Saxman's Amtrak USA Tour 2009!

[saxman]

Day 27- March 9, 2009

Arrival into Martinez

16,038 miles down

The train was stopped in Winnemucca, Nevada. Winnemucca is a small desert town out in the middle of Nevada with not much around it. I always wonder what people do in a town like this. It was also still dark and it was snowing a lot. I’m glad I was warm in my bed and not out there. After leaving Winnemucca, I slept for bit longer, then went for breakfast. Somehow again I ended up sitting alone. Soon we go to the town of Sparks and then stopped in Reno. By then it had stopped snowing and the skies were clearing out. This was good because the climb through the Sierra Nevada’s and Donner Pass was next.

After departing Reno I took another seat in the lounge car to watch the climb up the pass. Donner Pass is part of the original transcontinental railroad that was finished back in 1869. It’s pretty neat to think of all the hardships those men had while building the railroad through the mountains and cutting tunnels. In a few places the train takes a slightly newer route, that ended up being more straight. In a few places you could still see the old snow sheds. But the newer route isn’t exactly new either. It was carved in the early 1900’s I believe.

We made it over Donner Pass while I got a few shots of Donner Lake. This is a beautiful glacial lake sitting way below the tracks, and it looks like a really nice place to visit. The train also stops in Truckee, California which a cool mountain town with skiing and recreation. I’ll have to come back and stop there too. After the pass the train starts coming down the mountain and goes from about 6000 feet to an elevation of less than 200 by the time you hit Sacramento. I stepped off for a bit in Sacramento and then we went down the rails to the Bay Area. Off to left I could see the mothballed Navy ships sitting Suisun Bay. The train crosses over the tressel of the bay and soon pulls into Martinez, California.

I got off in Martinez, because I would be staying in a town called Crockett. Alice, another one I had met at the LA gathering was kind enough to let me stay in a house she owned in Crockett, which is a town just down the road and sits on a big hill overlooking San Pablo Bay. The house has a great view from the hillside over looking the bay as well as the Interstate 80 suspension bridge, which was just finished not to long ago.

After getting to the house, Alice offered to drive me around the Bay Area and drive through San Francisco, crossing the Oakland Bay Bridge and the famous Golden Gate Bridge. We drove through Oakland Jack London Square as well as stopped on Treasure Island. This is the island that’s in the middle of the Oakland Bay Bridge. After that we drove to San Francisco and went down Embarcadero Street around to the Golden Gate Bridge. By this time is was dark and Alice drove me to the top of the hill near Sausalito. This is probably the best spot to view the bridge and get the city in the background. I was able to get some great night shots. Soon we continued the drive and crossed the Richmond Bridge to take us back to Crockett.

 

[p&sr]

Enjoying all your great Trip Reports!

(edited to remove unconfirmed commentary on the route)

 

[caravanman]

Wow!

What a great trip!

I am impressed by your tenacity in continuing with the train travel diary, I have enjoyed many long distance Amtrak trips myelf, but find writing a report gets harder each time..

It feels nice that you have many friends and relatives who have helped to break the journy for you.

I find long trips are a journey within myself too, a chance to look out the window and daydream a little..

I am looking forward to seeing any pics you have of your long journey...

Happy rail miles!

Ed B)

 

[saxman]

Day 28- March 10, 2009

Bay Area Transit systems

This day, we met Gregory. Alice invited him to come explore the transit systems with us, since he knew all the landmarks very well. He’s also a member of the forum I visit. We boarded an Amtrak Capitol Corridor train in Martinez and made a quick run down to Oakland Jack London Square. The Capital Corridor makes frequent runs between Sacramento and San Jose, with lots of bus connections to San Francisco. Oakland is the place I came through a couple weeks before and is where the train runs in the street. It’s a great place to watch trains right from the sidewalk or a café. We explored Jack London Square where we saw several boats and even the Tall Ships beginning to do a bay tour with some school children. I wish I could have gone with them. For us though, we were to take a faster ferry over to San Francisco. After getting a coffee in the Starbucks inside Barnes & Noble we headed over to the ferry for the 11 am departure to the San Francisco’s Ferry Building and Fisherman’s Wharf. The boat went out into the harbor where we saw several container ships unloading their cargo. We also saw the tall ships making their way back with all the children aboard. The ferry goes pretty fast across the bay and I stood out on the back deck getting the wind blown into my face. We went under the Oakland Bay Bridge to made a stop at the Ferry Building. A few minutes later, the ferry swings around to Pier 41, the stop for Fisherman’s Wharf.

There we stepped off to explore the Wharf and ride the cable cars up and down the street. We also ate clam chowder in sourdough bowls. Gregory and I hopped on the cable cars and made a stop at the Cable Car museum to see the cable in action below the streets. After riding to the end at Market Street, we returned to meet Alice. From there we boarded the Muni street car system to catch a ride to the CalTrain Station. CalTrain is another commuter rail system that run between San Francisco and San Jose. It was about an hour and a half ride along San Francisco Bay and through Silicon Valley. While in San Jose, we had about 50 minutes to kill before catching the next Amtrak Capitol Corridor back to Martinez. Just at dusk, the train arrived back into Martinez. While the train traveled along the bay, we saw the sunset just as a full moon was rising in the east. It was a great sight to end a great day.

 

[saxman]

Day 29- March 11, 2009

Wine Country, Jelly Beans and Beer

This was a great day for me to sleep in. I spent the morning relaxing and deciding what to do for the day. Ultimately we decided on a trip up to wine country and the Napa Valley. But first it started with a trip to Fairfield for a tour of Jelly Belly, the jelly bean factory. I’ve never done a factory tour before, except for maybe something when I was in elementary school. So we got to see how they made Jelly Belly jelly beans. I was mainly interested in looking at all the conveyer belts and rollers taking boxes and packages allover the warehouse. But it was also great to have free samples of the over 50 flavors they have. One of their most popular flavor is popcorn! Also they give you different recipes to mix different beans together for a taste from everything like chili relleno to fruit salad and banana split. They really tasted like the real thing too!

After Jelly Belly, we went next door to the Budweiser brewery. This wasn’t quite as extensive but I enjoyed the free beer tasting of some of their most popular beers. They also mentioned California was the 2nd biggest consumer of Bud Light Beer. So I asked which state was first. I figured Texas, and I was correct!

After seeing how beer was made, Alice and I drove out to Sonoma. This town sits right in the heart of wine country where we enjoyed fine cheeses and went to have Thai food for an early dinner. Later we drove to Napa to see the Napa Valley Wine Train. This luxury train makes daily trips to the north right through all the wineries and vineyards. They also serve very fancy meals on board while they let you taste many wines of the area. Since it was the low season, it wasn’t making daily trips. I probably couldn’t have afforded to ride on it anyway. But after getting a few photos of the train sets in the yard, we returned back to Crockett.

 

[saxman]

Day 30- March 12, 2009

Off to Yosemite

This day, Alice was going to drive me to Yosemite National Park. This is probably a must see if you ever visit California. We got up early to pack my things and pack some food to make the 4 hour trek to the park. We left around 8:30 and joined the last part of the Bay Area rush hour to get out of town and out to Yosemite. The drive was pretty flat until we started reaching the foothills of the Sierra Nevada’s, and then began the steady ascent into the hills. Pretty soon the scenery was getting pretty spectacular and finally entered the park and made it to Yosemite Valley. First we stopped on a view point to get some pictures of the whole valley. We also decided to eat lunch while enjoying the views of El Capitan, Bridalveil Falls, and Half Dome out in the distance. After a quick meal, we continued into the park for some more sightseeing and to do various short hikes. Alice knew the park very well, so she knew all the must sees of the park. I did a short walk up to Bridalveil Falls, which is one of the larger waterfalls in the park. Near the bottom, although not right under it, the trail is wet from mist and I also got sprayed while up there. I also did some walks around the valley, including a short hike up to the Nevada Falls foot bridge. It was just about eight tenths of a mile up a steep trail around Half Dome. I got some good exercise and enjoyed the views from the bridge. The trail continues up the pass and joins other networks of trails throughout the park, some many miles long. I continued to walk a bit past the bridge, but decided to turn back due to the ice and snow being on the trail. Plus I wasn’t exactly prepared for a rigorous hike with only a small water bottle and a pair a tennis shoes on. I’ll have to come back one day to hike and maybe backpack some of the trails. After I got back down the trail, I met Alice and we went over to Mirror Lake. The lake has gone way down over the years, but in the past this provided a great view of Half Dome in the crystal clear water- hence the name Mirror Lake. I also did a walk up to Yosemite Falls. These falls are the highest in the United States and they are only a short walk from the lodge. You can also hike up to the top, but that’s a long 6 or 8 hour trek over rather steep terrain. It’s on my list for next time. After seeing the falls, it was dark by then, so I headed in the car out of the park to a small town called Mariposa. This town is just outside the park, and provides cheaper alternatives to the lodges and hotels inside the park. There we stayed for the night.

 

[saxman]

Day 31- March 13, 2009

Another day in Yosemite

We slept a good bit in the morning before getting ready to head back into Yosemite National Park. This time it was light so I could the terrain coming back into the park. This hills were just covered in orange flowers, California poppies. They are the state flower. So the hills glistened orange in the sunlight.

Soon we were back in the park and the first thing we did was go back to Bridalveil Falls. Later we went to the Visitors Center where I was just in time for a Ranger Talk. This time is was about geology of Yosemite Valley and pretty much how the land formed. The ranger was a very good speaker and a bit of a comic too as he led us on a few shorts walks. It last about an hour and half and was worth while. After that I decided to go back up to Yosemite, this time in the daylight. I found some great views and enjoyed the scenery around it. I met up with Alice again where we decided to head out of the park and make a quick trip to Sequoia National Park. But after getting to Fresno and it being already dark, we decided Sequoia wouldn’t be worth seeing if you couldn’t actually see it. So we headed to a hotel in Fresno for the night. I’d be back on the train in the morning.

 

[saxman]

Day 32- March 14, 2009

Back on the rails down south

We awoke in the morning in Fresno and went to have a waffle at the free breakfast at the hotel. Later Alice brought me to the train station for my train and bus ride to San Luis Obispo. I would be catching Amtrak’s San Joaquin service which runs from the Bay Area and Sacramento down the San Joaquin Valley. The valley is about as flat as the eyes can see. Mostly covered in farms and croplands, the area can get hot and hazy. It sure stands in sharp contrast to the coastal mountains and the Sierra Nevada’s where Yosemite sits.

The train came promptly at 11:35 and I found my seat for a quick 30 minute ride down to Hanford, California. This would be my change point to catch a bus back down toward the coast. On the west coast Amtrak has a very good network of buses and trains. Where there is no passenger rail service, Amtrak contracts to several bus companies to meet trains at different points and take passengers the rest of their way. It’s a great network. I’m hoping Texas will soon follow with something similar soon.

We arrived in Hanford just after noon, and my bus connection was waiting beside the station. The bus took me across the valley making a stop in Paso Robles, then continues down Highway 101 to San Luis Obispo. After a nearly 3 hours on the bus, it pulled into the station to drop me off. I had reservations to stay at a small hostel, just one block from the station. Yet, they told me they hostel didn’t open until 4 pm, so I had an hour to kill.

While I waited at station, I watched the southbound Coast Starlight depart for Los Angeles, and then a few minutes later the northbound Coast Starlight arrived. This was the train I was riding nearly a month prior on my way to Seattle. I also was planning on taking it again in two days time.

After hanging out at the station, I walked down to the hostel only to find they didn’t open until 4:30. So I still had to kill time. So I just walked back up to the station to wait another half hour. Soon it was 4:30 so I again walked down and was able to check in. This is probably one of the best hostels I’ve stayed at, despite that fact it closes during the day. It’s simply a small house with several bedrooms, a small living area and a kitchen. So it was pretty cozy and felt much more homely than the big one in Miami. At least this one gave a descent bed to sleep in too.

I checked in and then decided to head to downtown. San Luis Obispo is a nice little mission town between LA and San Francisco. It’s home to California Polytechnic University. It’s downtown area has dozens of shops and restaurants. I perused the downtown streets and finally down a little Mediterranean café for a place to eat. I had the lamb gyro for dinner, and it actually wasn’t the best I had. But it was tolerable, so I ate it anyway. I walked around a bit more before heading back to the hostel. They had free wireless, so I was able to catch up on things and chat with a few other hostel goers. Just after 10 pm I decided to call it a night.

