Condensed milk sherbet with lychee yogurt sauce & strawberry
Ryugin’s Speciality ~ Japanese style baked pistachio cake
Roppongi Pudding



WESTERN MENU

Amuse Bouche
Scottish smoked salmon gravlax

Hors d’oeuvre
Caviar with egg yolk cream and crispy rice wafers
French Veal “Vitello Tonnato”
Warm salad of spring vegetables & Iberico Chorizo


MAIN DISH

Beef Fillet with Green Asparagus
Accompanied by egg yolk sauce

“Hinai-Jidori”
Chicken Pot-au-feu in “Kiritanpo” style

Blue Lobster
With turnip and celeriac sauce Américaine


Assortment of Artisanal Breads
Pain de Campagne
Natural yeast butter roll
Soy milk bread
Sunflower seed bread

Dessert
“Kotoka” Strawberry & Rhubarb in springlike Vacherin style

Upon Request
“Dainagon” Adzuki Bean Financier “S”





Oh yeah! I think I should be able to come up with a pretty tasty meal from the impressive collection of foods available here. While Miko stood patiently by with pen and notepad in hand, I delivered my choices one by one.

Let’s start with the amuse bouche followed by the caviar, the French veal and the warm salad. Miko raised her eyebrows slightly at my choice of all three hors d’oeuvres but dutifully recorded my selections and awaited my main course selection with a shy smile. What a gal! Uh, okay then – although the beef fillet and the lobster were sorely tempting, I felt it was the least I could do to at least sample one Japanese item on the menu. So for the main course then, let’s go with… the “Hinai-Jidori” chicken dish. As for dessert, let’s wait until after the meal to see how I feel. I may have it later in the flight.

So – with my 1:00pm luncheon date an hour or so away, it was time to turn my attention to the 23” monitor in front of me. I had only one thing in mind. That’s right – a replay of the Denver Bronco’s glorious 2015 season capped off by their dominant victory over the gallant but overmatched Carolina Panthers. Speaking only as a Broncos fan, I felt that the NFL Films production of “America’s Game – Super Bowl 50” was so good that once my luncheon service began in earnest, it was worth watching yet again. And so it was that as Miko laid my table settings and delivered my amuse bouche, I settled in for my third viewing of the Bronco’s wonderful 2015 season. Go Broncos!



Amuse Bouche with John Elway, Gary Kubiak and Joe Ellis in the background


You know, I’d always understood that by definition, an amuse bouche was supposed to be a small bite sized morsel of food which is designed to stimulate the appetite before a meal. What I was presented was more along the lines of a proper appetizer and did not look like I expected something titled “Scottish Smoked Salmon Gravlax” to look. That’s not to say that I was complaining, mind you! It was a delicate and delicious start to the meal.

Throughout this trip I’d had such good experiences with New Zealand wines that I decided to stick with them via a glass of the Yealands Estate Single Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc. This was an excellent accompaniment to each and every dish so I stayed with it throughout the meal.

Moving right along, my table was cleared and I was next presented with a plate of caviar. That would be Malossol Caviar for anyone who may care. Truth be known, I recently learned that the term “Malossol” doesn’t carry the same cachet that it used to. Once upon a time “Malossol” was used to distinguish high grade caviar from ordinary caviar. When caviar was being produced many centuries ago, no viable preservatives existed to properly conserve and extend its shelf-life. The only known solution was to add salt in order to preserve the caviar. However, adding too much salt would overwhelm the taste and quality of the caviar, compromising the cell-walls of the roe and causing the caviar to lose its characteristic "pop". Thus, the term "Malossol" was born to inform both purveyors and consumers alike that this specific type of caviar had not been overly salted and was of the highest quality and taste.

Traditionally, only the highest grade of roe such as Beluga or Imperial Ossetra Caviar was used for the “Malossol” process. Today however, “Malossol” is no longer indicative of caviar's grade, quality or origin because most all types are treated with salt in order to properly preserve the caviar and to add to its taste. As a result, almost all caviar is considered "Malossol" by definition.



Malossol Caviar served aboard Japan Airlines


Malossol Caviar presentation aboard Japan Airlines


From where I sit however, “Malossol” sounded just fine and it tasted even better. I particularly enjoyed JAL’s presentation, which was different from any other airline’s that I’d experienced. Most airlines serve their caviar in the traditional manner with blinis or Melba toast accompanied by chopped onions, egg whites, egg yolks and sour cream. JAL’s presentation was highlighted by a tasty egg yolk cream and crispy rice wafers which were conveniently shaped like small bowls. After spreading generous portions of egg yolk cream upon the wafers, I spooned on equally generous amounts of caviar. The result was delicious – every bit as good as the traditional style.

Next up was the French Veal “Vitello Tonnato”. At first I thought that they’d forgotten the veal what with the two big leaves of Romaine lettuce garnishing the plate but no – underneath the flavorful light colored sauce were three scrumptious morsels of tender and delicious veal. Appetizers don’t get much better than this!



French Veal “Vitello Tonnato”


Alright, let’s see what this warm salad is all about. I generally like my salads on the cold and crisp side but the salad I was served on this afternoon while cruising high above the Pacific was memorably delicious.



Warm Salad of Spring Vegetables & Iberico Chorizo


The flavor of the warm and mildly spicy sausage in combination with the assorted vegetables and light vinaigrette was simply exquisite. I’m not going to say it was the best salad I’ve ever had on an airplane because Lord knows I’ve had quite a few good ones in my days but it was immediately distinctive and memorably flavorful. I may have to try some warm Spanish or Italian sausage in one of my salads I make at home someday.

So then, it was time for the main course. If you’ll recall, the name of the dish I requested is “Hinai-Jidori”, described as Chicken Pot-au-feu in “Kiritanpo” style. Truth be known, I ordered this dish more out of a sense of adventure than from any familiarity with the meal. Thus, without any background in the Japanese culinary arts I really had no idea what to expect.



“Hinai-Jidori”
Chicken Pot-au-feu in “Kiritanpo” style


When Miko presented my plate, I must admit to having been just a wee bit underwhelmed. There wasn’t very much chicken and I couldn’t really identify what the stuff was that accompanied it. I tentatively applied knife and fork and took the first cautious bite.

Any sense of discontent quickly dissolved with the first forkful of chicken. It was succulent and tender, nicely flavored with a deceptively rich broth and deliciously accompanied by the “Kiritanpo” style rice dumplings. As I licked off the last morsel from my fork a few minutes later, my only complaint was that there wasn’t a bit more of everything.

On the other hand, because I wasn’t overwhelmingly full I had enough room to try out a serving of dessert – something called “Kotoka” Strawberry & Rhubarb in spring like Vacherin style. Hmm… well, I’d had pretty good luck with the last mysterious bit of Japanese cuisine I’d tried, so I decided to roll the proverbial dice and go for the dessert. Here’s what I was served:



“Kotoka” Strawberry & Rhubarb in spring like Vacherin style


I know, I know – it looks like a poached egg doused in Hollandaise Sauce with diced tomatoes on one side and raspberry sauce on the other, all of it topped by a piece of colorful construction paper with a spot of French’s mustard and a couple of purple flower petals. It tasted much better than that though – although I still can’t tell you exactly what it was. It was sweet, it was delicate and it was a nice ending to an excellent First Class meal.



After dinner chocolate


A check of the SkyMap indicated that our route of flight was proceeding along a more traditional eastbound trans-Pacific routing than the initial flight plan which showed a much more northerly route up over southern Alaska. Had we stuck to that original routing – who knows? – maybe I would have stayed awake to enjoy the view of my homeland from on high. There were almost eight and a half more hours left in the flight and, given the more direct southerly routing - what the heck, I might as well take a little nap. If all goes well, I’ll wake up with three or four more hours left to enjoy the remainder of the flight.

Of course I can never sleep right after eating, so I took brief advantage of the free Wi-Fi available to First Class passengers, got my flight log up to date with all the relevant information from my two latest flights and then called on Miko to convert my seat into bed mode. While she attended to that, I took a stroll back to the nether regions of the aircraft.

JAL’s new Sky Suite configured 777s get generally positive reviews from all of the usual sources. I’m certainly impressed and pleased with JAL’s First Class product. On the other hand, I couldn’t help but cringe inwardly as I made my way back through the Business and Premium Economy cabins. Perhaps it is a measure of how sybaritic I’ve become with regard to long distance travel but compared to my spacious digs in the front of the airplane, I thought the Business Class suites looked a tad too snug. The seats certainly looked comfortable enough but the passengers were walled into little rectangular cubicles with the walls right up on you on both sides.

Perhaps it’s because I grew up in an era when First Class was highlighted by large spacious seats with lots of room around them. I’m talking domestic First Class here in the U.S. back in the 1970s when seat pitch was always a minimum of about 45”. All seats were in pairs. I was always more appreciative of the ambiance created by the extra space than I was ever bothered by the lack of privacy from my neighbor. Sometimes that proximity was actually a positive as it resulted in meeting a new and interesting person. These days, even if you are sat side by side, so many people immediately slip on their Bose 35s and wire into their laptops, mp3s or the IFE system that you can still enjoy a measure of privacy.

I also can’t help but consider my perspective relative to that of other flyers - most of whom would be thrilled to have a seat in those little Business Class cubicles. I know of a couple from Northern Ireland who once flew over to the U.S. aboard Virgin Atlantic’s Premium Economy. They could not have been happier with the extra space and the slightly enhanced services compared to what they usually experienced back in trans-Atlantic economy class. So - should I feel just a wee bit guilty to have it so good?

No.

I’ve worked hard to earn the award miles that got me my suite up in First Class. And – I’ve been smart enough to have figured out how to earn those miles without having paid a fortune equivalent to what a First Class ticket would’ve cost me had I bought it straight up.

That said, the miles don’t just flow into my account via credit card churning or business related charges I earn my miles the old fashioned way – by scouring the internet for low priced tickets, purchasing them and actually flying the flights. Though I usually only purchase 4 to five tickets at a time, occasionally I’ll do a mega-mileage run. Some of you might remember these epic mileage runs from years past:


Not For The Faint Hearted ~ 82 Flights and 87830 Miles of Mileage Running

Dear Diary – Three Weeks of Flying Around America

ON THE ROAD AGAIN: In Search of Bonus Miles


When Alaska Airlines inaugurated their San Diego to Boston nonstop service with an $84.00 one way fare and a double mileage promotion (which meant triple mileage to a 75K like me), I immediately purchased 15 round trips and flew them all four months later. As any of you know who’ve flown two trans-con flights in one day – regardless of whether you are seated in First Class – ten hours of sitting is not as easy as it sounds. Add to that the fact that I’m not a rich guy so I’m sleeping on the floor of the airport most nights and you get a sense of the price I pay to earn the miles requisite to an International First Class award ticket.

Returning to the First Class cabin, I found my seat remade into a wide and comfortable bed complete with large sturdy pillow and a warm wool blanket. I would have gladly graced this trip report with a picture of the bed and bedding but my camera was in my daypack which was now positioned well underneath the bed. However, if you click on THIS LINK, you’ll be delivered to JAL’s website which provides numerous views of the First Class Sky Suite in its many configurations.

I always read before going to bed. Today was no different. Along with reading a few pages from my latest book, I also took a moment to check out the menu and see what I’d be missing on the mid-flight menu had I chosen to stay awake throughout the flight.


A LA CARTE

“Otoriyose” In The Sky
Friendship rice bowl of tomato and basil

SNACK

Sea-bream Carpaccio

Assorted Japanese Brochettes
Beef sirloin on skewer with wasabi flavored soy sauce powder
Pork belly roll & vegetables on skewer
Seafood on skewer


When I awoke we were cruising high over Baker, Oregon. I’d managed about a four and a half hour nap. Back in Japan it was approaching 9:00pm. Up ahead of us in Chicago it was approaching 6:00am. Down below us in Baker it was 4:00am and all was dark. The first faint streaks of dawn were just beginning to color the distant horizon ahead of us.



Good Morning, America!


Our actual route of flight – unfortunately way south of Alaska


I remember back when I would’ve thought the three hour flight from Boise, Idaho to Chicago was a long flight. Now, like sand through the hourglass, my First Class experience on Japan Airlines was slowly dwindling away and the three hours remaining in this flight seemed all too short. It was a good time for a cup of coffee and perhaps a bit more before our arrival in Chicago. Walking back to the lav, I stopped by the galley to convey my wishes. Miki was on rest break but another flight attendant quickly attended to converting my bed back to its daytime configuration. When I returned, a fresh chocolate awaited me and – shortly thereafter – a hot towel.

