Oregon, 2018

[George K]

(since I'm in a travelogue-posting mood)

Mrs. George is getting better about traveling light, and packing what needs to be nearby on our journey vs. what can be left downstairs in the storage racks of the car.

Big suitcase downstairs; small one is our "overnight" case; black bag has electronics charging stuff and my overnight kit, red bag is her crafts (needlepoint, etc).



We arrived at about 12:30 for a 2:15 departure. Since there are three trains headed West which all depart within 2 hours of each other (The California Zephyr, The Southwest Chief, and our Empire Builder), the lounge gets crowded. We were able to snag a couple of comfy seats in the Metropolitan Lounge.



The lounge has complimentary snacks, and the line wasn't too long. They were also selling wine, but I don't know enough about wines to spend money on something that comes out of a box in a railroad station.



But, the snacks were okay, for a hold-me-over until dinnertime.



Our car is the last one on the train. Our attendant helped get the luggage onboard.


This was our schedule:



Our bedroom was in the front half of the car, and this is the aisle. There are 5 bedrooms in each car. Each bedroom has a sink, toilet and small shower (that's in the bathroom compartment - too small).



Here's our bedroom - with my iPad on the pull-out table in front of my chair. The couch opposite the table has all of Mrs. George's pillows on it. It gives you an idea of the space. Plenty for two people.

Looking the other way in the car, there's a central hallway with "roomettes" on either side. The roomette has no toilet facilities, and has two chairs that face each other. They become the lower berth, and a bunk pulls down from the ceiling.

Ahead of our car were two coach cars. The seats are comfy and wide. They recline nicely and have foot and thigh supports.

 

[George K]

We were able to board about 40 minutes before departure, and we left on time. About 90 minutes after leaving Chicago, after a quick stop in Glenview, we crossed the Menominee River into Milwaukee.



There were some private railcars stored in Milwaukee. If you have to ask how much....



No trip through Wisconsin would be complete without a photo of a brewery.



Other than beer, another "must see" attraction North of the Cheddar Curtain® is the Wisconsin Dells. I believe this is the Wisconsin River, but we saw no ducks.



In Tomah, they had an old "gandydancer" handcar on display.



As evening approached, we neared La Crosse, where we rode over the Mississippi River.





The ride along the Mississippi River is always fun. One of our first stops in Minnesoooota was Red Wing. Red Wing is home to the manufacturers of nationally known products: Red Wing Shoes, Riedell Ice and Roller Skates, and Red Wing Stoneware.

But, a sunset over the Mississippi ....

As we approached the twin cities, our attendant lowered the upper bunk above the couch for sleep, and unfolded the couch into a bed.

By the time we hit the Twin Cities, I was ready for some sleep.

 

[George K]

Monday morning found us in beautiful downtown Rugby, North Dakota. After I showered and got dressed, I was able to get a cellular connection and check in on the internet.

One thing I always enjoy is the coffee that our sleeping car attendants make for us. The pot is made at about 6 AM and kept until about 11. This, however, was no ordinary day!

Nevertheless, I walked through 3 cars to get to the cafe lounge where Stacy, the attendant had coffee for sale, and got some. Returning to our bedroom, I grew to appreciate the barren beauty of North Dakota even more. I commented to Mrs. George how Lewis and Clark must have been overwhelmed with the sight of the great plains.

Next stop was Minot, ND. Minot is a smoking fresh air stop. They switch crews, refuel the locomotives and restock some of the dining stuff - including a replacement coffee machine!

I took advantage, this time, of a power strip that had USB chargers as well as regular outlets. I stuck it onto the space by the window using gaffers' tape (no residue like duct tape, and a bit stronger).

I got off the train and walked the platform. You never appreciate how long that sucker is until you start looking at it from up close:

And, a shot of our car at the tail end of the train:

After leaving Minot, we headed West, and we ran along the Missouri River for a while.

 

[George K]

Montana is really "big sky" country, and it even has, get this, a bar! I saw it!

By around 4 PM, we started seeing signs of the Rockies.