 

[saxman]

Day 33- March 15, 2009

Reaching the last corner

Another reason why I liked this hostel was the free pancake breakfast they serve. Well no one actually serves the pancakes. They just provide the batter and you have to cook them yourself. But I didn’t complain too much. It was probably about time I cooked something on this trip. I made several pancakes for myself and then I ate them. They turned out pretty good with even brownness on both sides. The hostel wanted us out by 10 am so I got my things together, cleaned up and left to climb the hill up to the station. I was again going to take bus connection from here. It didn’t leave until 11:25 so I had nearly two hours to wait. I just sat and wrote more of this trip report trying to catch up.

Soon my bus connection came for my trip to Santa Barbara. I didn’t mind taking the bus this time because it would be something different to see from the highway. I’ve only been up and down the coast by train. It was about a 2 hour trip down highway 101 to Santa Barbara. I looked out the most of the way and around 1:15 it pulled into Santa Barbara station. My next train would be at 2 pm so I spent some time checking out the station and the surrounding area. I was starting to get hungry, but the only restaurant nearby was way too pricey. It was an oyster bar. So I just held off until the train arrived. There were nearly 200 people waiting for the southbound Pacific Surfliner to San Diego. And they say no one rides trains anymore. Plus it was Sunday afternoon, so they said this train is always busy. I made sure to stand on the platform so I could be the first to board and find a forward facing seat on the right side. You need to sit on the right side so you can see the coast going south. Luckily when the train came, the boarding door stopped right in from of me, so I had no problem finding a good seat. I had the choice of Business Class but opted to save a little money and rough it in coach. The only extra thing they provide in business is maybe a snack pack and some extra leg room.

Train number 784 was off right at 2 pm and made its way down the Pacific Coast. Amtrak’s Pacific Surfliner makes several trips a day between Santa Barbara, Los Angeles, and San Diego. Other trips are offered to San Luis Obispo, but that left too early for me. The bus departure was better timing. I watched beach goers and surfers in the Pacific as we made our way down. I headed to the café car for some lunch. I had a cheeseburger and a soda. It was ok for being microwaved. Soon we arrived into the city of Oxnard. Oxnard is where my friend Patrick boarded the train to ride with me down to San Diego. Like most of the other people, I’ve met Patrick on the gatherings we’ve had in the past and he lives near Oxnard. He was eager to join me for a short trip. He was also able to point out many features along the way. Even though I’ve been on this route before, I never knew that strawberries were growing all along the tracks. He also pointed out the location of the big Metrolink rail wreck just last year. This is where the engineer of a commuter train was apparently texting on his phone as he ran a red signal and hit a Union Pacific freight train head on and killing about 25 passengers including himself. They’ve since rebuilt the line, and there’s really no evidence of anything anymore.

From there, the train continues into the suburbs of Los Angeles and makes stops in Burbank and Glendale before pulling into LA Union Station. After a few minutes it reverses direction and turns south again for the continued trip to San Diego. You can see LA’s “better parts” of the concrete rivers and the industrial areas on this part of the leg. We saw many box containers being loaded from trucks to flatbed trains to be taken all across the country with goods from Asia. The train made many more stops in Orange County, including Anaheim, home of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim baseball team. It stops right outside the stadium. Anaheim is also home to Disneyland. Later, the train comes back to hug the coastline so once again we could see the great views of the beach and beachgoers. We were hoping to catch a sunset, and we would have but once again civilization got in the way with all the beach houses. If I were in charge, I wouldn’t allow houses to get in the way of the passengers trains. They block the sunset! Once the houses were gone, the sun was already below the horizon. So no pictures for me or Patrick.

Just after dark the train pulls into San Diego Santa Fe Depot, right in the middle of downtown. From there we grabbed a cab to take us to a hotel for the night. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to explore much of San Diego. Patrick and I ordered some takeout. I would have to be up again at 4:30 to make my early morning train departure. So I tried to get some sleep. Patrick, however, is a lot younger and pulled an all nighter.

 

[WhoozOn1st]

Patrick, however, is a lot younger and pulled an all nighter.

