Amtrak "Empire Builder"
After visiting Tom in North Dakota, I traveled on Amtrak’s Empire Builder from Minot, ND to East Glacier Park, MT. After exploring Glacier National Park for three days, I boarded the Empire Builder once again and continued traveling west – East Glacier Park, MT to Portland, OR.
The Empire Builder runs daily between Chicago and the Pacific Northwest along major portions of the Lewis and Clark trail. The mighty Empire Builder takes you on an exciting adventure through majestic wilderness, following the footsteps of early pioneers.
The Empire Builder splits during the night in Spokane. I was surprised how smoothly that happened and I was not awakened. From Spokane, you can continue on to Seattle or head down the Columbia River Gorge toward Portland for spectacular views of Mt. Hood.
Amtrak “Coast Starlight”
We were a little late leaving Portland. After getting settled in my roomette, I had an early dinner then tucked in for the night. We had a 6:28 am scheduled arrival in Sacramento and I did not want to oversleep.
The “Coast Starlight” has a daily route between Los Angeles and Seattle. Widely regarded as one of the most spectacular of all train routes, the Coast Starlight links the large cities on the West Coast. The scenery along the Coast Starlight route is unsurpassed particularly between San Diego and San Francisco. I rode that route many years ago.
For this part of my journey, I just enjoyed the view and did not attempt to take any photos
Amtrak “California Zephyr”
Oh Boy!!! I finally arrived at my reason for planning this long distance train ride – – so I could ride the California Zephyr. This is often referred to as one of the most beautiful train trips in all of North America.
March, 1949, the Zephyr began its daily route linking Chicago – Denver – Salt Lake City – San Francisco. Part way through my trip on the Eastbound Zephyr, we stopped for a while to allow the Westbound Zephyr to pass our train. As we climbed through the heart of the Rockies, the views were spectacular – with little to no way to capture a decent photo. But I certainly captured the beauty in my heart.
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Traveling Amtrak
On the first short day trip between Minot, ND and East Glacier Park, MT, I traveled by coach. From East Glacier to Denver I traveled with a roomette. I found it very comfortable to sleep aboard the train. The motion did not bother me, but I am a blessed with being a sound sleeper. During the day, you periodically have an opportunity to get out a stretch your legs a bit at “comfort stops” where smokers have an opportunity to take a puff.
Fellow Travelers
At meals, or in the observation car, I enjoyed many delightful conversations. One young man had written a musical production that he and his troup were performing in several different cities. He was busy making notes of ‘what went well’ or ‘needed changes’ from the last performance. When he finished, he told me about his project and the delight in his eyes was inspiring.
Another gentleman was returning to his home in Chicago after teaching another stitching workshop in California. He told me about his current project that he was working on the train ride to show his group back home. This picture does not do it justice, but he is working at 42 stitches per inch on a moving train that is constantly shifting back and forth. My, my.. I was impressed.
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Amtrak Stations
The history of the transcontinental railroad system has fascinated me since Bobby introduced me to some fascinating details. So on this journey through the northwest, I was delighted to see some to the beautiful old structures with long histories.
Here in San Antonio we had the beautiful Sunset Station. However in 1998, Amtrak moved to a newer, smaller depot due to deteriorating conditions in the older structure. On this trip, I was delighted to see some depots that are still in use.
Amtrak Station: East Glacier Park, MT
The rustic East Glacier Park depot is a seasonal stop open from mid-spring until mid-fall. It was built by the Great Northern Railway in 1912, directly behind the station is the popular Glacier Park Lodge, which opened in June 1913. Both are located on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation.
The historical background of East Glacier Park revolved around the Blackfeet Indians, plus the western advance of white civilization, the railroad and Glacier National Park.
The presence of celebrities in the park were frequently causes for a ceremony of sorts. For example in 1937 the actor Clarke Gable was made an honorary member of the Blackfeet Tribe. Theodore Last Straw and Wallace Night Gun conducted the ceremony.
Amtrak Station: Portland, OR
Portland Union Station was constructed in 1896 and has been in continuous operation since that time. Originally constructed as part of the Northwest Pacific Terminal Company, it was owned jointly by the Northern Pacific, Union Pacific and Southern Pacific railroads.
The centerpiece of the Romanesque and Queen Anne architecture is the 150-foot clock tower with its four-sided Seth Thomas clock that makes this landmark easily distinguishable. By 1922, every railroad passenger train serving Portland utilized Union Station. Today, Portland Union Station is situated in an area that boasts a variety of businesses and attractions which makes it an excellent arrival/departure point for people interested in the “’The City of Roses.” Portland Union Station was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1975.
Amtrak Station: Sacramento, CA
Opened in 1926, the historic station recently underwent a majorr renovation that included track relocation, construction of new platforms and rehabilitation of the interiors. The historic Sacramento station, opened by the Southern Pacific Railroad (SP) in 1926, succeeded at least two earlier SP stations on the site.
This is part of a complex that dates back to 1863 and the Central Pacific Railroad’s construction of the western portion of the first transcontinental rail line. The station sits on an approximately 240-acre rail yard that was originally filled with every kind of building and equipment necessary for the fabrication of locomotives and rolling stock.
Amtrak Station: Glenwood Springs, CO
One of the longer “comfort stops” was in Glenwood Springs, CO for a crew change. This was a very sentimental stop for me since my dear departed brother Leo had lived here and loved it. Until now, I had not had an opportunity to even step foot in this area. So I welcomed my stroll around the depot.
The present Glenwood Springs depot officially opened on June 18, 1904. It replaced an earlier, smaller structure that dated back to 1887.Constructed of brick and Frying Pan River red sandstone, the depot is best known for its medieval-inspired towers with pyramidal roofs.
The Glenwood Hot Springs Pool remains the largest natural hot springs pool in the world, and has drawn visitors including presidents William Howard Taft and Theodore Roosevelt. John Henry “Doc” Holliday, the infamous gunslinger, is buried in Glenwood Springs.
Amtrak Station: Denver, CO
Amtrak returned to historic Denver Union Station in time for the evening arrival of the eastbound California Zephyr on Friday, February 28, 2014. Union Station is the hub of Denver’s Regional Transportation District (RTD). a regional authority operating public transit services in eight counties in the Denver metropolitan area.
Upon arrival in Denver, Elizabeth met me at Union Station. We then caught the next RTD train out to the Airport to pick up our rental car to begin our weekend adventure. Very smooth process indeed.
In addition to servicing Amtrak’s California Zephyr (Chicago, Denver, Sacramento), it is also the terminal for Amtrak’s seasonal Winter Park Express, the only train service in the world to deliver customers directly to the base of a ski resort, 2 hours each way.
