March 5, 2010
I left the Pasco (WA) Amtrak station right on time last night at 8:55 p.m. Of course, it was dark outside, so there wasn't much to see on the ride up to Spokane. The sky was clear the first hour and lots of stars were visible. I was in a reserved coach car, with large and comfortable reclining seats. The car was in the back of the train, so the ride was quiet. I read my book for most of the way to Spokane.
We arrived at the Spokane Amtrak station at 11:45 p.m, slightly ahead of schedule. The station is downtown by the Davenport Hotel and across the freeway from Deaconess Hospital. With no instruction on what to do, I got off the train, stood on the platform with the smokers, got cold, went back to my seat, and waited for the Seattle train to pull around us, back up, and hook up. Then I asked on of the baggage guys on the platform which sleeping car was mine. He pointed to the front of the train and said, "car 831." So I stood outside car 831 for a conductor to show me my berth. Up walked the Spokane Station Agent, asking if I was Dennis. It seems she thought I was starting my journey in Spokane and was concerned I hadn't showed up. Well, we got that resolved. I gave her my Spokane to Minneapolis ticket and she showed me my berth on the upper level. The bunk beds were made up and ready for me.
These "roomette" berths are very small. They have two seats that face each other fore and aft. At night, they fold down flat to make the bottom bunk. The top bunk swings down from the side of the car. There's about eight inches of floor space between the bed and the outer door. I put my suitcase and hat on the top bunk. I put my jacket, shirt, pants and shoes in the six inch "closet." Of course, it took me awhile to fall asleep after all this excitement.
March 6, 2010 (my birthday)
It is a beautiful and sunny day in Montana!
I woke up at 6 a.m. as we pulled into Whitefish, Montana. Then I discovered it was actually 7 a.m. because we crossed the time zone. After a short stop, we left the station and continued East through the Rocky Mountains. I got up and dressed. Then I asked the car attendant - a nice young woman from Normandy Park (outside of Seattle) - to fold up the bed. I walked to the front of our sleeper car, where the coffee, juices, and newspapers were. I fixed myself a mimosa and enjoyed the mountains. Then I realized I was an hour behind and the dining car closes in 45 minutes!
The Dining Car is roomy, with four to a table. Everyone eats together of course. I took several pictures of the car and countryside, then placed my breakfast order with one of the three servers. It was quite a nice selection. I asked for eggs over easy, corned beef hash, sausage patty, grits, and raisin toast. And hot tea. As a sleeper car passenger, all meals were included in the price of the ticket.
Then I walked back to the Lounge Car and enjoyed the scenery through Glacier National Park. Just outside the Glacier Park Lodge, we had to stop for about 45 minutes, as they got a freight train fixed and going again in front of us. In talking to the other passengers, especially those who ride the rails quite often, this happens fairly often. The freight train cars are not as well maintained as the passenger cars.
I got some reading and writing done this morning, as we exited the Rocky Mountains and entered the High Plains of Eastern Montana. I choose a light lunch of soup and salad, while dining with a retired couple going home to Lacrosse, Wisconsin. Approaching Havre, Montana, I changed into a t-shirt. Even though the entire ground of rolling plains is covered with snow, the bright sun is warming up the train cars. We are hitting some pretty high speeds now, as we rocket between towns in Montana.
March 6, 2010 (afternoon)
We are well into Eastern Montana and the fog has set in. Not much to see but lots of snow by the tracks. That's OK, as the wine and cheese tasting is about to begin. This is a special event just for the Sleeping Car passengers. There were about 15 of us in the Dining Car, plus the three servers. All the wines were Pacific NW brands: a Pacific Rim Riesling (nice), Willamette Valley Riesling (boring), Columbia Valley Cab (cheap) and Columbia Valley Sarah (OK). The wine steward, an older fellow who's "only" been with the RR for 23 years, gave the left over opened bottles to trivia question winners, to share with other passengers over dinner.
I spent the rest of the afternoon reading and writing. However, after the wine tasting, it was mostly napping. I also listened to my iPod lectures. While the sleeping berth is nice, the seats are not as comfortable as coach. So after a while, I walked back to the Lounge Car and the very comfortable seats. Unfortunately, the college kids had pretty much taken it over with guitar playing and sing-alongs. Oh well.
I signed up for a late dinner reservation, knowing the meals were large and I had almost a full bottle of wine to share. I figured the food and wine would make me sleepy (it did) and I would sleep soundly through the night (I did).
I dined with a young film maker from Tacoma and a business consultant from Seattle. The film maker was a child of the world: His parents were German, his childhood was in Venezuela, then Sweden. He danced in Paris and NYC, and was now on a six-month tourist visa to learn American culture. He may have also been gay. The business consultant was moving to NYC for a new job. She was tired of the rain and "nice" in Seattle. Interesting company! We had great conversations and lots of wine. I choose the bison meatloaf. It was strong, substantial, and very tasty. The meal also included a baked potato and mixed steamed veggies. Topped off with a chocolate ice cream. Most enjoyable.
After dinner, we switched to Central time. It was now 9:30 and time to go to bed. The car attendant made up the bed. I kept the top bunk up to give more room and kept my suitcase with the others downstairs. I turned off the light, closed the curtains, and fell to sleep.
I had a reasonably-good sleep as we traveled through Minnesota. We stopped several times for passengers to get on and off and smoke. There were no PA announcements during the night, which made for better sleeping. I awoke at 6 a.m. - 15 minutes before my wake up call - and got dressed. Still full from dinner, I took a pass on breakfast. About 6:45 a.m., we really, really slowed down. We pulled into the MSP Midway Station right on time at 7 o'clock.
I got off the train and walked about five blocks to the bus stop. Weather was overcast and mild. No snow. I got on the bus, transferred in downtown Minneapolis, and transferred again in Brooklyn Center. The bus drive let me off two blocks from my hotel. Even though it was early (about 9 a.m.), the guy at the front desk had a room ready for me and checked me in.
Mission accomplished.
