Stockton, Day 1, Part 1 : The Coast Starlight Is Early, Martinez, and More

And so it goes, another journey on the road. This time, my destination is San Diego, with layovers in Martinez, Stockton, and Pleasanton.

When the train arrived in Redding, I realized something. The Coast Starlight was early. I can assure those of you who are familiar with this route that indeed, I did not see any pigs flying, nor did I hear any dogs meowing as this Herculean feat was accomplished. I'll be on the watch for the Four Horsemen, though.

Martinez is... well, an interesting place. I had a three-hour layover there, enough to explore a bit. And what I saw was downright depressing: boarded-up windows, bars on doors, and graffiti on buildings saying “No Trespassing”. It took a toll on me, but then I realized that if it made me depressed, I couldn't begin to imagine what the people who live there felt about it. What I thought about it suddenly seemed irrelevant, so I walked on through it anyway.

After a bit, I found the main street through downtown, looking for any small, family-run coffee shop I could stop in. The only one I found was locked, so I resorted to a Starbucks instead.

After drinking cough syrup-esque coffee served by snooty baristas, I walked on back to the station until the train to Stockton arrived.