relaxed
gigica, and I hope your weekend was fun!) So we took in the included Holiday Inn Express breakfast and did our packing in a leisurely way. We'll have to be out of the hotel room in about twenty minutes (although I doubt they'll be very strict on this, between being mostly empty this weekend and me being a platinum Priority Club member). That gives us two hours for Cheryl to drive us back to Sacramento, and for us to refuel and return the rental car. Should be no problem.My eyes continue to improve. I was able to read a little bit last night, which was a welcome change. I still am using the eye patch when I do computer work, though, because the focal length is wrong and the amount of time I have to concentrate on keeping my eye focused is stressful.
Aside from the extra expense of the rental car, I do like this rail-auto combination. The portion of the drive out of the Bay Area is the most stressful, and being able to sit back on the train is very nice.
I read last night why the train ride has been so smooth. Although the tracks over which the Capitol operates only need to be maintained to FRA Class 4 (79 MPH) standards, the Capitol Corridor Joint Powers Board has been paying Union Pacific the extra money to keep the tracks maintained to Class 5 (90 MPH) standards. While the trains aren't allowed to operate faster than 79 MPH because they'd need cab signals or automatic train stop, the extra maintenance makes for a smoother ride for the passengers.