In Shelby, you can get pretty much whatever you need: lumber, dancing and hardware, courtesy of Hank.

Along the way, we went through Cut Bank, with its famous trestle. Looking at the shadow we cast gives you an idea of how high we were.

We knew we were really headed West when we passed the obelisk in Glacier National Park that marks the Continental Divide at Marias Pass.

Obligatory shot of Glacier...

Being at the rear of the train gives opportunity for this kind of photo:

We've thought about staying at the Izaak Walton Inn in Essex. Amtrak makes a stop at the hotel. But it seems like it's in the middle of nowhere, and you'll really need a rental car to enjoy Glacier.

Whitefish might be a better alternative...

 

[George K]

Day 3 found us along my favorite part of the ride - the Columbia River Gorge. I've posted pictures of this area in the past, and every time I do this (last week was my fourth trip), I'm shocked at how the scenery changes, in a matter of hours, from the scrub desert of Eastern Washington State to the lush rain forest of Western Oregon.

Of course, the highlight of the trip is seeing Mount Hood on the other side of the river. I had to zoom in a bit for this picture, so the quality is not the greatest from my phone's camera.

As the sun continued to rise in the East, you can see the countryside changing to evergreens and other trees:

Finally, finally, the last leg of our trip was close, as we left Vancouver (WA) and crossed the Williamette river into Portland.

We picked up our car rental in Portland late that morning, having arrived about an hour late.

Our plan was to drive southwest to Lincoln City. Hotels are cheaper there, and it's on the ocean. We thought it would be a good idea to check out the town and see if we'd like to spend 5-6 nights there. Sadly, it was a typical Oregon coast beach town. Nothing unique about it, other than being on the beach. We didn't see any of the charm that Cannon Beach has, and after a 90 minute drive to Lincoln City, we decided that it won't be our cup of tea, even though the hotels look nice. Other than a casino, there's not a lot of "there" there.

We didn't even bother to get out of the car, and we headed North on highway 101 to Cannon beach.

We arrived about 5 PM and checked into the Hallmark Inn, getting the same room we had last year. Though it was cloudy that afternoon up north, the view was still spectacular from our balcony.

Being Oregon, we found this notice in our hotel room:

 

[George K]

The weather on Thursday was a bit threatening in the morning, but it promised to get nice in the afternoon, so we drove down Hwy 101 to Rockaway Beach were we caught a ride on the Oregon Coast Scenic Railroad. We did this ride last year when the locomotive was #25, the actual locomotive that was used in that famous railroad scene in "Stand By Me." This year, however, a different locomotive was used. It was #2 which had been used by a logging company.

This 2-8-0 locomotive is oil-fueled, and, to my surprise, it runs on vegetable oil.

The round trip is about an hour and a half, with a half-hour layover in Garibaldi (another crappy Oregon Coast beach town). Nevertheless it's a pleasant way to spend an afternoon.

After getting off the train, we drove down to Tillamook for an early dinner. Ended up at the "Rodeo Steak House & Grill" restaurant where we had some good beer (Pacifico) and mediocre burgers.

As I said, the weather turned nice, so sat out on the beach for a while. I love that beach because when it's sunny, it's not too hot (mid 60s) and still is enjoyable as a beach without sweating your ***** off.

I pulled up a chair, plunked my ass down, put in my earbuds and spent an hour listening to Handel and Stravinsky on Spotify.

As I left my spot, I saw Mrs. George waving to me from the balcony of our room.

 

[George K]

Some videos and other stuff:

After they fueled the locomotive, with vegetable oil, as I said, they had to pull up to the front of the train for our return trip to Rockaway Beach:

 

[George K]

Saturday was turning out to be a *gorgeous* day, and after breakfast at the Lazy Susan Cafe (no checks, no credit cards - cash only), we went back to the hotel. Mrs. George has always had an itch to get back on a horse, and there *is* a stable in Cannon Beach. I encouraged her to try it, but she balked at the price.

"C'mon, we're on vacation, fergoodnessakes!! Spend a little money!"

She agreed.

We drove to the stable, and the manager asked the usual question: "What's your experience?"