Somebody's been riding the rails too long and is apparently suffering age disorientation. I'd guess I've got a couple decades in the wrong direction on Chris 3. My take on this segment of Chris' Big Adventure coming soon. Holding off until after riding with Greg (gswager) tomorrow so I can include that as well for a doubleheader.

 

[saxman]

Day 34- March 16, 2009

Up the coast again times two

Well I decided to extend my trip a bit and change my plans slightly. I was going to just take the Sunset Limited back home from LA, but decided to make a detour. Over the weekend of March 19 to 21, my college hockey team, the University of North Dakota Fighting Sioux was playing in the WCHA Final Five Tournament in St. Paul, Minnesota. I was going to plan to attend, but I discovered as soon as I arrived home in Texas, I’d had to leave again for Minnesota. Why not just extend my trip!? My alum is really not known for anything else other than hockey. We were good in other sports too, but hockey is what put us on the map. And I like to still make a game or two during the season.

So I was up at 4:30 am to make our 6:10 am departure. Since I had to hit every corner of the US by rail, San Diego had to be made, even though I didn’t see daylight there. Wish I had an extra day though. I would still love to see the aircraft carrier from WWII stationed there. Patrick and I made it to the station at around 5 am for our Pacific Surfliner departure. Normally they have the passengers wait in a line to board “Southwest Airlines” style which I hate, so I just stood outside the doors to watch the trains and the action. Well miss security guard didn’t like the fact that I was standing there and told me to go wait in line like everyone else. I told her I was ok just standing there, but she didn’t like that. She said I was required to stand in line or go inside the station. Otherwise other people would think its ok to stand there too. Oh well, I went around the corner near Patrick and waited there. Patrick also told me the story of how another man was giving him a hard time about taking pictures there in San Diego on an earlier trip.

Finally we boarded the train without further incident and found some seats in front. As we made our way to LA, many commuters boarded the train for their daily trip to downtown. It ended up being quite a full train. Right at 8:50, we pulled into Union Station in LA where we would transfer again to the Coast Starlight. However, before we needed to make a breakfast run and Patrick knew the perfect place for that. Phillippe’s, famous for their French dip sandwiches is right across the street from Union Station and also has an excellent breakfast. So we made a quick walk over there for some eggs, toast, and corned beef hash. It was really good and really hit the spot for both of us. We finished then headed back over to the station for the departure of train 14, the Coast Starlight. The Traxx Club is open just for Starlight sleeping car passengers, so we checked in there where the conductor was ready to collect our tickets. Since Patrick was only traveling in coach to Oxnard, we asked if he would be able to wait there and even ride in my room with me to Oxnard. The conductor said that was okay with him. We only got a few minutes in the club and soon headed out to the train for boarding. Patrick and I found my room and then took some pictures out in front of the locomotives.

Soon we were off again, taking the same route as the day prior. We headed over to the Pacific Parlour car to enjoy the views of LA. There we chatted with a couple going to San Francisco and made conversation about how great the Parlour car was to have. We asked if they ever traveled on any other train routes, and he said no. California is the only place to travel as no other part of the US is as great as Califonia. Naturally, I turned my nose up at that comment. About an hour after Los Angeles, Patrick said goodbye and got off the train in Oxnard. I was on my own again.

On this trip I once again had a lower level room. I’ve decided I now do like the lower level rooms because you can get a better sense of speed when you’re going 79 miles per hour and your sitting just a few feet above the rails. It also seems smoother, plus you don’t get very much foot traffic going by. So it’s nice a private. For seeing the coast I thought I would try seeing it from the lounge car this time, rather than the Parlour Car. The lounge has much bigger windows, plus its seats face outward so its easy to see things. On the other hand, the Parlour is designed for socializing as its seats face inward. So I sat in the lounge car for awhile. No matter how many times I’ve done this ride, I still can’t get over how awesome the view is going up the coast from about Santa Barbara to San Luis Obispo. The tracks ride high above the cliffs and down below are the beaches. Many parts don’t have any roads so it is very isolated with just cliffs on one side and mountains on the other. Occasionally there is a house or two also. Later, the line turns inland again and goes over the pass to San Luis Obispo. I stepped off again here remembering I had only been there the day prior.

