Sorry for any repetitionWednesday, Feb 9th - Arrived at the Denver Airport around 10:30 with 7 degree temperture feel like -4 degrees. Took the Super Shuttle ($19) to the Ramada Inn Downtown on Colfax St ($100 p/n including tax) There was an Irish Snug Bar & Rest across the street. The Ramada also has a shuttle to from the Amtrak Station! After Lunch at the Irish Snug I caught a cab to the station to get my tickets. Felt a little more secure having them babies in my hand! Plus, I'm glad I did because the cabbies had no idea where the new temp station was. Since the hotel shuttle didnt start til 7 AM, I opted for another cab to the station at 6:30 AM just in case! The tracks are located across a street so the Conductor comes to the station to give everyone their boarding passes, then you meander back across the street & to your car!I was on the #531 car/Rm 6, next to last car on the consist next to the Diner Car. I unloaded by bag in the room & went to breakfast . After breakfast, I went to the Sight Seer Lounge till we got to Fraser/Winter Park( Beautiful little jaunt around the hair pin turn and thru Moffet Tunnel. I guess the altitude change got to me, as I stumbled back to my roomette where I got so dizzy, I couldn't hold my head up!!! I swear I thought I was having a stroke or something serious, LOL! I didnt eat lunch, just ate the house salad for dinner & was in bed by 6:30! BTW, Gwendaline was my SCA. Woke up the next morning feeling just fine!The entire trip to EMY was outstanding, scenic wise (plenty of snow!) ; we were running early the entire way! With 8 hours to kill I went to OKJ to revisit the bartenders at the Last Chance Saloon & Waterfront Hotel (from last June's trip), then back to EMY. I walked across the tracks via the sky walk , had dinner at the International Food Court ; took in a movie at the theatre! The #14 was running a little late diid'nt arrive til close to 12:30. So, I had to sleep fast til 4:30 & grab a shower before heading to the PPC for a view of Mt. Shasta. BTW, I had Rm #6 on the #1430 car! The PPC was like a walk in freezer all morning!!! After I told the attendant, Mark, it was cold enough to hang meat in, the temp seemed to drop. But seriously evaeryone was going to thier rooms to grab thier coats!!!I met several interesting ; nice folks in the PPC and even recruited a couple to the AU Forum. (Welcome Oregon Pioneer!).If ya like baseball style caps, the Coast Starlight Cap is a nice one for $12! On the way we were informed that all pax going north of PDX would be bussed!That hit a nerve with a few folks who thought Amtrak was responsible for that Mudslide!!!We arrived in PDX at 5:30 I had my hotel( Ressidence Inn at River Place) pick me upBeautiful 250 room Hotel (all suites) with killer breakfast buffet alonng side the Willamette River in Downtown Portland.The next day as I entered the Metropolitan Lounge I was informed that I would be bussed to Spokane to catch the EB. Apparently they terminated the #7/27 the day before so they had time to get it ready for us east bounders! With the exception of a few (screaming mother & young daughter), everyone was cool about it. They fed us aboard the bus for the 6 hr + bus ride!<BR>Once in Spokane I boarded the #28/ Rm #3 around 11:40 for a1:30 departure. And yes I could still hear Mom & daughter threatening Amtrak with Law suits!!!!
f"> One of the first things I did was to check out the Rail Fan Window, since I was in the last car. The damn thing was so dirty, I started screaming Law Suits against Amtrak, :lol: , just kidding folks!!!Once again, I slept real fast; was in the shower @ 4AM. To my suprize Chris (our Super Professional SCA0 had the coffee ready. Chris made this hectic trip not so hectic!!!Had pancakes for breakfast for the first time(not to shabby) just past Libby! Went to the SSL til past East Glacier for some good views of the snow. Very Very Nice!!!The conductor announced that we would be making a shorter stop in Havre to make up some time, I guess they should have informed the two Border Patrol Agents that boarded, because when we left, they were still on board forced us to stop to let them off, so much for making up time, LOL
!! Some where during the night we encountered a broken rail. When I went to bed we were 45 min down, when I woke up, we were over 4 hrs. down!!!In Winnona we were 5hrs &45 min down. This didnt seem to matter so much to me very long as I noticed the Mississippi River was frozen. I tried to lighten everyone's mood in the dining car by saying " I wondered where frozen fish came from", like most of you, they didnt appreciate my humor either,LOL
!!! Somewhere along the line, Customer Service Reps got on board to smooth the upcoming bad news, I guess! It was beginning to get a little obvious that there were going to be connections missed in Chicago, including mine to the CL #30! I was told to go to Passenger Services when arriving at the station. (I had #8-30-97 connections) Sometime after the W, Dells they announced that folks going to WAS would be connecting to the LSL, & I knew that wasnt correct. So, I got nervous & called AGR, being that this was an AGR Reward Trip. Thank God I did. I got the #20 in the transdorm for the next day connection out of Chicago & the H- Room on the #97 out of WAS!!!
When we arrived in CHI, they gave us cab fare, food $ a room at the Homewood Suites by Hilton (very nice).After playing tourist in Chicago the next day I boarded the CL around 6PM with Dinner reservations @ 6:30. I was finished with dinner by the time the train departed (7:40) back in the Transdorm with a few rowdy sleeper pax. They had a late dinner reservation,followed by a noizy discusion period that laste til after midnight. I got up to take a leak @ 2:30 Carlos (SCA) was making their beds at that time. I COULD NOT BELIEVE IT) Needless to say, the next day you didnt hear a peep out of the "Hung Over Gang"!!!Got to WAS played tourist once again with the Postal Museum, Old Town Trolley, lunch Acela Longe enjoyed the H-Room back to ORL survived the thruway bus to St Pete , only to get stuck in one hell of a traffic jam on US 19 going home!I didnt sleep so fast in my own bed last night
Have Fun :hi:
