There were no TSA guards nor any other security measures slowing us down.
We parked 50 yards away and left the car there during our 8-day vacation.
No parking charge, either.Go West Old Man
So I did. And I took Pam and Meredith with me. We drove two hours to Minot, North Dakota, a stop for the Empire Builder Amtrak train which traverses the northlands from Chicago to Seattle.
There were no TSA guards nor any other security measures slowing us down.
We parked 50 yards away and left the car there during our 8-day vacation.
No parking charge, either.
Amtrak cars have changed dramatically since I last rode one in the
mid-70s. They have two levels. Most folks walk up a flight of stairs
to the top level but there are sections for mobility-impaired people in the
lower deck of some cars.
In my youth, I hopped a freight train from Minot to Seattle and remember the
gorgeous views of the Rockies and the Cascades. The route has not changed
and this trip featured not only wonderful scenery but a "tour guide"
courtesy of the National Park Service.
Taking photos through the window of a moving vehicle presents difficulties for
an amateur photographer like me. Most of my efforts were
unrewarding. This one turned out fairly well and was taken in Glacier
National Park west of White Fish, Montana.
Amtrak has a dining car and serves excellent meals. The prices are a
little spendy with dinners starting at $15.00, breakfast about $7.00
cheaper. There was also a lounge car where they sold sandwiches, candy,
coffee, and pop (no Coca Cola products, though). We brought a sack full of
goodies but did take the opportunity for a meal as the train traveled through
Glacier. Pam, always interested in furthering her culinary knowledge, met
with the train's chef and toured the kitchen, located underneath the dining
area.
In Spokane, the train stopped for about 45 minutes. Several of the cars at
the back of the train were detached from our engine and hooked up with another,
bound for Portland, Oregon. After a fitful night's sleep, I walked to the
rear of the train to sit in the observation car and, to my surprise, saw that it
was gone! I wanted to get a photo of the Columbia River Gorge and
succeeded, kind of. This shot was taken through the small window at the
back of the last car on the train as we traveled along the water. After 27
hours, we arrived in Seattle, 20 minutes ahead of schedule.
The Amtrak routes