# Glacier Park for Labor Day



## CHamilton (Sep 1, 2012)

I had so much fun on my train trip to Essex, MT over Memorial Day weekend that I decided to do it again. Surprisingly, I was able to get decent buckets on roomettes, and not bad rates at the Glacier Park Lodge in East Glacier.

Seattle's King Street Station was busy on Friday afternoon, but the staff is continuing to improve how they manage departing passengers, so it was not the zoo that it had been a few weeks ago. The sound system for announcements still isn't great, so one guy was actually using a bullhorn...weird, but it works.

Train 8 left exactly on time, so we were able to enjoy the sun shining over Puget Sound, and the 6:00 dinner seating was done just as we got to the Cascade Tunnel. The seafood special was crabcakes instead of tilapia. I've had the crabcakes before, and prefer them anyway, although both are good. Cream puffs made an appearance for dessert -- something I haven't seen in a while -- and they were fresh, which was nice. Had a nice chat with a couple from Southampton, England, who were returning from an Alaskan cruise. There seem to be a lot of people on the EB who have package deals like that. A little kid behind us cried through the whole meal, which was a drag.

Our server was Donna, who I've met before. She's a hoot, and she recognized me. She actually lives in Boise, and flies to Seattle to work the Builder. Talk about dedication. She said she's moving to Las Vegas in a couple of weeks to be near family, but will continue to fly to Seattle. Flights from LV are cheaper than from Boise, apparently!

Annie was the SCA, and she's great, too -- she spends quite a lot of time coming around to each room to make sure that everyone knows how things work. She has a crazy sense of humor, like telling people that the dining car is actually forward than to the rear of the sleepers ... but then, she says, you have to walk on top of the cars and go back the other way...

We got to see the blue moon rising over Leavenworth and Wenatchee. There's nothing like watching the night sky from a train while singing "Moon Over Wenatchee..." I awakened at Spokane for the merging of trains 8 and 28, and then again at 3:30 (well, actually 4:30 MT) when we stopped for a couple of minutes to meet the four-hour-late train 7 at Bonners Ferry, ID. But then there was enough moonlight that it was reflected in the calm Kootenai River, which we followed for some miles -- a spectacular sight, but unfortunately, my camera couldn't pick it up.

I was up early for the start of breakfast at 6:30. Had the french toast, which was also perfectly cooked, plus some bacon, in honor of National Bacon Day (okay, I only found out about that later...). Had another nice chat, this time with a lady from the south who was a first-time Amtrak rider and also visiting Glacier for the first time. She seemed to be having fun.

We didn't stop at Essex -- it's a flag stop, after all -- and got to GPK three minutes early. There was quite a crowd, both getting on and getting off. Good thing Annie was there to help, as there's a huge gap between the tracks and the asphalt platform. The lodge's van was there to meet us, although it would be an easy walk.

Since we were on time, the rooms weren't ready yet, so I spent the morning walking around the area, having a good lunch, and chatting with interesting people in the lobby. Once I checked in, it was time for a nap, writing this, and probably an early bedtime, since I'm taking an all-day red bus tour tomorrow.

Like a lot of national parks, Glacier was originally designed to be accessed by train, and it's one of the few that still has direct Amtrak service. Wouldn't it be great if there were more such places?

I am posting some pictures on Facebook for those of you who are connected with me there. I'll add more after I get home.


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## CHamilton (Sep 3, 2012)

I forgot to mention above that I was in the "Utah," a Superliner II (no Amcloset) that has had some superficial renovations, notably fake wood panelining on the walls of the roomettes and the hallways. Not much change to the bathrooms, though, except removal of the old avocado green color scheme. The upstairs toilet for roomettes had the dresded blinking red "toilet failure" light for the entire trip, but people seemed to be using it. I went downstairs instead.

Not many train-related activities yesterday. I took the red "jammer" bus "Big Sky Circle Tour," which was an excellent way to see a lot of the park. Paul, our driver and guide, has been leading tours for several years, and had lots of information and anecdotes to share. The tour starts by going from E. Glacier to Essex to W. Glacier along Highway 2, so I got to see the BNSF track that parallels the highway from a different angle. Paul implied that the train only runs in the summer, which is wrong, of course. In the winter the train doesn't stop at E. Glacier but stops in Browning instead. The tour made a pit stop at the Izaak Walton Inn in Essex, and it was great to see where I stayed earlier this summer again.

