OUR NORTHWEST PASSAGE AND BACK

by Shirley Miner

Diary entries and other notes from the five-week vacation my
husband, Richard Daniels, and I took 31 July-2 September 1994 via
12 trains, 20 buses, five taxis, four ferries, four cars, three
vans, a golf cart, a Kabuki Kab, a monorail, a skytrain, a tram
lift, a trolley, a trolley bus and a wheelchair. 

Baltimore - Montreal - Toronto - Jasper - Lake Louise - Banff -
Kamloops - Vancouver - Victoria - Seattle - Portland (National
Model Railroad Association Convention) - Oregon and Washington
sights - Glacier National Park - Chicago - Philadelphia -
Baltimore  

DAY ONE: 

Sunday, 31 July, 10:00 p.m. E.D.T., on the Montrealer, somewhere
in Connecticut 

Our friends, Darlene and Ron Samuelson, picked us up at 3:00 p.m.
and drove us to the BWI rail station. We each have one bag (mine
is nylon with wheels on the bottom and weighs 18 pounds) and one
back pack (mine weighs 12 pounds including a 35mm camera with one
lens -- a wide-angle zoom with a macro). With so many transfers,
we don't want numerous bags to carry or keep track of. Overnight
coach passengers need a blanket, so I brought a partially
finished quilt. I plan to do quilting by day and use the project
as my cover at night. (In addition, it squashes easily into my
bag.) I also have an inflatable pillow. Richard has a small
blanket in his carry on bag. He also has a video camera and
batteries, a scanner and a ham radio. His bags are heavier than
mine! 

We boarded the Atlantic City Express at 3:50 p.m. and arrived at
Baltimore's Penn Station at 4:06 p.m., on time. I started reading
``The Night Manager'' by John LeCarre while waiting for the
Montrealer. It arrived 30 minutes late, so our departure was
delayed to 5:53. After we got underway, Richard bought ham and
cheese sandwiches and wine for us in the cafe car. The diner was
reserved for a large tour group. In Philadelphia, our car filled.
The Montrealer arrived in New York City at 8:40 and our 14-car
train was shortened to nine cars. The lights were turned off
while we sat in the station. 

Our coach is old, but the seating is comfortable and there is
plenty of leg room. Each seat has a calf rest that folds down and
an adjustable foot rest. There are two men's rooms in the front.
A large ladies' room in the rear has four lounge seats, two small
sinks, and two tiny toilet compartments. The temperature choice
is either frigid or stifling; luckily, the woman who had wanted
the air conditioning turned off has decided that it is better to
be cold than hot.  
DAY TWO:

Monday, 1 August, 10:00 a.m. E.D.T. on the Montrealer, just
across the Canadian border

I settled down for the night somewhere in Connecticut and awoke
near Montpelier, VT, at 6:25 a.m. I slept reasonably well even
though the train seemed to shake, rattle, rumble and squeak all
night. The early morning mist was soon gone. I bought our
breakfasts in the cafe car (two orange juices, two coffees, and
two banana nut muffins = $5.80.) The train has stopped for a
customs check, in the middle of nowhere, just over the Canadian
border. We each had to fill out a form for the customs officers
who came through our car and asked each passenger a few
questions, i.e., ``How long are you staying?'' ``Are these your
bags ?'' ``Do you have any checked luggage?'' They repeatedly
asked an older woman in back about baggage and where she was
going as she said she didn't have anything with her. Passengers
have been asked to remain seated. We have been stopped for 90
minutes so far. Customs has finished with our car but different
people (customs officers, train officials) keep walking through;
I think there is a problem! 

8:00 p.m. E.D.T., on the Metropolis, between Montreal, P.Q., and
Toronto, ON 

Our customs inspection (one hour and 45 minutes) delayed us by an
hour. The train arrived in Montreal at 11:45 a.m. We checked our
bags and went to a bank in the station to cash some Canadian
traveler's checks so we'd have some native currency. The bank
charged $2.50 on each $50 check. This is like ``play money'' (we
paid for it at home, about $.73 American for $1 Canadian -- and
it comes in different colors). There are $2, $5, $10 and $20
bills. Coins are $.01, $.05, $.10, $.25 and $1 (loonies, named
for the loon on them). Being unused to this money, we are finding
it difficult to count our change!  

Everyone here seems to speak English and French, and the signs
are in both languages. We walked around downtown near the station
and found Montreal to be quite attractive. There were several
parks where people were eating lunch on the grass. The weather is
pleasant but quite breezy. For lunch, we selected a
restaurant/cafe/dance hall/billiards parlor because of the name,
Sherlock's (my favorite computer game), and because it had an
inviting outdoor cafe. It was delightful in the shade and we
could people-watch. After lunch, we walked through the Basilica
of Mary, Queen of the World, next to the train station. It was
large, grand and old.  

We reclaimed our bags and boarded the Metropolis, which left at
3:45 p.m. for Toronto. This VIA staff is great and the train is
new, clean and pleasant. The interior is beige and blue, and the
ceiling is sky blue with painted clouds. Overhead compartments
are enclosed. The rest rooms (called wash rooms in Canada) are of
reasonable size and are well equipped. Each passenger has a
seat-side paper bag for trash. The conductor is charmingly
French; of course, all announcements are in French and English.
Our steward, John Stefanik, is first rate -- gracious, friendly,
funny and efficient. On our four-hour ride, he has (at no extra
charge) served cookies or almonds; served beverages; served ham
and cheese, turkey or egg salad sandwiches; served cheese and
crackers; served coffee; served more beverages; and picked up the
trash! 

DAY THREE:

Tuesday, 2 August, 9:00 a.m. E.D.T., 
Royal York Hotel, Toronto, ON 

Yesterday, our train arrived in Toronto's Union Station at 8:10
p.m. This hotel (directly across from the train station with a
connecting tunnel under the street) is quite grand. Built in
1929, with 1,375 rooms it was the largest hotel in the British
Empire. It has been refurbished. The lobby is large with a
beautiful chandelier, polished brass railings and an inlaid wood
ceiling. We talked with our Metropolis conductor who was also
registering.  

It took us some time to find our room (#180 on the 7th floor) as
there are many corridors! Our plan had been to have a fancy
dinner in celebration of our 7th wedding anniversary, but since
we had eaten so well on the train, we weren't hungry. We did put
on our dressiest duds and went downstairs to browse; one hotel
shop specialized in Canadian Pacific Railway merchandise. At
Pipers Bar and Eatz (hotel's lower level), we ordered drinks and
an appetizer to share. Everyone on staff in Pipers is an
entertainer; our waiter sang Neil Diamond favorites. Several
employees stopped by our table to talk, as Piper's was nearly
empty, and all were enthusiastic about our trip to Jasper and
points west -- especially the piano player from British Columbia.
It felt good to sleep in a real bed last night!  

Noon E.D.T., Union Station, Toronto, ON

This morning, we walked three blocks or so from our hotel to the
CN tower for breakfast at the revolving restaurant (at 1,135
ft.). By luck, we managed to get there just ahead of a long line
for the elevator. The breakfast buffet was $16.95 each
(Canadian), but by eating in the restaurant we saved a $12 per
person elevator charge! We toured the observation deck, then
walked back to the Royal York, checked out, and walked across the
street to this grand, old- style train station. Soon, we board
the Canadian, with departure scheduled for 12:45 p.m. I bought
some snacks for the train; the station has numerous shops. 

3:45 p.m. E.D.T., aboard the Canadian, somewhere in Ontario 

Coach seats are not assigned, but passengers are sent to various
cars according to destination. With other Calgary through
Vancouver travelers, we are in the first car behind the baggage
car. In the front of our car on the left is a unisex wash room;
on the right is a three-tiered luggage rack. The wash room has a
toilet and sink facing each other. Since the toilets flush onto
the tracks, the conductor locks the wash rooms whenever the train
is near or in a station. Drinking water and paper cups are
outside the wash room. 

Ahead of our seats, 13c and 13d on the left side, are four seats
occupied by a woman and her two daughters who are about six and
10 years old. The conductor offered to turn the girls' seats so
that they could face their mother, but they all protested. There
are three rows ahead of us on the right. In the front four seats,
facing each other, are two young men and two young women, college
age. Behind them is a woman traveling with her granddaughter,
about age 12. Across from us are a young man -- college age --
returning to Banff and an older man with a foreign accent who
writes voluminously. He has brought an entire loaf of bread and
is making a ham sandwich. 

There are two coaches behind ours, then an observation/cafe car,
then three sleepers, a dining car, and first-class sleepers. I
have walked as far as the dining car, and we won't get to eat
there. The steward told me the first-class passengers will fill
it. The doors between cars pull open into the cars. (This adds
sport to carrying items from the snack bar.) Richard has shared a
navigational trick with me: if you walk rapidly through the
train, you don't lurch as much as you would by walking slowly.  

The observation/cafe car has several sections. The front portion
has tables and is the train's only smoking area. (Poor planning;
it reeks and everyone has to walk through the area to get food.)
Beyond these tables are stairs to go up to the observation level.
Under the observation level (the aisle jogs to the right) and
down a few steps is a snack bar. (More poor planning; there is
hardly room in the aisle for people to squeeze past those waiting
in line to order from the snack bar attendant.) Next is a
kitchen. Beyond the kitchen and up a few steps (the aisle jogs
back to the center) are a waiter's station and six tables for 24
cafe diners. 

This will be our home for three days and two nights. Our coach is
blue and beige (no clouds painted on the ceiling here, however.)
The overhead luggage racks are closed on the bottom but open on
the sides. There are trash bags at each row and a wall hook for a
hat or jacket. Each seat back has a pull-down tray table and a
mesh pocket for books and small items. Seats have the usual calf
rests and foot rests, and leg room is ample. 

The sun is out, the first we've seen it today. The landscape is
wooded and there are few houses. People wave to the train while
they wait in cars at grade crossings or stand along the tracks. I
have finished quilting the first block on my quilt. Our first
on-board food was a mini-pizza ($3.50 Canadian) we shared from
the snack bar. 

8:45 p.m. E.D.T., aboard the Canadian, still somewhere in Ontario 

We just returned to our seats after dinner in the cafe. There is
no reservation list; if the cafe is full, the senior of the two
attendants remembers the order of arrivals, asks people to wait
upstairs in the observation seats, and comes to get the next
party when there is space available.  

The menu had four choices (each $8.95 Canadian): salmon salad; 6
oz. cheeseburger; chicken on a croissant; and spaghetti with
vegetable and tomato sauce. Dinners came with juice or soup,
salad, a small pastry and beverage. They use china, stainless
flatware, and thin, disposable plastic mugs. We sat with a man
from Montreal.  

The sun is going down and the scenery is beautiful. There are
lots of rocks and numerous lakes; the water reflects white
birches and other trees. This area is very sparsely populated; we
haven't seen a house for some time. The track is smooth, so far. 

DAY FOUR:

Wednesday, 3 August, 9:00 a.m. E.D.T., aboard the Canadian, still
in Ontario 

Sleeping in coach seats can't be described as comfortable, but it
is possible to awake feeling reasonably rested. We just got back
from breakfast in the cafe between mileposts 172 and 204. I had
pancakes, bacon, orange juice and coffee for $4.95 (Canadian).
There was no wait to be seated. The train is an hour behind
schedule.  

This part of Ontario is really wilderness. The train stops
occasionally and people get off through the baggage car ahead of
us. There are no signs of any towns or roads, but there are work
locations along the way for the railroad. This is logging and
hunting country. Some people just get off and trek into the
woods.  

12:15 C.D.T., aboard the Canadian, west of Sioux Lookout, ON  

We have moved our watches back one hour. I bought lunch for us in
the snack bar. A turkey sandwich, a ham and cheese sandwich,
coffee, milk, chips and a candy bar were $11 (Canadian). The
train stopped at Sioux Lookout for 15 minutes; since most people
got off the train for some fresh air and a stretch (or a smoking
break), the conductor is re-checking tickets. The day is
overcast. The new conductor is witty. He has told us about
Redditt (a stop and also a tale about a chicken checking out
books from a library and taking them to a frog who keeps saying
he's ``read it'') and Minaki (a stop and a golf course joke). 

4:40 p.m. C.D.T., aboard the Canadian, at last in Manitoba  

Finally, we have gotten through western Ontario. The sun is
shining, and we have passed some resorts along lakes. I have
finished quilting a second block; four to go. 

The ``students'' did not know each other before boarding; now
they have exchanged addresses and telephone numbers. They play
cards together, tell stories, play games and pose riddles to pass
the time. Eric, a high-school senior, is going backpacking.
Maureen, who brought a supply of fruit and vegetables, a paring
knife, game books and markers, is meeting friends. Tamar and Cory
are traveling together but are ``just friends.'' Greg, from
Banff, is returning from a wedding.  

