Year 4 Day 135 “Living the Dream”. Thursday, 9/12/2024. Day 2 of 25-day Alaska to Las Vegas trip. Day 2 Amtrak Empire Builder traveling from North Dakota to Montana. While we were eating dinner last night. Manny set up our beds for the night. It was nice coming back to our roomette with the beds ready for us. I brought out the laptop and we watched The Gentleman on Netflix for a while before hunkering down for the night. We elected to sleep together in the lower berth with our heads at opposite ends. Yes. I hugged his feet all night. I have to say Amtrak train travel even in a roomette is not very comfortable for sleeping. We did not use the upper bunk. Tonight, I think I will try to sleep up there. The rails that are used by Amtrak are also used by freight trains. BNSF owes all the railways.
The trains we rode in Europe were so smooth because Europe has rails devoted to passenger train travel. The United States does not. This Amtrak train is like riding a wild horse at times trying to throw you off. First thing on my mind this morning was a shower. When we close the door in the roomette it gets extremely hot. The hallway is cool. I was pretty hot, sticky, and smelly this morning when I woke up.
The shower was okay. Last train we were on they provided shampoo. This one they do not. They do have nice towels and bars of soap. The water temperature was good, but the pressure low. At least we are clean. We are in North Dakota this morning. Breakfast was good. We sat with two gentlemen. The Coffee was strong. In the lower level of the train there is a cafe car. Here is their menu. Since we are in a roomette our meals are provided with our roomette fare in the dining car.
At 9am we stopped in Minot, ND to refuel.
We got off the train and walked up the side of the train to where they were refueling. This stop they are also cleaning the train and emptying all the garbage.
We also went into the small train station. It is a cloudy day in the low 60’s. The train station had much nicer bathrooms than the train, there was water in the toilet. We were at this stop for an hour.
This is our sleeper car.
After about 45 minutes we reboarded the train and I did a video of the upper level of the Empire Builder from the back to the front.
Look at the emergency tools they have.
We are the only sleeper car going to Portland. We will split off with the Cafe Car in Spokane, Washington at around 1:30am tomorrow morning. Our 1/2 of the train will go on to Portland. The first half of the train will continue to Seattle, Washington. Our view today as we run through North Dakota is lots of fields, hay, cattle, oil pumps and methane gas burning off. There doesn’t appear to be much else. Our next stop was the small town of Stanley, ND. Stanley is located in the heart of America’s Great Plains.
The five states visited by the smallest share of Americans are:
• Alaska (visited by 13% of Americans)
• North Dakota (15%)
• Idaho (19%)
• Montana (19%)
• Nebraska (19%)
We are visiting all but Nebraska on this trip. After Stanley all we see are the Plains- fields, fields, and more fields. Facts about The Great Plains: 1) Top producer of wheat, corn, soybeans, cattle, and sheep. The region’s flat lands and rich soil make it ideal for farming. 2) The dry, cool air temperatures create the conditions for supercell thunderstorms, which can spawn tornadoes. 3) This was home to many indigenous tribes, including the Cheyenne, Comanche, and Apache. These tribes were known for their religious ceremonies, use of the tepee, and war-path customs. 4) In the 1930s, the Great Plains experienced a period of severe dust storms known as the Dust Bowl. These storms caused major ecological and agricultural damage to the region. 5) Home to many important wild places, including the Ozarks, the Mississippi River, the Badlands, and the Tallgrass Prairie. The region is also known for its birdwatching, hiking, hunting, and fishing. At 11:45am, we are in Williston, ND. After passing Fort Union Trading post at 12;20pm we cross over into Montana. The reconstructed Fort Union represents a unique era in American history. From 1828 to 1867, Fort Union was the most important fur trading post on the Upper Missouri River. It was a hub for trade between European fur traders and tribes such as the Assiniboine, Crow, Cree, Ojibway, Blackfeet, and Hidatsa.
We then hit an area of lots of trees and we lost our cell phone service and wifi for a little while. The trees appear to be a type of sagebrush. Don’t confuse this with sage. Sagebrush and sage aren’t even related.
We encountered some rain around noon. Lunch was good i had Grilled Chicken Ceasar salad. We were told this train is more crowded than normal. This train route, the Empire Builder has been in service since 1929. The train was originally the flagship of the Great Northern Railway and was named after James J. Hill, a powerful businessman who earned the nickname “Empire Builder”. Today the train needs refurbishment. Here’s some facts about the Empire Builder: 1) It was originally steam-powered. A diesel-powered version was introduced in 1947.
• The route connects the Midwest to the Pacific Northwest. and offers passengers views of the American West.
• Amtrak took over the Empire Builder when it began operating intercity rail service in 1971.
• The Empire Builder’s route descends from the luxurious Oriental Limited.
It is amazing how many round bales of hay we have seen laying in the fields today. Miles and miles and miles of them. At 2:30pm we are in Malta, Montana and at 2:50pm we are passing by Dodson, Montana which is close to the Canadian border.
At 4pm we are by Havre, Montana named after LeHavre, France where we stayed in April. Canada is 30 miles north of here. This is wheat field area. The milk river is running along the right side of the train. This is the last river we will see in 200 miles until we get on the other side of the Continental Divide.
The Continental Divide crosses through the heart of Glacier National Park and Montana. We saw the Buffalo jump cliffs. This is where Indians would scare the Buffalo off the cliff. The buffalo would fall off the cliff and break their legs. The Indians could then process the meat and hides. We were lucky enough to have a local historian on board in the observation car who just started telling us lots and lots of history about the area. For the rest of the evening light hours, we passed through miles and miles and miles of flat land and nothing. Dinner was great with a nice salad and pasta. By 7:30pm we are out of the Plains and stopping at East Glacier Park, Montanna. It is 48 degrees and raining. Here is a bunch of scenery!
Things to ponder today! Have to leave you thinking.
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To view the complete daily diary, click here – This starts at Year 1 Day 1: Living the Dream – Deestimes – Make every step of the journey count