Cascades and Empire Builder, Bellingham to Spokane and back via Portla

[Cascadia]

I did this trip on Monday March 3rd and Tuesday March 4th. I figured out a way to ride the train for about thirty six hours with only a few hours on the ground in Portland. It was just a way to get out of the house and see some parts of the world out here that I haven't seen, and an excuse to ride the train. I had cabin fever pretty bad so I figured out this itinerary:

Left Bellingham heading South on the Cascades at 8:35 Monday morning, rode all the way to Portland getting there in the early afternoon, then hopped on the Empire Builder eastbound to Spokane, getting there in the middle of the night and immediately turning around and heading back on the westbound Empire Builder back to Portland. Got into Portland in the morning and had a few hours to explore the city before boarding the northbound Cascades in the afternoon and riding back home to Bellingham arriving on time at 9:05 p.m Tuesday night.

I wrote some stuff about how I dressed for an overnight in coach, what I packed, and how I brought my own food along, but I will put that at the end of the trip report instead of at the beginning. This was written as a series of emails to a friend, that made it easier to write, but I had the idea I would post it all along.

Part 1:

Started my trip Monday morning rolling south out of Bellingham on the

Cascades. The scenery directly south of here in the Chuckanut area

where the train goes along the water, is spectacular. I am going to

ride this short part several times in the near future just to get to

know it better. You pass along a cliff side and the bays on your right

are full of islands which might as well be in the wilderness. There are

tons of different kinds of ducks and geese and plenty of eagles to be

seen. It was misty and foggy and gray when I passed it which is the

normal way for it to look I suppose. I would like to see it in every

weather.

The Skagit Valley is a productive farming area which used to be a prime

flowerbulb growing area too. We still have the Tulip Festival in the

spring and the fields are still beautiful to see with solid color

reaching almost to the horizon, but I guess it's not what it used to be.

Still worth seeing seeing though, and it's beautiful even when the

tulips aren't in bloom.

I ate my breakfast as we proceeded south and had a cup of coffee from

the Bistro car. One thing about bringing your own food along, I guess

you aren't supposed to eat it in the lounge or diner car. I can

understand that and I ate in my own seat.

There was a family of with two small children seated in front of me,

they were pleasant enough, but the little girl especially did not stop

chattering the whole trip, "wook! dutts! moh dutts! dey fwyin! dey

fwyin to duh beatsch!" "Is dis de bwidge? Mommy, owh we on de bwidge?"

over and over and over. Cute enough I suppose, but between that and

feeling very cramped in my seat when a guy sat next to me for more than

half the trip, (he was no trouble, just read his Sue Grafton book and

didn't say anything, I read mine and listened to headphones) I am just

spoiled on hogging two seats and spoiled on the huge Superliner seats as

well. I ended up going to the lounge car for a long time, and you know

people just don't go in there, I don't know why, but you can spread out

and hog all the real estate you want, there's not much competiton. So I

took advantage of that.

Tip: be sitting in your seat at station stops. Take the aisle seat,

leave the window seat open and be prepared to give it up. If you lose

your window seat you can always go to the lounge. But I guess I don't

want to be pinned in to the window seat anymore. I think I got a

seat-partner because I was sitting in the lounge when he got on the

train. If you are sitting in the aisle seat someone will have to ask

you to get up if they want the window seat. And of course you would.

But they might be reluctant, especially if you pretend to be asleep.

I haven't taken the train south from Bellingham before (I am usually

only headed north to Canada). You see a lot

of industry that borders the train tracks. There are a lot of lumber

processing facilities where guys move logs around with huge machines.

One thing I saw a lot of on the whole trip was big piles of dirt, and

people moving big piles of dirt around with heavy equipment.

I should say a bit about my pleasant interaction with the personnel on

this trip. When we were boarding at Bellingham, that nice Mary at the

station pointed me out to Larry the conductor, and told him to take care

of me. He made a point of mentioning it later when we were in transit,

he said, you're a friend of Mary's? Then I had the oppportunity to say

that she had told me there were guys on the train who knew Portland

reallly well, and I should ask them what to do there. She had given me

a good tourist map too. He said no, I should ask the guys in Portland,

they would know.

Then later, in Seattle, a crew of three boarded to ride down to

Portland, they were going to work my train back the next day, the

conductor Dirk, assistant conductor Fred, and engineer Joe (I got to

meet the engineer! They were sitting in the lounge and Larry came

and found me and said, you should talk to these guys, they live in

Portland. So I had my map that Mary gave me, and went back there and

Joe was especially helpful, about where to walk and what to avoid. I

had had a few hints before from some people on an internet forum, but it

was super helpful to look at the map and write notes on it with someone

who lives there. Not to mention meeting the engineer of the train I

would ride tomorrow! You never get to talk with the engineer. I felt

really special . And it was cool to say "Hi Fred!" and "Hi Dirk!" to

the AC and the conductor in Portland on Tuesday afternoon.

Oh, I should stick this in under the heading of staff interaction. On

the way down on the Cascades, Larry was the conductor and Roseann (I'm

sure that was her name) was the Assistant Conductor, and Larry

introduced me to her. She said, do you work for Amtrak or something? I

said no, I ride the train a lot, but usually I'm headed up to Canada.

