SUTTONK11
Train Attendant
After having walked all over Chicago for several hours and eaten at Giordano's, we were more than ready to board the Empire Builder and settle into our bedroom for the longest segment of continuous train travel. Once settled we went to the Observation Car where we were able to find a couple of seats which is no small achievment given the lack of management of these cars. My wife retired to the bedroom after an hour or so to do some reading and a very nice young graduate student took her seat. He was going to a wedding and was familiar with the section of the country we were traveling through and was kind enough to pass along a little history of the area even though that was the job of the two Rails & Trails people on board.
The two Rails and Trails park rangers, volunteers or whatever they are called were really bad and seemed to think that everyone was equally or more interested in their personal lives as they were in the history of what we were seeing. The two of them spread out over 4 seats in a very overcrowded car and bored us to death for several hours. The head "ranger" had the personality of a doorknob and his female trainee was the equivalent Rachel Ray on adrenalin which led me to contemplate jumping off the train without waiting for it to stop! Upon the realization that my wife and children would never know what happened to me if I jumped, I remained in the Observation Car with my new found friend and we attempted to block out the R&R people with our own conversation. At precisely 5:00, and not a second too soon given the situation, my wife reappeared with two Absolute Citrons on ice and we had a great time looking and talking until our 6:45 dinner reservation.
We were seated at dinner with a very attractive and interesting couple from Germany who were traveling across the U.S. by train to visit their son in Vancouver. Had a good meal ( flatiron steak ) with Veronica and Wolfgang and then, exhausted from our lack of sleep the night before and running around Chicago all day, we went straight to bed.
The next morning at 7:00 we were abruptly awoken by someone loudly singing "Good Morning, Good Morning" over the public address system to announce the beginning of food service in the Observation Car's cafe. As expected, we both had a great nights sleep now that we were used to the motion and sounds of the train even though we would have liked to sleep a little later.
NOTE: When traveling by rail in a bedroom or in a roomette, immediately locate the the speaker system in your room and learn which channels are what and how to turn them off at night. It is very easy to do but something nobody tells you about.
I got up and took a shower before going to breakfast and was pleasantly surprised at how easy it was - good water pressure, lots of hot water and much more room than I thought for a 6' 1", 210 pounder like me. To our great surprise and pleasure we were seated for breakfast with our new friends from Germany again. The food was good with the French toast leading the voting at our table closely followed by the cheese omelette and scambled eggs with sausage.
My wife took a shower after breakfast and I returned to the Observation Car to watch the North Dakota's endless praires and farmlands dotted with hundreds of pothole ponds holding more wild ducks than I have ever seen - the ducks flew around like pidgeons back home. Since this area of the U.S. is the breeding ground for a big percentage of our duck population and, being a duckhunter, I started to get excited over the prospects of the 2008 waterfowl season ( I am fully cognizant of the fact that this is not a politically correct statement but it's the truth ). Rhonda joined me after her shower and we saw pheasant, deer, geese and many more interesting sights but were becoming increasingly bored with the total lack of any variance in the landscape and began to wonder hoe anyone could live in such remote circumstances; what do you do if there is an accident on the farm or, even more basic, if you need to borrow a cup of sugar or an egg from your neighbor? These thoughts were put aside when we met a young Norwegian school teacher spending his summer traveling around Canada and the U.S. He was fun to talk with and to hear his take on the two countries and the people he had met.
Lunch in the dining car was okay but certainly nothing special. However, the elderly Scottish couple that was seated with us were very special. They were on their way home to San Francisco where they have lived for about 15 years and could not have been more charming and interesting. As far as may choice for food, I reccommend the build a burger.
NOTE: If you have a taste for something on the children's menu, don't be afraid to ask for it. This gives you a little more choice since most of the children's menu, such as a hot dog, is not offered on te regular menu.
The train was running a little late so we only reached the mountains while at the dinner table but they were spectacular just the same and a welcome relief from the monotonous flatlands. The transition from open prarie to rocks, cliffs, snow, steams and waterfalls was dramatic and so beautiful that, even though we were seated with a very nice couple from Minneapolis, all any of us wanted to do was stare out of the window at the scenery. Even though it was late in the day there was still plenty of light left when we finished dinner so I thought I would go to the Observation Car for a better look at the new landscape - bad idea. When I walked into the car, I found myself in the midst of a drunkfest with people sceaming, yelling and generally out of control so I did an about face and joined Rhonda in our room.
NOTE: The observation cars, with rare exception, were completely unmanaged by Amtrak personel for the entirety of our trip. It ws nothing to see people taking up 2 or 3 seats with their belongings when others were trying to find a place to sit or self proclaimed "lounge lizards" with their sleepingbags rolled out on the floor and brewing coffee with their own coffeemakers in the bar area. Only one time did I see an Amtrak employee ask someone to move their things so others could sit. Amtrak needs to either introduce a reservation system for the observation car, better police it or make it firstclass only.