The younger girls have met all of the other young people on the
train and visit back and forth when they are not flirting with
Eric, Cory and Greg. They used the showers in the sleeping cars
and are now doing each other's hair. The mother spends hours in
the smoking car (and sometimes smokes in our wash room). The
grandmother spends a lot of time in the observation car; she
tells us her granddaughter is hyperactive. (Everyone can see
that!) The foreign man is from Italy; he is on a several-month
holiday and writes lengthy narratives to send to his wife in
Genoa. His English is not extensive, so conversation with him is
limited. 

10:30 p.m. C.D.T., aboard the Canadian, in Manitoba

The land here is extremely flat -- totally different from this
morning's scenery. We have passed some fields of wheat, and some
of sunflowers. When we arrived in Winnipeg, MB, at 6:15 p.m. (40
min. late), the train servicing included washing the windows. We
got off, toured and photographed the station, and waited to
reboard. 

We just got back from a late dinner in the cafe; Natalie was our
perky waitress. Our tasty meal included chicken rice soup, salad,
fajitas (cold chicken chunks, peppers and onions, feta cheese and
bean sprouts), butterscotch pastry, coffee and wine. Dinner cost
$27.80 (Canadian) for both of us. At a crew change, the train was
stopped long enough for some people to get off and pick
blackberries. The sun dissolved around 9:30 p.m. As we were
finishing dinner, a man from Hagerstown sat with us. He is on his
way to ride trains in Russia. Since nobody was waiting for our
table, we talked until he had finished eating. He knows Dennis
Masters, one of our friends on the Train Show committee!  

DAY FIVE:

Thursday, 4 August, 7:45 a.m. M.D.T., 
aboard the Canadian, in Alberta 

I slept through Saskatchewan. We are now in Alberta and have
turned our watches back another hour. The terrain here is a
little more hilly. 

The ``students'' have devised some novel sleeping arrangements.
Because they were in sleeping bags, I couldn't tell who was
where, but one slept in the front luggage rack behind the bags;
one slept on the floor under the seats (and in the aisle); two
slept sideways across the four seats and calf rests and Maureen
slept on the overhead luggage rack. She somehow cut her foot on
her knife, and after she climbed down, Eric got the conductor who
came with bandages and clean socks. (She only had sandals to
wear.) 

Our early breakfast in the cafe included orange juice, coffee,
two eggs over easy, ham, hash browns and toast for $5.95
(Canadian). We sat with a couple from Vancouver Island who used
to live in Winnipeg and had been visiting there. 

9:15 a.m. M.D.T., aboard the Canadian, just past Edmonton, AB 

At a 40-minute stop in Edmonton (8:15 to 8:55 a.m.), we got off
the train, walked to the front of the station, and took some
photos of downtown. The weather was beautiful; perfect
temperature, clear and sunny. It was refreshing to have a brisk
walk on solid ground. 

1:35 p.m. M.D.T., aboard the Canadian, in Alberta

The train had a delay due to a broken signal, and arrived at
Hinton at 1:35 instead of 12:57. We should get to Jasper by 3:00
p.m. I am progressing on the quilting, but have put it away to
watch the scenery. The Canadian Rockies are visible, although it
is a bit hazy. Tamar is ecstatic; she has never seen mountains.
The new conductor is giving a geology lesson to the ``students.'' 

For lunch, we ate carry out food from the snack bar. Two
cheeseburgers, a diet coke, milk, chips and a large cookie were
$11. 

4:00 p.m. M.D.T., Lobstick Lodge, Jasper, AB

Our train arrived in Jasper at 2:40 p.m., only 20 minutes behind
schedule. The sun came out brightly as we arrived. We said our
farewells to our on-board friends and took a Brewster bus from
the rustic station six or seven blocks to our motel. Wow, a
shower! My ankles are swollen -- three days on a train have taken
a toll. I hope our hand-laundry dries! 

Late p.m., Lobstick Lodge, Jasper, AB

On a walk around downtown this afternoon, we found it to be a
very attractive, well-kept place, not large and fairly quiet. We
ate ice cream at the Soft Rock Cafe. Several blocks away at an
IGA, we got orange juice and breakfast foods since our room has a
kitchenette.  

Heritage Taxi service picked us up at 7:30 p.m. to drive us five
miles to the Jasper Tramway ($16 incl. tip) where we rode a
30-passenger aerial car up Whistler's Mountain. At the 8,200 ft.
end of the line are an observation deck, a souvenir shop, wash
rooms, a restaurant and a trail. (Adventuresome people hike up.)
We are above the tree line. The tramway fare is usually $10 round
trip; for $29.95 (Canadian) we also had dinner: salad with
strawberry vinaigrette dressing, salmon, stir-fried vegetables,
fancy mashed potatoes and blueberry pie. The meal was good and
the view was spectacular of surrounding mountains at sunset and
the lights of far-off Jasper. The building vibrated whenever a
tram car arrived; it made me think I was still on the train. 

I thought I had seen lightning, and sure enough, just as we were
finishing dinner around 9:15, an electrical storm roared through
-- and the operators shut down the tram! The storm was quite
stunning for some people who had been outdoors and felt their
hair stand up during a lightning strike half a mile away. About
50 of us were ``trapped'' at the top as the air temperature
plummeted, the wind blew fiercely and rain pelted the windows.  

By 10:30 p.m., the rain had stopped and the tram resumed
operations. We rode the last car down, telephoned for our taxi
and waited alone at the edge of the parking lot in the pitch
darkness for our driver (while I pondered worst-case scenarios).
Ten long minutes later, we saw headlights approaching -- Heritage
Taxi, friendly and reliable at any hour of day or night! On our
drive back, we heard the dispatcher (who had driven us to the
tramway) tell our driver, ``Ask Mr. & Mrs. Daniels how they liked
their sunset dinner (chuckle).''  

DAY SIX: 
 
Friday, 5 August, 4:00 p.m. M.D.T., Rm. 214, Deer Lodge, Lake
Louise, AB 

This morning, we caught a Brewster bus at 7:30 at our motel for a
trip on the Icefields Parkway. The bus also stopped at the train
station downtown. There were 18 passengers (four Americans, one
British or Australian, and the rest Japanese). Our driver, Andy
Anderson, was pleasant and knowledgeable about history, geology,
geography and botany. 

Our first stop was at the beautiful Athabasca Falls, just as the
sun was rising over the mountaintops. The sky was clear with some
puffy clouds, the cool air had a wonderful aroma of evergreens,
and the scenery was spectacular. I could have stayed there a long
time! 

At a coffee stop, the concessionaire washed the bus windows. The
other American couple on our bus (they are from Chicago) invited
us to sit at their table. I had a pina colada muffin. 

We took photos at several other viewpoints along the Eastern
Range of the Canadian Rockies before the main attraction -- the
Athabasca Glacier that flows from the Columbia Icefield. Its
greatest ice depth is estimated at 1,200 ft. Andy parked our bus
and we boarded a shuttle bus to take us across the highway two
miles to the edge of the glacier. Then, we rode a specially built
Snocoach a mile across the glacier, got out, and walked around on
the slush atop the thick ice at 6,600 ft. elevation. It was windy
and cold! (Imagine paying to walk on ice after we walked on ice
all last winter, free!) The ``road'' across the glacier had one
hill that was a 32-degree grade, but our vehicle's 5 ft. diameter
tires (with huge tread) steadily crawled along; we neither
skidded down nor had to get out and push on the way up.   

We stopped at The Crossing at North Saskatchewan River for a
cafeteria-style lunch. The place was mobbed and we heard people
speaking French, German, English (British and American) and
Japanese. 

Another interesting spot was near the Peyto Glacier. Andy didn't
tell us what we were about to see; he just showed us a path. When
we had walked a quarter of a mile, there was a beautiful, emerald
lake below us! 

Andy deposited Richard and me at the Deer Lodge in Lake Louise at
3:15 p.m. He had even radioed ahead, so the bellman was waiting
to assist us. This is a rustic place, built in the 1920s. The
lobby has period furnishings, wood paneling and a big stone
fireplace. Our large, charming, corner room in the original
section has one twin and two double beds, each with a puffy
comforter. There are no screens in the windows, but I haven't
noticed any insects. We don't care that there is no television or
telephone. 

8:00 p.m. M.D.T, Rm. 214, Deer Lodge, Lake Louise, Alberta 

We walked a few hundred yards uphill to the Chateau Lake Louise,
a bustling, elegant place, and took photos of the Lake, the
flowers at the Chateau and the view from the lobby. Since a storm
was brewing, we decided to get a little closer to ``home'' and
stopped next door to Deer Lodge at the old Lake Louise Trading
Company for ``happy hour'' featuring ale and nachos. It started
to rain just as we got back to the Lodge. It rained hard for a
short time and we sat in the lobby, admiring a double rainbow and
the beautiful view framed by the doorway. There is a creek across
the two-lane, fairly busy road. The creek is almost as high as
the road and the current is rapid. The sounds of the rushing
water are louder than the traffic noises. Behind the creek are
trees and mountains. 

Deer Lodge has a Mount Fairview Dining Room and a lounge area for
dining. We ate dinner in the lounge (with the same dinner
selections but a less formal setting).  

DAY SEVEN:

Saturday, 6 August, 3:00 p.m. M.D.T.
Lake Louise Trading Company, Lake Louise, Alberta

We are awaiting lunch. I have ordered a salmon sandwich (smoked
salmon, cream cheese, tomatoes, onions and bean sprouts) for
$5.25 (Canadian).  

This morning, we ate breakfast downstairs at 9:30. A cold buffet
(any kind of juice, cereal, enormous blueberries, strawberries,
blackberries, melon, coffee, muffins, croissants and banana
bread) was $8 (Canadian). I called home to see if we had any
messages and got one recording -- my son Brian saying he is still
in Spain and he is OK.  

My ankles are no longer swollen, and we had an entire day to do
something around Lake Louise. At 11:00 a.m., we checked out of
our room, asked the bellman to lock up our bags, and set out for
Lake Agnes. Our neighbors, Therese and Paul Verchinski, highly
recommended the hike along a rocky but wide path that starts
behind the Chateau. It had rained early this morning, but when we
started our hike it was mostly sunny and very pleasant. Walking
2.4 K UP to Mirror Lake and another 1 K UP to Lake Agnes (about 2
miles) at 6,885 ft. elevation took us two hours (with numerous
rest stops requested by me). There was a brief shower on the way
up, just enough for us to put on our rain gear. 

The Lake Agnes Tea House was very crowded and we decided not to
wait there to eat lunch. I did make a ``wash room'' stop --
another 100 yards uphill from the Tea House were two wooden
outhouses perched atop a rock! Returning to Lake Louise took 75
minutes (including lots of photo stops). The spectacular
mountain, lake, glacier, rock and waterfall scenery made the
climb worthwhile, and I feel a great sense of accomplishment.  

9:15 p.m. M.D.T., Rm. 341, Travellers Inn, Banff, AB

A Brewster bus picked us up at Deer Lodge at 5:15 to transfer us
to Banff. Four people across the aisle from us were from New
York, near Rochester, and we conversed with them the entire trip
(75 minutes, non-stop, no narrative). We had a mini-sing-along on
the bus -- a little Japanese girl in back of us was practicing
some American songs and a few of us joined in, just for fun. At
the Banff depot, we boarded another bus that transferred us to
the Travellers Inn. That bus driver was funny -- someone asked
him how the Banff downtown shuttle buses run; he said, ``You get
in and turn the key....'' 

By 7:00 p.m., we were settled into our room. We walked through
town almost to the Bow River and back. Downtown is full of
tourists -- it reminded me of Durango, CO, or the Boardwalk in
Ocean City, MD. There are lots of shops, eateries and motels. In
the park, we enjoyed some bagpipe players, a unit of Royal
Canadian Army Cadets. We browsed in ``The Bay,'' the Hudson's Bay
Company, est. 1625, and ate at Joe Btfsplks (that's correct; no
vowels), a clean, cheery, colorful diner with a '50s atmosphere
and good food. Richard had a cherry milkshake, barbecue burger
and fries; I had an oreo cookie milkshake, meat loaf, gravy,
mashed potatoes (real and lumpy), carrots and a whole wheat roll;
$25 (Canadian). 

I heard some thunder and it is dark toward the southwest; another
storm is brewing. It was cool enough here for a jacket tonight.
These people say they've had two weeks of 90 degree temperatures
-- extremely unusual for them. Luckily for us, it hasn't been
that hot. None of these places have air conditioning. We enjoy
opening the windows. 

DAY EIGHT:

Sunday, 7 August, 9:55 a.m. P.D.T.,
aboard the Rocky Mountaineer in British Columbia

We got up at 6:00 a.m. and ate a continental breakfast buffet ($7
Canadian) in The Cave restaurant on the lower level of the
Travellers Lodge. It was raining hard and steadily when we were
ready to check out, so we called a taxi to take us to the train
station five blocks away. There were several other parties at our
motel who had called taxis to go to the train station; we shared
a cab with a woman from England who had two enormous suitcases
and two smaller bags. Earlier, we had shared an elevator with one
of her enormous suitcases.  

At the station, a number of employees were hustling with large
umbrellas to keep the arriving passengers dry between the curb
and the station; others were doing their best to keep the checked
luggage dry with tarps. Since it was too wet to wait outdoors,
everyone crowded inside the small station to wait for the Rocky
Mountaineer to arrive from Calgary. Complimentary coffee and
juice were available. 

While Richard waited in line for our boarding passes (seats were
assigned on this train), I enjoyed talking with a mother and
daughter (a school teacher) from Toronto. The train arrived 20
minutes late, so our departure was delayed to 9:40 M.D.T. 

The train has 10 cars plus an engine and a baggage car. Our car
is half full. The seats are very roomy with comfortable foot
rests and calf rests. Everything is very clean. A women's wash
room, in the back of our car, is four seats wide. (The aisle juts
around it.) There is a double sink although occupancy is
one-at-a-time. The toilet is in a small alcove without a door, so
there is slightly more space there than usual.  

Brad, our attendant, tells about points of interest and scenic
views and serves meals and snacks. After we boarded, he served
breakfast: very good, creamy, French vanilla yogurt, fruit, a
bran muffin, a hard roll and beverages.  

After crossing the border into British Columbia (at 10:30
M.D.T.), we moved our watches back one hour. We have just exited
the second of the spiral tunnels that cut through two mountains.
Brad served snacks -- our choice of nuts or cookies and any kind
of juice. 

4:00 p.m. P.D.T., aboard the Rocky Mountaineer, in British
Columbia 

The food on board is cold but excellent. For lunch, Richard had
stuffed pork with apple chutney, pickled beets and fruit cobbler.
I had a delicious seafood and pasta salad, rice with vegetables
and a key lime tart. Each lunch came with a roll and butter,
cheese and crackers and beverages. 

The meals are served on small, blue plastic trays; each tray has
a packet with plastic utensils, salt and pepper, sugar and a
towelette. Disposable plastic containers with or without lids
hold each food item; then, everything is covered with plastic
wrap and stacked in large boxes in each car. At crew-change
stops, the car attendants put off cartons of trash to be
collected. 

The sun is out. At Revelstoke, at 2:25 p.m., the engine crew
changed and Brad served cookies, peanuts and drinks. Our route
followed the Columbia River this morning. Brad says it is the
most dammed river system with three dams in British Columbia and
nine in the U.S.  

We are at Lake Sicamous (story about being sick of moose), the
houseboat capital of Canada. Houseboats rent for about $1,500 a
week (Canadian).  I have finished another block on my quilt. Brad
has just served gouda or babybel cheese and crackers. 

9:30 p.m. P.D.T., Rm. 123, Hospitality Inn, Kamloops, BC

Our train arrived 25 minutes late in Kamloops, at 6:45 p.m. Near
Kamloops are Hoodoos, pillar-like rock and clay formations formed
after the last ice age. This is ``high desert'' -- like Las
Vegas; in summer, 100's are common. Brad briefed each party on
places to eat near their assigned motels. When we got off the
train, there was a line of former school buses waiting to
transport passengers to various lodgings. Our motel was uphill
four or five miles. The motel needs maintenance. Our room is
pleasant enough and seems clean, but it reeks of smoke. There is
no window but there is a sliding door; since there is no screen
door, we didn't want to leave it open for air, especially with an
orange cat roaming the back yard. 

Nearby were three choices of places to eat, one across the road
and two on our side. At the restaurant in the motel next to ours,
the wait was one hour for the non-smoking section, so we decided
to try the restaurant that is part of our motel, O'Barr's. It
wasn't nearly as fancy as the first one, and they were short of
staff, but the food was very good.  

The best part of Kamloops is the view from the grassy hillside in
back of our room. It is very pleasant overlooking town, with
mountains in the background, as the sun sets and lights twinkle
below. The air smells fresh except when the wind shifts and we
get a whiff of the paper pulp aroma from the Weyerhaeuser mill in
town. 

DAY NINE:

Monday, 8 August, 8:45 a.m. P.D.T.
aboard the Rocky Mountaineer, west of Kamloops, BC

Our shuttle bus picked us up early -- before 7:30 -- and took us
back to the Rocky Mountaineer. It is raining again (quite rare
for Kamloops, which gets only 11 inches of rain a year) but not
as hard as yesterday morning. Attendants, helping passengers
board, are holding plum-colored umbrellas. Today the train is
twice as long; the section from Jasper also arrived in Kamloops
last night and is combined with our section. There are two
engines in front. 

The big hills here are covered with sagebrush. The tracks are
beside the Thompson River. 

Brad brought breakfast of coffee, orange juice, strawberry
yogurt, mueslix and milk, melon cubes and banana nut bread.
Yesterday he served from front to back; today, he is serving from
back to front. He says he walks six to eight miles on his short
days; eight to 11 miles on long days. (Today is a short day.) He
makes numerous beverage trips. Snacks are always available in the
front -- nuts, pretzels, cookies, cheese and crackers. Today I
will try to keep track of his food and beverage trips. So far:
8:15 coffee and orange juice; 8:30 breakfast; then, collect the
trash. 

2:15 p.m. P.D.T. aboard the Rocky Mountaineer in British Columbia 

It was still raining at 11:00 a.m. along the Thompson Canyon. The
Thompson River is clear and the Fraser River is brown; after the
two come together, the water is striped for some distance. There
is a cantilever bridge across the Fraser River. 

At 12:15, Brad served lunch. Richard had salmon, asparagus and a
peach dessert. I had beef roulade (beef rolled around onions,
peppers and carrots), vegetables (corn, peas, carrots and green
beans), salad and chocolate mousse. The meal planners have been
very creative to find such a variety of food that is good when
served cold. 

The train stopped to change crews at Boston Bar near 1:00 p.m.
There was some problem with a brake check on the last car. Brad
served coffee. 

At Hells Gate Canyon, more water goes through per minute than on
the American side of Niagara Falls. There are fish ladders on the
shorelines and Brad explained all about salmon. The terrain has
changed back to evergreens and deciduous trees. It is lighter and
there are some patches of blue sky. The bright clouds against a
dark mountain are appropriate for the town we just passed, Hope. 

2:30 Brad served beverages and snacks; passed out and collected
evaluation forms 
3:45 Brad collected payment for souvenirs and alcoholic beverages
4:00 Brad fixed fresh fruits; we can help ourselves
4:20 Brad served chocolate mints, ``Ovation''
4:25 Brad collected blankets
4:30 Brad collected pillows

5:45 p.m. P.D.T., Rm. 804, Georgian Court Hotel, Vancouver, BC 

As our train neared Vancouver, Brad told us about the city. A
million people live within the city limits. Wednesday night,
English Bay will feature the finale of an International Fireworks
competition. Chinatown here is the second largest in North
America. Gastown is a recommended place to tour on foot. He
enumerated other sights to see, things to do and places to eat. 

We arrived in Vancouver on time at 4:55 p.m. On our way into the
station, we met Murray Atherton, whom Richard had corresponded
with on CompuServe. He is vice president of marketing and sales
for Rocky Mountaineer Railtours and wanted to know all about our
trip. He graciously offered to drive us to our hotel and gave us
a mini-sightseeing tour along the way. Murray said it is safe to
walk anywhere in Vancouver (using common sense). It is a
beautiful, sunny day here. Our hotel is across from the stadium. 

My son Andy called from graduate school to say he is changing
addresses and will probably be home for a week. (I told him to
phone our house sitter!) His timing was excellent as he caught us
just before we went out to eat. 

9:30 p.m. P.D.T., Georgian Court Hotel, Vancouver, BC 

We dressed up for dinner, thinking we would go to the William
Tell Restaurant downstairs. However, they were completely
reserved by a wine tasting group, so we went next door to the
bar/restaurant, Rigneys, also part of the hotel. I had a
delicious fried salmon filet, vegetables and pasta for $9.75
(Canadian) and a glass of French wine. We had an interesting
conversation with an older lady from Connecticut at the next
table. The food was very good, and probably was half the price
with one-tenth the stuffiness of the four-star William Tell! 

After dinner, we walked around the block. It is strange to hear
seagulls. There are many buildings under construction in this
area. We talked with a security guard at the parking lot next
door. Like many Canadians we've spoken with, he didn't know where
Maryland is. When we got back to our room, the bed was turned
down and there were chocolates on the pillows. We will be here
three nights.  

DAY 10:

Tuesday, 9 August, 11:00 a.m. P.D.T., downtown Vancouver, BC 

With a whole day to sightsee, we started this morning by walking
west, with a brief stop at the Post Office, and then along Robson
and Howe streets. We found a small park with a waterfall; on the
lower level were shops and restaurants. Hanging flower baskets
make the entire plaza more attractive. It is overcast and cool,
but we ate outdoors anyway, at Mozart's. Yum... Each table had
peanut butter packets with the jelly selections. 

2:00 p.m. P.D.T., Gastown, Vancouver, BC

After breakfast, we went into Eaton's department store (I needed
film) and discovered an entrance to a huge underground shopping
mall. We walked through ``The Bay'' and bought tickets at the
Granville Station to ride the Skytrain. The fare was $1.50 to
ride all zones (not in rush hour). We rode east to the end of the
line, got off, and walked across the platform to get on another
train to ride west. The trains each have four cars, totally
computerized, with no staff on board! The trains and stations are
very clean and the ride was smooth. Trains run above ground
except in the downtown area. Nobody checked or collected our
tickets. 

At one stop on our westbound trip, a bee flew into the train,
buzzed around the window behind us, and was rescued by a bee
lover who pushed it onto his shirt. After four or five stops, the
man and his ``pet'' got off, to the relief of everyone. A couple
from California sat next to us; they had sailed to Alaska on one
of the liners from Vancouver. We got off at the Waterfront stop,
where passengers can board the Seabus, and walked through the
Canadian Pacific station. Half a block from the station, Water
Street leads through turn-of-the-century Gastown, the oldest part
of Vancouver. We found the historic steam clock at 1:20; at 1:25
it ran out of steam and stopped operating, so we never heard the
chimes! 

We are anticipating lunch at Le Rail Car. I had seen this
restaurant advertised in the ``Where'' magazine at our hotel, and
it is charming. Richard and I are the only customers; we got in
just at the end of lunch service. This is an observation car
built in 1929, named the Alberta. The menu said the
superintendent of the Canadian Pacific Railway used the car.
``Mr. G. O'Brien of Vancouver bought the car in 1969 and
remodeled it as the restaurant, keeping the original brass
fixtures and beautiful mahogany and rosewood interior.'' 

10:00 p.m. P.D.T., Georgian Court Hotel, Vancouver, BC

My lunch at Le Rail Car was outstanding -- four lamb chops, baby
potatoes, baby asparagus, peppers and zucchini, rolls and butter
-- for $9.95 (Canadian). Our friendly waiter-maitre d'-
busboy-cashier-manager (he did everything but cook) graciously
offered to go outside and take a picture of us standing on the
rear platform. After lunch, we continued our walk through
Gastown. With cobblestone streets, renovated old buildings and
small shops, it reminds me of Georgetown, Annapolis or
Alexandria. We returned along Cambie Street about a mile to our
hotel and read for a few hours. A woman from housekeeping came in
to turn down the bed; she had been on the Skytrain with us and
the bee man! 

At 7:00 p.m., we walked to Chinatown, hunting for a restaurant.
We found a place on Main Street -- not particularly clean but
bustling with Orientals. The hot tea was served in glasses! After
our authentic Chinese dinner, we walked back along Pender Street
to Beatty Street and our hotel. I think I have sprained my right
foot; it hurts when I walk, and we walk everyplace! We stopped in
Rigneys for dessert. We were the only people there tonight. The
waitress was the same one as last night, and she told us the
woman from Connecticut also had returned this evening and ordered
the salmon because I had said it was so good. Luckily, she
enjoyed it, too! 

DAY 11:

Wednesday, 10 August, 2:00 p.m. P.D.T.
aboard the Royal Hudson Steam Train, Squamish, BC

We woke up this morning a little earlier than the time we had set
on the alarm, ate snacks in the hotel room, and walked two blocks
north to the Stadium Station at 7:30 to take the Skytrain to the
Waterfront Station. Then, we caught the 8:15 Seabus (not a bus
but a passenger ferry) to Lonsdale Quay. Passengers load on the
port side through numerous doors and exit on the starboard side.
The Seabus is a catamaran; it took 10 minutes to cross the
Burrard Inlet to North Vancouver. The ferry was large, clean and
efficient. Except for McDonalds, none of the various shops and
eateries at the Lonsdale Quay were open. 