After San Luis Obispo, the train makes its way around the horseshoe curve were I sat in the very last coach to grab some photos. After that was the wine tasting in the Parlour so I went to participate in that. Later I relaxed in my room before dinner.

Sometime after leaving Paso Robles, the conductor, who very talkative, would point out every landmark there was along the tracks. The best part was when he came on to announce that in just a few minutes, we would get to see a total eclipse aboard the train. Wow! I’d get to see a total eclipse I thought! Since I was on the east side of the train I ran to find a window on the other side, in hand with a camera. Since I obviously couldn’t look at it, I just used my camera to view it. But as soon as I got there, the train entered a tunnel for about a minute. Wow what great timing. After the tunnel I was watching for the eclipse until the conductor came back to say thanks and hope we enjoyed the total eclipse. It was then I realized that the tunnel was the eclipse and he had got me good. Luckily no one saw me, but I did feel dumb.

I decided to eat in the Parlour for something different. It was a chicken quesadilla with spring rolls which turned out to be really good. Or maybe I was glad to have something different for once. The train was back in the Bay Area around night time. I had a shower then headed to bed once we left Oakland.

 

[saxman]

Day 35- March 17, 2009

Portland Transfer

Like the trip prior, I woke up right near the California/Oregon border. Next stop was Klamath Falls, again. I stepped off the train for some fresh cold air. This time I walked the train and got some cool shots of three freight trains sitting side by side with their locomotives pulled up next to each other. They were a BNSF sandwiched in between two Union Pacific locos. For about half an hour we sat in Klamath Falls where I then reboarded to have breakfast.

Afterwards I headed to the Parlour for some shots again of crossing the Cascade range. I thought everything would be about the same but I was in for a treat. Over the last few days, a big snowstorm must have past through, because there was snow everywhere. The tree’s branches were covered in several inches of snow as we climbed up to Cascade Summit. It was truly a winter wonderland this time. Right near the Cascade Summit is Lake Odell through the trees. This lake sits about 4800 feet above sea level. It is also one of the deepest lakes at 282 feet deep, second only the Crater Lake, near Klamath Falls. It’s hard to get really any good shots because of the trees in the way. I always think they should just cut the trees down so you can take pictures. Should be a requirement at scenic railroad spots.

I was able to get a good shot of the big landslide again as we made our way down the pass. You could really tell the elevation changes due to the less and less snow on the trees. Soon it was just snow on the sides of the tracks and after that there was none at all. Soon, we got to the city of Eugene and made our way up to Portland. The train arrived early again into Portland where I would make my connection to the Empire Builder. I’d only be there about an hour so I just sat in the lounge to wait for boarding. This lounge doesn’t have any wireless, which I was disappointed to find out. Guess I would have to wait until Minneapolis.

After enjoying the lounge again, they called us for boarding of the 4:45 pm Empire Builder. I was in room 10 this time in the very last car in the very last room of the train. Awesome! This is my favorite room because I have the back window right outside my door for some additional viewing. Plus I’m the only one back there, so there is no foot traffic coming through. So except for the people in the room across from me, I had the whole back of the train to myself. And they ended up getting off early the next morning in Whitefish.

The Empire Builder, ‘times two,’ departed right on time and made its way across the Willamette and Columbia Rivers before picking up more passengers in Vancouver. Then it again follows the Columbia River Gorge for a couple hundred miles. This time though, it was daylight for most of the gorge, so I was able to actually see it. My car attendant brought around a cold dinner for us. I guess my hype about being in back had a drawback because I was the last to get offered a dinner and all the shrimp was out. So I was stuck with the beef tips with salad, dessert, and a roll. It was ok though and I ate it in my room. Later I headed for the lounge car to see and take some pictures of the gorge in daylight hours. After awhile I relaxed in my room until it got dark. I wrote for a bit and made my bed up to turn in for the night.

 

[saxman]

Day 36- March 18, 2009

All day on the Builder

Sometime during the night I awoke while we were parked in Spokane. I don’t like sleeping and missing stuff but at the same time I need to sleep so I’m awake during the day to see things. Spokane is where the Seattle section comes in to hook to the front of our train. Some say they are waken up by the switching, but I never was. Next thing I know, instead of only being last of four cars, I’m the last of ten cars plus a whopping 4 locomotives. So we had a long train this time, meaning I could see the entire thing from my fortress in the last car. It was a great sight to see the front of the train and all ten cars snaking its way through Glacier National Park.