Alright then – where did I put that menu? Ah – there it is on the table under the TV. Let’s have a look, shall we?


LIGHT MEAL

Snack
Quinoa & Grilled Vegetable Salad with creamy French dressing
White asparagus soup
Grilled chicken sandwich “Yuzu” chili flavor
“Sangenton” Pork cutlet sandwich
JAL Original Beef Curry

Noodles
“Ramen” noodles in soy sauce flavored soup
Japanese hot “Udon” noodles with edible wild plants

Cheese Selection
Assorted cheeses with traditional accompaniments

Refreshment
Assorted seasonal fresh fruit
Petit Dessert Tray – Tarteb au citron, Gâteau au Fromage, Pudding with adzuki bean cream, Fruits and syrup
Chocolate – Jean Paul Hevin “Fleure”


I asked my new flight attendant if I might order another portion of caviar but she indicated that only items from the Light Meal portion of the menu could be ordered now. How about the Assorted Japanese Brochettes from the Snack menu? At first she seemed a bit hesitant but then agreed that these would be allowed. I thought this all seemed a bit rigid by proper international First Class standards, but as a first time passenger on JAL’s First Class, I had no way of knowing if this was the actual policy or she just wasn’t sure. Arguing the point did not seem like a good idea but if this indeed is JAL’s policy for First Class dining, I would advise them to loosen up.

In any event, we settled on a plate of the brochettes to start followed by a bowl of asparagus soup and then a serving of JAL’s Original Beef Curry. Oh – and my I also have a cup of coffee with that please?

The second meal got off to a good start with Miki’s return and an enticing presentation of the assorted brochettes along with a beautiful coffee presentation complete with a silver French press coffee pot accompanied by an hourglass to alert me when the coffee was ready to press. The steak in particular was spectacular! I should’ve pressed my luck and seen if I could’ve talked that other flight attendant out of a double order of the brochettes. Very nice, indeed!



Assorted Japanese Brochettes
Beef sirloin on skewer with wasabi flavored soy sauce powder
Pork belly roll & vegetables on skewer
Seafood on skewer


Next up was the soup. I didn’t think the presentation was all that impressive given the size of the bowl relative to the size of the portion, but the flavor was good even if the soup didn’t have a single piece of asparagus in it.



White asparagus soup


I’m a big fan of curries – the hotter and more flavorful the better. That said, I’m sorry to report that – per my tastes, at least – JAL’s Original Beef Curry was probably the blandest and least enjoyable curry I have ever eaten – on the ground or in the air. I understand that given the wide spectrum of passengers and their individual tastes, airline food can’t afford to be overly spiced but even the addition of JAL’s supposedly hot condiments did little to improve on this curry. Again though, these are my tastes. For some of you perhaps, the curry may have been just right.



JAL’s Original Beef Curry


Ever since British Airways introduced me to the wonderful taste sensations of a quality port wine via the delicious Warre’s 1986 Reserve Tawny Port it was proffering to its First Class clientele some fifteen years ago, the cheese course has become my favorite way to end an airline meal. I specifically mention airline meal because I rarely ever close out a meal on the ground – either at home or in a restaurant – with cheese and port. I don’t always request cheese in the air either because after four or five courses worth of food I’m often too full. On this flight however, there was no way I was going to end the meal portion of it without checking out a glass of that Graham’s 30 Year Old Tawny Port. I’ve had both the 10 and 20 year old ports that Graham produces and found them both quite acceptable, especially the 20 year old. How would the 30 Year Old compare?



Cheese Plate with 30 Year Old Port


It compared very nicely indeed. The first sip epitomized port perfection per my tastes – velvety rich and slightly nutty but not too sweet – just the way I like it. The aftertaste was surprisingly long and lingering and I’ve already placed an order for a bottle with our local wine specialty store. A couple hours of overtime work should cover the cost but then, with some of the other wines and bourbons I also ordered it looks as if I’ll be scheduling a couple of days of OT.

So am I the only person on this plane who’s disappointed that we’ve less than an hour left in the flight?

Some of you may recall that I recently spent six straight days and nights on a train and lived to write about it. Clearly I’m not on the same page as the rest of humanity when it comes to long distance travel endurance so in this era of ultra-long distance flights I could easily see myself enjoying 20-30 hours of nonstop flight aboard an airplane – provided I was ensconced in a proper First Class suite.

As it is however, my grand adventure is hardly over. Tomorrow afternoon I’ll be stepping aboard Amtrak’s California Zephyr where a private roomette awaits me for the 2,440 mile 52 hour train ride across the Midwest plains, the Rocky Mountains and the American West to San Francisco.

I’ve got plenty to look forward to. Even so, I wouldn’t mind putting that train trip off for a day in exchange for another 10-20 hours aloft while enjoying the wonderful First Class food, wine and comfort aboard Japan Airlines’ 777-300ER Sky Suite. Knowing what I know now, next time I would replace the soup and curry in lieu of the Quinoa & Grilled Vegetable Salad and the “Sangenton” Pork Cutlet Sandwich.

I watched intently as we descended into Chicago’s O’Hare International. It was a bright sunny day and as we descended ever lower I was pleased to see that spring had indeed sprung a little bit here and there with a few green lawns and patches of trees adding life to the otherwise drab Chicago suburbs.

Touchdown in Chicago was a few minutes early. From my vantage point up in the front of the 242 foot long (74 meters) 777-300, we kissed the concrete with a landing that was barely discernible other than a very soft bump. The smoothest landing I ever recall was back in 1976 aboard a Continental DC-10 arriving in Honolulu after a flight from Seattle. I was up in First Class and never even felt the rear wheels touch down. Forgive me a moment while I wipe away a tear in memory of those wonderful Continental DC-10s as configured in the mid-seventies. The First Class California Room, the Polynesian Pub, the bright décor of the Coach Class Micronesia Room – what a marvelous airplane to fly upon!

Miki and her crew bid us a cheerful farewell at the door. I thanked her for a great flight and promised to come back and visit again real soon. With First Class award travel going for just 75000 miles each way between the U.S. and Asia, I can definitely see another First Class flight aboard JAL in my future.

Well done, Japan Airlines! ^^


* * * :-: * * * :-: * * *


Thanks to my status as a card carrying member of the U.S. government’s Global Entry program, I was processed and through immigration and customs in less than five minutes. For anyone who flies internationally more than once or twice a year, I can’t imagine a better $100.00 investment than a membership in Global Entry. Unless you actually enjoy standing in lines, that is. Your Global Entry ID number even doubles as your Known Traveler number, thus granting you admittance to TSA Pre✓over the duration of your membership.

Seat 2A

April 15, 2017
Amtrak Chicago to Emeryville, CA 230p – 430p+2 California Zephyr First Class

I suppose it’s possible if not probable that most people – after having completed a 7 day, 4700 mile train ride across Asia - would have had their fill of train travel for a while.

Not me.

I’ve been looking forward to this portion of the trip with every bit as much enthusiasm as any other part of this grand adventure. The California Zephyr is widely regarded as the most scenic of Amtrak’s long distance routes and is without question my favorite of all Amtrak’s long distance trains. The name suggests a gentle Western breeze carrying you across the heart of America to the golden shores of California. For many travelers, that’s a prospect every bit as comforting as it is exciting. By comparison, an airline flight between Chicago and San Francisco offers you a seat aboard a nameless Boeing or an Airbus.



The route of the California Zephyr


My first ever long distance train ride came aboard the original California Zephyr back in 1969. I was on my way from Denver to a river rafting camp outside of Glenwood Springs, Colorado. The Zephyr was in its final year of independent operation prior to the nationalization of the nation’s passenger railroads and the arrival of Amtrak. The six hour 190 mile ride up through the Rocky Mountains and the canyons of the Colorado River was a magical experience that instilled in me a passion for train travel that still burns hot to this day.



The original California Zephyr climbing into the Rocky Mountains


So it is then that I awoke this morning with vim and vigor, excited and ready to return to the rails for a four day journey that will take me first to California aboard the Zephyr and then north along the Pacific Coast and through the Pacific Northwest aboard Amtrak’s Coast Starlight to Seattle.


* * * :-: * * * :-: * * *



The hotel shuttle delivered me to Terminal 2, the most convenient access point for anyone taking Chicago’s CTA trains into the city. The Blue Line trains are inexpensive ($5.00 one way) and fast, generally getting you into the heart of Chicago much faster than a cab – especially during rush hour.



A seat on the CTA Blue Line


Normally I get off at the Clinton Street Station, which is only a three block walk from Chicago’s Union Station. However, this station is not ADA compliant and so you must climb a fairly lengthy flight of stairs – a couple of them as I recall. As my roll-a-bord had gotten quite a bit heavier over the course of this trip, I decided to get off at the Jackson St. Station and catch a cab from there.

Chicago’s Union Station is massive, taking up approximately nine and a half city blocks. Built in the popular Beaux-Arts style seen in stations at Kansas City, St. Louis and Denver to name just three, Union Station is known for its distinctive Corinthian columns and magnificent Great Hall. The station has been designated as one of America’s “Great Places” by the American Planning Association and for those that have an hour or two between or before trains, it’s worth having a look around.



Chicago’s Union Station


Chicago’s Union Station


Chicago’s Union Station


Perhaps it happened when I was getting out of the cab. Or maybe it was a moment or two later out in the street. All I know is that when I walked into Amtrak’s new Metropolitan Lounge and took off my daypack to retrieve my train ticket, I noticed that my wallet was missing. The pocket that I normally keep it in on the outside of my pack was unzipped and wide open with no wallet within. It was a terrible feeling, because given the locale and the hundreds of people who could have stumbled across that wallet had it fallen out of my daypack, well… let’s just say I didn’t feel real good about my chances of recovering it.

I won’t bore you with all the various things I did over the next 45 minutes in an effort to find that wallet. Suffice it to say that they all proved futile. I had about $130.00 in cash plus three credit cards and one debit card. I managed to cancel all of the credit cards without incident but by the time I called to cancel the debit card, someone had already rung up $3100.00 in charges on it. That will of course be reimbursed but still … Any of you who’ve ever had a wallet stolen know what a hassle it is.

So there I was in Chicago’s Union Station with $1.25 in my pocket and a ticket out of town. The train was due to depart in 25 minutes. Thankfully I still had my passport. Since my First Class tickets on the Zephyr included all meals, I decided my best course of action would be to board the train and see what I could work out along the way.

Now then – where is it leaving from? Ah – South Concourse, Track 22.



California Zephyr – All Aboard!


Each Amtrak bi-level Superliner Sleeper is outfitted with 14 Roomettes, 5 Deluxe bedrooms, 1 Family bedroom and one Handicapped bedroom. Four roomettes along with the Family and Handicapped bedrooms are located downstairs. As always I had reserved roomette #11, located downstairs and to the left.



Roomette 11 – First door on the left


Although most people are excited about the prospect of a seat or bedroom high on the upper level of Amtrak’s Superliner fleet, I prefer a lower level room for two reasons. First, the downstairs rooms are quieter because there is much less foot traffic passing by your door. All the inter-car traffic is upstairs. Secondly, riding in the lower level of the car results in much less tilt motion than is experienced on the upper levels. Like a fulcrum point on a seesaw, the ride is smoother down closer to the tracks.

The roomettes measure 3’6” by 6’6” and are accessed via a sliding glass door. During the day they offer two wide opposite facing seats that fold together to become a bed at night. Above them is a fold-down upper berth. Other amenities include four separate lights, an electrical outlet, a tall mirror, a fold out table, a small open closet with hangers and a thermostat which I immediately turned to its lowest level. Best of all, each compartment has its own huge window, approximately 2’ X 5’, through which to view the passing scenery. Toilet and shower facilities are down the hall. For a single traveler, I think these roomettes are quite sufficient and comfortable which is a good thing because they would be my home for the next four nights.

At my seat were two big fluffy pillows and two hangars. On the center console where the table is stored were two bottles of water and a variety of pamphlets about the train. There was a route guide, a timetable, Amtrak’s excellent magazine The National and a brochure describing the train and its various services and attractions. Also provided was a safety card much like you’d see aboard an airliner.