Once it got too dark to see, we went to bed and again slept great. We awoke to more georgeous scenery in the mountinous apple growing region of Washington. Saw more streams and mountains while enjoying breakfast with a couple that had just gotten on the train on their way to see a Mariners game with their daughter in Seattle. After a good breakfast we returned to our room, got fresh cups of coffee and settled in with the newspaper to watch the scenery for the remainder of our trip to Seattle.
STAY TUNED - COAST STARLIGHT COMING SOON
The two Rails and Trails park rangers, volunteers or whatever they are called were really bad and seemed to think that everyone was equally or more interested in their personal lives as they were in the history of what we were seeing. The two of them spread out over 4 seats in a very overcrowded car and bored us to death for several hours. The head "ranger" had the personality of a doorknob and his female trainee was the equivalent Rachel Ray on adrenalin which led me to contemplate jumping off the train without waiting for it to stop! Upon the realization that my wife and children would never know what happened to me if I jumped, I remained in the Observation Car with my new found friend and we attempted to block out the R&R people with our own conversation. At precisely 5:00, and not a second too soon given the situation, my wife reappeared with two Absolute Citrons on ice and we had a great time looking and talking until our 6:45 dinner reservation.
We were seated at dinner with a very attractive and interesting couple from Germany who were traveling across the U.S. by train to visit their son in Vancouver. Had a good meal ( flatiron steak ) with Veronica and Wolfgang and then, exhausted from our lack of sleep the night before and running around Chicago all day, we went straight to bed.
The next morning at 7:00 we were abruptly awoken by someone loudly singing "Good Morning, Good Morning" over the public address system to announce the beginning of food service in the Observation Car's cafe. As expected, we both had a great nights sleep now that we were used to the motion and sounds of the train even though we would have liked to sleep a little later.
NOTE: When traveling by rail in a bedroom or in a roomette, immediately locate the the speaker system in your room and learn which channels are what and how to turn them off at night. It is very easy to do but something nobody tells you about.
I got up and took a shower before going to breakfast and was pleasantly surprised at how easy it was - good water pressure, lots of hot water and much more room than I thought for a 6' 1", 210 pounder like me. To our great surprise and pleasure we were seated for breakfast with our new friends from Germany again. The food was good with the French toast leading the voting at our table closely followed by the cheese omelette and scambled eggs with sausage.
My wife took a shower after breakfast and I returned to the Observation Car to watch the North Dakota's endless praires and farmlands dotted with hundreds of pothole ponds holding more wild ducks than I have ever seen - the ducks flew around like pidgeons back home. Since this area of the U.S. is the breeding ground for a big percentage of our duck population and, being a duckhunter, I started to get excited over the prospects of the 2008 waterfowl season ( I am fully cognizant of the fact that this is not a politically correct statement but it's the truth ). Rhonda joined me after her shower and we saw pheasant, deer, geese and many more interesting sights but were becoming increasingly bored with the total lack of any variance in the landscape and began to wonder hoe anyone could live in such remote circumstances; what do you do if there is an accident on the farm or, even more basic, if you need to borrow a cup of sugar or an egg from your neighbor? These thoughts were put aside when we met a young Norwegian school teacher spending his summer traveling around Canada and the U.S. He was fun to talk with and to hear his take on the two countries and the people he had met.
Lunch in the dining car was okay but certainly nothing special. However, the elderly Scottish couple that was seated with us were very special. They were on their way home to San Francisco where they have lived for about 15 years and could not have been more charming and interesting. As far as may choice for food, I reccommend the build a burger.
NOTE: If you have a taste for something on the children's menu, don't be afraid to ask for it. This gives you a little more choice since most of the children's menu, such as a hot dog, is not offered on te regular menu.
The train was running a little late so we only reached the mountains while at the dinner table but they were spectacular just the same and a welcome relief from the monotonous flatlands. The transition from open prarie to rocks, cliffs, snow, steams and waterfalls was dramatic and so beautiful that, even though we were seated with a very nice couple from Minneapolis, all any of us wanted to do was stare out of the window at the scenery. Even though it was late in the day there was still plenty of light left when we finished dinner so I thought I would go to the Observation Car for a better look at the new landscape - bad idea. When I walked into the car, I found myself in the midst of a drunkfest with people sceaming, yelling and generally out of control so I did an about face and joined Rhonda in our room.
NOTE: The observation cars, with rare exception, were completely unmanaged by Amtrak personel for the entirety of our trip. It ws nothing to see people taking up 2 or 3 seats with their belongings when others were trying to find a place to sit or self proclaimed "lounge lizards" with their sleepingbags rolled out on the floor and brewing coffee with their own coffeemakers in the bar area. Only one time did I see an Amtrak employee ask someone to move their things so others could sit. Amtrak needs to either introduce a reservation system for the observation car, better police it or make it firstclass only.
Once it got too dark to see, we went to bed and again slept great. We awoke to more georgeous scenery in the mountinous apple growing region of Washington. Saw more streams and mountains while enjoying breakfast with a couple that had just gotten on the train on their way to see a Mariners game with their daughter in Seattle. After a good breakfast we returned to our room, got fresh cups of coffee and settled in with the newspaper to watch the scenery for the remainder of our trip to Seattle.
STAY TUNED - COAST STARLIGHT COMING SOON