Across from the Seabus terminal, there are numerous under-cover
bus stops, marked very clearly so that even the tourists can find
where to wait for what bus. The departure schedule for each route
is also posted. We talked with a man from Kingston while waiting
for the 9:03 bus to take us a few miles to the BC Rail Station
for our steam train ride. Nobody had checked tickets on the
Skytrain or Seabus, but the bus driver needed our tickets to see
that we had paid fare through the zone for the train depot. We
got to the station at 9:10. Richard had to wait in a long line to
pick up our tickets.  

The Royal Hudson left at 10:00 a.m., filled with 750 passengers.
Today is sunny, clear and cool. Recordings on the train ride
included information about formation of the mountains and Howe
Sound; history of the area, the railroad and the Royal Hudson;
mining; logging; fishing; and legends of First Nation's People
(Indians). The scenery has been interesting. On our way north,
Lions Bay was to the west. Along the North Vancouver hillsides,
there were some very attractive houses with unusual architecture
and colorful gardens. (These houses are among the most expensive
in Canada, according to the recording.) 

We arrived in Squamish by noon, walked around the small town, and
ate lunch at Quinn's Espresso Cafe on Second Street. Lunch was
very good. I had homemade pea soup and a grilled cheese sandwich
on thick slices of whole wheat bread; my sandwich came with a
salad. Passengers have reboarded the Royal Hudson and are
awaiting departure, scheduled for 2:20. Compared to our other
train rides, this two-hour ride each way is extremely short! 

10:50 p.m. P.D.T., Georgian Court Hotel, Vancouver, BC

A photographer took our picture on the train. We don't have
photos of both of us on this trip, and it was a good shot, so we
bought it. The photographer told us we were smart to take the
train both ways. (We could have taken a boat one way.) He said
the boat this afternoon was very crowded and the water can be
extremely choppy! 

The train returned to the BC Rail Station at 4:00. Then, our
choice was a city bus back to the Seabus and Skytrain, or a city
bus across the Lions Gate Bridge, through Stanley Park and along
Georgia Street. We took the second option, since we hadn't been
in those areas. The bus dropped us off a block from our hotel. It
was very convenient and we were back by 4:30, in spite of a
rush-hour delay getting onto the bridge. 

We read this afternoon. At 7:00 p.m., we walked to the Stadium
Station, rode the Skytrain two stops west to Burrard, then walked
two more blocks to find the Red Robin restaurant we had seen
earlier today. Downtown was really crowded tonight; thousands and
thousands of people were expected to watch the Grand Finale of
the International Fireworks Competition. The Red Robin was busy
and noisy but the food was good. I had an appetizer -- thinking I
might have room for the mud pie we used to like at the Red Robin
that was in Columbia. No way! We made it back to the Skytrain
within 90 minutes, so could use our same tickets for our return
to the hotel. Again, nobody looked at tickets. I understand that
the transit police do occasionally check and that the fine is
$500 if you are without a valid ticket! We talked with the same
guard at the parking lot next to the hotel. 

What a finale to our visit here -- from our hotel room, we could
see (and hear) the fireworks! Some were spectacular and high
above the buildings between our hotel and English Bay. 

DAY 12:

Thursday, 11 August, 12:20 p.m. P.D.T.
Lighthouse Restaurant and Pub, Nanaimo, Vancouver Island, BC 

We got up at 6:00 this morning, packed, checked out and took a
taxi to the VIA Rail/bus station. Our Maverick coach to Horseshoe
Bay left at 8:00 a.m. The bus drove directly onto the ferry,
without delay. The ferry was huge -- we were on the Queen of
Coquitlam, which can carry 360 cars and 1,400 passengers at a
speed of 18 knots. It was very smooth but extremely windy on the
outside decks. On board were a snack bar, gift shop and
cafeteria. The ferry had three auto/bus levels and two passenger
levels. 

On Vancouver Island, our bus drove 10 minutes to the Nanaimo bus
depot. From there, we walked several blocks to the train station.
On our way, we saw the northbound Esquimalt and Nanaimo (E&N)
train. It was different for us to wave to people on a train. 

There were no lockers and no VIA employees at the Nanaimo train
station, but we heard some people talking in a rear office. They
said our bags would be safe with them, but a small donation would
be appreciated. It was the Alcoholics Anonymous office! 

We strolled several blocks downhill to the waterfront. There is a
marked walking-tour route; signs at various locations tell the
historic significance of old buildings. We arrived at a small
park at noon, just in time for the ceremonial firing of the
cannon -- complete with bagpipes! We walked along the docks, then
came to eat at this waterside restaurant. The bistro is down one
level; we are eating on the pub level, outdoors under an
umbrella. The temperature is perfect, there is a breeze, the sun
is shining, and the sky is clear blue. I ordered salmon and chips
for $5.95 (Canadian). We are watching the seaplanes take off and
land and boats come and go. It is very relaxing here and nobody
seems rushed. This is a great spot! 

2:20 p.m. P.D.T., Nanaimo train station, Vancouver Island, BC 

After our delightful lunch, we stopped at Just Desserts, a
waterfront shop, and had ice cream. Jazzy Java Nut Chocolate was
very good! 

We walked back to the railroad station, and I have the waiting
room all to myself, although there are people outside. Everyone
is waiting for the train to return from Courtenay. We reclaimed
our bags with no problems. Richard is watching some workers tear
down the old freight building behind the station. All you can see
from here is a large beam poking through the roof, knocking
shingles to the ground. Half of the roof is gone now; when we
arrived this morning, they had just started on it. It is sad to
watch. This town is a contrast of styles. Just across from this
old station are new condos selling for $140,000.  

6:30 p.m. P.D.T., Rm. 292, Empress Hotel, Victoria, BC

Our train (two Budd cars) left Nanaimo at 3:22 p.m. Richard and I
did not get seats together on the train, and both cars filled at
Nanaimo. A man we met in the station, who is trying to save the
E&N passenger line from cancellation by VIA, invited Richard to
ride in the cab. The woman next to me on the train used to live
in Victoria and told me all sorts of tidbits such as ``don't miss
the Death by Chocolate'' at the Empress. We arrived at the
Victoria Station (the real one, not a restaurant) at 5:45 and
walked several blocks from the station to the Empress, taking
photos of town on the way. Downtown is crowded. Many people are
here in advance of the Commonwealth Games that begin August 18;
the Queen and Prince Edward will open the games and will be
staying at the Empress. The city expects 7,000 athletes and half
a million spectators; 66 countries will attend the games. 

This is a classy hotel, and large. It was built in 1908 and
expanded in 1929. To get to our room, we went down six hallways
from the elevator -- right, right, right, left, left, right. Our
room overlooks the water and Parliament buildings. The bellmen
wear dark green top hats and tails. Upon our arrival, the desk
clerk gave us a message from Brian: he is home from Spain and
``everything is cool.'' 

9:30 p.m. P.D.T., Empress Hotel, Victoria, BC

We walked around the waterfront in front of the Empress after we
changed clothes. There were comedy players, artists, bagpipe
players, native musicians, folk musicians, marimba players, and
people from everywhere. We ate outdoors at The Deck and watched
the sun set. It got cool and I was glad I had a sweater with me.
I bought two more rolls of film. 

After dinner, we browsed in the hotel's museum shop (one carving
was marked $27,000), art glass gallery, conservatory, other
upscale shops, Bengal Room bar and dining area, the Death by
Chocolate room (all the exquisite chocolate desserts you can eat
for $8.95), the Tea Lobby and various other lobbies. There is a
Garden Cafe in addition to the formal dining room. At the Bengal
Room, we split one serving of a chocolate mousse and cake
concoction for $4.95 (Canadian). It was delicious and just
enough. The Bengal Room has an Indian motif with high, dark,
carved ceilings and swinging fans. 

We have the window open in our room; again, there are no screens!
We are enjoying a beautiful view of the crescent moon overhead
and the Parliament buildings outlined in white lights. The
waterfront is lively and we can hear the mixed sounds of
bagpipes, crowds of people, bicycle bells, traffic, horses (there
are horse and buggy rides), waterfront entertainers and
Westminster chimes (every quarter hour)! 

DAY 13:

Friday, 12 August, 10:30 a.m. P.D.T., Empress Hotel, Victoria, BC 
We ate breakfast in the Garden Cafe downstairs. The headquarters
for the Commonwealth Games is along that hallway and we talked
with a guard and an elderly British lady outside the credentials
office. She remarked that it takes a lot of training for the
``royals'' to learn things such as what to say when greeting
individuals. Everyone remembers a comment from the monarch! 

We made reservations for the 11:00 a.m. tour to Butchart Gardens
and for tea at 3:00 p.m. in the Empress' Garden Cafe ($16.25
Canadian). Before our tour, we have to check out and leave our
bags with the porter. Outside, a bagpiper is playing ``Merrily We
Roll Along.'' 

5:10 p.m. P.D.T., aboard the Victoria Clipper, Victoria, BC 

We rode on the top level of a double-decker bus from the Empress
to Butchart Gardens after walking a block to Rogers Chocolates
for a box of candy I wanted to take back to my coworkers. The bus
driver told us all sorts of information about Victoria on the
45-minute drive. For example, the population in Victoria is about
300,000. The city is on the San Andreas fault, so new buildings
can be over four stories high only if they are reinforced. He
also told us about the double-decker buses -- they were purchased
from England and are known for their reliability. He explained
the air conditioning is 60-40: 60 percent from opening the
windows at 40 miles per hour.  

The driver explained how to do metric conversion, now that we are
about to leave Canada! Multiply Celsius temperature by 2 and add
30 to get Fahrenheit equivalent (i.e., 23 degrees C x 2 = 46 + 30
= 76 degrees F); multiply kilometers per hour by .6 to get miles
per hour (i.e., 90 kph x .6 = 54 mph). 

The Butchart Gardens were beautiful and crowded. We had 90
minutes to tour, and since my foot is still very sore and we
wanted to cover as much as we could of the 30 acres, I asked
Richard to get a (free) wheelchair for me. (I think he's always
wanted to push me around.) We saw every area and the place is
exceptional. There was not a wilted flower or brown- edged petal
anywhere. The grounds used to be a limestone pit. After the
owners made a fortune in portland cement and were going to
abandon the pit, the wife commented that they couldn't leave it
in such a condition. They brought in tons of soil and thousands
of plants to transform the pit into a spectacular display, and
then added more and more garden areas. 

When we returned to our bus, ``old reliable'' took so long to
start that I was thinking we'd have to hitch a ride back on a
different bus. (There were many double-deckers there.)  

The driver got us back to the Empress just in time for our tea
reservation. We each had a stemmed dish of enormous blueberries
with whipped cream. A three-tiered tray held three kinds of
sandwiches (smoked salmon with cream cheese, egg salad, and
cucumber with watercress), lemon pastries and small blueberry
tarts, crumpets and scones with Jersey cream and jam. The
waitress told us in what order to eat things. ``Tea'' was elegant
and tasty. 

We retrieved our bags and hired a Kabuki Kab (three-wheeled
bicycle) at the hotel driveway for a ride to the Clipper, which
we could see from the Empress. The driver went to the wrong side
of the harbor and couldn't pedal up a steep hill; Richard got
out, and a couple walking by helped to push! The Kabuki Kab fare
is $1 (Canadian) a minute, but our driver only charged us for
four minutes since he had taken the wrong route. We gave him $10
anyway. (He worked hard and was a very amiable college student.)
That's the end of our Canadian cash except for some coins.  

Passengers are crowded aboard the Victoria Clipper (high-speed
ferry), awaiting our  5:30 p.m. departure. We went through
customs before boarding; they just checked our I.D.'s and waved
us through. This is a huge vessel -- 12 seats across (2, 4, 4, 2)
with three aisles but not much space per seat. Every seat is
occupied and it is too warm. For some reason, the 2:30 departure
didn't depart! The crew has apologized and promised everyone free
sodas. 

9:00 p.m. P.D.T., Rm. 804, Warwick Hotel, Seattle, WA

The Clipper from Victoria to Seattle took two hours and 45
minutes, traveling at 28 knots. It was smooth when we got
underway but it really rocked before it got going and as it got
into port. Richard found a spot to stow our bags. I had a nap on
board, then walked up one level and out on the aft deck; it was
great in the fresh air but too cool and windy to stay there. 

As we passed a huge container ship, a crewman told about a ship
that lost two containers full of Nike shoes; they washed ashore
all around the area, and some people organized a big swap meet so
that the people who salvaged the shoes could get sizes that fit. 
The Clipper docked in Seattle at 8:15 but it took a while to tie
up. People with carry-on bags (us) could get off first. When we
walked into U.S. customs, a black Labrador was sniffing the
checked bags. The customs officer only asked us a few questions
(we bought only the box of candy to bring into the States) and we
were finished. It was a short taxi ride to the hotel ($5.40).  