The tour continued through W. Glacier and Apgar, then the Going-to-the-Sun Road itself. I had been that way several years ago, but I had forgotten how diverse the scenery is. From the shores of Lake McDonald, where we stopped for lunch at the lodge, we then climbed to Logan Pass. The views were amazing, although we couldn't stop in some places because the turnouts are being redone as the road is being repaved. The visitor center at Logan Pass was packed. It was, after all, Labor Day weekend. The air was a bit hazy due to smoke from forest fires in Idaho, but the views were beautiful nonetheless. I'll post pictures when I get home.

We went by St. Mary Lake on the east side of the park, and it's easy to see why it's the most photographed area in Glacier. By this time, we were out of the mountains and into the rolling hills that predominate the Blackfeet reservation on the east side. We finished the tour on the 12-mile Looking Glass road, which feels scarier and more precipitous than the higher roads we'd traversed earlier. A great tour, all in all, and highly recommended.

The lodges in and around the park advertise their lack of modern conveniences: no TVs in the rooms, no wi-fi, no elevators, spotty cell phone reception at best in East Glacier, and none in the park proper. So why do all the lounges have large-screen TVs blaring? It seems like alcohol=TV. Maybe because what we see on the tube makes us want to drink?

Otherwise, entertainment is pretty low key here at the lodge. There are pianos in most of the public spaces, and apparently there was a piano player who's already gone home for the season. But they brought in a Celtic harpist last night. The dining room has recorded music -- last night, classical; yesterday morning, 70s oldies.

I'll be spending most of today walking around the area and relaxing while waiting for tonight's Number 7. It's only been an hour or so late for the paat couple of days -- I hope for the same tonight. But as our bus tour guide said, the mountains call to us, and I'll be back.


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## Bob Dylan (Sep 3, 2012)

:hi: Nice trip Charlie, Happy Labor Day! We're envious down here where its been 100+ with Zero Rain for over a Month! Hope #7 rolls in Late tonight so you get to spend more time in that Beautiful Place, Ill be passing through Glacier in Oct. on #28 on the way to PHL (the "Short " way to PHL! :lol: )but will just see it from the Train, probably be Snowing already up there on the High Line!


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## CHamilton (Sep 4, 2012)

I spent Labor Day relaxing and exploring East Glacier, and checking the bulletin board at the lodge every so often for the status of train 7. It eventually arrived about an hour late, which was quite good in comparison to what the EB has been doing this summer. Got on the train at 7:47. Stan, our SCA, had made dinner reservations for 8:30. That's later than I usually eat, but the food was good. I had the crabcakes again, and I'm pretty sure that they were different from the ones I've had before, but nicely spiced and well-prepared. My dinner companions had the steak, and were astonished that it was rare, the way they had ordered it. A very nice orange cheesecake for dessert, something I hadn't had before. Dinner conversation was interesting, between a couple from Sonoma County, and a woman from Olympia, WA, who had been to visit her husband and son who are working construction in the Williston, ND, oil field area. She says that the only place to get groceries is the town's only Walmart, and the lines are tremendous.

I was actually awake at Sandpoint, ID, a stop that I think I've always slept through before. But it must have cell service, since a bunch of messages came in there, and the beeping woke me up. I slept through Spokane, but Stan woke me up for breakfast at 5:30. That's the downside of train 7 being on time -- breakfast on the last day is 5:30-7, which is too early to suit me. But I had a good conversation with a couple from Tennessee, and a gentleman from Wisconsin, both of whom were first-time Amtrak riders, and both were ready to do it again.

As we were approaching King Street Station, one of the OBS people got on the PA to ask for "a round of applause for the conductors and crew...this is the first time we've been early into SEA all summer!" And by golly, we pulled in at 9:55 am, even though we had to back into stub track 4.

A great trip. Looking forward to the next one -- Gathering, here I come!


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## PA Traveler (Sep 4, 2012)

Thanks for the trip report on GNP. We were there on the EB two years ago, did the Red Jammer on a beautiful day, and you brought back a lot of nice memories! I think Paul was our SCA from Chicago to GNP and was one of the best we've ever had.


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## JayPea (Sep 4, 2012)

I enjoyed your reports, Charlie. Though now thanks to you, I have a dilemma: Next year for my annual use - my - vacation - days - at - work - or - lose - them June trip, I was going back to Seattle, but after I went to Glacier Park this June and reading your report, I want to go back to Glacier again. Thanks a lot! :angry:  :lol: Nice dilemma to have!


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## fairviewroad (Sep 5, 2012)

CHamilton said:


> We didn't stop at Essex -- it's a flag stop, after all --


Interesting...I knew Essex was a flag stop but I don't think I've ever been on a train that's actually skipped it. In fact, even as a flag stop, Essex has more riders than

several non-flag-stops along the EB route, including Malta, Bingen-White Salmon, Ephrata, Wishram, and Browning...which brings me to my next point...



