I wasn't invited on John's trip to London this time, so I decided to take the train to Seattle. About 40 hours after leaving MSP, I arrived on a lovely, sunny day in Seattle. The train leaves St. Paul at 11:15 p.m. and left on time, but hours later, the Minneapolis skyline was still in sight. By the time I awoke the next morning, we were running nearly five hours late. Photos are here.
North Dakota small town
Breakfast was with a tattooed worker going home to Williston, who bragged about how he was making too much money. I couldn't help but agree, as he was making $5 more per hour than I had been earning as a public defender! As a single traveler, one is placed at a dining table with others, and our only commonality is train travel. Conversation is often about other train rides we've taken. As it's always cheaper to fly, the travelers are usually track junkies, rarely on their first trip. The ride to the oil fields of Williston is something of an anomaly, as there is no nearby air service.
We stayed several hours behind as we lumbered across North Dakota (I awoke at the early dawn stop in Fargo). We spent the afternoon in eastern Montana. I had hoped to see some of the Rockies, but we didn't get there until the wee hours of the morning, and I awoke the second morning when we were stopped in Spokane, WA. Eastern Washington is nearly as desolate as North Dakota, but we eventually reached the Cascades, with great snowy mountains and quick streams. As we mourn the loss of people killed in the mudslide this week, the beauty of the area explains their choice of residence.
Seattle and its outskirts were in early spring and I savored sightings of forsythia, daffodils, and flowering trees. They say it rains in Seattle, but every time I've visited, it's been sunny and cloud-free. The panhandlers were overwhelming, and it took some courage to board the commuter ferry to Bainbridge Island. I didn't stay to see the island at all, preferring to avoid an after-dark return to my hotel. The Alexis was quite comfortable and perfectly located, but I was glad to leave and take, of course, the train to the airport.