Roomette in daytime configuration


Family Bedroom


Deluxe Bedroom


Shower Suite


Shower Suite


At the top of the stairway is the service area for each car. In the morning, juice and coffee are available from this area. Ice is occasionally available depending upon the car attendant, though they’ll always be happy to bring you some upon request as well.



Service Area


I hung my jacket and then grabbed my camera and stepped off the train for a couple of photos. Train travel is exciting stuff with plenty of sights, sounds and smells to stimulate the senses. Amtrak’s bi-level Superliner cars are huge, towering above those of us down on the platform.



Huge Superliner Car


It wasn’t long before the “All Aboard!” call rang out and I quickly re-boarded the train. The doors were closed, the step stools stowed and just like that, the California Zephyr slowly accelerated out of the station. Emeryville was 52 hours and 2440 miles to the west. I settled into my roomette and started making calls.

My itinerary as originally planned had me riding the California Zephyr out to the Oakland suburb of Emeryville, overnighting in San Francisco and then flying down to Burbank the next morning to connect to the northbound Coast Starlight up to Seattle. From there I’d fly down to Phoenix, pick up a rental car and drive it up to Colorado for a short visit with family before heading back home to Alaska.

With no driver’s license or credit card, I’d be unable to rent a car. I was really looking forward to that drive from Arizona up to Colorado and it seemed to me that if I could make just a couple of minor adjustments, I could possibly get back on track in a couple of days. Here’s what I came up with:

After arriving in Seattle on the Coast Starlight as planned, I cancelled the Seattle to Phoenix flight and instead rebooked myself a seat back home to Fairbanks using award miles. I’d already arranged for one of my credit cards to be expedited via one-day express mail to my home address in Ester. It would be waiting for me by the time I arrived home. During my short stay in Fairbanks I’d head over to the DMV and get my license re-issued as well as run a few other wallet related errands around town. I also booked a mileage ticket for the following day down to Phoenix and then modified my rental car reservation to pick up two days later. Although I’d lose out on my swing through Joshua Tree National Park and the Mojave Desert, I’d still be able to resume my travels as originally booked simply by driving up to Flagstaff where I already had a room booked at the Travelodge off Route 66.

As for cash on hand, I had the five quarters in my pocket – not even enough to buy a cup of coffee in the lounge car. Thankfully my nephew lives in Denver and, upon hearing of my plight said he’d drive downtown and meet me during the California Zephyr’s 45 minute stop at Denver’s Union Station. He also agreed to bring me $300.00 cash and a bottle of Jack Daniels. What a great nephew!

Later, I was chatting with my car attendant Darryl, a big gregarious man with whom I’d traveled last year while on a different trip aboard the Zephyr. I remembered that Darryl was a big fan of his hometown Chicago Bears – a team which for the most part has defined mediocrity since its spectacular march to a Super Bowl title 31 years ago. We had a good time catching up on his travels (mostly back and forth across America aboard the California Zephyr) and mine (somewhat more varied) as well as discussing potential draft picks for both the Bears and the Broncos in the upcoming NFL Draft.

I also explained to Darryl what had happened to me earlier in the day at the station. My neighbor from the family room was retrieving some items from his luggage on the baggage storage shelves which are located just down the hall my room. He overheard my story and took a moment to stop by and offer me $20.00 to help me out with onboard expenses. What a nice gesture! I explained that my nephew would be meeting me in the morning with cash in hand and so would be happy to return the $20.00 then but he instead requested that I make a donation to the Red Cross. His name was Ateef and gestures like his are rare these days. I will forever more remember his kindness and hopefully - should I ever come across a traveler in similar straits - I’ll be in a position to reciprocate that kindness.

A couple of hours into the trip we’d left Chicago and its extensive suburbs behind and were now rolling past the farms and fields of western Illinois at what looked to be about 79 mph - the maximum allowable speed on this corridor.



Illinois at 79 mph


Scheduling of the California Zephyr is designed to provide passengers with optimal viewing of the Rocky Mountains and Sierra Nevada Mountains during daylight hours. The plains states and desert areas of western Utah and eastern Nevada are crossed at night. Although many consider the scenery between Chicago and Denver boring, I was impressed by the many picturesque hamlets we passed while rolling through western Illinois. This landscape is not by any means the dramatic scenery for which the Zephyr is famous, and yet I found the sight of it rolling past my window oddly soothing. Occasionally the engineer would let loose a blast from his whistle as we’d speed past farm roads and rural highways. At one crossing, a group of boys on bikes waved vigorously at the train as we flashed past. I waved back.

The rest of the afternoon passed by with alacrity. I’d spent the early part of the trip creating a spreadsheet detailing every item I could think of that needed replacing from my stolen wallet. I listed each one along with a column showing the date and time that I’d reported it and another column indicating the resolution for each item. There was a lot to be replaced including all of my airline club cards and Priority Pass along with various incidentals like voter’s registration, AAA membership and automobile and health insurance to name just a few.

Earlier in the day, a Dining Car employee had stopped by to take reservations for tonight’s dinner seatings. A variety of times between 5:00 and 7:30pm were available. I chose the 7:30pm seating. Announcements were made over the train’s PA system as each seating became available and I remember being surprised at how soon my time was up. I closed up my laptop and made my way back to the dining car, conveniently located just two cars back from mine. Along the way I noticed a lady in one of the deluxe sleepers eating in her room. It should be noted here that room service has always been an option on Amtrak trains. As a single passenger I’ve never taken advantage of it but were I traveling with someone else I should imagine it might be a nice change for one meal.

Then again, one of the most entertaining aspects of long distance train travel is meeting and getting to know your fellow travelers. The dining car is an excellent place to do just that. Dinner is far and away the most popular meal in the dining car and the number of diners relative to the number of available tables means that communal seating is the rule. The dining car steward seats people wherever available seating can be found, often with whoever shows up just before or after them. Well to do travelers who’ve strolled up from the sleepers might very well be sat across from a couple of young backpackers who’ve come up from the coaches.

On more than a few occasions I’ve ended up with a diverse and occasionally colorful collection of tablemates. This makes for some interesting conversations and - as one dining car steward once put it – you’ll start out as strangers but you may end up as friends.



Amtrak Superliner Dining Car


Tonight I was seated across from Charles and Linda Sayers, a couple from Paonia, Colorado. Although each table seats four, it was just the three of us for dinner tonight. Jillian was our waitress and she started us off with menus and a basket of surprisingly good dinner rolls. The sun sat low on the western horizon as we rolled through some attractive wetlands made all the more so by the setting sun…



Iowa wetlands at sunset


A nice setting to dine by


The beautiful evening was sufficiently distracting that when Jillian returned to take our orders none of us had even had a good look at the menus. Jillian took a moment to admire the scenery and then told us she’d give us a couple more minutes to make up our minds. Something in her tone suggested that when she returned, we’d better be ready. The [I]Zephyr[i] had recently stopped in Ottumwa, Iowa and many of the people who’d boarded there – people who hadn’t had a chance to sign up for dinner earlier – were now making their way into the dining car. Jillian and her crew were a busy lot. We dutifully turned our attention to the menu.



California Zephyr Menu


One of the nicest things about traveling First Class on Amtrak is that the fare includes all of your meals in the dining car. You can order anything you want, too - from the most expensive steak dinner to a side of sausage with your morning omelet. Dessert and non-alcoholic beverages are also included. Beer and wine are extra.

The only downside to Amtrak’s menus is that they haven’t really changed much over the past fifteen years. Breakfast, lunch and dinner have all revolved around the same four or five main courses with only a few regional exceptions, such as those offered aboard the Coast Starlight’s Pacific Parlour Car.

Imagine then my surprise and delight upon opening my menu and seeing that it incorporated a fresh new layout including a number of new menu offerings that, according to Jillian, only just went into effect today. Let’s check ‘em out! Just click on the link below and allow yourself to daydream just a little bit. What would you order?


CALIFORNIA ZEPHYR MENU


I like it! One thing that surprised me by its absence was the lack of more vegetarian entrees. When I rode aboard the Empire Builder earlier this year I remember commenting in my trip report that Amtrak’s menu was very vegetarian friendly. All of the breakfast choices are pretty good but there are only two luncheon choices and two dinner choices (IF the Vegetarian Asian Noodle Bowl is offered as a special.)

When Jillian returned to take our orders, Linda and I requested the Amtrak Signature Steak with baked potato and sour cream while Charles went for the gusto and ordered the Field & Sea Combo. I wanted to order that one too but felt guilty about the potential cost to Amtrak. That guilt evaporated the moment I saw Charles’ meal. More on that in a moment though.

Drink orders were taken and I used the first of my $20.00 from Ateef to order a Jack Daniels on the rocks. Had I not had my wallet stolen earlier in the day, I would have headed over to the CVS Pharmacy across the street from Union Station and picked up an entire bottle of JD. Heck, I mighta been half in the bag by now, so there are some positives to come from my earlier misfortune.

Drinks were served and conversation flowed easily throughout the meal. Charles had been a bank manager in Rifle, Colorado for many years. Linda was an RN and still practiced home nursing now and then – especially at home since Charles had suffered a stroke three years earlier. His mobility had suffered somewhat but mentally he was still sharp as a tack. He had some great stories and insights into Colorado history which I thoroughly enjoyed. I was born and raised in Colorado and had spent a fair amount of time in the Glenwood Springs to Rifle corridor back in the 70s. So much so in fact that Charles and I even had a mutual acquaintance out of Gypsum, Colorado.

Though the dining car was filling up rapidly, Amtrak’s chefs were up to the task. It couldn’t have been more than ten minutes – if even that – before Jillian arrived with our steaks. She even brought us a refill on our dinner rolls. Those of you who’ve kept up with my trip reports over the past fifteen years know that I’ve ridden a lot of Amtrak trains and the flatiron steak is my favorite dinner entrée. One thing I’ve noticed about Amtrak’s steaks over the years is that they are almost always perfectly cooked. I like my steak medium rare and I can’t remember the last time I had one even slightly off while riding aboard an Amtrak train.



The Amtrak Signature Steak


As a stroke victim, steak was a rare treat for Charles but both he and Linda were quite happy with their meals and we all agreed that the baked potatoes couldn’t have been baked any better. As for Charles’ Field & Sea Combo, the only difference between it and my steak was the addition of four small shrimp and a side of Béarnaise Sauce. Oh yeah – it cost an additional $11.00. The shrimp were small – about a 51-60 count per pound. I’m sure they made a tasty addition but if I’d paid $11.00 more and received only four little shrimp, I’d be a bit disappointed. As it was we were all traveling in the sleepers and so I resolved to order the Field & Sea Combo tomorrow night. As for dessert, that too would have to wait until tomorrow night – or later.

Darkness had fallen by the time plates were cleared. Our next stop was Omaha and we were running about 20 minutes late. It had been a long day for Charles as he and Linda had begun their day on the shores of Gull Lake in Kalamazoo, Michigan – another place we all had in common. I bid them a good night and decided to return to my roomette as well. My day hadn’t been as long as theirs but with less than $10.00 in my pocket I didn’t feel like spending the evening in the lounge car. Instead I returned to my roomette where Darryl had already made up my bed for the night.



Amtrak’s Roomette Lower Bunk


I have always felt that one of life’s great travel experiences is being able to lie down in your own bed aboard a train that’s speeding through the night. It’s a very sensory experience where you can hear as well as feel the rhythmic cadence of your car’s motion as it rolls down the tracks. The occasional distant wail of the locomotive’s whistle is a lullaby that in combination with the aforementioned motion related sensations combines to create an environment surprisingly conducive to sleep.

The lower bunk mattresses in Amtrak’s Superliner Roomettes measure 28” wide by about 6’6” long. They’re not particularly thick and yet I’ve always slept really well on them, with the operative words being “on them”. I don’t get under the sheets and blanket. On a smaller mattress like that, getting under the sheets is too confining for me. I prefer to sleep under my big wool blanket which has plenty of space beneath it and keeps me supremely comfortable.

Amtrak’s roomettes have plenty of lights including a good bright reading light which can be adjusted. After knocking off a few chapters from my latest book, I called it a night and slept comfortably until waking about 30 minutes out of Denver. Had I not arranged a wakeup call from Darryl the night before, I might have slept right on through to Winter Park or Granby!

Seat 2A

CALIFORNIA ZEPHYR
Day Two

With arrival in Denver imminent, there wasn’t really time for a shower. There was however time for a good hot cup of coffee. I stepped into some pants and headed upstairs to the service center where orange juice and bottled water was also available. Downstairs in the entry level foyer people were beginning to gather in anticipation of our arrival – which, by the way, was 15 minutes early. We’d made good time while rolling across the hinterlands of southern Nebraska. Darryl had bags stacked neatly by the door and was busy helping a lady in a wheelchair who was staying in the handicapped room down the hall from me. It was a beautiful spring morning in the Centennial State and a part of me wanted to get off here as well. Denver is the most populous city served along the route of the Zephyr and as such the train spends 45 minutes in Denver’s Union Station.

Even for those not traveling to Denver, the station is worth getting off and having a look at. This wasn’t always the case. A bit of history might be in order here…

Denver’s Union Station was first built in 1881 at a cost of $525,000.00. At the time, it was the largest building in Colorado. In 1894, a fire destroyed most the station. It was quickly rebuilt employing more stone than wood and, other than the loss of its clock tower in 1914, remains essentially unchanged today. While not on the scale of New York’s Grand Central Station, Denver’s Union Station is still an architecturally classic railroad station, built in the Beaux Arts style like the stations in Chicago, Kansas City and St. Louis which I’ve described in other trip reports. Like most big city railroad stations, it is truly a monument to not just train travel but transportation in general, reflecting an era when travel of any form was an exciting and adventurous endeavor.

Back in the 1920s and 30s, Union Station served up to eighty passenger trains a day. Up until 1958, the station served more travelers than Denver’s Stapleton International Airport. Like everywhere else in the country, the impending arrival of jets and Interstate highways presaged a slow but steady decline in passenger rail service.

Over the next forty years, Union Station suffered from neglect and disinterest as train departures dwindled to just two per day. The once vibrant neighborhood surrounding the station began a commensurate deterioration as more and more people bought cars and moved out to the suburbs. The inside of the station also reflected the dreary state of rail travel. The cavernous Great Hall was dark and grey, the last remaining café, barber shop, news stand and museum having long since closed down. The first time I ever parked at Union Station back in 1977, I returned to find my car broken into. Things got so bad that in the mid-1980s that serious consideration was given to tearing down the once grand station.

Following the blizzard of 1982, the city of Denver got fresh new leadership with a vision that included building a new airport and revitalizing Denver’s Lower Downtown District, or LoDo. We see the benefits of that vision in the 16th Street Mall and the return of shops, hotels and visitors to the area. Coors Field, the home of baseball’s Colorado Rockies, is located just a short walk from Union Station. The Wynkoop Brewery - Denver’s first craft Brewery – is just across the street from the station.

As part of the revitalization effort, the decision was made to save Union Station. The city brought together a team of architects, engineers, urban designers and transportation experts known as the "Union Station Alliance" and charged them with transforming Union Station into a regional transportation center that will serve buses, light rail, commuter rail and Amtrak.

Anybody who’s had the good fortune to visit Denver’s Union Station – especially those of us like myself who knew it in the bad old days – would be immediately impressed with the results. The new Union Station sports a dozen new shops and restaurants (including a couple of great bars!) as well as the Crawford Hotel, a boutique hotel offering 112 rooms installed in the upper levels of the north and south wings. The station’s “Great Hall” serves as the hotel lobby. Inside, the large windows flood the old waiting room - now the hotel lobby - with natural light. If you look closely, you can see that the plaster arches above the windows bear over 2000 carved Colorado Columbines—the official state flower.

As promised, the station is also a hub for light rail as well as regional, express and local buses. A 22 bay underground bus complex opened in May 2014 and rail service to Denver International Airport was launched last year. I first got to utilize the new bus complex back in December of 2015 when riding a bus down from Ft. Collins to connect to an Amtrak train. It worked beautifully.

I’ve been in a lot of train stations all over the world and I have to say that Denver’s Union Station is the nicest of the medium sized ones that I’ve ever been in. Congratulations, Denver, on a job well done! ^^

Unfortunately my camera is too small to capture the true grandeur of the refurbished station, so HERE IS A WEBPAGE that provides some great photos of the transit portion of the station. Additionally, I’ve found a few pictures on the internet that present inside of the station beautifully:



Denver’s Union Station from Wynkoop Street
Photo courtesy of Denver.org


Denver’s Union Station Great Hall
Photo courtesy of Denverinfill.com


Denver’s Union Station Great Hall
Photo courtesy of Denverinfill.com


Denver’s Union Station Great Hall
Photo courtesy of Denverinfill.com


Denver’s Union Station looking toward Downtown Denver
Photo courtesy of Denver.org


Alighting from the train, I paused to take a couple a couple of my own photos – one of my car trackside and the other of the iconic clock and orange lettering exhorting us to “Travel By Train”. That clock and letters have been part of Union Station as long as I’ve been alive and it’s nice to see that they’re still featured so prominently on the new station. By my reckoning, they are indeed a Denver landmark.



Trackside at Denver’s Union Station


The famous clock and Travel by Train sign


With our early arrival, I had plenty of time to chat with my nephew and grandniece out in front of the station. Parking is at a premium downtown but at 7:00am on a Saturday morning it’s wide open. We paused for a couple of pictures, exchanged cash and booze, and then I headed back into the station and on to the waiting train with the rest of the stragglers. Breakfast was being served in the diner – even while we were in the station – so I stashed the Jack Daniels and made my way back to the diner. Perusing the menu, I quickly settled on hot coffee, orange juice and an omelet with a side of 100 calorie chicken sausage. D – Licious!



Breakfast aboard the California Zephyr


Not long after leaving Denver, the Zephyr begins to wind its way up into the foothills northwest of Denver, heading up Boulder Creek just above Eldorado Springs and continuing to climb whilst passing through 28 tunnels enroute to The Big One – The Moffat Tunnel – 6.2 miles long at an elevation of about 9200 feet. Prior to the Moffat’s opening in 1928, trains had to climb up over Rollins Pass. You can clearly see the old rail bed up the side of the mountain above the East Portal. The top of Rollins Pass is at 11000 feet and it used to take trains about five hours to get over the pass and down to the town of Fraser on the west side. Now, it takes about 10 minutes to get through the Moffat Tunnel and another 10 minutes to get to Fraser, which is also the stop for Winter Park Ski Area.



Climbing out of Denver


340’ High Gross Reservoir Dam as seen from the train


Trackside at Winter Park


Through the rest of the Rockies, the scenery is spectacular as the route follows the Colorado River for over 200 miles. The excitement begins with Byers and Gore Canyons. Both of these canyons are exceptionally rocky and rugged with numerous tunnels. The Colorado River flows just below the tracks, sometimes quite impressively. As you might expect with such spectacular scenery, the lounge car is a popular spot. When I stopped by this morning after the Winter Park stop, every seat was taken both upstairs and downstairs in the café. That’s alright. I have a secret spot I utilize for occasions such as this.

Byers Canyon starts at the west end of Hot Sulphur Springs, about 8 miles west of Granby. It’s not a long canyon – stretching only 8 miles – nor is it particularly deep but it does feature some pretty rock formations and good views of the river.



Entering Byers Canyon


Leaving Byers Canyon


Shortly after leaving Byers Canyon the Zephyr enters Gore Canyon. Now Gore Canyon, while stretching only about 3 miles, is a much deeper and more rugged canyon with steep granite walls ascending almost 1000 feet on either side. The Colorado River drops almost 300 feet over the length of the canyon resulting in arguably the most intense whitewater kayaking to be found in the state.

If you want to see really impressive class 5 whitewater, ride the train in late May to early June when spring runoff is often at its peak. Today – April 16th – the river was only moderately impressive. Even so, I couldn’t resist a few more photos:



Entering Gore Canyon


Rolling through one of the many Gore Canyon tunnels


Jagged spires predominate in the canyon


Leaving Gore Canyon

Seat 2A

Although the landscape mellows a bit between Gore and Glenwood Canyon, it is no less beautiful. As a boy I used to ride horses and raft all through these parts. As you might imagine the river is extremely popular with fly fishermen. One once told me that the river averages 2,000 plus rainbow and brown trout per mile with many over 16 inches in length.



There’s lots of red soil in this part of the state


This view epitomizes Colorful Colorado


Multi-colored canyons abound


What a great day for a train ride!


Colorful Colorado


One of the prettiest rafting canyons is nicknamed “Christmas Tree Canyon” for the green spruce and fir trees that dot its rocky red terrain. It’s a pretty nice canyon to ride a train through as well.



Entering Christmas Tree Canyon


Christmas Tree Canyon


Leaving Christmas Tree Canyon


As we continued west and the river dropped ever lower, the land became progressively greener. Here’s a pretty shot as we approach Gypsum near the eastern entrance to Glenwood Canyon.



Springtime in the Rockies


Normally luncheon in the dining car is on a walk-in basis. No reservations are required. Occasionally however if the demand is great enough the dining car staff start a wait list. Anyone wanting to each lunch would have to report to the diner and get signed up. Names would be called out over the train’s PA system as seats became available. Surprisingly, we were informed that after people on the wait list had been fed, the dining car would be closed. There would be no last call for lunch. Okay then, guess I’d better go get on that list.

Wouldn’t you know it that my name would be called just as we were about five minutes from entering Glenwood Canyon! As such, I was stuck on an aisle seat in the diner enjoying my favorite black bean chipotle burger while we rolled through the splendor of Glenwood Canyon. Sigh…

I’ve ridden the train through Glenwood Canyon at least 30 times and driven through it many more times than that. I’ll live without the extra photos but I’m sorry I won’t be able to provide you with any. In lieu of my personal shots, I hope you’ll accept this stunning overhead shot courtesy of the Colorado Department of Transportation.



Glenwood Canyon
Photo courtesy of Colorado Department of Transportation


Glenwood Springs is a popular destination for California Zephyr passengers, and rightly so. The town’s famous hot springs have been attracting visitors since 1888 and feature the world’s largest hot springs pool. The big pool is kept at 90°F but for the more adventurous there is a smaller pool that’s kept at a toasty 112°F. The town itself is as charming as its setting is beautiful. I have spent many a night at the local hostel where a private room with a mattress on the floor can be had for just $27.00/night. Those desiring more upscale accommodations will find plenty of other options, including the trendy Hotel Colorado, located just across the river from the hot springs.

As the Zephyr rolls on into western Colorado and Utah, the climate becomes drier and the land becomes more brown.



Colorado River west of Rifle, CO


Colorado River State Park about 6 mi outside of Grand Junction, CO


Space in the lounge car began to open up as we left Glenwood. I found Charles and Linda enjoying the view as we rolled west through Newcastle and, after purchasing a cold beer downstairs, I joined them for a spell in the swivel seat section of the lounge.

Amtrak’s Bi-Level Sightseer lounge cars are wonderful creations! Windows are everywhere, starting at knee level and continuing overhead. They are available to all passengers regardless of class traveled and are perfect for this route in particular with its deep canyons and towering rock walls above. The upper level seats about 60 people with one half of the car offering individual seats and couches while the other half offers buffet table seating. Some of the seats are able to swivel 360 degrees so that if the scenery’s better on the other side of the train, you won’t miss it.



Passengers enjoying the view in the lounge car


A close up of the swivel seats


Half of the upper deck is buffet seating


A snack bar is located on the lower level. Its menu offers a variety of hot and cold sandwiches, cheese pizza, noodle bowls, candy, peanuts, and all manner of soft and hard drinks. It’s worth noting here that the First Class fare does not include items purchased in the lounge café. While I thought the prices for the food items were quite reasonable, the prices for Amtrak’s beer and alcohol selections made me happy that my nephew had brought along that bottle of Jack Daniels.

I bid farewell to Charles and Linda in Grand Junction and said hello to Dorothy and Amy – mother and daughter who had boarded in Denver and were traveling to Reno, Nevada to join friends for a few days of fun and sun in South Lake Tahoe. They had a big condo rented in town and were excited to try their luck at the casinos. They also had a host of other activities planned, one of the more entertaining being a two hour paddle wheel cruise around Lake Tahoe. Amy claimed it was her first trip out of Colorado in 11 years. Their enthusiasm was infectious and chatting with them really epitomized one of the best parts of a long ride on a train – meeting and sharing stories with your fellow passengers. I told them all about my recent travels but left out the part about my stolen wallet. Who wants to hear bad news and besides, I now had $300.00 pocket change to tide me over for the next few days.

On a long train ride, it’s not unusual for the train to go through areas that are quite scenic. Generally these areas might take an hour or two to get through and then it’s back to pleasant but otherwise unspectacular scenery. I am happy to report that this is not the case on the California Zephyr – at least once it heads west out of Denver.

We started the day with a pretty climb out of Denver and up along South Boulder Creek to the Moffat Tunnel. From Granby we joined the Colorado River and followed it through a series of spectacularly beautiful canyons – seemingly one after another – all the way to Glenwood Springs. That took 6 hours. The scenery mellowed a bit between Glenwood Springs and Grand Junction but now it picked up yet again as we entered the beautiful red Canyonlands of eastern Utah.



Entering Ruby Canyon


Ruby Canyon


Ruby Canyon


Red rock goblins watch our passing


Leaving Ruby Canyon, the Zephyr emerges into the arid desert landscape of east central Utah. To the north of the train runs the thousand-foot-high wall of cliffs known as “The Book Cliffs”. It is the longest continuous line of cliffs in the world, winding for about 250 miles from western Colorado well into Utah.



Utah’s Book Cliffs


Utah’s Book Cliffs


What a great setting for dinner! This time I ordered the Field and Sea combo – complete with Béarnaise Sauce and baked potato. Amtrak’s chefs sear their shrimp as well as they cook their steaks. This meal was delicious!



Field and Sea Combo


Later in the lounge car I struck up a conversation with Leon, a mechanic from Fallon, Nevada who had spent the winter converting an old school bus into functional RV. I don’t recall how we got to talking but we had a few points in common including the fact that I drive school busses that have been modified for gravel road driving through the wilds of Denali National Park in Alaska. Additionally, we both enjoyed driving around the backroads of North America and we both had quite a bit of experience driving around the Desert Southwest.

Conversation continued as I broke out my bottle of Jack Daniels. Discretion is the key here because you’re not allowed to drink your own alcohol in the train’s public areas. Sleeping Car passengers may drink their own supply in their compartments but I thought the lounge had a much nicer ambiance than that of my roomette back in the sleeper.



Lounge Car ambiance – speeding across Utah at sunset


Leon had a great sounding trip planned for September when he and his girlfriend would drive their “new” motorhome up to Bozeman, Montana and then down to Prescott, Arizona before making their way back up to Nevada. Three weeks on the road visiting friends and family – I know all that land well and I was almost as excited for Leon and his lady as he was. Then again, I had my own little road trip coming up in just a few days from Phoenix up to Denver followed by another four weeks later from Phoenix up to Salt Lake City. But first I had to get to San Francisco, fly down to Burbank, rail up to Seattle and then fly up to Fairbanks and back before continuing on down to Phoenix to pick up my car. Such is my life…

Leon and I had a good time talking and trading stories. From my perspective, I don’t mind sharing my bottle because I truly enjoy the social discourse that accompanies a good bottle of whatever enjoyed amongst intelligent, well-traveled people. Additionally, the economics can’t be beat. A 750ml bottle of JD runs about $28.00 USD, $30.00 with tax. Were we to purchase 50ml airline style minis downstairs from the café, we’d be paying $8.00 each (including tip). Even sharing a half bottle of Jack (about 4 drinks each unless you pour the size I do) would end up costing about $60.00 or $30.00 each. And best of all - by the time I called it a night - I still had a half bottle left.

Seat 2A

CALIFORNIA ZEPHYR
Day Three

When I awoke we were gliding across central Nevada atop welded rail at the posted maximum of 79 mph. That’s not very speedy compared to fast trains in Europe or Asia but then I’m not in a hurry. I love this stuff! The last thing I’d want to do is roll across this beautiful landscape at 200+ miles per hour. If I really need to go that fast, I’ll just get on an airplane.

Much of Nevada is in what’s known as the Great American Basin. It’s one of the four main deserts of the American West, the others being the Chihuahua (New Mexico), the Sonoran (Arizona) and the Mojave (Southeastern California). It’s a great place to ride a train through. Here are a few shots that I took shortly after waking up:



The view from my bed upon awaking


The view from my bed 10 minutes later


Good Morning, Nevada!


Dune-like mountains to the north


Surprise, surprise! The shower was available! I quickly washed up under an impressive deluge of good hot water and then headed up to the dining car for some breakfast. Surprise again! The dining car was full. No problem. The steward put my name down on her short waiting list, refilled my coffee and off I went to bide my time in the lounge car next door.



Cruisin’ across Nevada in the lounge car


One of the legends of railroad dining car fare is the French Toast served by the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway aboard its crack Chicago to Los Angeles streamliner “The Super Chief”. It was truly special, created by talented chefs and soaked in a special mixture before being baked in the oven at a precise temperature for a precise period of time with the result being a flavorful melt-in-your-mouth meal that in and of itself brought customers back to the Santa Fe time and again.

Amtrak pays homage to its Santa Fe heritage by offering French Toast as a breakfast entrée on most all of its long distance trains. Unfortunately, its French Toast – while perfectly acceptable – is a far cry in taste and texture from the legendary Santa Fe version that inspired it. Still, I like French Toast now and then so I ordered a plate of it. Not bad, not bad…



Amtrak’s French Toast Breakfast


Shortly after departing Reno, the California Zephyr begins a long gradual climb up into the Sierra Nevada Mountains, initially following the Truckee River and then continuing up and over Donner Pass. We encountered snow flurries about an hour out of Reno. I had my camera ready…



Following the Truckee River up into the Sierra Nevadas


First we encountered fog…


And then real snow as we climbed ever higher into the Sierras


It’s all downhill from here…


As we descended down the western slope of the Sierras, the sun came out and the day as well as the scenery warmed up beautifully. I was reminded of a similar trip I did aboard the Zephyr, albeit in Coach, back in mid-December 1986 when traveling to see Jerry Garcia’s first shows back with the Grateful Dead after having lapsed into a diabetic coma during the previous summer’s shows in Washington, D.C. The conditions today were similar to that 86 trip with a wintry ascent of Donner Pass followed by a gorgeous sun drenched descent through the western Sierras and down to San Francisco Bay. There were a lot of Deadheads on the train that day and we all felt the positive vibes from that sunshine (Here Comes Sunshine). Was that really thirty-one years ago?!

Snapping back to the present, here are a couple shots of descending through the Sierras and rolling along San Francisco Bay.



Sunshine descent through the lower Sierras


Cruisin’ along San Francisco Bay…


You know, there are a multitude of stories about Amtrak trains running late but hardly any – none really - about the many times that they’ve arrived on time or better yet – early. Over the years I’ve logged almost 200,000 miles aboard Amtrak. That may not sound like much to those of you who’ve spent a lot more time earning air miles but look at it this way – Amtrak trains average about 50 mph or 1,200 miles per day. By comparison, airplanes average about 500 mph (I’m also figuring in slower speeds during climb out and descent) so if you were to extrapolate Amtrak’s speed to that of an airliner, we’d be looking at about 2 million miles that I’ve traveled by rail.

I don’t mean to brag. That’s not my intent since who here at FlyerTalk really gives a big hoo hah about rail miles anyway? No – the reason for me trotting out my stats is to present myself as imminently qualified to comment on Amtrak’s much improved record for on time performance. Today, we arrived in Emeryville about five minutes early.

Darryl had my bags ready when I disembarked. Darryl’s a genuine good guy. I enjoyed chatting with him during the trip and I hope we meet up again on another California Zephyr ride. I gave him a hug, handed him a decent tip and made my way into the station.

I still had a long day ahead of me. The first order of business was to catch an Amtrak bus across the Bay Bridge into San Francisco’s Financial District. From there, I’d pay to stash my luggage at the Hyatt Hotel and then walk four blocks over to the Hotel Griffon where one of three Perry’s Restaurants is located. San Francisco has a lot of fantastic restaurants but I have always loved the ambiance, the service and the food at this particular Perry’s establishment.

I had a typically delicious chicken dinner, washed down with a couple pints of delightful Lagunitas Pils – a beer I have tried unsuccessfully to purchase outside of San Francisco ever since. The quest continues, I assure you. In the meantime, I made my way back to the Hyatt, picked up my luggage, caught the BART to the airport and then the free airport shuttle to my hotel for the night – a Ramada Inn which thankfully I’d paid for in advance with award points.

Tomorrow I’d begin a new adventure aboard Amtrak’s Coast Starlight from Burbank up to Seattle. Color me excited because the Coast Starlight is one of Amtrak’s premier long distance trains with both the service and the equipment to match (most days).

Seat 2A

April 18, 2017
United Express San Francisco to Burbank 735a – 854a CRJ-200 Economy Class
Amtrak Burbank to Portland 1029a – 530p+1 Coast Starlight First Class

First off, most people traveling by train from Chicago to Seattle would probably take the direct route via Amtrak’s Empire Builder, a perfectly good train which I have ridden and reported upon many times previously. That said, I wanted more and so I cashed in enough award points to ride not only the California Zephyr but also the Coast Starlight from Burbank up to Seattle.

Truth be told, I could have connected to the Coast Starlight directly from Emeryville and saved myself a day. Still, the southern end of the Starlight’s route – between Ventura and Salinas in particular – offers some of the prettiest scenery you can travel through on Amtrak’s system, rolling along past 113 miles of spectacular Pacific coastal scenery before turning inland and climbing through the verdant hills and fruited plains to places like San Luis Obispo and Paso Robles. Here’s a map and a shot of the Starlight rolling north along the Pacific Coast…



The Route of the Coast Starlight


Rails along the Pacific coast
Photo courtesy of Amtrak


Why Burbank and not LAX? A couple of reasons, really. First and foremost, the Hollywood Burbank Airport has an on-site train station from which I could board the northbound Coast Starlight. This would save me a lot of time over flying into LAX and then catching the FlyAway bus over to LA’s Union Station. Secondly, United offers an excellent schedule and fare between San Francisco and Burbank that would allow me a leisurely hour and a half connection between plane and train. Now all that was left was to pray that SFO wouldn’t be fogged in that morning.

Thank goodness it wasn’t! My CRJ-200 regional jet took to the skies above SFO at 7:50am. The one hour flight down to Burbank allowed for a leisurely cup of coffee and an orange juice before I had to return my seat back to its full upright position for an on time arrival at BUR. It was a gorgeous Southern California morning and, with plenty of time to spare, I took a table at the airport restaurant for a tasty breakfast before heading outside the terminal and down the walkway to the train station.



United’s CRJ-200 at BUR


Train time at Burbank Airport


I didn’t have to wait long. The Coast Starlight rolled into the Burbank station right on time, its two lead P42DC locomotives powering an eleven car consist that included… YES!!! A Pacific Parlour Car “named Sonoma Valley”. Even better, my car – the 1430 Sleeper – was attached to the forward end of the Parlour car. Was this turning into a great day or what?!

After settling into my usual address on the rails – Room 11 downstairs – I spent a couple of moments getting acquainted with my car attendant Jackson before heading upstairs and back one car to the Pacific Parlour Car.



Entering the Pacific Parlour Car…


Continuing into the Pacific Parlour Car…


Lounge cars are available on all of Amtrak’s long distance trains but only the Coast Starlight has the Pacific Parlour Car in addition to a Sightseer Lounge Car for general use. Amtrak operates five Pacific Parlour Cars, all of which were originally built back in the 1950s for the Santa Fe's El Capitan, an all-Coach streamliner that offered an inexpensive alternative to the all-Pullman Super Chief. I remember riding on these cars back in the 70s and 80s when they served as the lounges on the Southwest Limited and the Sunset Limited. At that time their interiors hadn’t changed a whit since their days on the El Cap, complete with the original Southwest tones of turquoise, beige and rust. Downstairs in what is now a movie theater was the Kachina Coffee Shop. By the late 1980s these cars were showing their age and though they weren’t as nice as the newer Sightseer Lounge cars, I always enjoyed the historical aspect of riding them. In any event, as more Superliner equipment came online these old lounge cars were eventually retired to spend the next few years sitting neglected in the LA yards. I remember seeing them out there with broken windows after kids had used them for target practice. It was a sad sight for those of us familiar with their heritage.

In the mid-1990s Amtrak decided to spruce up the Coast Starlight, which was at that time the most profitable train in the Amtrak system. As part of the improvements, they decided to bring some of the old Santa Fe Hi-Level lounges out of retirement and refurbish them as the dedicated First Class lounges we now call Pacific Parlour Cars. The cost to renovate each of these cars came to about 2 million per car.

Each Parlour Car is outfitted with eight large swivel chairs, a small lounge area with sofas and cocktail tables and six four seat tables with buffet style seating. At one end of the lounge is a stand-up bar offering a full range of beer, wine and spirits in addition to coffee, tea and soft drinks. At the other end is a small library with a collection of used books and board games. Full meals featuring a menu unique to the Pacific Parlour Car are also available upstairs in the lounge. Honestly, aside from sleeping and showers, it’d be very easy to spend the entire journey in this car. Oh yeah – did I mention that it also features complimentary Wi-Fi?

For some odd reason the decision was made to use the British spelling of Parlour on these cars. Perhaps someone in marketing thought it lent a touch of class. However you choose to spell it – these Pacific Parlour Cars are some of the nicest cars to be found anywhere on North American rails. For many people they are in and of themselves reason enough to pay the extra money for First Class accommodations on the Starlight.

Regardless of the scenery, the Pacific Parlour Car is a popular destination for First and Business Class passengers so I was surprised that one of the big stuffed swivel chairs was available. It was on the side facing inland rather than the ocean but hey – these are swivel chairs so just sit on it and spin. I tossed my day pack on the chair and headed back to the bar for a Bloody Mary. Returning to my seat, I spun to face west and before long was introducing myself to seatmates Rod and Mynah from Wellington, New Zealand. Truth be known Rod was born Australian but his family had relocated to New Zealand when he was ten. They had flown over from New Zealand in early April, spent a week visiting with their son and his wife who lived and worked in Houston, Texas and then caught the Sunset Limited over to LA where they’d spent the weekend before boarding the Coast Starlight for the 1370 mile ride up to Seattle. More relatives awaited in Vancouver, BC before they’d be boarding a flight back home to Wellington. Both of them had traveled fairly extensively through America and western Canada over the years. Rod especially appreciated how affordable First Class travel on Amtrak was relative to similar accommodation aboard trains in Australia which he said would easily have cost three times as much. Having done a fair bit of Australian rail travel myself, I totally concurred. While there are a variety of ways to make economy class rail travel in Australia very affordable, First Class tariffs are exorbitant.

I relayed to them the story of my 1988 ride aboard the Indian Pacific from Sydney to Perth in First Class. It involved a special sale wherein I’d be paired with an unknown roommate for the journey. Alright. On the day of travel, I showed up, boarded the train and settled into the large and somewhat dated compartment that included an ensuite shower. The roommate never did show up and so I had the room to myself all the way to Perth. Back in those days the First Class service and accommodations aboard the Indian Pacific were not as nice as they are today, but then a room similar to what I had would run close to $2000.00 USD these days.

Conversation flowed as we rolled through Van Nuys, Simi Valley and Oxnard without much notice. Then came Ventura and our first views of the ocean.



Oooooh – what a view!


Not many trains offer ocean views like this…


Perhaps it was because of the lull before summer vacation travel began in earnest, but it soon became apparent that in First Class at least we were only about 60% full, maybe less. This was particularly noticeable in the Parlour Car where on most trips demand combined with proper etiquette would dictate not hogging the big swivel seats throughout the most scenic portions of the trip. Today however, one of the big seats remained open throughout my stay.

Rod and Mynah had made luncheon reservations for 12:45pm in the Pacific Parlour car where a special menu separate from the main dining car menu offered a couple of different entrée selections. For lunch at least these are typically lighter choices such as an entrée salad or a specialty sandwich. Even so, meals in the Parlour Car are a popular option and today the tables were full up.

Some of the prettiest views on the trip are just north of Santa Barbara, especially at Refugio State Beach with its beautiful palm trees and pretty coastal views. Where else in the world can you get views like this from a train?



Wow!


Where else in the world can you get views like this from a train?


Shortly after we’d passed Refugio Beach I headed next door to the dining car for a bite to eat. In particular I was curious to see if the new menu format included any meal choices unique to the [i]Coast Starlight[./i]. It did not, so I went with what for me is the old tried and true, not to mention a real favorite of mine – the Black Bean and Corn Chipotle Burger with a side of bacon.



A good looking salad starter


Oceanside dining


Black Bean and Corn Chipotle Burger


Beautiful view from the dining car


After lunch, I returned to my sleeper, lowered the two facing seats into their full flat configuration and then stretched out for a little afternoon R&R. But first, I wanted to get a couple more pictures of the coastal splendor before we turned inland…



Afternoon shadows in Roomette 11


Are we really on a train with views like this?


Pacific Coastal Splendor


A twenty minute stop at San Luis Obispo provided a great opportunity to step off the train and enjoy the afternoon sunshine out on the platform. Smokers in particular were thrilled at the chance to light up as the opportunities to do so are few and sometimes far between aboard Amtrak trains. I’m glad I managed to quit back in the days when you could still smoke onboard the train.

It wasn’t long before the “All Aboard” call rang out and we all made our way back onboard our big silver hotel on wheels. The doors were closed, the whistle blew and off we went, commencing a gradual climb through mountains made extraordinarily green from California’s record winter rains.



San Luis Obispo


The green, green hills of the golden state


Wine country outside Paso Robles


Lounge Car afternoon


The rest of the day was pleasantly spent in a variety of ways – lounging in the Parlour Car, stretched out in my roomette, enjoying my second Steak & Shrimp dinner and finally finishing the last half of my bottle of Jack Daniels with Scott and Kevin, two guys who’d just gotten married in Santa Monica and were now on their honeymoon to Hawaii via Portland. Whaaaat?! Portland?! Yep. Not only did they have friends in Portland but they’d found a great airfare via Alaska Airlines to Maui. I just remember them both as a real hoot. I’ve rarely encountered two more intelligent and humorous people that seemed to play off each other so well. I should imagine Laurie who boarded at Martinez and joined us for the last of the bottle would have concurred.

A lot of people lament over what they would do to entertain themselves on a long train trip but honestly, so much of the fun in these circumstances lies in good old human interaction. Amtrak’s Pacific Parlour Car or Sightseer Lounge provide the perfect backdrop to do just that. The rest is up to us.

For some reason unannounced over the train’s PA system (We arrived about midnight, after all) we sat in the Sacramento station for almost three hours. I went to bed at about 1am and never did hear what caused our delay. We never did make it up though. While that doesn’t sound very good, there was one positive to be taken from our delay…

Seat 2A

COAST STARLIGHT
Day Two

Some of the most impressive scenery traveled through by the Coast Starlight is north of Sacramento, up through northern California, the Siskiyous and on into southern Oregon. Unfortunately most of this landscape is traveled through at night thus depriving us of some magnificent scenery along the way.

Perhaps the most dramatic of that scenery is represented in California’s Mt. Shasta, towering 14,179 feet above sea level and probably 10 or 11 thousand feet above the level of our tracks. Had we been on time, we’d have been rolling past America’s second highest volcano at about 6:00am – a time when most of us would have been comfortably slumbering through the last hour or two of a good night’s sleep. This morning however, thanks to our three hour delay, we rolled past Mt. Shasta at about 9:00am. I was up and ready with my camera.



Mt. Shasta towers above the Coast Starlight


Leaving Mt. Shasta behind


Southern Oregon is a lot drier than northern California but no less beautiful. I fired off a couple of photos and then headed up to the dining car for breakfast.



Southern Oregon scenery


Southern Oregon scenery


Morning ambiance in the dining car


Veggie Omelet & Chicken Sausage – A delicious start to the day


Klamath Falls, Oregon is what’s considered a “Service Stop” where garbage is disposed of and necessities like water and ice are restocked. This translates into about a fifteen minute stop, more than enough time to step off the train, enjoy a few lungful’s of crisp morning air (or a cigarette), and maybe purchase a copy of the local paper. I managed to accomplish all of that (except the cigarette) before we re-boarded and continued on up the tracks to Chemult and beyond.

In the Pacific Parlour Car I enjoyed multiple cups of good hot coffee while putting in some much needed work on this trip report. There is so much to report upon over this month and a half long trip! Who knows how far along I was on that cold sunny April day as we climbed out of Chemult and up into the Cascade Mountains. As I sit here now writing this it’s a crisp cold night in Denali National Park with snow forecast for the higher passes along the route I’m scheduled to drive tomorrow. My run earlier today was cancelled due to the 8” of snow that fell west of Polychrome Pass last night. That unplanned extra free time this afternoon allowed me to write most of the narrative covering this trip aboard the Coast Starlight. So – I’m about one month behind.,

Looking back, I started working on the preamble to this report in late February. Now, after months of writing, the end is finally in sight. But then the writing is only part of it – albeit a big part, to be sure. I’ll bet I’ve invested a good 200 hours into this report since February - possibly more. I don’t have an editor of course, so once I complete the narrative I’ve still got to go back and proof read the over 90000 words of text and then install vB code and finally the approximately 500 pictures that will accompany this report. If all goes well, I’ll hopefully have this ready for you all to read by sometime in early June.

A fellow FlyerTalker once opined that given the relatively short amount of time that the average trip report is actually relevant and appreciated in this forum, it hardly seems worth the time and effort to produce a report of the size and scope that I often do. It’ll be read and appreciated for perhaps two or three weeks and then – that’s it – it’s just another report amongst the hundreds submitted here that will soon be forgotten as new reports continue to arrive.

What can I say? That’s a condition that we trip reporters accept here at the Trip Report Forum – regardless of whether we publish a short 30 picture photo-report with 1000 words of descriptive text or a book length effort like this one. At the end of the day I am just thankful to have an audience that for the most part understands and appreciates the type of travel that I do and the style in which I write about it. Outside of FlyerTalk, with only a couple of exceptions, none of my friends or acquaintances have any real interest in reading about premium class airline experiences, inflight service or rail travel.

To be sure, my style of travel incorporating so many flights and long train rides wrapped around short stays in places like Helsinki, Fiji or the American West is not for everyone. In fact, I’ve yet to meet anyone who would want to join me (or in some instances who I’d want to join me) on a trip of this style and length. That’s not to say I don’t have plenty of friends and relationships outside of my travel life but nobody I know shares an interest in going about their travels in the way that I do. For me however trips like this are the stuff of dreams – dreams borne of a lifetime love of just going somewhere. Planes, trains, cars, boats – it doesn’t matter. Let’s Go!

As to these reports, they are a labor of love – a love of travel. I enjoy writing them and am tremendously grateful to those of you who’ve indicated via your comments that you’ve found my reports worthy of the considerable time you’ve invested in reading them. I’m also thankful that through FlyerTalk my reports will live on in cyberspace. Thank you FlyerTalk and Flyertalkers!!! ^ ^


* * * :-: * * * :-: * * *


From what I can see, it sure looks as if the Coast Starlight lost a lot of its riders to the various Bay Area stops we made last night. The load this morning was light throughout the train, including here in the Pacific Parlour Car as we climbed through the Cascades. Here’s the view from my table as I typed away on this report…



Relaxing in the Pacific Parlour Car


Heading forward to my favorite photography portal, I fired off a couple of photos as the Coast Starlight made its way ever higher into the snowy Cascades.



Looking ahead during the long Cascade climb


The Pacific Parlour Car is the next car back


As we climbed ever higher clouds gathered, the wind picked up and snow began to fall. I returned to the warmth of the Parlour Car and enjoyed the view with coffee and a granola bar. For a short while I had the entire car to myself.



Snowy ambiance from the Pacific Parlour Car


The view from my office


It’s a long descent through heavily forested countryside from Cascade Summit down to the Willamette Valley. I decided now was a good time to grab a quick shower before lunch. At this time of day the demand for showers was minimal. Throughout the trip Jackson had done a great job of setting up and breaking down the roomettes for day or nighttime use. He’d also seen to it that the shower suite remained clean and well stocked. I found fresh towels and personal sized soaps ready to go. Hot water was abundant and when later I emerged in fresh shirt and jeans I felt imminently presentable for luncheon in the diner.



Luncheon view in the Willamette Valley


Unfortunately we’d not been able to make up much of our three hour delay - incurred late last night when a freight train apparently encountered engine trouble up the track from us. The result of this was that our scheduled 8:30pm arrival into Seattle was now looking like it was going to be closer to 10:30pm - or later. Upon arrival in Seattle I still needed to get out to the airport, catch a shuttle to my hotel and then be up and at ‘em for a 6:05am departure to Anchorage. That didn’t leave much time for sleep.

The good news was that my ticket from Seattle up to Fairbanks was a mileage award ticket. As a top tier elite member in Alaska Airlines’ Mileage Plan, it was no problem to call and change my point of departure to Portland, Oregon with an overnight in Seattle. Thankfully award space was available on a number of evening departures from PDX up to SEA. I booked a seat aboard the 7:30pm departure, operated by Skywest with an ex-Horizon CRJ-700.

As for my rail adventure from Chicago to Portland, I had a wonderful and relaxing journey across the country. I met a lot of interesting and entertaining people, ate some delicious meals and took in some of the finest scenery America has to offer. That I was able to close out the rail portion of this month and a half long odyssey aboard the Coast Starlight was an added bonus. Between the Pacific Parlour Car and the wonderful scenery enroute, the Coast Starlight really epitomizes the fact that train trips are all about the journey, not the destination.



Crossing the Willamette River on final to Portland’s Union Station


Portland’s Union Station – One of my favorite train stations


Portland Union Station Main Hall


Our arrival into Portland’s Union station was about an hour and a half late at 5:00pm. From the station it’s a short two block walk up to the light rail stop where a single connection from the green line to the red line light rail trains will get you out to Portland International in less than an hour. I arrived with enough time to enjoy a beer and a plate of delicious crab cakes at Stanfords before making my way down the artistically adorned A Concourse to my waiting CRJ. Our 8:30pm arrival into Seattle allowed me plenty of time to enjoy a good night’s sleep at the Ramada Inn before returning to the airport for my early morning departure back home to Alaska.


April 20, 2017
Alaska Airlines Seattle to Anchorage 605a – 845a 737-900 Economy Class
Horizon Airlines Anchorage to Fairbanks 943a – 1038a DHC-8-400 Economy Class

April 21, 2017
Alaska Airlines Fairbanks to Seattle 550p – 1025p 737-900 Economy Class

April 22, 2017
Alaska Airlines Seattle to Phoenix 945a – 1242p 737-900 Economy Class

Well yes, technically speaking I am returning home to Alaska and I suppose I could have just ended this trip report right here but the reality of it is that the planned drive from Phoenix up through the Desert Southwest and Rocky Mountain west to Colorado has been a part of this itinerary from the very beginning - one that is anticipated with every bit as much enthusiasm as my stops in Bangkok or Bali.

Conversely, this little side trip back up to Alaska is of no real consequence except that it allows me to get my driver’s license reissued and to pick up a new credit card so that I can fly back down to Arizona and carry on with the rest of this trip. While acknowledging the above flights as part of this overall trip, I don’t see much point in detailing them. I did manage to get a couple of pictures on my 5:50pm departure from Fairbanks back down to Seattle on the 21st.



A beautiful evening to fly over Alaska


Alaska’s Miso Chicken Dinner


So noted - let’s head on down to Arizona and resume our travels at Phoenix’s Sky Harbor International Airport where a new Mitsubishi Outlander and five days of overland adventure await me.

Seat 2A

THE DRIVE
From Arizona to Colorado

Road trips aren’t for everybody. In the modern and fast paced world we live in most people just want to get to their destination and get on with life. With one-way airfares between Phoenix and Denver running as low as $42.00 on Southwest or $50.00 on American, the decision to fly is an easy one for most people.

Those are great airfares. Still, if I’ve got the time, I’d rather drive. Of course, whether one “has the time” or not is often more of an approach to life more so than a few free days. When I was a kid I used to gaze out my window at the distinctive peaks of the Rampart Range to the southwest of Denver. Those mountains always looked so much more alluring to me than the higher mountains to the west and/or northwest of Denver. There was just a warmth and beauty to the southwestern landscape that called out to me then and continues its siren song to this day. Indeed, the West as a whole is my favorite playground but the Southwest in particular is where my heart beats most fervently. That passion has resulted in my having driven over just about every paved highway (and many unpaved ones) around the American West, while having driven only a few of the roads around the rest of the country. The map below represents just the roads I’ve driven in my 1988 Mazda truck, a vehicle which I drove for 21 years through three engines and just over 490,000 miles. Even then, the map photo dates from 1997 and is missing many of the roads I drove through the early 2000s. Those extra roads notwithstanding, that truck was my automotive pal and we sure had some good times over the years!



Roads I’ve driven in my 1988 Mazda Truck


My pal, the Mazda Truck


Arizona has long been a popular destination for people desiring a warmer place to visit or live during the winter months. Given the increased winter demand, most car rental companies at PHX and TUS increase their fleet inventories to accommodate the need. Come spring however, the snowbirds have flown the coop back up north and the car rental companies need to disperse most of those extra cars to locations where there’ll be more demand for them.

One of the ways they accomplish this is by offering great deals on one way rentals with no drop off charges. The rates are quite good, bordering on incredible. My rebooked five day rental from Phoenix to Denver in a mid-sized SUV totaled out at just $104.61 all in. My vehicle was a new Mitsubishi Outlander with just 2700 miles on it. After adjusting the seat and mirrors, I plugged in my mp3 player and accelerated out onto Interstate 17 North. Next stop: Flagstaff.

Part of the fun of a road trip like this lies in revisiting favorite old restaurants and motels while also discovering new ones. In Flagstaff I went retro and visited Dara Thai Restaurant. The attraction of Dara’s is twofold – the delicious food and the location on San Francisco Street in Flagstaff’s historic downtown district. My old favorite – the Panang Curry – was as delicious as ever.

The next morning I checked out a place I’d seen on a previous visit last year – the Crown Railroad Café. It was a 1960s built diner located alongside old Rt. 66. This place was famous for offering 66 different types of 3 egg omelets. And rightfully so based upon my spinach, bacon and mushroom omelet with extra green chili on top. I’m sure I’ll be eating here again.

It’s a 345 mile drive from Flagstaff to my next stop in Durango, Colorado. The drive is quite pretty, especially through the red rock country of Northern Arizona along US 160 and the through Monument Valley on the Arizona – Utah border along US 163.



Red Rock canyons along US 160 outside Kayenta, AZ


Entering Monument Valley from the south


Abandoned Monument Valley Souvenir Stand


Leaving Monument Valley


Afternoon Shadows


Arriving in Durango at about 6:00pm, I checked into my hotel for the night – the Days Inn up on North Main. This property used to be a Ramada Inn and has always been one of my favorite places to stay in Durango. As a longtime member in the Wyndham Rewards loyalty program, I enjoy 20% AARP discounts and for the most part rooms that are acceptable to both my sensibilities and my budget. My large, quiet room this evening cost me just $54.00 all in. Only thirteen more nights and I’ll be a Diamond Level member. ^



My room at the Durango Days Inn


Durango is home to five excellent brewpubs, all of which I’ve visited over the past few years. Tonight I decided to have dinner at Carvers – Durango’s very first brewpub and one I haven’t visited in several years. Back in the early 1990s I used to eat breakfast here regularly because their breakfast burritos were so good. It was time to come back and see what they had for dinner.

The Four Corners Steak Sandwich was a good choice. Consisting of thinly sliced beef, Swiss cheese, mushrooms, onions, red peppers, spicy chipotle sauce and garlic aioli on a soft pretzel roll, it went down well with a couple pints of Jack Rabbit Pale Ale.

The next morning, I had breakfast at the Durango Diner, a place I’ve been frequenting since I was a student at Fort Lewis College back in the 1970s. Truth be told, Durango has an excellent selection of breakfast eateries but the Durango Diner remains my favorite. It’s not so much that its food is any better than the other restaurants but in terms of old time ambiance, it can’t be beat. While most of the tourists head over to the trendier spots in town, you’ll usually find us old timers hashing it out with Gary and his crew at the Diner. Colorado sports teams – particularly the Broncos – are always a well-received topic. As are local issues, new or old music, fishing… really - just about anything goes.



Durango Diner Streetfront


Durango Diner Counter


It’s a 260 mile drive from Durango to tonight’s stop in Glenwood Springs. The journey up north along US Highway 550 is one of my favorites. 10,640’ Coal Bank Pass and 10,970’ Molas Pass must be summited before descending into the historic mining town of Silverton. I used to do a lot of backpacking through here back in the day…



Engineer Mountain north of Durango


Cresting Molas Pass on US 550


Descending into Silverton


From Silverton the highway continues north over 11,018’ Red Mountain Pass. This road has some interesting history as it was originally built as a toll road back in the 1880s. That road was rebuilt in the 1920s and the 3,200’ descent from the top of Red Mountain Pass down to the town of Ouray is particularly beautiful and – for some – treacherous. The highway winds its way 12 miles down steep grades and hairpin turns through the Uncompahgre Gorge to Ouray. Numerous avalanche chutes cross the highway, often resulting in its closure during the winter. In many areas there are no guard rails. Then again, I’ve always figured if you need guard rails to stay on the road, you shouldn’t be driving it anyway.



Starting the long descent down Red Mountain Pass


Guard rails? What guard rails! We don need no steenkin’ guard rails!


Ouray, Colorado


I’m always a bit saddened upon departing Ouray and continuing north. There’s a real vitality to the high country that just can’t be felt down here in the lowlands. It’s as if I’ve traded in wild for domesticated. I mean – the surrounding countryside is certainly pretty down here, but it’s just not the same. Anyone who’s ever stood atop a mountain peak or spent time alone in real wilderness knows what of I speak.



Spring has sprung in the valleys below Ouray


In Grand Junction I stopped to have lunch with some old friends, one of whom used to drive busses with me up in Denali National Park. We had a great time rehashing old memories and trading travel stories (He and his wife recently returned from Kenya and Tanzania) before I once again took to the road and drove another 90 miles east to Glenwood Springs. It was only just last week that I was rolling through these two towns aboard the California Zephyr so it was doubly nice to be able to return to the canyons of the Colorado River and enjoy their beauty from the highway.

It would have been nice to have stayed overnight with my friends in Grand Junction but Choice Hotels was offering a promotion wherein if you stay 2 nights in separate hotels, you’ll earn a free night. Tonight’s stay at the Rodeway Inn is my last chance to get that second night before the qualifying period expires.

The next morning I went the corporate route and had breakfast at the Village Inn. It’s been a few years since I’ve eaten at a VI but those skillet breakfasts still taste just as good as they always have. Excuse me a moment – I’d better pay the bill and get back on the road. May I get that last cup of coffee to go? Thanks! Turning onto Interstate 70, I sped east through Glenwood Canyon – every bit as pretty from the highway as it is from the railway.



Interstate 70 through Glenwood Canyon


It’s been about thirty years since my sister moved from Evergreen, CO to Greeley, CO. At the time we all thought she was crazy. Greeley! It’s flat up there and it smells! When the winds are right – and they often are - the distinct aroma from the cattle yards at the Monfort Meat Packing Plant waft over not just the town but the entire region. Pee-yew!

That said, Greeley has got its good sides, too. It’s home to the University of Northern Colorado and appears to have more trees and parks than most similar sized cities. My sister met the man of her dreams up there and these days they all in a very nice neighborhood that I’ve come to enjoy as well.

I had a full day in the area and so made a quick drive up to Ft. Collins to enjoy lunch with an old friend before returning “home” for dinner and the Rockies game. That would be the Colorado Rockies – Denver’s major league baseball franchise that is off to a surprisingly good start this season.

Seat 2A

THE FLIGHTS HOME


April 27, 2017
American Airlines Denver to Chicago 217p – 550p DC-9-80 Economy Class

My award ticket on Japan Airlines was routed TPE-NRT-ORD-SEA-FAI. Chicago was treated as a free stopover city and you’ll recall that after I arrived in Chicago, I then boarded the California Zephyr for the journey west. I now needed to get back to Chicago in order to resume my return flights home.

No problem! Not only did I manage to find a great one way fare but I also found myself a seat aboard a 30 year old MD-80. Now I realize that for any number of reasons many FlyerTalkers don’t like to fly aboard MD-80s. I’ve read any number of desultory comments about this aircraft – none of which have any relevance to my experiences with the airplane.

My first flight aboard an MD-80 came back in June of 1983 aboard a Hawaiian Air machine between Honolulu and Lihue. Back in those days many airlines still referred to the airplane as a DC-9-80. It was after all the latest stretched derivative of McDonnell Douglas’ successful DC-9 family of jetliners.

Following the 1979 crash of an American Airlines DC-10 in Chicago (Itself coming on the heels of two other DC-10 incidents/crashes that pointed to design flaws), the U.S. domestic DC-10 fleet was grounded. Questions were asked, investigations were launched and ultimately it was alleged that McDonnell Douglas had taken short cuts in the DC-10 design in an effort to enjoy the competitive edge gained from being able to get the DC-10 into service before Lockheed’s L-1011.

Of course, the mainstream media put the DC-10 story front and center. The result of all this was that a lot of negative publicity was generated towards not only the DC-10 but all McDonnell Douglas products. Just like that, the successful legacy of the “DC” brand evaporated. Some people refused to fly upon any plane that started with a “DC”.

At the same time, McDonnell Douglas was working hard towards generating orders for its new DC-9-80. All this negative publicity towards McDonnell Douglas in the aftermath of the DC-10 incidents was not helping sales at all. So – starting with the DC-9-80 and extending to all future commercial aircraft, the “DC” was replaced by “MD”. It’s worth noting that the Douglas Aircraft Corporation had become McDonnell-Douglas some years before the DC-10 entered service, but given the success of the “DC” brand with such stars as the DC-3, DC-6, DC-8 and DC-9, it was decided to stick with “DC” for the ten.

Had there not been any problems with the DC-10, the MD-80 would still be a DC-9-80 and the MD-11 would likely have been a DC-10-50.

In the 34 years since that first flight with Hawaiian Air, I’ve logged a further 342 flights aboard MD-80s on 15 airlines totaling 321,490 miles. I’ve always found the airplane to be reliable and – in most configurations – comfortable. This afternoon’s flight over to Chicago was no different. As an elite level flyer with American’s partner airline Alaska, I was able to secure a roomy Main Cabin Extra seat at no additional charge. As for inflight sustenance, I stopped by the Schlotzky’s Delicatessen on the A Concourse. I first discovered Schlotzky’s back in 1981 and, after a brief but intense love affair that saw me eating there every day for about two weeks, my ardor has since cooled to the point where now I eat there maybe four or five times a year – most of those coming whenever I have a flight departing from Denver’s A concourse.

Landing in Chicago was right on time and one hour later I was relaxing in a nice quiet room at the Super 8 O’Hare.


April 28, 2017
Alaska Airlines Chicago to Seattle 320p – 445p 737-900 First Class
Alaska Airlines Seattle to Fairbanks 735p – 1027p 737-400 First Class


It’s been exactly a month and a half since I soared into the late winter skies above Fairbanks and commenced this 60000 mile around the world odyssey. It’s amazing to me just how fast this trip has gone by. And - with the exception of my purloined wallet, it’s equally amazing just how smoothly everything has gone. And now here we are – down to the final two flights totaling 3,250 miles back home to Fairbanks.

I guess in some ways I should be happy to finally be returning home, and indeed I am looking forward to getting back because I’ve got plenty of chores to accomplish before reporting back to work at Denali National Park in a couple of days. At the same time I could just as easily hop on a plane to Europe this evening, make my way to Moscow and reboard the Trans-Mongolian for another seven day journey across Asia before continuing on to wherever in the style in which I’ve just done. This has been one fantastic trip and quite frankly – far from being exhausted or tired from all the travel – I’m energized and ready for more. I love this life on the road!

I also love my life and work in Denali National Park. Not many people are as fortunate as I to live and work in a place like I do – and get paid for it. It’ll be good to get back, see old friends and new and get back to work. So then – hi ho, hi ho, it’s off to work I go!


* * * :-: * * * :-: * * *

Alaska Airlines flights out of Chicago now depart from gate H8. This is a huge improvement from when Alaska operated out of the tired old L Concourse, mainly because H8 is conveniently located just a short walk from American’s Admirals Club located in the Y between the H & K Concourses.

Although the ORD Admirals Club is quite large and convoluted in its layout, it is an otherwise attractive and well-tended facility. Attendants do a marvelous job collecting empty plates and glasses, restocking soup and salads, cleaning the bathrooms. They are seemingly everywhere! I helped myself to a bowl of American’s ubiquitous Tomato Bisque and took a seat over in the Business Center where I spent the next hour catching up on emails I should have addressed or deleted weeks ago.

Come 2:45 I made my way down to H8. Being as I was seated in Row 1, I probably should’ve headed down a bit earlier to take advantage of the limited overhead space above that row. Still, when it comes to your basic everyday domestic flights around the U.S., I’ve generally always maximized my time in the lounge and been amongst the last to board regardless of class traveled. I just can’t bring myself to hustle and bustle my way onto the plane just to secure a better position for my cabin baggage – as much sense as it might otherwise make to do so. If my bag ends up a couple of rows behind me, I’m not at all bothered. The minor inconvenience of retrieving it after we land is much more acceptable to me than getting all stressed out while trying to be amongst the first to board.

Today my gambit had played out particularly well as the First Class flight attendant had managed to save the forward overhead compartment for those of us seated in the first row. I suspect most of this was accomplished by simply closing the lid. There is after all a small sticker on the outside indicating the compartment is reserved for passengers sat in row 1 – as if anybody takes the time to actually read it. No - I wouldn’t be surprised if my FA actually ran off a couple of lazy, no-good scoundrels from row 2 or worse – from Coach! She was pretty attentive.

Flight time to Seattle was just a couple minutes under four hours. Sitting in a chock·a·block full 737-900 that had yet to benefit from Alaska’s new more spacious First Class seating configuration, this was not particularly good news. By contrast, I remember back in the early 1970s when I flew a similarly timed departure between Chicago and Seattle aboard a lounge equipped 747 on United Airlines. Yeah, Baby! Bring on those head winds! Even in Coach, those widebodied flights of old were a joy to fly.

Hot towels and cocktails were efficiently dispensed with, followed by this afternoon’s dinner service. At least I thought it was supposed to be a dinner service. What we were served was a small plate of tri-colored cheese tortellini with an uninspired side salad. Mind you, this was a four hour dinner time departure on a route where Alaska competes with American and United and soon, Delta. It was so disappointing I couldn’t even bring myself to take a picture of it. I’ve had this meal before but on a much shorter flight – I think the mid-afternoon snack service on the 2 hour, 1020 mile flight between Seattle and Denver. Who knows, maybe the 3:20pm departure was downgraded to a snack service. Here’s a picture of the meal from my Denver flight earlier this year:



Alaska’s Tri-Colored Cheese Tortellini


In every other respect this was a very nice flight with excellent service from our flight attendant and some entertaining sports and travel chat with seatmate. In Seattle we landed to the south which resulted in like, a ten minute taxi to our gate on the D Concourse. We had to go all the way up and around the North Satellite before finally pulling into D2. I was thankful for the gate location though because a friend of mine from Alaska was flying up to Fairbanks on the same flight. Although I was unable to score him an upgrade into First Class, I figured the least I could do was guest him into the Alaska Lounge during our time in Seattle. From D2 I had only a short walk to meet him at the lounge entrance and soon we were enjoying cold beers and rehashing our travels over the past couple of weeks – or in my case – months.

Alaska 117 to Fairbanks was departing from C20, a five minute walk from the main terminal Alaska Lounge. Soon those C gates will be right outside Alaska’s new C Concourse lounge, currently slated to open on June 14th. The aircraft operating this evening’s flight was N713AS, a 737-400 that - with the exception of the combi aircraft - is quickly becoming a rare bird around Alaska’s system. Once the backbone of Alaska’s fleet with a total of forty aircraft operated, there are now just fourteen aircraft still bearing the smiling Eskimo on their tales. The rest have been returned to lessors and/or sold off to such diverse airlines as Turkey’s Tailwind, South Africa’s Safair or the U.S.’s Vision Airlines.

Tonight’s aircraft first flew back in June of 1999, making it eighteen years old – not especially old by airframe standards, but not new and modern either. Compared to the 737-900ERs that Alaska usually assigns to this flight, this -400 looked like a museum piece with old, undersized overhead luggage compartments and small, skimpily padded First Class seats that are easily the worst in the industry. Aside from that, this is a perfectly good airplane that just needs an interior refurbishment and perhaps a good C check before moving on to provide safe reliable transport for some second or third tier air carrier somewhere in the world.

My seatmate was particularly uncomfortable in the old seats – not so much because of their construction but rather because of their seat pitch. He was 6’ 8” tall. Fortunately he was still young and reasonably flexible but even so I didn’t envy him his inside window seat.

It was a beautiful evening for flying as we took off to the north and climbed away from the airport, speeding north over the Puget Sound and the peaks of Vancouver Island before cloud cover obscured the beautiful landmass below. Drink orders were taken and I requested a Woodford Reserve – on the rocks, please. Would you care for a double, Sir? Sure, why not? I declined Alaska’s offer of Biscoff Cookies (an odd accompaniment for a cocktail!) and instead pulled out my packet of Blue Diamond Smoked Almonds which I’d been saving just for this flight.

Tonight’s meal did not disappoint either. Although the flight attendant described it simply as Chicken and Wild Rice, I believe its correct title is Chicken Marsala. I’ve enjoyed this meal on a couple of occasions earlier this year and per my tastes it’s quite flavorful and filling.



Alaska’s Chicken Marsala


My friend was seated back in row 8 on the window, so after dinner I went back and paid him a quick visit. He works up on Alaska’s North Slope and most years earns enough mileage to attain MVP and occasionally even Gold status. I have tried many times to get him to do a mileage run or two to ensure Gold status for the next year but his mind doesn’t seem to accept my peculiar logic. He’s a pretty pragmatic guy who’s satisfied with the money he makes, the flights he flies and the service he receives – which includes more than a few upgrades. He patiently listens to my talk of benefits including what I consider the best one of all – the waiving of all change and refund fees – and then politely ignores me. It used to drive me crazy how anyone could come so close to improving the quality of their travel and benefits and then just let them slide away but hey – he’s happy with his lot and there you have it. I gave him the packaged lemon square dessert from my dinner and we agreed to meet for lunch the next day at the Taco King down on the Old Steese Hwy.

The skies had cleared somewhat by the time we commenced our gradual descent into Fairbanks. Despite the late hour, our northern latitudes still allowed for plenty of daylight – a source of much excitement to the couple seated across from me. Perhaps they were making their first trip north to Alaska. Either way, I couldn’t help but share in their excitement ~ albeit for different reasons. Spring has sprung here in the far north and with it the warmth of the midnight sun. Although we were still about three weeks away from true midnight sunlight in Fairbanks, the late night daylight at this time of year is impressive and is a sure sign that the excitement of another summer season is just around the corner.

Seatmate and I watched out our windows as the University of Alaska campus passed beneath us, followed by the Parks Highway and then Pike’s Landing and the Dale Road suburbs. We touched down smoothly, slowed down with an impressive deployment of reverse thrust and then taxied briskly to our gate.

As I walked up the jetway for the final time on this trip, I remember thinking that everyone should be so fortunate as I to have been able to embark upon a trip of this length and breadth. It was truly one of the best trips I’ve ever put together and one that may well set the bar for future excursions around the planet. Then again, there was that 2005 trip to South America, Canada and Australia… Or the Six Trains on Six Continents trip I did in 2010… Or the trip to Chile and South Africa that I took two years ago… Or the – Oh what the heck - they’ve all been fantastic journeys!

I am truly blessed to have been able to take these spectacular trips and especially grateful to all of you who’ve taken the time to endure my verbose narratives and rambling detours down memory lane to essentially ride along with me on this adventure. Given the overwhelming popularity of photo-reports and the relative ease and speed with which they’re enjoyed, I am doubly appreciative for the small but fervent readership I enjoy here at FlyerTalk. After all of the time you’ve invested in reports of the length I typically submit, the fact that any of you would still find time to sally forth with a kind comment or two about it all is a wonderful bonus.

So thank you all for riding along with me on this trip. I hope that if only vicariously you’ve still managed to have had as good a time as I have and – should any of you be so inspired to cobble together a similar trip of your own – please PM me if you decide to submit a trip report about it all. I’d love to read about it.

Thanks again, everyone!

Happy Contrails!

dat4life

I haven't read it yet, but I want to thank you in advance for sapping my productivity at work tomorrow.

seat38a

Great report!

On Amtrak, did they switch back to the smaller bottles of water in the roomette or is it just the camera making the bottles look smaller?