"Well, we used to own a horse, but haven't ridden in about 10 years, so..."

She looked at me and said, "Why don't we get you up on Amazonia? She used to be the leader of the group, but now she follows. But, she still likes to be in front. Do you think you can handle her?"

"I don't know. Let's see what happens."

So, I got up on this mare, and she didn't even flinch as I plopped my tooshie in the saddle. When I've done a trail ride, I try to let the horse know that I basically know what I'm doing, and my requests will be firm, but not harsh. I wanted her to respond to me, rather than the other way around. So, when I got up, and they untied her from the fence, I asked her to back up. After a moment's hesitation, she took two steps backward, and she got lots and lots of praise from me - rubs on her neck and the top of her head.

We were good to go.

Mrs. George's mare was a little shorter than Amazonia, whose head you can see to the far right of the pic:

Let me tell you, these were good, solid trail horses. They knew exactly what their job is, and they performed perfectly. We walked away from the stable, through some grasslands. The path included crossing a couple of footbridges and creeks. The horses didn't mind at all.

I was able to wrestle my phone out and get some video of us on horseback:



About halfway through the ride, Mark, our guide, got off and used my phone to snap some photos.

It was a good day, and in the afternoon, Mrs. George decided to walk out on the balcony and contemplate Haystack Rock.

Sunsets at Cannon Beach can be spectacular...

 

[George K]

Sunday was our last full day in Cannon Beach.

We drove down the coast to Bay City where we were scheduled to go with the Oregon Coast Railriders on a 12 mile round-trip down the coast on some pedal cars.

Each car is built to hold four riders. The brake is positioned between the two people in the back.

Quite enjoyable. The nice thing about having three others with you is that if you tire out, others will pick up the slack.

We went over bridges:





Sorry about the finger over the lens - duh...


We also crossed some roads, and the staff had to get off their car, which was in the lead, to stop any traffic that might be crossing the rails at that moment.



Once we reached our destination (and there's nothing there other than a Port-a-potty), the cars were turned around for our trip back to Bay City.




The staff told me that each car is custom built and costs about $4000. Axles are made of the highest-quality steel they could buy, and the seats, though appearing simple, are about $400 each. The entire 12 mile trip took us about an hour and 45 minutes, including the stops for streets, and the turnaround at the end of the line.

The track is owned by the Oregon Coast Scenic Railroad (see earlier post), and this company leases part of the route for their business. This year they opened another facility (8 mile round trip) which is a bit closer to Cannon Beach, so, if we return, we'll take advantage of that.

 

[George K]

On Monday, we left our hotel at about 11. The plan was to drive to Portland to drop off the car at about 1:30 or so. Traffic wasn't too bad, and when we got to Portland, we saw the usual assortment of homeless people, which, I'm told, have really increased in the last few years.

Anyhow, after driving around Portland for a while, we decided to get a bite to eat. We ended up at The Paragon Restaurant in the Pearl District, and Mrs. George had a grilled cheese (!), and I decided on the cobb salad. It was quite good - a fried chicken breast with the usual cobb salad stuff, topped with a nice vinaigrette dressing, so it wasn't too heavy.

Anticipating a 4:45 departure from Portland, we made our way to Union Station. Upon arrival, we were informed that they were *still waiting* for the arrival of the Westbound train which should have been there at 10 AM. Once that train arrived, it would be about 3 hours to get that train inspected, cleaned, turned around, fueled, etc.

The delays on the Empire Builder have been horrible this summer, mostly because of track work that BNSF is doing in western North Dakota and eastern Montana. As it turned out, that train didn't arrive in Portland until 7PM, meaning that the earliest we would depart would be about 10PM!

I was disappointed and frustrated that Amtrak didn't let me know about the delays until *after* I had dropped off the rental, and was stuck in the station with nothing to do other than read a book. At least we were in the relatively comfortable Metropolitan Lounge.

At 6PM, they served a cold boxed dinner (a chicken sammich, cole slaw, chips and some cheesecake).

I'm glad that we didn't have to sit in the waiting room of the main station for 7 hours!