Now we have to get used to green money again and remember that $1
means $1, not $.73. It is nice, too, to get back to temperatures
in Fahrenheit and distances in miles! 

11:00 p.m. P.D.T., Warwick Hotel, Seattle, WA

We went downstairs to the hotel's Liaison Restaurant for a late
dinner. The bread was great  -- a small whole wheat loaf, sliced
and warm. A bottle of local Columbia Chardonnay complemented my
salmon with fettucini and diced tomatoes. Vegetables on my plate
included broccoli, half of a tiny purple cabbage (maybe it was a
purple Brussels sprout), miniature yellow squash about 2 inches
long by 1/4 inch, and a chunk of yellow squash cut into a fan.
The food was wonderful and the small portion ($8.95) was perfect. 

DAY 14:

Saturday, 13 August, 4:30 p.m. P.D.T., Warwick Hotel, Seattle, WA 

This morning, we walked downhill four blocks to the Pike Street
Market. What a place! There were tee shirts, jewelry, pottery,
drawings, paintings, clothing -- then rows and rows and rows of
flowers, produce, meats, seafood, breads, jellies... and we only
were on one floor! The fish hawkers (who toss the fish around and
chant the orders in unison) were the most interesting. We ate
breakfast at Lowells at the Market (at a window table on the
third floor), watched the ferries, boats, tugs and parasailers,
and listened to classical music. I enjoyed a huge cinnamon bun
and milk plus a gigantic peach from a fruit stand. 

Down several flights of stairs at the waterfront, we strolled on
a public pier, watched Amtrak's Pioneer pass, and hopped on the
trolley ($.85 one way) to ride to Pioneer Square. In a quaint,
brick shopping arcade, a fireplace had a fire burning. At 1st
Avenue, we looked into taking the Seattle Underground tour, but
the wait was two hours. The area was crowded -- I think most
people were waiting for tours but there also were a lot of
homeless people.  

We walked another few blocks to the Metro Tunnel, which was
incredibly clean. There were two tunnels for electric (trolley)
buses. We rode north to the Westlake Center and took the monorail
($1.40 round trip) to the Seattle Center, site of the 1962
World's Fair. The center is a combination amusement park,
carnival, park, expo center and museum complex. A local
television station, KOMO, was sponsoring ``kids day'' activities
to benefit a charity, and the place was mobbed. The expo building
had shops and eateries. The line for the Space Needle was so that
we decided not to wait. We rode the Monorail back to Westlake
Center (it goes nowhere else) and walked three blocks to our
hotel after browsing around the attractive shopping center. We
can see the monorail from our room. 

9:00 p.m. P.D.T., Warwick Hotel, Seattle, WA

This is a vacation, after all, and I took a nap this afternoon.
At 7:30, we went downstairs to the night club for a light dinner.
I enjoyed a Raspberry Nehi (vodka, raspberry liqueur and lemon
twist). We talked with the restaurant manager who grew up in
Baltimore. Tomorrow we are off to the convention site, which
means work -- and our cartons of fresh clothes! 

DAY 15:

Sunday, 14 August, 10:15 a.m. P.D.T., King Street Station,
Seattle, WA 

We ate breakfast at the Warwick's Liaison Restaurant. The menu
listed two pork chops, eggs, hash browns and toast for $9.50, but
I didn't order that. After checking out of the hotel, we rode
their courtesy van to the Amtrak station. The weather again is
clear and pleasant -- sunny, cool and perfect! We are waiting for
the Talgo (a Spanish train Amtrak is testing on this corridor),
scheduled to leave at 11:30 and arrive in Vancouver, WA, at 2:45. 

12:10 p.m. P.D.T., car 31 aboard the Talgo 200, near Tacoma, WA  

Dan, our on-board service representative, welcomed us aboard.
This is a very modern, attractive, clean, quiet train. There are
six coaches, a dining car and a cafe car. These cars are smaller
than usual; there are eight rows of seats, three across (1,
aisle, 2), and one row in the front with two seats facing
backwards. The decor features shades of gray with burgundy
accents. The seats recline without disturbing the seat-back
trays. In the front is a reasonably sized, unisex rest room
(environmentally friendly) with a fold-down baby changer. (A
light on the front bulkhead turns red when the WC is occupied.)
There are glass pocket doors between cars. The windows have
pleated shades and the tinted windows prevent people outside from
seeing in, so there's no point in our waving! 

Equipment includes overhead TV screens, and we have already seen
two videos -- one on the transit system and plans to upgrade the
northwest corridor, and one on the Talgo. It can go 125 mph in
Europe (i.e., Madrid to Paris) because the ``pendular'' tilting
suspension system allows it to take curves faster, but top speed
on this (very rough) track is 79 mph. It is five minutes to
Tacoma, our first stop. Dan says the train will be full.  

2:20 p.m. P.D.T. aboard the Talgo, near Vancouver, WA

We just returned from lunch in the dining car. I ordered salmon;
the cold plate came with cantaloupe, a roll, pasta salad and
carrot cake. Richard had cold beef with honeydew melon, a roll,
red bliss potato salad and chocolate mousse cake. The food was
good. It was served in plastic containers on a plastic tray with
stainless steel utensils and paper coffee cups. With lunch, we
had a good local Chardonnay (served in plastic stemware). There
were few passengers eating in the diner. We enjoyed an extended
conversation with people at the next table from Vancouver Island
-- a rail fan traveling with her husband and another woman. 

A movie is playing. Earphones that allow you to select music or
the movie soundtrack cost $3 (to keep). There was a souvenir
stand on board. They didn't have pins, but Richard bought a cap.
Miguel, a Talgo representative from Spain, is aboard to answer
any questions.  

On evaluation forms for the Talgo, we rated it excellent in
everything except smoothness of the ride. I think we've bumped
along more than on any other train this trip, which shows that a
good train just can't make up for bad track. 

4:00 p.m. P.D.T., Rm. 217, Red Lion Inn - Jantzen Beach,
Portland, OR 

The Talgo arrived at the Vancouver, WA, station at 3:00 p.m., 15
minutes later than scheduled. A man Richard had met last year in
Vancouver greeted us there. We called the hotel and their
courtesy van picked us up. It was a ten-minute ride to the Red
Lion Jantzen Beach. The model railroaders have started to arrive
and we have already seen some people we know. We will be here
eight days.  

I need to pick up my convention packet with my name tag and
activity ribbons for the four ``non-rail'' trips I have
registered for this week. We shipped two boxes of clothing (and
some film) to Henry Jordan since he was arriving early and was
having other Train Show cartons sent to him. He isn't answering
his telephone; I could leave a message saying, ``Henry, I need my
clothes from your room.'' But I won't. 

9:00 p.m. P.D.T., Red Lion Inn - Jantzen Beach, Portland, OR 

This afternoon we explored our hotel, which is quite rambling and
has a beautiful dockside view of the Columbia River. We walked
through a parking lot under Interstate 5 and ate dinner at the
Red Lion Inn - Columbia River, next door. Their Bridgestone
restaurant was quieter than the restaurants here, but they
weren't prepared for the crowd. They were short of staff and had
run out of bread and some menu items. Several hotels, fast-food
places and a shopping center are on this island in the Columbia
River north of Portland, just across from Vancouver, WA. When all
of the model railroaders get into town, every place in the area
will be hopping! 

Day 16:

Monday, 15 August, 10:00 p.m. P.D.T., Red Lion Inn - Jantzen
Beach, Portland, OR 

This morning at 9:00, our Train Show staff met to go over details
and share information. There are 10 of us this year. Henry
Jordan, chairman (Silver Spring, MD), Brian Kampschroer,
registrar (Mechanicsburg, PA), Dottie Finch, registrar (Phoenix,
AZ), Dennis Masters, move-in and move-out (Hagerstown, MD), Dean
Dickerhoof, layouts (Denver, CO), Richard, floor manager and
computer programmer, and I, registration, are the old- timers.
Frances Shoup, Debbie Draper and Jim Lumpfer are new to our
committee this year. 

My first ``non-rail'' trip left at 12:45 from the parking lot
under the I-5 bridge. There were four bus-loads of people for our
afternoon and evening Columbia Gorge outing. My seat- mate was
Nicole from Little Rock, AR. Our 50-ish, short, red-haired,
freckled, Irish driver said, ``My name is Red Ryder and I am the
best driver.'' He was funny and informative and really made the
trip enjoyable. Raz bus company has the transportation contract
for the convention tours and shuttle service. 

Our route was east along old, scenic U.S. 30. The first stop was
at Crown Point Vista House overlooking the Columbia River Gorge.
At Multnomah Falls, I walked uphill to a bridge for a better
view. The falls are 800 ft. high. On a tour of the Bonneville Dam
and fish hatchery and the nearby Cascade Locks, we saw Osprey
soaring above the fish ladder; one was flying off with a fish in
its claws. The dam had, three levels down, windows at the fish
ladder so everyone could watch the fish making their journeys up
and down stream. The fish hatchery had pools (with wire grating
over the top) for rainbow trout, salmon and sturgeon. The
sturgeon species is 200,000 years old! They can get 18 ft. long;
the ones we saw were 2-4 ft. 

Red was telling us an Indian legend and missed a turnoff. We
laughed when he reminded us of the Raz bus motto, in huge letters
on the back of each bus, ``We go the extra mile for you.'' Our
bus was the last to arrive at the sternwheeler dock near the
Cascade Locks, but we had ample time before boarding. It was
smooth on the river for our two-hour dinner cruise west to the
locks, then east, and then returning. The scenery was beautiful,
especially as the sun was setting. 

Our bus ride back via I-84 took about an hour. Some people in the
back of the bus had imbibed heavily on the sternwheeler and
started singing, boisterously, songs such as ``Old MacDonald's
Farm'' and ``Dinah.'' Then, some people in the front of the bus
started singing in a more refined manner,  ``Amazing Grace,''
``Battle Hymn of the Republic'' and ``Home on the Range.'' The
driver led everybody in ``My Wild Irish Rose'' and ``When Irish
Eyes are Smiling.'' The sing-along battle continued all the way
home. The city of Portland was sparkling at night. We got back at
9:30 p.m. 

Day 17:

Tuesday, 16 August, 4:30 p.m. P.D.T., Red Lion Inn - Jantzen
Beach, Portland, OR 

Richard and I went on a bus trip to Mt. St. Helens and it was an
awesome experience. We left at 6:30 a.m. There were two bus-loads
of people today, and our bus was the most modern I've been on,
with TV screens and a tape system, huge windows, and a fold-down
tray at each seat. (Our box lunch was provided, but we ate
outdoors at Coldwater Ridge.) 

After a coffee stop, we toured the Mt. St. Helens Visitor Center
and saw a very good film and a slide presentation about the
eruption and its effects. (We arrived at 9:00 a.m., opening
time.) One hour wasn't enough time to see all of the exhibits.
From there, it was an hour's drive to the Coldwater Ridge Visitor
Center, and the driver played an interpretive tape keyed to the
scenery. It was extremely interesting to hear different people
talking about their experiences during the event. Destruction was
widespread. Mud flows caused ships to run aground in the Columbia
River, and light ash covered hundreds of square miles.

Sixty-three people were killed and countless wildlife died within
minutes during that explosive Sunday morning, May 18, 1980. 
We drove for 15 miles through the ``blast zone'' where the
explosion of hot gas, pumice and rocks leveled all of the huge
trees and deposited layers of ash. It was eerie to see, yet the
wildflowers have taken hold and Weyerhaeuser has planted
seedlings in many areas. Only part of the top of Mt. St. Helens
was barely visible through the clouds when we arrived at
Coldwater Ridge, seven miles northwest of the volcano. Soon, the
clouds obscured all of the mountaintop. We could clearly see,
however, the large crater where the side of Mt. St. Helens blew
out, the Toutle River Valley that filled with debris, a large
lake below us formed from a stream, the mud flow areas, and the
next ridge where the geologist David Johnson was killed while
radioing his final message, ``Vancouver, Vancouver, this is it.'' 

The Forest Service Ranger gave a very good presentation and the
center had many displays, most stressing rejuvenation. Our three
hours were adequate to eat, browse the exhibits, shop in the
bookstore, gaze, and walk around. In the National Volcanic
Monument area, nothing can be disturbed. Scientists are studying
how life returns to such a devastated place.  

9:30 p.m. P.D.T., Red Lion Inn - Jantzen Beach, Portland, OR 

Richard and I had a great dinner at Maxi's restaurant in our
hotel. I enjoyed Caesar salad with crab ($2.30), then ``fish and
chips'' with salmon, halibut and trout, and a delicious dessert
-- hazelnut, chocolate mousse pie. (Oregon produces 97% of the
country's hazelnuts.)  