I arose just before getting to Whitefish and went to have breakfast in the diner. Since the Empire Builder has much better food, and I had the eggs scrambled. They were okay but the cook really didn’t stir them much. I might as well have ordered a plain omelet. I’ll know that for next time.

After breakfast I was able to step off the train for some more cold air. The station looked the same as it did a month before so I got back on the train to get ready for Glacier Park. It was good because it was sunny this time through out the park. The time before it was a bit cloudy and hard to take good photos. It looked as if it had snowed a lot too. After Glacier I returned to my quarters to have a quick nap. Since Eastern Montana goes on forever I knew I wouldn’t miss much. I had lunch while stopped in Havre so I wasn’t able to step off, but made good conversation with a young couple and another man telling military stories. I relaxed again in my room until the wine and cheese tasting. This time though I didn’t win the free bottle of wine. I should have though because he asked the same question they did on the previous trip. I just couldn’t remember who the first television couple to sleep in the same bed was. If anyone is interested to know, it’s the Flintstones!

After the wine tasting I was able to get a 6:00 pm dinner seating. I was hoping for 7:00 or 7:15 but of course, I was the last to get asked so I was stuck with an earlier time. So I had another steak dinner, which came out pretty well. Since I was in the diner during our stop in Williston, I couldn’t step off once again. But later in Minot I got to get off. Since we would be there awhile I was able to get on a overpass over the train and take some night shots. Some came out pretty good. Since my friend Melanie decided to go to California I still couldn’t get any homemade cookies! After leaving Minot I headed to bed, only to wake up again in Grand Forks. I was too tired to look outside much so I just rolled over again to sleep again. I wanted to be up early so I could get breakfast before Minneapolis.

 

[saxman]

Day 37- March 19, 2009

St Paul Minneapolis Arrival

19,803 miles down

I was up at about 6:30 am. Our arrival into St. Paul, would be on time, so I wanted to make sure to have a breakfast. I had a quick bite and went back to watch our arrival into the Twin Cities. St. Paul Midway station is in an industrial part of town, so there is really nothing around it. But just down the road, there is frequent bus service to either downtown Minneapolis or St. Paul. So I grabbed my things and headed down to University Avenue and got on route 16 to downtown Minneapolis. There I would catch the Hiawatha Light Rail line to where my, friend Joel would pick me up. Joel is another roommate of mine from when I lived in Grand Forks. He’s a pilot at Pinnacle Airlines. He met me at the light rail station near his house and took me home. For most of the day, I just relaxed to recover from my long train journey.

After spending time there, I got ready for the evenings activities. I would be attending the WCHA (Western Hockey Collegiate Association) Final Five hockey tournament. Of course the UND Fighting Sioux would be attendance, and this would be my once chance to see them play. It was always a favorite thing to do while living in Grand Forks. This evevings game would not have the Sioux playing but I went anyway. It was Minnesota Duluth vs. Minnesota. The Minnesota Gophers have been long time rivals of UND, but I was hoping they would win so they would play together later. The Gophers didn’t play very well though and they were beat by UM Duluth, 3 to 1.

 

[saxman]

Day 38- March 20, 2009

More games

So Joel wouldn’t have to give me rides everywhere, I found a cheap weekend rental car to have for my stay. Joel drove me to the airport so I could pick up a car there. Later that day I headed back to downtown St. Paul for some more hockey. This time it was Denver University vs. Wisconsin. Wisconsin wasn’t playing very well at all and got swept by Denver 3 to 0. I was going for Wisconsin because Denver has won too many times before. So that means UND would play Duluth that evening and Denver would play the winner of our game the next day.

Game 2 for the day, was the game I was looking forward to. The Sioux would play Duluth, and since we were ranked number 1 it should be no contest. Right? Well I was in for a surprise as the underdog, Duluth swept UND 3 to 0. It was a sad night for me. That meant we’d play Wisconsin for third place and Duluth would face off to Denver in the championship game. After another night out I headed back to Joel’s for the night.