She said, oh, are you the acupuncturist? I said, no, but how flattering

that you said that. And I told her that she looked like a person I know

who is an acupuncturist, who is also the only person I know in Portland.

Roseann said she wished she was doing that, and making some real money.

So, I got to see a bunch of Washington that I'd never seen before, in

its stripped down winter dreariness. I would like to point out the

advantage of winter travel which you wouldn't always think of, but it is

really nice to travel when the leaves are off the trees. You can see a

lot farther and you get a better idea of the lay of the land. Sometimes

in the summer all you can see is a wall of greenery that blocks your

view.

That is one good reason to travel in the winter off season, but there

are others. Places are not so crowded, and the prices are much lower.

Also, who wants to be hot and sweaty and stuck in a train? Ick.

I shall conclude with an account of my pleasant experiences at the

Portland Union Station. I went to the counter there to check when

boarding was for the Empire Builder, and to ask what side of the train

to sit on for the best view (the right side is the river side when you

are eastbound). The guys at the counter were so ultra nice! I was

talking with Jerry first, and right away he said, oh you came down from

Bellingham? You must know Mary then. he said she was so good about

sending them supplies when they would run out of things. Then we were

talking and I looked past him and saw the wall map of the Amtrak system

on the wall back there. I said, hey, I'm jealous, that's the map the

Mary said she would give me, only now she said she can't find it. He

went back and got me one! Then he even got a tube to put it in so I

could carry it! What a nice guy. Thanks Jerry I got that cool map

home. I'll have to tell Mary to quit looking for hers.

Then he said, you should talk with this guy here, Larry, about the

Columbia gorge and how it was formed. So I moved over a window and nice

Larry was telling me about the geology of the gorge and how the ice dams

melted and threw Lake Superior sized amounts of water over what would

become the scablands and the gorge, this happened repeatedly. I knew a

little bit about it but it was fun to talk about it with someone who was

so enthusiastic. Also to be reminded of it just as I was about to see

it for the first time.

I ate my lunch on the bench in Union Station which is a cool building

for sure. Why is Seattle's King Street Station so dumpy and cramped? I

got off the train there and walked around a little bit (I think maybe

that's where I gained my seatmate, not sure. Let that be a lesson to

you! Stay in your seat at station stops!

Sorry for the digression. Union Station is nice, the station staff was

exceptional, I meant to say I joked around with "Jim" as well, when I

asked if there was a place for me to leave my bags, I wanted to check on

that in advance for the next day. He was very funny and dragged me into

some joking around with another guy there who was asking him to borrow

money. So I teased him back and said, okay you have Larry and Jerry,

and "Jimmy" too I guess.

And yes, they have a super system for leaving your bags while you

sightsee, if you have an Amtrak ticket.

I will cut this off and continue the next installment

as I finish my lunch there in Portland under the big clock in

the station and prepare to board the mighty Empire Builder! (even if the

Portland leg is only a very small piece of the actual Empire Builder

train. They might call it the "Baby Builder" but I was still thrilled

to ride it!)

 

[Cascadia]

Part 2:

When last I wrote we were departing Union Station in Portland on the

Empire Builder train. I believe we left there about 2:45 p.m. We

rolled through Oregon and east through the Columbia river gorge.

I was really thrilled to be on the Empire Builder. This trip was a

cheap substitute for the longer trip I had hoped to take, going all the

way to Minneapolis, that I couldn't swing for various reasons, mostly

financial but also because I adopted a cat at Christmas time. I can

leave her for a few days but not for ten days or two weeks, I can work

that out later but now is too soon. What I mean to say is, I was very

happy to be heading East and I was wishing I was going all the way to

Chicago, for sure! And I was jealous of the people who were going

farther than I was.

We had a motley assortment of passengers. It felt more like a Greyhound

type crowd than the Amtrak clientele I am used to. It's possible my

usual Bellingham to Vancouver, BC run attracts a more rarefied milieu

than some other trains do? There were a lot of people on this train

that were headed for small towns in Montana. Luckily the train was not

crowded and most everyone had two seats to themselves.

When the scenery started getting good, I wanted to enjoy it before the

light was gone, so I went in the View Car, a very nice car with seats

facing outward to giant windows that wrap up partway onto the roof. We

had one of those on the Cascades train I usually ride for a while last

summer, it was great.

I was pretty much the only person in there and unfortunately this guy

who had been across the aisle from me wanted to talk with me, I was

polite and took my headphones partly off and made short responses, but I

really didn't want to talk with him. I suppose he kind of followed me

in there. He wasn't too much trouble but I would have rather skipped it

. . . that's the price you pay for travelling alone and I guess it works

both ways because if you do want to meet people that can be easier when

you're by yourself.

It didn't spoil my appreciation of the scenery, it would be great to do

this part of the trip when the days are longer in the summer so you

could see more. When it started getting dark I made my excuses to the

persistent fellow and went back to my seat, which was on the correct

side of the train for what was left of the good view anyway.