On my way to mail a postcard in the lobby, I talked with Mary Ann
Latt, from Ohio. I met her, her mother and a friend at my first
NMRA national convention in Houston (1989) and have seen them
other years. I just discovered that we share an interest in
genealogy. 

Richard got a message that there's a bug in the computer program
for next year's Atlanta show, so he's off to Henry's suite to fix
it. I am working on square four of the quilt.

Day 18:

Wednesday, 17 August, 10:00 p.m. P.D.T.
Red Lion Inn - Jantzen Beach, Portland, OR

This morning I got up at 5:45 to catch the 6:45 tour to Western
Oregon. Our mini-bus seating 22 passengers left quite late as we
had to wait for the lunches to be loaded. Our driver, Marlene,
was very knowledgeable. The bus hostess, Naomi, came prepared
with notes to point out places of interest, and asked us all to
introduce ourselves and tell our home towns.  

Marlene took us north into Washington, west along the Columbia
River, and south to cross the four-mile long Astoria Bridge back
to Oregon. At a stop for coffee to drink with the buns provided
on the trip, a fellow passenger told me she had been to a wedding
in Columbia about a year ago -- at an old house with lots of
rooms. I told her there weren't many old things in Columbia;
``Was it Kings Contrivance?'' We eventually determined we had
been at the same wedding (Todd and Amy Johnson)! She is the
cousin of Todd's father. 

Our first sightseeing stop was at Fort Stevens. President Lincoln
wanted a fort there during the Civil War to keep the Confederates
from sailing down the Columbia River. In World War II, it was the
only American mainland fired upon (briefly) by the Japanese. We
could look at an Indian long house there and a small rose garden
as well as the WWII batteries. 

Our second stop was Fort Clatsop, where Lewis and Clark and their
company wintered in 1805. We ate our box lunches there on picnic
tables. The fort has been reconstructed to Lewis and Clark's
specifications except nobody is certain how high it was. It was
small for their party of 33. The visit piqued my interest and I
bought a paperback of excerpts from diaries Lewis and Clark wrote
during the expedition. 

Our third stop was the Astoria Column, atop a high hill with a
beautiful view of the Columbia River, and (far to the west) the
Pacific Ocean. I did not climb the 163 steps to the windy
observation deck of the 125 ft. concrete monument built to honor
Lewis and Clark. Someone in our group said it was dark inside.
Astoria, the first permanent American settlement west of St.
Louis, was established in 1811 as a fur trading post. Canneries
lined the Columbia River years ago. 

Our fourth stop was the Maritime Museum in Astoria, where we had
a guided tour. The artifacts, models, drawings and paintings were
interesting but one hour wasn't long enough to see everything. We
didn't have time to tour the lightship that was part of the
museum. Our group got back to the Red Lions at 6:00 p.m.

Dottie, Denny, Dean, Henry, Richard and I went to dinner at the
Red Steer, near the Portland Exposition Center where the Train
Show will be held. TWO dinners of salad, steak, baked potato,
beverage, bread and ice cream were $13.95. What a deal! (No
atmosphere, but good food.) 

Day 19:

Thursday, 18 August, 9:50 p.m. P.D.T., Red Lion Inn - Jantzen
Beach, Portland, OR 

I worked at the Train Show at the Expo Center all day, from 7:00
a.m. to 9:30 p.m., registering exhibitors. The new laptop
computer and label printer greatly helped the name-tag process.
We also sold $1,800 worth of parking passes at $6 each. There are
260 exhibitors, some of whom I recognize from working at the
nationals at Pittsburgh, Denver, Columbus and Valley Forge. The
show covers 140,000 square feet in two areas of the hall, with
retailers, manufacturers and modular model railroad layouts in
all sizes. There are two golf carts for staff transportation;
each of us has a two-way radio for communication. 

Day 20:

Friday, 19 August, 9:45 p.m. P.D.T., Red Lion Inn - Jantzen
Beach, Portland, OR 

I worked at the Train Show at the Expo Center from 7:00 a.m. to
6:00 p.m. The show opened at noon to convention registrants and
at 4:00 p.m. to the public. I rode back to the hotel on the
shuttle bus, did some ironing, took a shower, and went to dinner
at Maxi's (again) in our hotel.  

The restaurant was much quieter than the cafe that is in the
lobby, and I really like the food. I enjoyed a leisurely meal of
Caesar salad (it can be topped with smoked salmon, crab, or
chicken) and pasta with salmon. I splurged again and ordered the
hazelnut mousse (a crust, then hazelnuts, then caramel, then
mousse, then chocolate, served on a plate dribbled lightly with
chocolate sauce and sprinkled with finely ground hazelnuts).
Bread is served with a dipping bowl of spiced olive oil. The view
was great as the sun set over the river and the lights twinkled
in Vancouver, WA. Richard got back from the Expo Center just as I
was getting back from dinner, after 9:30 p.m. 

DAY 21:

Saturday, 20 August, 10:30 p.m. P.D.T., Red Lion Inn - Jantzen
Beach, Portland, OR 

This morning I had a dream that I got lost touring a strange city
and couldn't get to the bus in time for my return. I awoke at
7:30 to find I really had missed a bus -- for my Cannon Beach and
Tillamook tour that left at 6:45. (Richard had set the alarm for
6:15 p.m. instead of a.m.) I checked with the convention's tour
desk to see what was available; they said I could take the 10:30
a.m. bus to Portland's Skidmore area Saturday Market. I ate a
real breakfast in the coffee shop and had time to do some reading
before that bus left. 

The outdoor market had vendors peddling everything from jewelry
to palm reading, tie dyed clothing, leather and pottery, plus
many sorts of food -- Thai, Hawaiian, Chinese and Vietnamese to
English (bangers, pasties), regional (salmon sandwiches, chowder)
and pita pockets, cheese steak subs, pizza and frozen yogurt. It
wasn't a farmers market! 

I spent most of my time nearby in the ``Made in Oregon'' store
shopping for gifts and souvenirs. I had everything shipped except
a tee shirt for myself and a box of chocolate- covered hazelnuts
(which they couldn't guarantee would arrive without melting).
There was a wide selection of items, including Pendleton woolens,
hazelnuts and marionberries (raspberry blackberries). 

I caught the return bus at 1:30. (There was also an afternoon
trip and I could have stayed to 5:00 p.m.) I had a nap, then
read. The Train Show closed at 6:00 p.m., and the gang got
together in Henry's suite with the remains of cheese, crackers,
veggies and dip from a meeting. At 8:30, we met for dinner at
Maxi's (again). Tonight I had prawns (very good). 

DAY 22:

Sunday, 21 August, 10:30 p.m. P.D.T., Red Lion Inn - Jantzen
Beach, Portland, OR 

I got up at 7:30, ate breakfast in the lobby cafe, and met
Frances Shoup to take the shuttle together to the Expo Center.
Today I got a chance to stroll around the hall; it took two
hours. I really enjoyed the Western Area layout with some
humorous scenery circa 1920s (i.e., a cemetery with a grave dug
and mourners waiting but no coffin -- the coffin has fallen out
of the hearse on a steep hill in town; on another hill in town, a
man is running down the sidewalk after a run-away wheelchair with
someone in it.) 

There wasn't much to do in the Train Show office today, so I
finished reading ``The Night Manager.'' Frances and I rode the
shuttle back to the hotel just after the show closed at  6:00
p.m. Later, we met for dinner in the lobby cafe ($6.95 for the
dinner buffet). I read the book I bought about Mt. St. Helens.
The rest of the crew will be working very late tonight (probably
midnight) on move-out. 

Day 23:

Monday, 22 August, 10:40 p.m. P.D.T., Red Lion Inn - Jantzen
Beach, Portland, OR 

Richard and I had breakfast in the Garden Cafe; Rick Shoup and
Brian Kampschroer joined us. Most of the 2,000 conventioneers
have gone home. The Train Show paid (public) attendance was
12,600. The restaurant staff said they had never seen a
convention like this one where people start eating at 6:00 a.m.
and eat steadily all day and all night! Richard and Henry met
with the exhibit hall management, decorators and security
service. Rick Shoup went to the airport to pick up our rental car
a day early as we need it for our outing. 

Dottie, Dennis, Rick, Brian, Dean, Henry, Richard and I met for
lunch in the Garden Cafe, then rode in two cars for our annual
end-of-show excursion. (Frances wasn't feeling well, so Rick went
in her place.) We drove east along the Washington side of the
Columbia River to browse in the Pendleton Woolen Mills' outlet
store in Washougal (Richard bought a wool shirt), passed the
Bonneville Dam, crossed the river at White Salmon, WA, and drove
for miles past apple, pear and peach orchards.  

We arrived at our destination, the Timberline Lodge, at 5:00 p.m.
and made reservations for dinner at 6:15. The lodge was built in
1938 by artisans as part of Roosevelt's Works Projects
Administration. A huge, hexagonal stone fireplace rises three
floors to the roof. The high beams are enormous. (They have to be
-- the lodge is at 6,000 ft. elevation and the average snow depth
is 21 FEET!) There was a beautiful view from the windows -- in
the front, we could see Mt. Jefferson, 46 miles away; Mt. Hood's
summit loomed 3.5 miles in the rear. Our dinners (paid by Train
Show funds as a staff thank-you) were delicious (and expensive).
After dinner, we gazed at a spectacular view from a stone porch
above the entry -- an almost full moon was rising to our left,
Mt. Jefferson poked above clouds ahead of us, clouds were below
us, and the sun was setting in a purplish orange glow to our
right. 

Day 24:

Tuesday, 23 August, 4:45 p.m. P.D.T., Rm. 109, Seasons Motel,
Morton, WA 

This morning Richard and I packed, went to breakfast in the
Garden Cafe, said our goodbyes to the other Train Show staff
members, shipped three cartons of extra clothing and Train Show
papers home from the hotel, and were on the road in our rental
Pontiac Sunbird by 10:30 to see southwestern Washington. We drove
north on I-5, west to Longview, then north on Rt. 101 through the
Willapa Hills. We ate lunch at a Dairy Queen in Raymond on the
Willapa Bay. This area is timberland -- most owned by
Weyerhaeuser. There wasn't much traffic -- most of it was trucks
loaded with logs, wood chips or wood pulp. 

From Raymond, we continued north on routes 101 and 107, then east
on Rt. 12, and south to I-5 and exit 68, about 25 miles north of
Kelso, where we had gotten off I-5 this morning. There was road
construction with one-way traffic near Malone; Richard picked
roadside blackberries while waiting our turn to proceed. We
stopped for picture taking near the town of Mossy Rock,
surrounded by mountains, and took a one-mile side trip to Hopkins
Viewpoint of Mt. St. Helens, 25 miles to the south. We drove 248
miles today. 

Morton is a small town southwest of Mt. Rainier. The temperature
is 75 degrees and it is clear. Richard is at the laundromat. All
the roads east and north of Morton, through and around the
Cascade range, are designated scenic roads on the map. 

7:50 p.m. P.D.T., Seasons Motel, Morton, WA

For dinner, we drove three blocks to the downtown Cody Cafe. In
contrast to last night's award-winning cuisine, tonight's meal
was totally down-home: chicken-fried steak and marionberry pie
(also canned corn and instant mashed potatoes). Our total bill
was $15.06. After dinner, we drove around town and noticed a
distinct aroma of cedar. Richard bought a bottle of local
Gewurztraminer, which we are enjoying at an umbrella table on the
motel's corner patio as dusk envelops the mountains around us. 

Day 25:

Wednesday, 24 August, 7:45 p.m. P.D.T., Rm. 224, Oxbow Motel,
Toppenish, WA 

We woke up at 8:30 a.m. During our continental breakfast in the
small lobby, we met a woman from the suburbs of Reading, PA.
Norman, the manager, said that during the Mt. St. Helens'
eruption, Morton got two inches of ash on the ground and an odor
of sulphur. They did not dare to drive anywhere; the pumice was
terrible on car bearings and starters. 

This morning was clear with some clouds on the mountains. At 9:40
a.m., when we left, it was 53 degrees. We chuckled over Morton's
``Quicky Mart'' and ``Spiffy Drive In-Drive Through'' and the
``Dead End'' sign by the cemetery. 

At Elbe, Richard stopped to take photos of the Mt. Rainier Scenic
Railroad. On the other side of the tracks was a tiny Lutheran
Church, designated as an historic site, built in 1906. (Out here,
that is OLD!) We were puzzled by the highway sign, ``No Jake
Breaks.''  

