Coming Into Sacramento

1040 AM

February 27, 2026

I guess we are in the California Central Valley. Flat with lots of cropland. Saw IC Davis which is the ag school of the state. Davis is apparently the bicycle capitol of the US.

Observation car is full now. A loud group of 60+ year olds; the kind of group that doesn’t appreciate that their loudness is rude to those of us enjoying the scenery.

We are headed toward snowcapped mountains — I think in the Lake Tahoe area. Google Maps has me thinking that the snow is about 90 miles away. Wow!

Crew on the train is rather strict. Not so much “please” and “thank you” as it is “do NOT bring your luggage into the observation car.” Differt strokes for different folks. I’m focusing on deep breathing.

Lots of American is not beautiful anymore. Cities look old and unmaintained in parts. Emeryville was different — it looked new. We just pulled into Sacramento — homeless folks by the River, old warehouses with rusted roofs and broken windows. I read about the age of these Amtrak cars — many of the sleeper cars are 50 years old. Although they might have been refurbished, they look old and tired.

Enough of my commentary. I’m really quite happy to be taking this train. It is forcing me to rest and take in my environment. I am glad that I have learned to be better at “mind control” and staying in the moment. Actually it’s mind control is it? It’s just not reacting to the random thoughts my mind is generating.