I had some good advice from Bill the other station attendant in

Bellingham, or I suppose he's really the stationmaster? He helped me

a lot with my itinerary and reassured me that it was a sensible way to

go as far as the connections, and helped me straighten out my ticketing

when I had trouble with the discount code for the Cascades on the

internet. His travel advice was to try to sleep, even if you don't

think you can sleep, or don't think you want to, or can't sleep, you

should still try to sleep. That was good advice and I followed it.

It took me a while to get the hang of trying to sleep on the two coach

seats. Hopefully your leg rest works and stays up. Then you can lie on

the two seats and rest your bent legs on the leg rest. I switched sides

a lot and got pains in my hips that I haven't had since I used to sleep

on a rock hard futon. I was really stiff after even a few hours of

this, which was good in a way because I need incentive for a new

exercise program. Hah. But increased flexibility could come in handy

for times like sleeping in coach.

Our car attendant Paul, was really good. He brought us pillows and was

around a lot checking up on things. I heard him answering questions a

lot for people and he volunteered a good piece of information, besides

the little water spigots in the cars, there's the cafe station in the

upstairs part of the view car which is unmanned and unused in the off

season, and he suggested to fill your water bottles at the sink or

fountain there. I will for sure keep that in mind for the future. I

would have liked to talk to him more, he has a cool job being an

attendant on the Empire Builder.

I was trying to sleep and knew that we stopped a lot, but was too out of

it to pay any attention or think about how that was affecting our run

and whether I would make my connection in Spokane. It never crossed my

mind actually. I had no sense of time and figured we were just waiting

for freight trains.

When we got to Spokane and detrained, I went in the station and saw by

the clock how truly late we were. I believe it was 2:30 and that my

train was to leave at 2:45 ( I was dazed and haven't double checked

this). The train was supposed to get in at 12:15 and leave me two

hours and 15 minutes. Now I of course know how delayed things can get

and some famous long delays have occurred in the system lately. I

should have been paying more attention and should have made a point of

seeking out the conductor and made sure he knew I had to connect with

that westbound train.

So I had no idea where to go or where I was, I saw a circle of guys

standing there talking and announced my dilemma "Could you help me

please? I just got off the train coming from Portland and now I want to

get on the one headed right back to Portland, please." I don't know

if it was the engineer, I think it was, he said, "Were you on my train?"

He walked with me out to the platform and said the reason the train was

late was that a guy fell down the stairs! He knocked himself out and

they had to wait an hour for an ambulance. It must have happened in the

other car and I was oblivious to the whole thing. He took my ticket

like a guy who doesn't usually take tickets, he kind of mangled the

envelope, lol. He said he'd give it to the conductor, and passed me off

to the sleeping car attendant at the door of my next train, good thing I

had someone to guide me, I didn't know which end was up at that point.

Okay I have now successfully completed my connection and must

continue in Part 3.

 

[Cascadia]

Part 3:

So, I made it onto the Portland-bound train in the middle of the night,

it was touch and go and I learned to make sure to communicate better

with the conductor on future trips where I have a connection to make.

Riding the train for hours and hours puts you in a daze, I learned that

too, all the more reason to want to ride a lot and achieve that lovely

dazed state!

A train feels like a safe place to be out of it, as long as you're

organized before hand. Of course I never left my purse unattended, and

basic security things like that which are second nature to me now.

Okay here's another train riding trip. When I got on in the middle of

the night, I wasn't thinking of which side to sit on, I just got a

reasonable empty seat with a good window position (I hate having a

partial window!). But it was on the wrong side. When we got to our

first morning stop, just at dawn, a person across from me got off, and I

seized the opportunity to switch sides once I realized that I should. I

quickly transferred my worldly goods to the left, scenic side of the

train! Score one for willingness to take action.

I ate my breakfast in the dawn sunshine of Eastern Washington. It

clouded up after that and got a little gloomier as we entered the Gorge,

but it was cool to check out the life along the river, little fishing

platforms everywhere, and the most beautiful orchard and vineyard I've

ever seen, right between the train tracks and the river, it looked super

well run and had patches of different kinds of dwarf fruit trees

alternating with grapevines, it was very impressive actually and I

couldn't help think how people could do so much more of that if they

were willing, even on a small scale in your own yard. I thought the

operation set a very good example of what people are capable of.

Oh I forgot to mention that when I was trying to sleep in the middle of

the night on this train, it was like four in the morning, the girl

behind me was having a long conversation on her cell phone about whether

she should break up with her boyfriend or not! I mean the whole car

was trying to sleep. I finally said something and she was nice enough

to get right off the phone and wasn't snotty or anything. Amtrak

actually has a policy about turning your ringers off and taking longer

conversations to the area between cars, but no one pays attention.

Then in the morning there was a "lively" family with four small

children, who of course were very active and pretty loud. They had a

number of crises, one of which was when the one older sister pushed her

baby brother down the stairs and hurt him pretty badly? Oh yes we were

having fun. It all turned out okay, but you know they were a real

family, mom & dad & the kids, having real family interactions, with a

lot of real family emotions, and you know I saw them in the Portland

station later, hours after the train had come in, and they were all

going to get on a bus together, so good for them, they were going

places, and brave to do it, and the kids were good enough considering,

it's a lot to expect of kids. But: tip: be prepared with headphones,

and be prepared to escape to the lounge, or brave enough to change seats

(bring your little ticket with you that tells your station stop to put

above your seat).

