Riding the Rails with Roo, Part 3 (My Dog Is Well Trained)

(Sorry about the title. Couldn't help myself.)

June 1, 2008 -- Just four months after our first train trip to San Diego, Truman and I were headed there again. And though we were riding in an Amtrak passenger car, this time was different in that the train was being pulled by the steam locomotivewe've come to know and love.

Unlike the trip to Fullerton, this was a full-blown steam excursion that was open to the public; it had been three years in the making, and the cars that followed the engine were filled with families, old-timers and steam enthusiasts who travel to distant locations for opportunities such as this one. As we pulled away from Union Station and rounded a curve of track, I was able to get a quick photo of Santa Fe 3751 in action -- forgive the "filter" of the dirty Amtrak window:



As usual, many people were surprised to see a dog on the train, but Truman makes friends quickly and soon one of our car hosts was snapping his photograph for inclusion in his train club's upcoming newsletter. We settled in and enjoyed the view all the way down the coast, having chosen seats on the side of the train that we knew would be closest to the ocean during the daylight trip southward.

She certainly draws a crowd! We pulled into the historic Santa Fe station in San Diego a few relaxing hours later, and were immediately met with throngs of curious onlookers and TV cameras. Here are some shots of her from the station and from across the street, with the station behind her, against the backdrop of the modern buildings of downtown San Diego:





We were free to explore for a few hours, so Truman and I had a nice lunch in front of the tall ships docked nearby, the most well-known of which, Star of India, had a bunch of people doing rigging or something high up just above the sail.



Before we got back onto the train for the journey home, I took a few shots of the inside of the lovely old Santa Fe station.





The only trouble with traveling is that I come home tired after a full day on the road...but Truman, who has by this time slept for most of the day and left the arrangements and coordination up to me, is ready to play. After having been so well-behaved and "in jacket" all day long, he got home to the apartment and hit the stairs at full shuffle, going up and down three flights twice in the time it took me to do it once, then doing donuts on my living room carpet until I made him go to bed. Is there a way to tap into puppy energy?