Our train arrived at 7PM, and yes, it did take about 3 hours to get it turned, cleaned and inspected.

When we finally boarded, at 10 PM, we were 6 hours behind schedule. We climbed aboard, and we were pleased to see that our car attendant had already turned down the beds, and we were ready to settle in for the night.

There is "padding" built into the schedule so that a train can make up time, but a 6 hour delay in departing is almost impossible to get around.

 

[George K]

After our 7 hour delayed departure from Portland, I got a good night's sleep. It was kind of interesting seeing parts of the country that we usually sleep through. One of those is Spokane, where we are usually at 1 AM. Spokane is where the train from Portland is connected to the train from Seattle - the combined train is the one that then proceeds to Chicago.

Another spot we usually sleep through is the panhandle of Idaho. Truly spectacular country:

As always, our ride through Glacier Park is fun - and the snowshoes along the main line are interesting:



The second-longest tunnel in the United States is the Flathead Tunnel at 7 miles.



One of the nicer stops outside Glacier is Whitefish, MT. It's another longer stop where you can stretch your legs:

And yeah, I got a shot of Mrs. George waving at me:

Having gotten through Glacier, we went for lunch. Always fun eating lunch when you're going fast.

As I said, some towns we never see because it's nighttime, one of them being Fargo. No wood chippers were noted, however.

St. Cloud Minnesoooota was another reminder of how much train travel is fun because of the glorious scenery:

Finally, we were only about 30 minutes from Union Station, our penultimate stop at Glenview, where some "plain folks" de-trained:

We got into Chicago at about 11PM - 6 hours late. However, because of the late hour, we had no trouble getting a Lyft and we were in the condo by 11:45.

A really great time and a good trip.

 

[Dakota 400]

Thank you for another interesting report. The Empire Builder is a train that I patronized several times, including once to Portland. With your late departure from Portland, you were able to see some sights that I have never seen. If one has the time, a train being "late" is not always a disadvantage as your report clearly shows.

 

[Siegmund]

I've often wished I knew in advance when the Builder was going to be 6 hours late, so I could pick that day to ride the stretch between Spokane and Whitefish!

 

[Rasputin]

That is a great report and I enjoyed it very much. I would suggest one correction for your consideration. I believe the trestle photo is not at Cut Bank, Montana but is the Two Medicine Bridge over Two Medicine Creek just east of Glacier Park Station. They are both high bridges.

Always love being in the Portland sleeper at the rear of the train!

 

[Sauve850]

Another great report. Im taking the EB from Sea to Chi end of August after spending summer in Jackson Wy. Got a great price on a bedroom a couple months ago. Too good to pass up. Im staying two days in Chicago before heading back to Florida on CL and SM.

I wrote down all the Oregon info for a future trip. Great beach shots.

 

[dav936]

We were in a bedroom to and from Portland/Milwaukee a couple of years ago. As the last car on the train there was no other car attached to the rear to help keep the car we were in from swaying badly back and forth. Was not a comfortable ride or sleep. Also you are at least six cars from the diner.......:-( Next time would consider taking train to Seattle and embarking for the east there.

 

[Rasputin]

We were in a bedroom to and from Portland/Milwaukee a couple of years ago. As the last car on the train there was no other car attached to the rear to help keep the car we were in from swaying badly back and forth. Was not a comfortable ride or sleep. Also you are at least six cars from the diner.......:-( Next time would consider taking train to Seattle and embarking for the east there.

Taking the train to and from Seattle would clearly be the solution if someone has not had a good experience in the Portland sleeper at the rear of the train. I have been on the Portland sleeper twice at the rear of the Empire Builder and I have been on the Texas Eagle sleeper a couple of times at the rear of the Sunset but I have never noticed or been bothered by an swaying of the car. I also don't mind the walk to the diner. I actually enjoy it. (I might re-think this if I develop any mobility problems.)

 

[caravanman]

I loved this trip report, with so many good photos and your dry humour.

Do American wives loose their first names as well on marriage?

(Sorry, I was schooled by an ardent feminist...)

Ed.