Good-by to Seattle

Thursday, May 7th

Boarded "The Empire Builder" at 4:30 pm. For this leg, we had a family bedroom. It was very nice to have the additional space. It was the whole width of the car so we could see in both directions. Also had a bench seat that was great for mid-afternoon napping!

As we left Seattle, we travelled north along Puget Sound through Edmonds and Everett then began the assent into the Cascades and back into the snow! Overnight we passed through Spokane and then Utah, waking up in Whitefish, Montana. This route took us along the northern portion of the US. At one point we were only about 30 miles from the Canadian border.

If you are following on a map, the stops across Montana were:

Glacier Park Station, built in 1913 is near 50 "living" glaciers and 9,000-10,000 foot mountains.

Browning headquarters of the Blackfeet Indian nation and language learning center; host of the largest native American pow-wow in North America each July.

Cut Bank often noted for the coldest mid-winter temperatures in the country. A monument to early explorer Meriwether Lewis memorializes his search for a pass through the Rockies.

Shelby named after Peter Shelby, General Manager of the Montana Central Railroad and site of the 1923 World Heavyweight Champioship fight between Jack Dempsey andTom Gibbons.

Havre, Malta, Glasgow and Wolf Point

Then we crossed into North Dakota and back into Central Time. Major stop here was Minot, still known as "Magic City" because it grew overnight -- like magic -- the moment th Great Northern announced its route.

Rugby, ND the geographical center of the North American continent.

Devils Lake the Indians call this remnant of a glacial sea the "Evil Spirit Lake" because they believed its shattered walls and loose rocks were the result of a mammoth struggle between thunderbirds and water monsters.

Overnight we passed through Fargo. Opted NOT to get up to have our pictures taken under the sign.

We were up early; 5:30 am in order to gather our belongings, have breakfast and arrive Minneapolis at 7:30. Will be here, staying with sister-in-law Dee until Wednesday when we climb back on the train for Milwaukee, reclaim our car, attend Keri's graduation from Nursing School on the 16th and then start back to Georgia.

Rainbows, Swimming and Christmas Cookies

Wednesday, May 6th

Final day with Cheryl and David. Decided that it was time to make Christmas Cookies!! I've really missed doing this with the boys. We had a great time and Ben is very adept at handling the decorating cones. Note the snake in the lower left-hand corner. He very studiously decorated that all by himself!

Later in the afternoon we took Ben to his swimming lesson at the local rec center. Very nice facility. In addition to the shallow area for kids lessons, they had some lap lanes, a high diving pool, a wading pool for babies, a river type area where folks should water walk against resistance and then a larger area for free swimming.

We finished off the day with dinner at a seafood place at the local marina in Winslow. Saw the most incredible rainbow. The picture does not do it justice. It was so vivid we could actually see the purple hue. Something I don't remember ever seeing before.

During this visit I learned how to play MarioKart on the Wii. Far from being a challenge to other players but with practice I might be able to compete. Right now, the 5-year old whoops me bad!!

Pike's Market, Seattle

Tuesday, May 5th

Anyone for Alaskan Salmon? Lots and lots of fish at Pike's Market in Seattle. Also vegetables, flowers and anything else you could imagine. Had a great day walking around the market, sight-seeing, and eating. I did not realize how much of a hill Seattle was built on. Very similar to San Francisco hills. Got lots of exercise that day!!

A Springtime Walk

Monday, May 4th

We have been enjoying our time here on Bainbridge Island, WA. So good to see Cheryl, David, Josh and Ben again. Arrived last Thursday evening.

On Friday, David went to work and Josh to school. Cheryl took us on a tour of the local area. They center around the town of Winslow. Jim and I were to stay with the boys on Saturday while Cheryl and David took a long run (17 mi.). Those plans turned upside down when Cheryl had a kidney stone attack during the night. After lots of pain, lots of time at the hospital, and lots of meds the stone passed on Sunday night.

