Travel with Terri
Embrace the journey: Take the train!
By Terri Marshall. Photos by Greg Holder.
The landscape of the United States is vast and varied and there is no better way to experience it than with a transcontinental journey. Climb aboard a train and you will not only experience the magnificent vistas that comprise this great country, you will savor delicious meals, sleep to the rhythm of the train rolling along the rails and encounter interesting people along the way. Recently I was fortunate to experience all of this aboard Amtrak’s Empire Builder route westbound from Chicago to Seattle. Allow me to share my adventure with you, it may inspire you to plan a train adventure of your own!
The journey from Chicago to Seattle aboard the Empire Builder lasts approximately 45 to 46 hours barring delays and travels through Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, North Dakota, Montana, Idaho and Washington. The original Empire Builder was inaugurated by Great Northern Railway on June 11, 1929. The route was named in honor of railroad tycoon James J. Hill who reorganized several failing railroads in the Great Northern Railway and extended the line to the Pacific Northwest in the late 19th century.
Tickets may be purchased for travel in coach cars or sleeper cars. We chose a deluxe bedroom in a sleeper car for our adventure – and since this is a train with limited space it was definitely an adventure! The seats folded down into berths for sleeping and the room was equipped with a tiny little bathroom compactly equipped with a toilet/shower combination. Tip #1: Be careful which button you push – if you mess up you might end up showering instead of flushing the toilet! Tip #2: Travel with someone you like, really like.
Reserving a sleeping car not only provides some privacy and more space than coach, the price includes three delicious meals and excellent personal service. Each sleeper car has an attendant and we were fortunate to have Stan. An Amtrak employee for 35 years, Stan has mastered the art of personalized service. He also provided lots of stories and entertainment along the way! Each member of the crew worked tirelessly to ensure the comfort of the passengers and to create a memorable trip. We were treated to a wine and cheese tasting on the second afternoon featuring wines from Washington State wineries and cheese from Wisconsin farms. Trivia questions of all types were asked with the prize for a correct answer being a bottle of the wine just sampled. Of course with a bottle of wine up for grabs, I miraculously developed a knack for trivia!
On the final morning of our journey, we conquered the Cascade Mountains in Washington. As you might expect, finding a way to get a train over the Cascade Mountains presented early explorers with a significant challenge. With the threat of avalanches in the winter, going through the mountain was the best possible solution prompting the construction of the original Cascade Tunnel in 1900. The tunnel was 2.7 miles long and was used in conjunction with several zigzagging switchbacks to get trains through Stephens Pass in the Cascade Mountains. Still plagued with the problem of avalanches, a new Cascade Tunnel was built and put into service in January 1929. The new tunnel extends through the mountain range for 7.9 miles making it the longest railroad tunnel in the United States.
Amtrak offers several routes for transcontinental and regional travel. In addition to the Empire Builder, routes include the Lakeshore Limited traveling between New York and Chicago, the City of New Orleans running between Chicago and New Orleans, the Southwest Chief from Chicago through Albuquerque and on to Los Angeles and the Coast Starlight proclaimed as one of the most scenic rides anywhere from Seattle through Portland and down the California coastline to Los Angeles. Pick an area you want to see and Amtrak will take you there.
All types of people travel by train. We met retired couples who were finally taking that train trip that had always talked about. There was a doctor on board from Minneapolis who travels by train across the country to attend operas in cities from New York to Seattle. One Washington man had traveled with his family on several of Amtrak’s transcontinental routes and spent time in destination cities all over the country by purchasing a 45 day rail pass. We also met Jess and Allen from Tennessee who were on a father/son adventure for Allen’s senior year in high school – which I thought was particularly awesome. There are lots of reasons and seasons for planning a train adventure – maybe it’s the season for yours! www.amtrak.com
Terri is a freelance writer with regular columns on travel, chocolate and bar reviews. She is busy each month visiting new places to bring unique travel destinations and events to you. Yes, it is a sacrifice – but she is willing to do that for her readers! You can see more of Terri’s writing at www.examiner.com where she is the National Chocolate Examiner and at www.barzz.net. You can contact Terri at terri.marshall60@gmail.com