I asked myself would I rather do this than go to a movie? Would I

rather do this than go out to dinner? Yes. I would rather ride the

train for entertainment, and put up with screaming children and their

loud parents, than go to a movie or out to dinner in a restaurant. I

never do those other things, and shopping for entertainment just isn't

as much of an option for me as it used to be. I can't afford it, don't

want to take the time sometimes, and have no room to put anything if I

bought it (that's a whole nother subject!) Anyway in the midst of all

this uncomfortable sleeping, nearly missed trains, lowlifes bugging me,

people breaking up on their cel phones around me, and screaming

children, I asked myself, is this worth it? Would I do it again?

Answer is yes. I would. I do like it and would like to try some other

trips and get better at it.

I went down to the cafe car to get some coffee for my breakfast and the

guy tending things down there was great, really enthusiastic, even

apologized saying, I know I'm a little intense first thing in the

morning! He said he and the sleeping car attendant, who had a heavy

Russian accent, usually work the California Zephyr, but got called to do

this Empire Builder run because it was short staffed. I learned

something from him, I knew the conductors and engineers have rules about

how many hours they can work, and I knew they only work a portion of the

run, like the old time stage drivers used to. I didn't realize that on

the long distance runs, the onboard services crew stays the same for the

whole run, all the way out and back. He said for the Zephyr, he

normally works three days out to San Francisco and three days back to

Chicago, then has eight days off. What an interesting way to live! I

had read that in the old days of the Pullman cars, they didn't even give

the cooks and waiters any accommodation at all - when their work was

done they slept on the floors and tables in the dining room. Times have

changed for the better in that regard.

Where was I. We were looking out the window at the Columbia Gorge in

the morning, headed for Portland and looking for a little time to

explore there. We were seeing all kinds of bird life and watching the

landscape change from the treelessness of the scablands to the forested

landscape of the Cascades.

Next time I do this I'm really bringing a good map. I didn't really

know where I was most of the time. And I still can't grasp how far

south I went. I need to look at it more and get the geography down

better.

Well, Portland adventures will be the topic for Part 4.

 

[Cascadia]

Part 4:

Before we detrain from the Empire Builder I have to tell you about the

nice conversation I enjoyed with some people from Minnesota / South

Dakota in the View Car in the morning after breakfast. I was in there

checking out the scenery and enjoying listening to them talk with each

other, it was super welcome to hear the accent of home and hear them

talk about spinning out of control while driving on the ice and trading

stories of near accidents while fishtailing down the wintry roads.

Ya well we drove up ta Fargo ta get the train there, we coulda drove ta

Minneapolis but the ticket would've been more and and we looked it up

and it was just as far ta drive either way, 245 miles and 256 miles I

think it was, so we just decided ta go ta Fargo then.

So I was really enjoying this and feeling homesick and when the staff

said we had to clear the car soon, I went to talk to those guys, it was

a bunch of unrelated people from the sleeper car, and one couple, Kathy

and Roger, they were from South Dakota but grew up in southern

Minnesota, really nice people. There was another lady from Northern

Minnesota who lives in Portland now, she looked like someone you would

want to know, in her sixties but with fancy particolored roller set

Northern Minnesota hair, fancy glasses, super slim and fit. Reminded me

of a friend of mine's mom. (I just have to say, you have no idea how good a

roller set looks out here. Older people _really_ let themselves go

here, big time). And another lady who was from Washington I think, but

was enjoying the conversation. There was another large older couple who

I think would have liked to be included, but didn't have the spontaneous

nerve to jump in. The car was empty except for us and one young guy with

a laptop.

So it was really fun to just jump in and gab Minnesota-style and hear

that accent, people from home talk so much faster and better than people

out here! People out here are slow to think and slow to speak. It

took me years to get used to it. I get really excited when I get to

talk to someone from Iowa or Chicago or the East Coast. They just

express themselves so much more easily and fluently!

You will laugh but I have thought that if I moved from here I might move

to Fargo. I"m sure it's awful but at least I would understand the

people, I would "get" them. Those kind of people are getting rarer in

Minneapolis. They're more like the people I have met in Manitoba,

outside of the cities there. Really nice people!

Anyway I did so enjoy the conversation I had with those people and the

pace at which it proceeded. It felt so normal and made me feel like I'm

missing something out here sometimes. I do think if I overheard people

from out here talking about the exact same subjects I would probably

think, how boring, but when it comes with a Minnesota

accent, I was enthralled and thinking , what nice, interesting people!

LOL!

Yes, the woman named Kathy, said her folks raced sailboats on Lake

Minnetonka in the 1930's! I bet they knew my stepfather's relatives.

Well it was nice to see them again in the station in Portland, they had

never been there and were visiting his daughter. South Dakota's new

motto: South Dakota: It's not all bad!

