It’s amazing the wildlife you see from the train.  In Colorado we saw antelope, a big antelope with big antlers just sitting near the tracks.  In Nevada we saw a herd of wild mustangs, 3 adults and a foal.  Also along the way we saw a few Mule Deer.  We even arrived early into Emeryville.  From there we took a bus, provided by Amtrak, into San Francisco,  The bus driver was so nice, he took us right to our hotel.  The next day we did a tour of San Francisco, the usual places like Fishermen’s Wharf and rode the trolley.  Now, I’m not a big fan of San Francisco.  I’ve been there several times when I was a stockbroker, with someone else paying.  What I didn’t like about the city was I always expected it to be warm, and no matter what time of year I went, even in the summer, I was always cold.  Dan’s been there too for work and isn’t a big fan.  Plus it’s very expensive.  This time we were paying, so we kept in low key.  The kids had a great time,  with the seal lions and the trolley being their favorite.

  One of the things we really got a laugh at was these toilets.  They are totally automatic.  You press a button, the door opens automatically.  When you finish using the toilet, it flushes automatically.  You go to the sink and the water and soap are automatically dispensed.  The water stops and air comes out to dry your hands.  The door then opens automatically and closes behind you.  Then the whole thing is locked up for about 2 minutes while it washes itself down and dries itself.  It’s incredible.  I had read about them before but never seen them.  I loved the warning signs inside.  They warn you only have 20 minutes, then apparently the doors will burst open and expose you to the world!  No dilly dallying here!