Mount Rainier National Park was filled with many impressive
views. Near the Nisqually entrance (southwest corner of the park)
are old growth forests with Douglas fir, western hemlock, and
western red cedar, 500 to 1,000 years old. There was a great view
of Mt. Rainier from the lodge at Longmire. (I thought I was
looking at clouds and then realized I was really seeing one of
the snow-capped peaks at 14,000 ft. with clouds below.) Equally
beautiful were the Christine Falls, the Nisqually River Glacier
and the Narada Falls. We stopped at the Paradise Visitor Center
for lunch. Paradise, which claims the world's record snowfall
(1,122 inches in 1971-72), was abloom with colorful sub-Alpine
wildflowers. 

After lunch, we stopped at park viewpoints including one where a
Marmot appeared about five feet from us and posed patiently for
picture-taking. We photographed Reflection Lake, Stevens Canyon,
and Box Canyon of the Cowlitz where the water was 180 ft. below
and we could see Mt. Adams 40 miles in the distance. 

Near 4:00 p.m., at a scenic turn-off along a switchback between
Cayuse Pass and Chinook Pass, a tow truck was pulling a
motorcycle out of a ravine. Rangers at a later road- construction
stop told us the cyclist didn't survive the accident that had
occurred much earlier. (He may have been hit by a car.) The edges
along these roads are steep and there are few guard rails.  

After leaving the park, we drove east on Rt. 410 through
Wenatchee National Forest. Then, I was astounded as the terrain
changed drastically to high desert -- brown hills with sagebrush
and no trees! We traveled 173 miles today. 

Toppenish, near the Yakima Indian Reservation, is totally flat
but ringed by distant brown mountains. Our motel (low basic) is
across from a ``Serv-um-Self'' (groan). We ate dinner at the
Branding Iron, a 24-hour truck stop featuring Mexican fare ($11
for both dinners) and drove around the small downtown. The town
is noted for numerous murals, painted on buildings, depicting
western life. The town motto is ``Where the West Still Lives.''
Native American and Mexican people are the majority population
here. 

Day 26:

Thursday, 25 August, 8:25 p.m. P.D.T., 
Rm. 132, Riverhouse, Bend, OR 

We left Toppenish at 8:55 a.m. after breakfast at the Cattlemens
Restaurant, where we were the only customers for the cook who
also served us. We drove south, stopping at one viewpoint where
we could see, across fields, Mt. Adams (45 miles), Mt. Hood (50
miles), and Mt. Rainier (76 miles). At Maryhill, WA, we crossed
the Columbia River into Biggs, OR, then drove west on I-84 to The
Dalles and south on U.S. 197. There were few cars; the area is
cattle country, sparsely populated. We saw hay fields, lots of
sagebrush, and brown, rocky hills with few trees. We got gas at
Tygh Valley (population 274) and ate lunch at 12:45 in Madras at
the Burger Works, a real drive-in where we ordered from our
parking space and a car-hop brought our food. Burgers were $1.75,
small drinks were $.55.  

We checked into the Riverhouse at 2:00 p.m. In comparison to this
large resort, (they gave us a map of the grounds), last night's
lodgings were extremely shabby. Our spacious, two- level room is
tastefully decorated in turquoise, blue, green, rust and mauve.
The upper level has a full bathroom and a long closet opposite a
second vanity with a sink and hair dryer. Down three steps are a
king-sized bed, sofa, TV, dresser and round table with arm
chairs. A sliding door opens to a patio next to an attractive
riverside garden. The door has a screen! 

This afternoon, we drove 10 miles south of town and spent 2.5
hours browsing at the very interesting High Desert Museum. We
didn't have time to see everything; they closed at 5:00 p.m.
There was a great walk-through ``Spirit of the West'' exhibit
with artifacts, buildings and sounds representative of early
Indian settlements, fur traders, explorers, pioneers, miners,
city dwellers and ranch-hands. There were displays of art,
science, nature and history and a Desertarium with live animals
such as bats, owls and snakes. Outdoors, we watched porcupines
eat supper and otters scamper around their habitat. Numerous
ground squirrels played along the trail. We browsed a few minutes
in the museum store. 

At 5:30, we went next door to the Riverhouse lounge and ordered
drinks (two free with the room) and a prawn cocktail (1/4 pound,
$1.75). Then, we walked across the street to a Beef and Brew for
a steak dinner. (We saw so many cattle today, and hay, and more
cattle.) A six-ounce filet with salad and a baked potato was
$10.95. Later, we strolled around the resort's grounds. Behind
our room, there is a picturesque view of a small covered bridge
for guests to walk across across the Deschutes River. Huge lava
rocks are in the riverbed. The water level is low; most of the
water is diverted through a concrete aqueduct. There are no
downspouts here. Instead, rainwater runs down huge chains from
the roof to the ground. 

We traveled 227 miles of high desert country today, through few
towns. Of seven named places in Oregon since leaving the
Interstate at The Dalles, about 120 miles ago, only two were more
than crossroads! Bend is a big place: population 27,000 plus
tourists. 

Day 27:

Friday, 26 August, 9:30 p.m. P.D.T., Rm. 5, Oregon Motel 8,
Klamath Falls, OR  

This was another clear, cool, breezy, beautiful day. After
breakfast at the Riverhouse restaurant, we left Bend at 10:25 and
drove west on the Cascade Lakes Highway, a straight, sparsely
traveled, 87-mile scenic loop. We rode through the Winema and
Umpqua national forests and winter recreation areas, photographed
Mt. Bachelor and the South Sister of the Three Sisters and passed
signs warning ``Caution: Timber Falling,'' ``Beetle Kill Area,'' 
``Do Not Pass Snow Plow to the Right,'' ``Fire Danger Level: Very
High,'' and ``Parking Permits Required in Sno Parks.'' Near
milepost 59, we passed strange, large, black, volcanic rocks
piled several miles long; a Ranger later told us they were 3,000
years old. The scenic loop ended at Rt. 58, so we headed east to
U.S. 97, then west on Rt. 138 to the north entrance of Crater
Lake National Park (``Road Closed in Winter''). 

At 1:00 p.m., we arrived at Crater Lake via North Junction and
got our first view. WOW! The water is unbelievably blue. This was
once Mt. Mazama, a 12,000 ft. volcano. Eruptions 7,700 years ago
(42 times greater than Mt. St. Helens in 1980) blew out so much
mass that the mountain collapsed; water collected in the caldera
to form the deepest lake in the U.S. (1,500 ft. avg. depth). The
highest point on the rim is 8,151 ft.  

Driving south, we ate lunch at the Rim Village Visitor Center,
then circled the lake on the 33-mile Rim Drive -- clockwise, at
my request, so that we would be driving the inside lane on the
uphill side rather than the outside lane beside the downhill
drop-offs (no guard rails here, either). We stopped at many
viewpoints to take photos, particularly: of Wizard Island (the
volcanic cone built up after Mt. Mazama collapsed); at Cloudcap
(where we looked for a floating log called The Old Man); of the
Phantom Ship formation (remnants of a 400,000- year-old volcano);
and at Sun Notch. We skipped the mile hike downhill to the boat
dock for a trip on the lake. In our five hours here, all of the
views were beautiful! 

After ice cream bars at the Mazama Village camp store, we left
the park and took a pretty drive on Rt. 62 through the Winema
National Forest (again) and along rangeland. Past the site of
Fort Klamath (1863-1889), built to protect settlers from Indian
attacks, we returned to Rt. 97. In the distance, we could see the
snow-capped peak of Mt. Shasta, elev. 14,162 ft. (California is
20 miles south.) We drove along the Upper Klamath Lake to our
motel, which is across from the Olive Oasis (advertising olives,
peppers and horseradish). The motel is small but our room is very
clean and pleasant. The manager gave us a message to call Brian;
everything is fine at home. 

We drove in town to dinner at the Steak Country Restaurant, a
typical western steak house recommended by the motel manager.
Steak dinners (with soup, a small loaf of bread, salad and
potato) started at $9.95; chicken was $11.95. Ranchers at the
next table were discussing cattle. The proprietors, John and
Lori, were exceptionally friendly and John was very funny.  

Today, we drove 235 miles.

Day 28:

Saturday, 27 August, 7:30 p.m. P.D.T., Rm. 214, Holiday Inn
Express, Florence, OR  

We left Klamath Falls at 8:15 a.m. and drove along the west side
of Upper Klamath Lake, where we photographed some white pelicans.
From Rt. 140, we took Dead Indian Road (!) through the Winema
National Forest (again), Rogue River National Forest, prairie and
open range (some cattle were on the road shoulder) to Ashland.
Richard said it was fun to drive the last seven miles, down a
narrow, twisting canyon. We arrived in Ashland just before 10:00
a.m. and ate breakfast in the Ashland Bakery Cafe that was
recommended in one of the travel books I read when we were
planning this trip. I had a lemon poppyseed muffin that was so
large I couldn't finish it. Famous for its summer Shakespeare
festival, the good-sized town is filled with Victorian bed and
breakfast inns. 

By 11:00 a.m., we were northbound on I-5 (along with lots of
trucks), and for 40 miles we saw and smelled smoke from several
forest fires in the area. We left I-5 at Roseburg to take Rt. 42
west, passing sheep, grapes, ``u-pick'' apples, sawmills,
Christmas tree farms and ``For Sale / Oats / Grass / Hay'' but
few towns on our way to the coast. There was a covered bridge in
the town of Remote, and a Maryland Avenue in Myrtle Point, where
we ate lunch at an A&W Root Beer stand (another place with car
hops) at 1:30.  

We reached Rt. 101 at 2:22, and passed another sawmill, log
barges, and wood product plants (redwood, myrtle, and plywood).
It was 68 degrees in Coos Bay, the site of a huge processing
center for wood products shipped to Japan. After North Bend, we
could finally see the Pacific. It is rocky along this coast. By
Reedsport, at 3:05, it was overcast; we didn't stop to see the
chain saw carvings. We could smell the huge International Paper
Company in Gardiner before we passed it. We stopped at the Oregon
Dunes Overlook at 3:30 and the Jesse M. Honeyman State Park. 

At 4:00 p.m., we arrived in Florence. Today, we drove 289 miles
from high desert through mountains to the coast. The motel is new
and clean, and our room is large. We settled our bags in the
room, looked up places to see downtown, then drove to Old Town.
We enjoyed conversing with the shop-keeper at The Grape Leaf
where we tasted four Oregon wines, bought three bottles (one to
drink and two to pack) and asked her to suggest a restaurant for
dinner. After strolling along a few blocks including a mini-park,
shops and dock, we drove to 37th Street to the Windward Inn, the
recommended restaurant. I enjoyed a salad, multi- grain roll,
charbroiled salmon, baked potato and green beans. Dinner was
$31.15 for us both. The wonderful, fresh salmon in the Northwest
is truly a treat. 

Day 29:

Sunday, 28 August, 10:45 p.m. P.D.T., Rm. 286, Quality Inn,
Gresham, OR  

We were on the road by 9:45 after a free continental breakfast in
the hotel lobby. At the Heceta Head lighthouse overlook we looked
for sea lions. There are lighthouses, parks and pull-offs all
along this road. At one beach, I got my feet wet in the Pacific
Ocean -- the water was COLD. Adventurers were hang gliding over
Devil's Churn. At 11:30, we went through Yachats, population 635.
It was 59 degrees at Newport, and cloudy.  

We toured the Yaquina Bay lighthouse in Newport, used only three
years (1871-74). Another lighthouse was to be built eight miles
north, at Cape Foulweather, in 1873. There was no road to Cape
Foulweather and sea conditions were so treacherous there, the
building materials had to be off-loaded at Yaquina Head. By
mistake, the second lighthouse was built there. Then the Yaquina
Bay lighthouse, only three miles away, was abandoned. Because of
a fictional story written in 1899, ``The Haunted Light at Newport
by the Sea,'' the place has a reputation of being haunted. (The
reputation brings in the tourists.) 

After a shrimp and chips lunch in Newport at the Galley Ho, we
went to the Yaquina Head lighthouse and looked through a
telescope at Harbor Seals (white with some black). There were
lots of flies there, and seagulls, and some Cormorants (black
birds with long necks). We also stopped at Cape Foulweather
(named by Captain Cook) at 2:45. It is high over the ocean and
winds of 100 mph are not uncommon. 

It was 67 degrees, still overcast, in Depoe Bay where we stopped
at the Fuddy Duddy Fudge shop for Tillamook Ice Cream and some
fudge for the train. (I had a French Silk cone -- chocolate with
chocolate chunks.) At Siuslaw National Forest, after Lincoln
City, Rt. 101 leaves the coast; we took a scenic route past beach
resort towns, ``Fat Freddy's Fast Food,'' the ``Greatful Bread
Bakery,'' a huge rock in the ocean at Cape Kiwanda, more chain
saw sculptures and more myrtlewood factories to visit the
Tillamook County Creamery Association, which I had missed last
Saturday. We toured the cheese factory and bought some sharp
cheddar to take home. There were two ice cream shops there, and
the waffle cone aroma was tempting, but I couldn't eat more ice
cream! Richard had a licorice cone. 