Well, that was it's own little subchapter. We still haven't gotten out

into the dreary streets of Portland, Oregon.

 

[Cascadia]

Part 5:

So - we were in Portland now, I was quickly throwing a picnic lunch into

a nylon tote bag, and checking my bags in the elaborate bag-checking

area at Portland's cool Union Station, before heading out into

the dingy downtown core of Oregon's jewel, the City of Portland.

Using my insider's knowledge of what direction to walk when I headed out

of the station, I leaned toward the right as I started south on

Broadway, looking for Hoyt, which I wanted to walk on to the Pearl District.

I walked over on Hoyt and then headed south again on 12th I believe it

was. I guess the Pearl District must be considered a sort of artsy

area, or something. There were little boutique type antique stores, I

didn't notice much else. The intersections are all 4-way or 3-way stop

signs. Everything is very close together and there aren't any

boulevards. The streets are kind of narrow with cars parked all along

both sides and it feels cramped. The drivers were considerate though

and actually yielded to the pedestrian.

I decided to drift left or east when I got to Burnside street, which

was too soon as it turned out, however it just happened coincidentally

to take me directly to Powell's books, which I had thought to skip, but

deep down inside I had known I was doomed to visit. The magnetic pull

was irresistible even to the total stranger to Portland, I had no clue

of the address of Powells or anything about the location at all, and

proceeded to walk directly to it.

So of course I had to go in, and pretended I had a reason, to see if

they had Jack Handford's "Professional Pattern Grading for Designers", I

asked how to get to the section it would be in and wound my way up and

down stairs across the city block that the store takes up til I got to

the Orange Room where they keep all the crafts, cooking, gardening etc.

Well they sure had a lot of cool sewing books and books on fashion and

textiles, but nothing to speak of on patternmaking. Which is all just

as well. To be honest I was kind of disappointed in the store, only

because they had so many new books. It seemed like it was mostly new

books and I had though it was a used bookstore. Used bookstores are

changing all over, I saw that in Minneapolis, the mix of new and used on

the shelves. Also they only had the slickest, most colorful, perfect

condition modern books that are mostly pictures. Okay I'm exaggerating

but only a little. They had a lot of really cool stuff too. I didn't

buy anything thank god. I made sure I didn't miss any areas where the

book I wanted could be, used their restroom, met the challenge of

finding my way back to where I came in, picked up my lunch which I had

checked at the door, and considered myself well escaped.

Now I wanted to find my way to the heart of downtown, I had the vague,

but accurate idea that "Pioneer Square", whatever that was, was the

middle of things.

So I tried looking at the posted maps on the street corners, but in my

rail-dazed state I could not fathom their method of orienting the maps

so that the top of the map is the direction you are facing. Like, say

you were looking at one map of the area on one side of the post, and

west is at the top of that map. Then you go to the other side of the

post, and there's a different map, and east is at the top of that one.

This was not okay with me. I had been looking at my own paper map

earlier, and the way I understand a map in my head is that North is at

the damn top of the map! It's a convention I will freely buy into. I

asked a lady for waking directions to Pioneer Square, and expressed my

frustration with her about the posted city maps. I think I was in a

dazed state though. There was a reason they did things the way they did

them, but I guess I don't have to approve.

I did manage to get to Pioneer Square, after getting thoroughly turned

around and confused in my head about which way was up in general.

Pioneer Square is a big paved park taking up a city block and having

lots of three dimensional features, a sunken courtyard and lots of steps

all around to sit on, I sat there in the temporary sunshine and ate my

lunch which I had packed along. There was an elementary school group

having a break from their museum tour or something and they all ran

around and played some sort of tag and anyway it made a good atmosphere.

All overseen by security guards standing along the top of the area. I

saw a lot of securty guard type people in Portland, and thought there

was probably good reason for them to be there. The seediness of

Portland is right there just under the slick surface, and that slick

surface has not been there very long, you can tell. There might be some

better dressed people there, but I get the feeling that is a recent

phenomenon.

All right, I went to Powell's, I had lunch in Pioneer Square, now I

thought, is there anyplace here I would shop if I was going shopping? I

thought I would try to explore the immediate area and see what was

there, I circled around a block or two always trying to orient myself

and make sure I knew how to walk back to the station when it was time,

which was soon.

I ended up going into Macy's, I'm not sure why, but went up a few

floors on the escalator, took one look, said "this isn't what I want"

and left right away. I took the elevator out.

Places like that are at risk of becoming obsolete.

It is all too boring and standardized and formulaic. If we have an

economic downturn that kind of dinosaur is going to be hurting. It

doesn't have any soul anymore. Not like how people used to feel about

Dayton's in Minneapolis and Marshall Field's in Chicago, like it's "our"

store. Macy's is just nothing, it's generic, the same everywhere.

When I came out of there I saw a little storefront of a Rite-Aid

Drugstore. Aha! I could buy something I needed there - batteries in

case I ran out for the CD player on the way home. Rite Aid brand AA

4-packs, on sale 2 for 1. There you go. And, I was in Oregon, no sales

tax! That was cool. I spent 3.79, oh boy.

One interesting thing, that Rite Aid was a lot bigger than it looked.

