Amtrak's Gold Runner & Thruway Buses - Los Angeles to San Jose in Coach

After a LONG day in Los Angeles I was keen to get up to the bay area & ride some different transit. I didn't need to forego a hotel room & take an overnight Thruway bus to ride Amtrak's pre-dawn train 711, the Gold Runner (er... San Joaquins?), but since I'm cheap & don't sleep well under any circumstance that's just what I did. From barely keeping my eyes open in LA Union Station, to hardly wanting to close them through Altamont Pass, this ride was surprisingly serene, even if I had to suffer Venture Coach seats for five-ish hours! Featured music under free license via YouTube Creator Studio Not made with AI Produced by Megandsteve Travel, 2026 Recorded August, 2026