On Sunday, David took us for some more touring. Went to the town of Poulsbo and Sluy's Bakery. Great place. Josh had something called a Viking Donut. Big, big chocolate covered raised donut. He has been known to eat two of them. After the boys ran off some of the sugar in the park we loaded up and moved on to Port Gamble, an old mill town. This is where I found a yarn shop. Owned by a woman who dyes and spins her own yarns. Wonderful place. Of course I purchased something!

It's Monday and things are getting back to normal. Cheryl feeling much better although still a bit wobbly from all the meds. The sun came out and we decided it was time to get outside. Took a walk to the local store -- Rolling Bay Hay & Feed -- one of those great places that have a bit of everything. Ben got a cookie from the coffee shop and we continued on. Spring is in full bloom around here. Got some wonderful pics of all the flowers. Go take a look over on FB.

Tomorrow we are off to Seattle, Pike's market and lunch.

Sacramento to Seattle

Day 3

Leave Sacramento at Midnight Wednesday. By the time we got onboard we were exhausted. Our beds were all ready and waiting for us. Jim crawled into the top bunk this time. We both slept very well.

By the time we woke up Thursday morning we were in Northern California, just about to enter Oregon. Once we crossed to state line the landscape changed dramatically. Once again headed into the mountains -- this time the Cascades. After lunch we sat in the parlor car for a few hours and enjoyed the views.

This train -- the Coastal Starlight is one of the signature trains in the Amtrak line. There were a few amenities unique to the line. In addition to the regular dining and scenic viewing cars they had an old fashioned parlor car with food service and comfy swivel chairs.

On through Portland, OR; up the Columbia River; to Toccoma, WA and finally Seattle. Cheryl, David & boys met us at the train station and we all walked to the ferry that would take us to Bainbridge Island.

Sure will feel good to stay put for a week.

Rockies Behind Us, On to Sierra Nevada's

Day 2

Woke up in Winnemucca, NV.

Railroad French Toast for breakfast. This is the best french toast in the world. I am totally addicted.

Todays route took us through the Nevada desert to Reno and then over the Sierra Nevada mountains. Along the way we passed through Truckee (Lake Tahoe area) and then Donner Pass where the famed Donner Party was stranded for a winter.



Arrived Sacramento mid-afternoon. We had a 9 hour layover here. Checked our carry-on bags at the station and walked around town a bit. We had hoped to catch up with Jim's brother Bob while here but he was in Los Angeles working. Spent a very long evening at the train station waiting for the midnight train to Seattle.



Go on over to Facebook for a look at pictures in the album Denver to Sacramento.

Into the Rockies

Day 1

Train was late getting into Denver. We were supposed to leave at 8:05 AM. We got up at 5 in order to be at the station by 7. Then sat for 3 hours waiting. Oh well, got to meet a nice couple from New York State. We exchanged itineraries and experiences. Have met some very nice folks on this trip.

California Zephyr finally arrived around 10 AM and we were on our way by 10:45. Started climbing almost immediately into the mountains. Our route took us to Granby in the area of Rocky Mountain National Park then to the Aspen area and finally to Grand Junction. Words escape me to describe the scenery. Just breathtaking. We kept coming back to the discussion of what determination the folks in wagon trains must have had in order to cross these mountains. Then again, guess Kansas and eastern Colorado are populated by people who looked at those mountains in the distance and said "I don't think so!"

Had lunch in the dining car -- our table companions were a woman and her mother taking their annual trip to California. They had taken this trip through the Rockies previously and enjoyed it so much they decided to continue using the train. A much more civilized way to travel. No one is in a hurry and you can really unwind. They were able to point out some landmarks for us and shared their experiences.

Back to our room for an afternoon of sightseeing. Dinner in the dining car at 6:30 then we moved into the sightseeing car for a continuation of our cribbage tournament. So far it's Jim 4, Priscilla 3. Climbed into our bunks around 10 PM. Priscilla again took the top bunk. Not bad once you get up there!