It went way back in the builiding from a small store front, and it was

mostly groceries, which makes sense. Probably the only place to buy

food downtown.

Now it was time to seriously head to the train station. I had to make

sure I was oriented correctly, which wasn't easy. I'm sure I wanted to

think that north and south were reversed. I got going the right way up

Broadway, after negotiating a lot of sidewalk construction. I stopped

and asked the doormen at the Marriot to make sure I was going the right

way to get to the station. They said yes but I should walk east two

blocks and walk up 5th instead of Broadway to make sure I hit it. I was

hesitant but said, okay I will since you seem to know what you are

talking about.

This is getting too long and I am going to start another and walk up 5th

street there.

 

[Cascadia]

I left you on Fifth, walking toward the train station. The guys at the

Marriot didn't do me any favors pointing me to walk that way instead of

on Broadway. For starters the sidewalks were under complete

reconstruction, causing a major obstacle course. Man I am cynical too.

Here were these crews of guys laying these brick sidewalks. Brick

sidewalks! For blocks and blocks. And not just plain, but with all

kinds of fancy sunburst designs where the trees and lightposts would go,

where every brick had to be hand fitted and hand cut. All I could think

was, who's the guy on the city council whose brother in law owns a brick

factory? And what a stupid waste of money, the bricks are going to chip

and crack and look like s**t in less than ten years, weeds are going to

grow in the cracks, and it will all have to be redone. The tax payer is

getting screwed and someone is lining their pockets big time. They

should have just poured the damn things and been done with it. I've

seen how they do that here, rip up a whole block of paving and pour it

new in one day, no problem, only five or six guys and it's taken care

of. Screw this picturesque brick stuff. Who's paying for it? I'd be

pissed if I lived there.

So there! hah. Now this 5th street or avenue was a bad way to walk for

another reason, it totally skirts the bad area that I knew to avoid from

information given me from several sources. Right away I'm walking up

there in an area with no storefronts and this big scary guy is across

the street tweaking on something bad and barking like a dog, he'd go

"grrrff grrrff" really loud and then say, "how do you like that sound?"

"how do you like that?" "grrff grrfff" like he was trying to get the

most out of his barking experience.

So I was looking for the exit, so to speak, and moving right

along. I went over a block away from him and hoped he wasn't following

me. I hurried to the station and got there in plenty of time to get my

bags, hang around, and be first in line to board my northbound Cascades

for the trip home.

Not much else to tell really. The main thing about the trip home was

first of all, it was nice to have Dirk and Fred be the conductor team as

far as Seattle, and they were so nice to ask how my trip was and how I

found my way around Portland, etc. The other main thing was that a

woman got on in Tacoma with a nine week old baby, which cried and

screamed pretty much all the way to Bellingham. Everyone was really

nice about it, including me, of course, what can you do? But she was

sitting directly in front of me and after 30 hours on the train, or

something like that, I wasn't in the mood. Luckily I knew I had an out

and spent most all of the trip in the lounge car, and don't let me get

started on the stupid Talgos and their stupid un ergonomic design.

I was uncomfortable in the stupid chairs, but not more than I would have

been in my seat. I was ready for a different kind of uncomfortable.

I sat alone in the lounge car and read PG Wodehouse and listened to

Haydn and Strauss on the headphones. The whole crew was talking up a

storm and I should have eavesdropped more because every once in a while

they started talking trains and it was interesting, between talking

about cars and sports and other things. I drowned them out and after a

while I tried to sleep.

And that brings us back to Bellingham, and the end of the line!

 

[Cascadia]

Okay, in a kind of postscript here I had written about how I prepared for the trip, what I wore and what I packed, and how I brought along all my own food. I spent less than $20.00 on this whole trip, mostly on coffee and water and checking my bags in Portland, and would have spent less if I hadn't bought batteries.

I was pretty organized to start with, I didn't bring any clothes except

a change of underwear and a couple of hosiery options. I figured I

could wear the same thing from Monday morning to Tuesday night as long

as it was comfortable.

So I wore a knit wool jersey dress, with a duster over it, the duster is

part polyester and doesn't wrinkle. I had a necklace

and a big sheer scarf to dress it up a little, and a thinsulate

shirt jacket for another layer if I got cold. I wore

tall boots, they are flat-heeled and very soft.

I brought all my own food, to save money but also because of my diet. I

had the clever idea to make juice in the juicer and freeze it in empty

water bottles, I packed six bottles in a soft sided cooler and had room

for some cut up cheese in little bags and some cut up carrot sticks as

well.

Outside of the cooler I had little bags of trail mix, rice crackers, and

corn chips. Other than some candied ginger and some maple hard candies

that's all I brought to eat - oh, except an apple for that first morning

breakfast. It was all more than enough.

It worked out well but I might not do it that way again, the juice was

heavy to carry before I drank it all. I put the small soft sided cooler

inside a bigger dark blue tote bag that zipped close, and was able to

fit all the food in there.

Then I had a small suitcase, just an overnight bag, but it's structured.

