Monday, January 25, 2010

Empire Builder: West Bound

1/24/10
Mary and I really enjoyed our train ride to Seattle from Minneapolis/St. Paul. The two day trip included two nights in a "Roomette", which can best be described as sleeping in a pup tent. Once you got used to dressing laying down and the rocking motion with a few jolts of the train, the minor inconveniences were replaced with the helpful staff and the lugubrious fellow passengers. Indeed it was the socializing and the events during the train's leisurely pace which made the miles fly by.
Some of the events included:
An Amtrak wine and cheese tasting party.
A wildcat fight between two women passengers.
Wonderful meals prepared on the train with fresh flowers on table.
Dinner seating "Community Style" which put a new table partner across from you at each meal.
Hearing many life stories from young and old; some warm, others tragic.
The train running ahead of schedule.
Life on the train:

Dining Car

Our Roomette, Seat with a View

Cozy Sleeper



North Dakota Scenic View


Montana Scenic View

Approaching Seattle, Olympic Range with Puget Sound

Seattle, End of the Line

1 comment:

Barb Carusillo said...

Your Montana scenic view would seem fine for the extremely myopic, otherwise leaves just a little bit to be desired. Hopefully, you will get clearer skies when you get up into the Space Needle!