CHamilton said:


> In the winter the train doesn't stop at E. Glacier but stops in Browning instead.


Other than the fact that it's been this way for years, what is the rationale behind this particular arrangement? Looking at the ridership figures, the number of

GPK riders during the summer months dwarfs the number of BRO riders during the winter months. It's not even close. I understand that GPK might have more

appeal as a destination during the summer, but you'd think having a consistent stop there year round would boost demand for winter-time travel there. Whereas

BRO doesn't appear to be much of a destination in the winter. You also have a relatively nice station in GPK whereas the BRO station seems to be a forgotten

relic.

My suggestion: Keep GPK open year-round as a regular stop, and operate BRO year-round as a flag-stop. Or just drop BRO entirely. Since I'd imagine there's

some political pressure to keep BRO open, the flag-stop idea might be a good compromise. Either way, you'd end the confusion of having two part-time

stations and tour guides like Paul would be less likely to give out incorrect information.


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## CHamilton (Sep 5, 2012)

I don't know why ESM continues to be a flag stop. As you say, it gets more ridership than some of the other EB destinations. It's not staffed, but the platform has been upgraded, and it's actually in better shape than some of the other stops in the region.

As for the switch between GPK and BRO, I would guess that the Blackfeet nation wants to keep service to Browning, since it's headquartered there. But the Amtrak station agent at GPK told me that although GPK is staffed, BRO is not, and that the staff moves to either Cut Bank or Whitefish during the winter.

One more thing: everything at East Glacer closes in the winter, so there would be no reason for anyone to stop there. Apparently the date for the switchover between GPK and BRO changes from year to year, depending on when the Glacier Park Lodge closes. It's apparently later this year than usual, something like October 6, IIRC.


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## Bob Dylan (Sep 5, 2012)

JayPea said:


> I enjoyed your reports, Charlie. Though now thanks to you, I have a dilemma: Next year for my annual use - my - vacation - days - at - work - or - lose - them June trip, I was going back to Seattle, but after I went to Glacier Park this June and reading your report, I want to go back to Glacier again. Thanks a lot! :angry:  :lol: Nice dilemma to have!


Must be nice to have a choice between Two such Great places to visit on the Annual Take-it-or Lose-it Train Vacation! ^_^  I could go to Sanderson or Beaumont or Crawford! :lol: :lol: :lol:


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## fairviewroad (Sep 5, 2012)

CHamilton said:


> As for the switch between GPK and BRO, I would guess that the Blackfeet nation wants to keep service to Browning, since it's headquartered there. But the Amtrak station agent at GPK told me that although GPK is staffed, BRO is not, and that the staff moves to either Cut Bank or Whitefish during the winter.
> 
> One more thing: everything at East Glacer closes in the winter, so there would be no reason for anyone to stop there. Apparently the date for the switchover between GPK and BRO changes from year to year, depending on when the Glacier Park Lodge closes. It's apparently later this year than usual, something like October 6, IIRC.


OK, didn't realize the GP Lodge closed over the winter. I guess that makes sense that the station closes since there doesn't seem to be much by way of local population.

As for BRO, I expect that for the Blackfeet nation it's a case of "take what you can get." I'd bet dollars to donuts they'd prefer a year-round stop, even a flag-stop, to the current

arrangement, which doesn't really seem to be meeting very many people's needs given the relatively low ridership figures. Wonder if they've ever made a serious attempt

at getting promoted to year-round status? The station is unstaffed, so it wouldn't seem to involve extra personnel costs on the part of Amtrak.


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## JayPea (Sep 5, 2012)

jimhudson said:


> JayPea said:
> 
> 
> > I enjoyed your reports, Charlie. Though now thanks to you, I have a dilemma: Next year for my annual use - my - vacation - days - at - work - or - lose - them June trip, I was going back to Seattle, but after I went to Glacier Park this June and reading your report, I want to go back to Glacier again. Thanks a lot! :angry:  :lol: Nice dilemma to have!
> ...



You're right, Jim, it is nice to have such a dilemma!!! Of course on my end I could throw in such vacation hot spots as Wishram, too!!! :lol: :lol: :lol: I looked into spending a few days at each location, but that turned out to be a tad expensive, though I could cut down on that by taking the EB to Seattle for part of the time and driving to Glacier Park for part of it, saving in car rental expenses.

I guess I shouldn't complain, though. There are worse places to live than in an area roughly equidistant between Seattle and Glacier Park. And live an hour from a fully staffed and roomy train station (Spokane).


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