July 24th and Heading East

Heading East: The Amtrak Empire Builder.

We head east out of Portland with one week to go on our travels. The Empire Builder departs both from Portland and Seattle, meeting up in the middle of the night in Spokane and joining trains. The trip from Portland moved up the Columbia river gorge and basin for four hours in some of the most spectacular scenery from the window of the train for the entire trip. For hundreds of miles the train skirts the river lined by cliffs, the water often filled in places with wind surfers and sailboats. As the sun sets, I can say that the view exceeds that of the California coast.

The train has been almost problem-free throughout this month. The trains have left on time and have kept to schedule. We were fortunate to have missed a forest fire in northern California that causes the train just two days previously to have been detoured and the passengers shuttled by bus. We saw the embers and fires still burning, which was eerie. When you pay extra for a sleeper car, the meals are included, so we just show up in the dining car and get our meals very quickly. The meals are certainly a step up from airline food (when there was airline food). By in large, the staff and the service on the trains have been very helpful and welcoming – knowing that many passengers are new to long-distance train travel.