Amtrak Cross USA Trip
Since we were not working and had more time, we looked at all the options for traveling across the country - motorcycle, car, airplane, bus, rental car, train and all combinations of them. We decided to go with Amtrak and see how we liked train travel. We had done the trip from NYC to Indiana on Amtrak before and it was OK - it just entails a long night in the coach, but for a longer trip we determined that we needed a sleeping car. So we booked the trip from NYC to Indiana in coach, then time visiting Liz, Andy, Kate and Zeke and then a sleeping car from Chicago to Seattle where we would visit Sharon and check on our rental home there.
NYC - Indiana. The views along the Hudson River were lovely as the sun was setting. It was a long night in the coach including someone playing a loud computer with TV shows in the seat in front of us at 2:00 am - really??? We get an early morning enthusiastic welcome at the train station from Kate and Zeke and travel back to their house to visit for a couple of days. There were walks, bike rides, good food and even a birthday this time as Zeke turns 6. Home Depot has a cool program for kids where each month they have project kits and kids come and put them together - it's organized chaos of many small children hammering, sanding, nailing, screwing, painting as moms, dads, and helpers assist. The project we saw was a navy helicopter. Our time here ends and we catch Amtrak again to Chicago.
Chicago - Seattle. Now we are into new territory. Chicago station brings one back to a time when train travel was luxurious and stations were enormous with marble and chandeliers everywhere. Amtrak has a large comfortable waiting room including wine and snacks. When it is time to go, we are escorted down to the track and delivered to our home for the next 2 days. Entering the towering train car we go upstairs into our roomette - at first it is disconcertingly small, but once adjusted it was very comfortable. Two large seats sit facing each other and these turn into a bed and an upper bunk pulls down from the top. The beds were reasonably comfortable and we got used to the motion of the train at night and slept quite well. We were surprised to learn that there was even a shower that we could use! There were places to hang a few things, nets on the top bunk to store things, a couple of small shelves and a door that closes for privacy. All meals were included in the trip and were great for meeting people as each table seats 4 people, so we met different people each meal. The meals are fine with good choices. The scenery along the way was spectacular and the observation car is glassed all around so that the views are even better. Unfortunately, we went through Glacier National Park area at night - we'll have to go back again sometime to see it during the day. The train stopped along the way and the conductors always tell you how long the stop is and whether or not you can get off. There was one long stop about half way through the journey early morning in Minot, North Dakota. Here we had an hour and a half to get off, walk through town, and see what we can see. We wandered into a lovely park with an enormous statue of a Dala Horse dedicated to the Swedish settlers in this area. It's amazing how the 2 days just disappear and soon we are pulling into Seattle. We totally enjoyed the trip and would like to travel more by train! We walked around the immediate Seattle area for a bit as we were waiting for a bus connection to Bellingham. We then boarded the bus to Bellingham and were pleasantly surprised to find that it had internet and movies available for watching on your individual device.
Bellingham. Sharon met us at the bus and took us to her new apartment. She had done a super job in painting and making the apartment into a cozy home. It's located in the desirable Columbia neighborhood with many old homes, bright colors, and gardens in every yard. So, we explored the area, did some jogging and walking, visited with Sharon and friends, and spent some time with a realtor looking at houses. We visited our rental home and made arrangements to have a new floor put in the living room and hallway. We enjoyed watching the salmon swim up the river and the people fishing along the way. We love the whole 'vibe' of this area from gardens to walking/jogging trails, to ecology and much more. Maybe we'll live in this area some day...
Olympia. We took another Amtrak down to Olympia, WA to see Linden and David (teachers who we met in China!). Here we walked, jogged, ate Linden's superb cooking and even got a massage (boy we miss those Chinese massages!) We are amazed at the rainforest with all the moss growing on the trees - all that rain has to do something! All too soon, it's time to get to the airport. We took a bus from Olympia to the Sea-Tac airport where we caught a red-eye special back to NYC and then it was onto the Long Island Railroad and back home again.
A super trip!!
NYC - Indiana. The views along the Hudson River were lovely as the sun was setting. It was a long night in the coach including someone playing a loud computer with TV shows in the seat in front of us at 2:00 am - really??? We get an early morning enthusiastic welcome at the train station from Kate and Zeke and travel back to their house to visit for a couple of days. There were walks, bike rides, good food and even a birthday this time as Zeke turns 6. Home Depot has a cool program for kids where each month they have project kits and kids come and put them together - it's organized chaos of many small children hammering, sanding, nailing, screwing, painting as moms, dads, and helpers assist. The project we saw was a navy helicopter. Our time here ends and we catch Amtrak again to Chicago.
Chicago - Seattle. Now we are into new territory. Chicago station brings one back to a time when train travel was luxurious and stations were enormous with marble and chandeliers everywhere. Amtrak has a large comfortable waiting room including wine and snacks. When it is time to go, we are escorted down to the track and delivered to our home for the next 2 days. Entering the towering train car we go upstairs into our roomette - at first it is disconcertingly small, but once adjusted it was very comfortable. Two large seats sit facing each other and these turn into a bed and an upper bunk pulls down from the top. The beds were reasonably comfortable and we got used to the motion of the train at night and slept quite well. We were surprised to learn that there was even a shower that we could use! There were places to hang a few things, nets on the top bunk to store things, a couple of small shelves and a door that closes for privacy. All meals were included in the trip and were great for meeting people as each table seats 4 people, so we met different people each meal. The meals are fine with good choices. The scenery along the way was spectacular and the observation car is glassed all around so that the views are even better. Unfortunately, we went through Glacier National Park area at night - we'll have to go back again sometime to see it during the day. The train stopped along the way and the conductors always tell you how long the stop is and whether or not you can get off. There was one long stop about half way through the journey early morning in Minot, North Dakota. Here we had an hour and a half to get off, walk through town, and see what we can see. We wandered into a lovely park with an enormous statue of a Dala Horse dedicated to the Swedish settlers in this area. It's amazing how the 2 days just disappear and soon we are pulling into Seattle. We totally enjoyed the trip and would like to travel more by train! We walked around the immediate Seattle area for a bit as we were waiting for a bus connection to Bellingham. We then boarded the bus to Bellingham and were pleasantly surprised to find that it had internet and movies available for watching on your individual device.
Bellingham. Sharon met us at the bus and took us to her new apartment. She had done a super job in painting and making the apartment into a cozy home. It's located in the desirable Columbia neighborhood with many old homes, bright colors, and gardens in every yard. So, we explored the area, did some jogging and walking, visited with Sharon and friends, and spent some time with a realtor looking at houses. We visited our rental home and made arrangements to have a new floor put in the living room and hallway. We enjoyed watching the salmon swim up the river and the people fishing along the way. We love the whole 'vibe' of this area from gardens to walking/jogging trails, to ecology and much more. Maybe we'll live in this area some day...
Olympia. We took another Amtrak down to Olympia, WA to see Linden and David (teachers who we met in China!). Here we walked, jogged, ate Linden's superb cooking and even got a massage (boy we miss those Chinese massages!) We are amazed at the rainforest with all the moss growing on the trees - all that rain has to do something! All too soon, it's time to get to the airport. We took a bus from Olympia to the Sea-Tac airport where we caught a red-eye special back to NYC and then it was onto the Long Island Railroad and back home again.
A super trip!!
