From Gail re: your help in getting information about Amtrak train from Goleta to where-I-live and then from where-I-live to Santa Rosa or Healdsburg or S.F.

["Gail" <http://www.cox.net/~g3>]

Hi Robert and Noelle,

Later this afternoon I phoned Amtrak at 800-872-7245 speaking to a robot and
then went on its website to get some information about trains during our
June trip to Healdsburg for the Dry Creek Vineyard 50th Anniversary event. I
wasn't able to get a lot of detail nor specifics unable to speak to a live
person. I don't know if I would get more information more easily if I spoke
to a person by going to the SB railroad station downtown as Goleta hasn't
built its station yet although does have a stop platform. Anyway, I would
greatly appreciate your help with this before I compare the schedules, etc.
with flying from SB to where-I-live or S.F. or Santa Rosa and back. I would then
rent a car to get from (or maybe even from where-I-live) S.F. or S.R. to
Healdsburg and return. 

First of all my daughter, Kim, made a mistake and didn't tell her staff
while she was traveling to save a place for Don and I to attend the DCV
library winetasting event on Fri. 6/24 from 2-4 PM being held at an event
center in Healdsburg even though I've had that on my calendar for quite some
time, so it has sold out. She will let me know if there are any
cancellations so that we can attend that event as well. She will be very
busy that day entertaining attendees coming from all over the world and has
indicated that she won't have much time that weekend to just visit with us
in family time. Romy will be more available to get together with. We already
have our hotel reservations in Healdsburg for quite some time for the night
of 6/23, 6/24, and 6/25 to leave the morning of 6/26. I could cancel the
hotel for 6/23 if necessary. 

>From Amtrak what I have found so far is: on 6/23 leaving Goleta there is a
train at 10:11 AM that evidently stops in San Luis Obispo and then arrives
in where-I-live at 4:50 PM at $50.00/person for unreserved coach. I don't know
if we would have to change trains at SLO, just stay on the same train, or
take a bus. If we spent the night in where-I-live at an inexpensive hotel/motel
near you and have dinner with you and visit you, we could leave where-I-live on
6/24 at 11:05 AM with a stop in Martinez (again not knowing whether we have
to change trains, stay on the train, or do something with a bus) and arrive
at 3:45 PM for $36.00/person via coach. I didn't look into the return trip
on 6/26. We can't leave Goleta on 6/22 nor return on 6/27 due to other
commitments here on those days. As I emailed Kim not knowing how Don's
dementia may progress and when to get worse, we have to consider that this
trip might be our last to where-I-live and/or Healdsburg. In other words in the
future we might only be able to get together via Zoom or for you two and Kim
and Romy to come to Goleta to visit us.

After you have had time to research this transportation, you can phone us
tonight up until 11 PM or tomorrow afternoon before we leave about 5:45 PM
for a dinner and dancing event that eve. After that we are apt to be very
busy with prior commitments mostly having to do with being involved in next
week's inbound domestic Friendship Force exchange from Tucson, AZ which is
the 1st exchange our FFSB Chapter has had since the COVID-19 shutdown in
March 2020. Otherwise just email your reply.

Cheers and thanks in advance,

Gail