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| Traveling Amtrak's Empire Builder June 15-17 |
A Journey on the Empire Builder
Any trip I make on Amtrak's Empire Builder is sentimental and hearkens back to my early adulthood. Fresh out of college working in New Orleans, LA, I took my first real vacation in 1965 on Great Northern Railway's Empire Builder to Seattle, WA, on the great original version of this train featuring full length dome coaches with red sofa seats just for the sleeping car passengers. After a week in Seattle for my first time, I returned home via that same Great Northern Empire Builder.
So now I can't tell you how many but I have taken the Empire Builder numerous times and it's my second favorite Amtrak train - second only to the California Zephyr which is definitely the most scenic of all the Amtrak long distance trains as it crosses Iowa and Nebraska overnight after departing Chicago and arrives Denver early morning. From Denver it crosses the Colorado Rockies and then overnight it crosses Utah and Nevada arriving Reno the second morning. From Reno the Zephyr enters California at Truckee and then crosses the Sierra Nevadas into Sacramento and on to Emeryville across the Bay from San Francisco.
But the Empire Builder was my first long distance train ride and I always enjoy crossing Wisconsin, Minnesota, North Dakota, Montana, Idaho, and Washington on the Empire Builder. This trip was enjoyable and memorable as crossing North Dakota and Montana was mostly overcast and rainy all day long crossing those States. Glacier National Park was crossed into the night, but Sunday morning the sun was shining brightly in Washington State as we crossed the Cascade Mountains and cruised into Seattle along the bay. Even had time to go to the Seattle waterfront to get Fish and Chips and enjoy a good walk back to the hotel. I'm staying at a brand new Embassy Suites in Pioneer Square right next to Amtrak's King Street Station and the views of both the train station tracks and the waterfront are spectacular. I'll try to share some more of those photos tomorrow.
I do have plans while I am here. Tomorrow Monday night I will joining my great nephew Neil and wife Megan for dinner along with their sons Lucas about 1 1/2 years and Isaiah who was born this March 2018. I met Megan and Lucas last year for the first time and now I get to meet Isaiah. Neil is the son of my nephew Charles that teaches at Michigan State. Then Tuesday I have booked a full day trip to Mt. Rainier south of Seattle. Wednesday is not planned and on Thursday, I fly Alaska Airlines to Los Angeles for two nights before flying American home Saturday.
Here as some selected photos for the Empire Builder trip.
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| Waiting in the Metropolitan Sleeping Car Passenger Lounge in Chicago |
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| Northern Wisconsin - I think the beginning of the Mississippi River |
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| My Roomette converted to nighttime sleeping |
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| My train in Minot, ND - the beginning of a wet raining day |
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| In Minot, ND |
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| Me in front of my sleeping car in Minot, ND |
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| Same mostly flat but green land across North Dakota and Montana |
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| Stopped late afternoon in Havre, MT |
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| One of the original Great Northern Steam Engines that pulled the Empire Builder |
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| Glacier National Park |
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| Glacier National Park |
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| Izaac Walton Inn in Glacier National Park |
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| Cascades Mountains in Washington State |
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| Typical Town Scene in Washington State |
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| A Stream in Washington State |
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| Cascade Mountains |
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| Approaching the Bay at Edmonds, WA |
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| A great lady and great sleeping car attendant - Connie |
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| View of Smith Tower and Seattle Skyline from my room |
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| Fish and Chips at Ivar's |
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| In front of Ivar's |
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| Seattle Waterfront |
Remember you can click on the photos to see full size.