 

[saxman]

Day 39- March 21, 2009

Another disappointment

Well the first game would be Wisconsin vs. UND. Seeing how bad Wisconsin played the day before, I once again though UND could easily pull off a win and get third place. Things started out well in the first period with UND getting the first goal. It was downhill after that though because in the second and third periods, Wisconsin topped off the goals with a final score of 4 to 1. My Fighting Sioux could never make a come back.

For the next game, I just decided I wasn’t up to attending so I just sold my tickets on the street. Duluth ended up winning the entire tournament, which I was glad they did. It was pretty amazing for the lowest ranked team coming in to the tournament to pull that off.

 

[saxman]

I am pleased to announce that my photos are slowly being added to my web gallery. I took over 2000 photos so its taking a really long time to go through them and find the good one to post. The other problem being there are so many good ones! :lol:

Anyhow, just click on the link below and you'll find the first few legs of my 6 week trip posted. More soon to follow.

Also later today I will finish the last of the trip reports and post them here. Then after that, I will post all my trip reports onto my blog website.

So....here are my first few photos.

 

[saxman]

Day 40- March 22, 2009

I was up early to head to the station for a 7:50 am departure. Joel was kind to drive me to the train station in St. Paul before heading out to work. We arrived around 7:15 and I grabbed my tickets and checked my bag all the way to Fort Worth. It was actually running a few minutes late and arrived about 7:40. Since St. Paul is a service stop for the Empire Builder it takes a few minutes to restock and refuel, plus board the about 100 passengers or so leaving. I was going to get off again in Wisconsin Dells to visit my friend, Casey, again.

I found a good seat in the car right behind the diner. I figured I’d get some breakfast as it was still going on. I sat with a few passengers going down to Chicago on business. I like the Empire Builder because they actually will make your eggs to order. So I ordered 2 eggs over easy with grits and a biscuit. It was very good meal and I headed back to the lounge to see the run along the Mississippi. The ice was slowly starting to break up as the spring thaw was in full swing.

I decided to skip lunch and save it for the arrival into Wisconsin Dells. Right at 12:09, we pulled into Wisconsin Dells on time, where Casey was there to meet me. We hung out during the afternoon and then she drove me down to Madison so I could check in to a hotel for the night.

Day 41- March 23, 2009

Last leg of my journey

Madison is about 45 minute drive from Wisconsin Dells. I had to start there in order to make my connection in Chicago to the Texas Eagle. The Empire Builder gets to Chicago a couple hours after the Texas Eagle leaves, so a same day connection would not work. But since there are thruway buses from Madison to Chicago, I’d be able to make that connection.

So I was up at about 5:45 to make my 7:15 bus to Chicago. The hotel had a shuttle, and they drove me to the park and ride lot in Madison. It was a rainy morning and I was hoping for some shelter while I waited for the bus. All there was, was a small bus shelter in a parking lot. But there was a convenient store nearby so I went to wait inside for the time being. It was warm in there. Later I headed out to the shelter when then bus came.

I slept for most of the trip to Chicago. I was zonked out pretty good, because I couldn’t remember much of it. About 3 hours later, we arrived in Chicago right at Union Station. This would be the fourth time through Chicago, and my last for this trip. I went down to check into the Metropolitan Lounge once again and waited for my next, the Texas Eagle. It would depart at 1:45 pm. I grabbed a bite to eat while waiting and soon it was time to head out. My sleeper was on the bottom level again in room 14. There I found my room and we were off to Texas, right on time. From Chicago, the train makes a suburban stop at Joliet then follow along the historic Route 66 for most of the way to St. Louis. I had dinner in the diner and was glad to see they had prime ribs as the special. It was edible, but not the greatest. During my dinner break we arrived into St. Louis. I waited for my server to bring me dessert but he was no where to be found. I wanted to step off the train for a few pictures and to see the new St. Louis station. He didn’t seem to come back so I just left to get off the train. There I found him having a smoke and not getting me my dessert. So I asked if he’d get me an ice cream while I took some photos. I never did get to see the station itself. Later after departure he brought my ice cream finally.

After St. Louis the Texas Eagle follows along the Mississippi River. Except its dark so I didn’t get to see much. So I decided to head to bed for the night.