It's black and is the one I usually use to go to Canada. In there I had

a really nice little blanket, ultra soft Merino wool from Scotland which

is cut so you can also wear it like a shawl, it is a large Black Watch

plaid. I brought a pillowcase for the Amtrak pillow but I didn't use

it.

I had a portable CD player and five classical CDs, something like this

is a necessity on a trip like this as you never know what or who you

will need to drown out. I didn't realize how that thing eats batteries

and should have brought more.

I brought a tiny radio too, which I didn't use. I brought three

paperbacks, two of which were thin little ones, two PG Wodehouse and one

a mystery based on Jane Austen characters. I read one PG Wodehouse

("Company for Henry") and started another ("Meet Mr. Milligan").

What else was in that overnight bag? I had a kit in a sharp little bag

with handles to take to the bathroom with me so I could get cleaned up.

I brought the last bits of a couple of things like deodorant and contact

lens solution so I could throw them out in the morning when I was done

with them.

Sleeping overnight on a train in coach doesn't do anything for your

looks. It is good to have the basics along to try and pull it back

together. I didn't do too badly considering what I was up against on

Tuesday a.m.

Okay, so much for what I packed. I want to remember what I brought in

case I can pare it down even more next time. The outfit was perfect, I

bet there's a way to get a summer version of the same thing together

with a different sort of knit dress.

 

[hello]

Thank you, I enjoyed reading your trip report.

 

[JayPea]

I liked your in-depth report. I live near Spokane and in mid-June I'm taking my first Cascades trip: Spokane to Seattle on the Empire Builder, then down to Eugene, OR by way of the Cascades, overnight in Eugene (I booked a motel that's about three or four blocks from the station), then back as far as Portland on the Cascades, then back to Spokane on the Empire Builder. I'm going to take the Cascades north someday, too. I've driven along Chuckanut Drive before, but the view was mainly obscured by trees. So I'd like to see a more unobtructed view.

Looking forward to it! I've lived in Eastern Washington all my life, but even seeing some of the same scenery multiple times never gets old.

 

[Cascadia]

Thank you, I enjoyed reading your trip report.

Thanks for reading what I wrote "hello", I'm glad you enjoyed it.

 

[Cascadia]

I liked your in-depth report. I live near Spokane and in mid-June I'm taking my first Cascades trip: Spokane to Seattle on the Empire Builder, then down to Eugene, OR by way of the Cascades, overnight in Eugene (I booked a motel that's about three or four blocks from the station), then back as far as Portland on the Cascades, then back to Spokane on the Empire Builder. I'm going to take the Cascades north someday, too. I've driven along Chuckanut Drive before, but the view was mainly obscured by trees. So I'd like to see a more unobtructed view.
Looking forward to it! I've lived in Eastern Washington all my life, but even seeing some of the same scenery multiple times never gets old.

JayPea, that sounds like a great trip. And you have the advantage of doing it in mid June when the days will be so much longer. There was a lack of daylight available for the scenery when I took my trip. Hope you have a blast! I"ve never been to Eugene, have you?

 

[mercedeslove]

LOL I love the part about Iowa. It's so funny. No idea why, but it is.

 

[JayPea]

I liked your in-depth report. I live near Spokane and in mid-June I'm taking my first Cascades trip: Spokane to Seattle on the Empire Builder, then down to Eugene, OR by way of the Cascades, overnight in Eugene (I booked a motel that's about three or four blocks from the station), then back as far as Portland on the Cascades, then back to Spokane on the Empire Builder. I'm going to take the Cascades north someday, too. I've driven along Chuckanut Drive before, but the view was mainly obscured by trees. So I'd like to see a more unobtructed view.
Looking forward to it! I've lived in Eastern Washington all my life, but even seeing some of the same scenery multiple times never gets old.

JayPea, that sounds like a great trip. And you have the advantage of doing it in mid June when the days will be so much longer. There was a lack of daylight available for the scenery when I took my trip. Hope you have a blast! I"ve never been to Eugene, have you?

I've been through Eugene before, at 70 MPH on I-5. And I was asleep at the time so don't remember much of it.

 

[MrFSS]

I've been through Eugene before, at 70 MPH on I-5. And I was asleep at the time so don't remember much of it.

WOW - you drive 70MPH and sleep at the same time?

 

[GG-1]

I've been through Eugene before, at 70 MPH on I-5. And I was asleep at the time so don't remember much of it.

WOW - you drive 70MPH and sleep at the same time?

I know someone that lived in SoCal that on way home dosed in a string of cars, all except apparently the first car. When he "woke Up" he was almost 100 miles past his exit. He quit the second job next morning. Thankfully he lived to talk about. Seem to remember he said Camp Pendleton was a shock to wake up in.

 

[JayPea]

I've been through Eugene before, at 70 MPH on I-5. And I was asleep at the time so don't remember much of it.

WOW - you drive 70MPH and sleep at the same time?

well, no, just 10mph or so on city streets. I was RIDING through Eugene at the time. :lol:

 

[Green Maned Lion]

I don't know about other people, but I tend to "sleep" while driving. In that my conscious mind seems to shut down. This tends to happen only when I am driving between common point As and Bs that I drive between frequently. I don't know if it is really sleeping, but I do remember sensations of leaving places, and then some time later coming conscious, say, at the exit of the highway the route takes, not remembering the trip getting to that point at all, and briefly forgetting why I am there. I don't know if you'd call it sleeping, or just running on auto-pilot. But I could see myself driving through a city and not remembering a dang thing about it.

