June 1, 2023
To Whitefish: Train life
A few notable items from our Amtrak journey from Chicago to Whitefish...
Once we got past the drama of getting on the train, we enjoyed the trip across the northern U.S., gazing at the vast green plains of Minnesota, North Dakota and Montana.
It was worth springing for the roomette. We had a quiet place to read, play cards and sleep without people walking by. A concierge made sure we had everything we needed. The observation car was another great vantage point. On longer stops we walked outside for awhile.
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In the dining car we were seated with interesting people, like John and Jeanette Eggert who were on their way home to Portland. Former missionaries in New Guinea, John is a Lutheran minister and handyman and Jeanette a semi-retired professor of math and physics. John teaches a welding class for girls to introduce them to the possibilities of working in the trades. They take the train to their farm near Menomonie Wisconsin and back every year. For their latest project, laying a foundation for a new shed, John drove a borrowed Caterpillar D3 bulldozer for the first time to clear the land. It's fun to hear about what turns people on.
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Not so great -the two bedbug bites I got in the sleeping berth. I'll have to break out the bug repellent if we do this again. Barry stored one of his panniers up there during the day and now I'm eyeing it with suspicion.
I managed to screw up one more thing. We arrived in Whitefish after 11:00, more than an hour late (another freight train delay) and watched the baggage car attendant unload our three boxes and the duffel with my panniers. I was punchy from the long trip and short sleeps and failed to make sure all the baggage made it into the hotel shuttle van. Somehow we missed the third box that contained our recumbent seats and one of Barry’s panniers, and didn't realize it until we got to the hotel. Barry, our driver Jim, and I were all loading things so it was one of those "I thought you had it" situations. I've done that before with my children, this was the first time with luggage.
We raced back to the station but by the time we got there the Amtrak agent had locked up the box and bolted for the night. She did leave me a message to assure me it was secure.
Jim felt terrible about it but it was really on us to make sure they were all there. In the morning he was at the station when they opened at 6:00 and retrieved it.
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When he heard where we’re going Jim had all kinds of helpful advice, like making sure we have a bandana or mask handy to deal with the construction dust on Going to the Sun Road. He's also a semi-retired professional photographer and showed me some amazing photos he's taken lately, like this one...
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As much as we enjoyed the train trip, we’re happy to be done with it. Grouse Mountain Lodge in Whitefish looks like a nice soft landing for our first night before we start riding Friday.
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