©2014 Ted H. Schaar
20. Spokane to Idaho and Back
The symmetrical Davenport.
Spokane.
|
Friday
morning
Walked to the Enterprise rental car office and picked up a Chevrolet Impala; had reserved a small car but none was available so we were given the boat at the same price. Hadn't been in a Chevy in many years and it reminded me of times gone by. Big, bulky, not very comfortable. Hasn't GM learned anything from the Japanese? Picked up Pam and headed to Coeur d'Alene, about 50 miles east of Spokane. |
Lake Coeur d'Alene, Idaho.
|
Bleak
Next afternoon we drove back to Spokane and arrived at the all-but-abandoned Amtrak Depot about 7:00 p.m. Down-and-out, scruffy types came and went. Some twitched and looked like they were on meth. A group of scraggly women entered the ladies room and stayed for more than a half hour. One security guard was responsible for the whole building; said he was an ex-Marine. There are a million stories in the city. Took my wallet off my belt and it put it in my pants. Decided to move to a seat nearer the Amtrak counter when it finally opened. Refund
An Amtrak clerk named Cassandra told us she could reduce the price of our tickets by $400. Pam followed her instructions when we returned and received a $500 check from Amtrak. It had something to do with the fact that the sleeper we were assigned out of Spokane was more toward the end of the train than the one we paid for. Didn't know that location made a difference but I suppose it's not surprising. Finally got aboard around 11:00 p.m. and were asleep in minutes. |
Cassandra.
tswrites.com
Photos ©2014 Ted H. Schaar except where noted.