 

[TheTravelJunkie]

I so enjoyed reading your train trip review...I smiled often at your descriptions and digressions I kept thinking your trip would make an excellent short film with your narration of events. You are gifted at storytelling...I felt that I could see your trip as it progressed. I wish you many happy travels in the coming year!

Okay, in a kind of postscript here I had written about how I prepared for the trip, what I wore and what I packed, and how I brought along all my own food. I spent less than $20.00 on this whole trip, mostly on coffee and water and checking my bags in Portland, and would have spent less if I hadn't bought batteries.
I was pretty organized to start with, I didn't bring any clothes except

a change of underwear and a couple of hosiery options. I figured I

could wear the same thing from Monday morning to Tuesday night as long

as it was comfortable.

So I wore a knit wool jersey dress, with a duster over it, the duster is

part polyester and doesn't wrinkle. I had a necklace

and a big sheer scarf to dress it up a little, and a thinsulate

shirt jacket for another layer if I got cold. I wore

tall boots, they are flat-heeled and very soft.

I brought all my own food, to save money but also because of my diet. I

had the clever idea to make juice in the juicer and freeze it in empty

water bottles, I packed six bottles in a soft sided cooler and had room

for some cut up cheese in little bags and some cut up carrot sticks as

well.

Outside of the cooler I had little bags of trail mix, rice crackers, and

corn chips. Other than some candied ginger and some maple hard candies

that's all I brought to eat - oh, except an apple for that first morning

breakfast. It was all more than enough.

It worked out well but I might not do it that way again, the juice was

heavy to carry before I drank it all. I put the small soft sided cooler

inside a bigger dark blue tote bag that zipped close, and was able to

fit all the food in there.

Then I had a small suitcase, just an overnight bag, but it's structured.

It's black and is the one I usually use to go to Canada. In there I had

a really nice little blanket, ultra soft Merino wool from Scotland which

is cut so you can also wear it like a shawl, it is a large Black Watch

plaid. I brought a pillowcase for the Amtrak pillow but I didn't use

it.

I had a portable CD player and five classical CDs, something like this

is a necessity on a trip like this as you never know what or who you

will need to drown out. I didn't realize how that thing eats batteries

and should have brought more.

I brought a tiny radio too, which I didn't use. I brought three

paperbacks, two of which were thin little ones, two PG Wodehouse and one

a mystery based on Jane Austen characters. I read one PG Wodehouse

("Company for Henry") and started another ("Meet Mr. Milligan").

What else was in that overnight bag? I had a kit in a sharp little bag

with handles to take to the bathroom with me so I could get cleaned up.

I brought the last bits of a couple of things like deodorant and contact

lens solution so I could throw them out in the morning when I was done

with them.

Sleeping overnight on a train in coach doesn't do anything for your

looks. It is good to have the basics along to try and pull it back

together. I didn't do too badly considering what I was up against on

Tuesday a.m.

Okay, so much for what I packed. I want to remember what I brought in

case I can pare it down even more next time. The outfit was perfect, I

bet there's a way to get a summer version of the same thing together

with a different sort of knit dress.

 

[Cascadia]

I so enjoyed reading your train trip review...I smiled often at your descriptions and digressions I kept thinking your trip would make an excellent short film with your narration of events. You are gifted at storytelling...I felt that I could see your trip as it progressed. I wish you many happy travels in the coming year!

Hey Travel Junkie, thanks for your nice comments! Hope you have a great travelling year too!

 

[RICHARD AYD]

My Dearest Winnie, Sean sent me your story and I enjoyed it. I was very impressed with details. I saw a travel show on TPT Public Station 2 in St. Paul, that did your trip, with video cameras and narration. You should try to see it. I knew exactly what you were talking about. Thank-you all a lot, Richard in St. Paul

 

[Cascadia]

My Dearest Winnie, Sean sent me your story and I enjoyed it. I was very impressed with details. I saw a travel show on TPT Public Station 2 in St. Paul, that did your trip, with video cameras and narration. You should try to see it. I knew exactly what you were talking about. Thank-you all a lot, Richard in St. Paul

Hey Richard, I thought I recognized your name when I saw "last post by" on the forum page! That was nice of you to read my trip report. Would love to watch videos about train travel, I wonder if anyone uploaded that one you were talking about to YouTube.

Now that you have read that trip report, seen the TV show, and visited this forum, do you think you will plan a trip out of the Twin Cities on the Empire Builder? I took it to Chicago and back for a business trip about ten years ago I suppose, that sure was fun, hey you could smoke on the train in those days, we were smoking in the view car, I remember. I am glad I quit if only to make train travel in these nonsmoking days more feasible! Anyway the train to Chicago is cheap and the trip through Wisconsin is beautiful, you get to see eagles and great scenery along the Mississippi in the first part of the trip. Have you ever done that?