At 6:00 p.m., we left Tillamook, headed east on Rt. 6 through
mountains, and found it sunny on the other side, with puffy
clouds and blue sky. Driving through flat farmland, we didn't
pass a town for 40 miles! Continuing east on Rt. 26 through
Portland, a downpour hit just west of downtown. We were so busy
looking at the double rainbow that we missed I-84, several times!
I don't know how we got to the motel -- our map wasn't detailed
enough. (Richard still insists he knew where we were all the
time). We arrived at Gresham past 8:30 after driving 289 miles.
For supper, we walked across the parking lot to Elmers restaurant
(a chain, similar to Denny's in appearance). I had a tasty,
open-faced, hot shrimp salad sandwich served on an English muffin
half. 

Returning to the room, we finished our tasty Oregon
Gewurztraminer (Wasson Bros. 1992) and started to repack our bags
for the train tomorrow. Richard can't find our tickets -- he
thinks he shipped them home by mistake in one of the cartons we
sent on Tuesday! Day 30:

Monday, 29 August, 3:00 p.m. P.D.T., Union Station, Portland, OR  

At 9:00 a.m., Richard called Ted Kildegaard, our travel agent in
Berkeley, CA, (we had made travel arrangements with him on
CompuServe) and told him of the lost tickets. Ted called back and
said we were lucky -- Amtrak's policy recently changed and they
now can reissue tickets at the station for $30. Formerly they
charged full price for new tickets.  

We ate breakfast at Elmers and looked for a Post Office and a
place to buy film. We found the Post Office in a film store!
Richard mailed a final carton home and I bought my last roll of
film (I hope). Then, we drove to Union Station and got new
tickets. 

We had an hour to visit the Fort Vancouver National Historic Site
Visitor Center, just over the Columbia River in Washington. It
was founded by the Hudson's Bay Company in the 1800's as a
trading center and refuge for pioneers who needed food or medical
care. Then, Richard dropped me off at Union Station with our four
bags. He returned the rental car to the airport and rode a
shuttle to town that got him back to the station at 2:30 p.m. 

The weather is pleasant and I enjoyed sitting on an outdoor
bench, reading and watching people. One woman on her way to San
Francisco sat next to me and talked constantly for 20 minutes
about her mother's dog, her parakeet, her lower dentures, her
daughter, drinking beer on a fishing charter and on and on and on
until her train was called. Our train is scheduled to leave at
4:25 p.m. I bought sandwiches and sodas in the snack bar. 

8:00 p.m. P.D.T., aboard the Empire Builder, somewhere in
Washington 

It is almost dark. The train left Portland on time, and left
Vancouver, WA, at 4:50. There are some new, large homes
overlooking the river just east of Vancouver. (There is no income
tax in Washington, and no sales tax in Oregon, so many people
live in Vancouver and shop in Portland.) We noticed poles in the
river for tying up log rafts, a large paper pulp facility (we
could tell by the smell), Multnomah Falls, and The Dalles. Now we
are way past the Columbia River Gorge, but still in high desert.
There are no towns to see.  

The train's two-level SuperLiner cars are very spacious. Narrow
stairs are opposite us, to our left, in the center of the car.
Downstairs are (forward) racks for storing baggage and (rear)
rest rooms -- four tiny, unisex, toilet-sink compartments and a
ladies lounge that combines a small rest room with a dressing
area containing two sinks and bench seats. Passage between cars
is on the upper level only. The car looks cozy with lights in the
overhead luggage racks shining on the sides of the ceiling and
above the windows. Each seat has an individual, high-density
light. The general lighting, except safety lights, will be turned
off at 10:00 p.m. so that people can sleep. We got sandwiches for
supper in the cafe car. It has a snack bar and tables below;
upstairs, seats are angled toward the windows. Smoking is allowed
only in half of the lounge. There is a movie showing in the
lounge. 

Our train consists of an engine, a baggage car, a cafe/lounge
car, two coaches and a sleeper. Our car is the third from the
rear. The diner (and other cars) will be put on at Spokane. This
is the first train I've been on where the conductor would not let
anyone leave any bags on the floor. He announced it was an FDA
regulation that all baggage be placed in the racks! (Richard said
the Coastal Starlight had mice, which may have prompted this
fastidiousness.) 

11:15 p.m. P.D.T., aboard the Empire Builder, Spokane, WA

I went to sleep early, but woke up as we slowed for Spokane. The
train will be stopped here until 1:00 a.m. There's not much to
see -- just some lights and old, darkened buildings. We turned
our watches ahead one hour. (Officially, the time changes
somewhere after Spokane). 

Day 31:

Tuesday, 30 August, 9:30 a.m. M.D.T. 
Lake McDonald Lodge, Glacier National Park, MT

I slept through Idaho and woke up at 6:40 a.m. at Whitefish, MT,
one stop ahead of ours. (The conductor would have gotten us up,
if we had been asleep.) Richard's scanner picked up ``57 degrees,
56 axles, no defects.'' Our train expanded in Spokane to three
engines and 11 cars (14 cars x 4 axles each = 56 axles). We
arrived 10 minutes early at Belton (West Glacier) at 7:25; the
train waited at the station until its scheduled time to leave.
The driver to take us to the lodge was ready with a red and
black, 18-passenger, 1936 White bus with a canvas, retractable
top and five bench seats, each with a door on the passenger side
(easy and fast to get on and off). There was only one other
rider; he got off at the Apgar Visitor Center. There are 32 old
``reds'' in the Glacier bus fleet. The drivers are called
``jammers'' because they used to jam the gears on the mountain
roads. (Transmissions and engines have been updated.) This park
continues in Canada as Waterton Lakes National Park. 

It is drizzling. We ate breakfast in the lodge restaurant
(buffet, $5.95), walked around the grounds and sat in huge
rockers on the veranda. On a nicer day, the view would be
exceptional. Because we cannot get into our room until after 4:00
p.m., we have to ``hang out'' in the lobby. At 11:00 a.m., we are
scheduled to take a five-hour tour along Going-to- the-Sun Road.
The rustic, three-story lobby is decorated with stuffed animal
heads, Indian blankets and animal skins. There is a huge
fireplace, and furnishings include stick chairs, an upright piano
and writing desks. The lodge was built in 1913. 

7:40 p.m. M.D.T., Rm. M-16, Lake McDonald Lodge, Glacier National
Park, MT 

The ``red'' was filled for our tour, and we were quite a jolly
group. It was overcast as we drove through stands of red cedar
and western hemlock to a stop at McDonald Falls, and the weather
progressively worsened. We were in clouds at the Logan Pass
Visitor Center (the Continental Divide at 6, 646 ft.) and saw
nothing! The temperature there was 47 degrees. It was a bit scary
riding on the steep, wet, narrow roads with hairpin turns, poor
visibility, traffic coming the other way -- and no guard rails.
Several of us found ourselves leaning toward the center of the
road, as if that would keep the bus from going over a precipice!

There was plenty of time for lunch at Rising Sun. The sun didn't
rise there today! It was raining harder as we started our return
trip at 1:45. Our driver skipped the usual tour stops since we
couldn't see the scenery. Some of us needed the heat on the bus
-- there was a blanket for each seat! Our driver said it was the
first rainy day there all summer. When we got back to the lodge
(at 3:00 p.m., an hour earlier than scheduled) it was clearing,
and we passed some ``reds'' with their canvas tops retracted!  
While waiting for our room, Richard and I looked through the
lodge gift shop and enjoyed music composed by a guest playing the
piano in the lobby. After exploring the general store next to the
lodge, we walked to the coffee shop across the road. I had
huckleberry ice cream. Our room is on the second floor of a long
unit north of the main lodge. After settling in, I took a nap and
read. We walked to the lake again, and the sun was out, the
clouds were high, the sky was blue, and the wind was whipping
(about 35-40 mph). 

For dinner, we enjoyed excellent mountain trout at the coffee
shop. With a baked potato, corn, bread and salad, the price was
$8.25. We have set TWO clocks and asked for a wake- up call
tomorrow at 5:45 a.m. so that we don't miss our ``red'' to the
train. This train connection is the last we must make. Amtrak
stops only once a day here (each way) and we are in the middle of
nowhere! 

Day 32:

Wednesday, 31 August, 9:20 a.m. M.D.T.
aboard the Empire Builder, just past East Glacier, MT 

We got up at 5:45, collected our things and walked to the main
building of Lake McDonald Lodge while it was still dark. Another
couple was waiting for the bus; they were from St. Paul. Our
``red'' picked up a few people in Apgar and got us to the Belton
station at 7:15 with time to look over the books and souvenirs. A
volunteer opens the station each morning for a short time.
Richard's scanner heard the track defect detector announcement as
our train passed it a few miles west, ``44 degrees, 68 axles, no
defects.'' This train is three cars longer than yesterday's. It
arrived a few minutes early again. 

The track skirts the southern edge of the park along the Flathead
River from West Glacier (Belton) through Walton to East Glacier.
Each day, a narrator gets on the train at Whitefish, tells about
local history, geography, geology and wildlife, gets off at East
Glacier, and drives back to Whitefish. (At first, I thought it
was a recording, but I saw the woman reading her script when I
went to get breakfast in the cafe car.)  

The East Glacier stop was much busier than West Glacier; about 30
people got on or off the train. Both places are very small. In
West Glacier, we could see only a few buildings. In East Glacier,
we saw only the imposing Glacier Park Lodge. 

Our SuperLiner car today is slightly different from yesterday's.
Most noticeable: the stairs are on the right side (not the left)
and the rest rooms downstairs are toward the left (rear), not the
right. There is a compartment to the right (forward) with seats
for 13 passengers. Facilities include a men's dressing room, a
women's dressing room, two small, unisex wash rooms and a larger
one (supposedly to accommodate a wheelchair, but it would take
some tight maneuvering).  

10:45 a.m. M.D.T., 
aboard the Empire Builder, just past Shelby, MT 

After East Glacier, the land was hilly but there were no more
mountains. We noticed herds of cattle on the Blackfoot Indian
Reservation. In the plains of Montana, Sweet Grass Hills, the
U.S.-Canadian border is only 25 miles to the north. 

12:05 p.m. M.D.T., aboard the Empire Builder, Havre, MT

We had a few minutes to get off the train at Havre for fresh air.
Most people were taking pictures of the Baldwin 4-8-4 engine that
is 16 ft. to the top of its smokestack and 103 ft. long. Few saw
that behind the engine was an interesting welded piece, ``Hands
Across the Border'' by sculptor Earl Pomeroy. 

1:15 p.m. M.D.T., aboard the Empire Builder, still in Montana 

We ate lunch in the diner. Meals are served on thin china with
stainless steel utensils and linen napkins. I had salad and
fettucini Alfredo for $6; Richard had pepperoni pizza for $6. We
sat with a woman who had been visiting her daughter in Whitefish
and a woman who had been in East Glacier visiting family. 

1:40 p.m. M.D.T., aboard the Empire Builder, Malta, MT

At our brief stop in Malta, the conductor described a Butch
Cassidy raid on the Great Northern Railroad in 1901, and varied
versions of the tale. He said Malta, in the heart of cattle
country, has been called the western town that wouldn't grow up.
I have finished quilting another block. 

4:30 p.m. M.D.T., aboard the Empire Builder, still in Montana 

We are still traveling through rangeland and farmland. The sky is
blue and clear with some clouds. Occasionally we pass some mounds
of rock formations. There are some rolling hills but most places
are very flat. We are between Wolf Point, MT, and Williston, ND
where we turn our clocks ahead one hour. I've seen lots of
horses, cattle, sheep and baled hay. I think Montana is almost as
long as Ontario! 

5:00 p.m. M.D.T., aboard the Empire Builder, entering North
Dakota 

Montana, which seemed endless, was 675 miles long. We passed a
herd of buffalo at 4:40. It was 55 degrees in Overton at 4:45
p.m. 

8:35 p.m. C.D.T., aboard the Empire Builder, Minot, ND

We had a very good dinner in the dining car: salad, prime rib,
mashed potatoes, green beans with almonds, carrots with cinnamon,
rolls and wine. The tab was $34 for two (including ice cream for
Richard). We sat with a friendly couple from Tampa; they flew to
Omaha, took a train around Montana, and are flying back to
Florida from Minneapolis-St. Paul. 

We were in the second dinner sitting (of four sittings) at 6:45.
Half of the diner is filled every 45 minutes. People traveling
together are seated together and others fill in any empty seats.
The dining car steward seats people, writes the checks and
handles the finances. The limited menu usually has five entree
choices: chicken, seafood, vegetarian pasta, steak and a chef's
special. 

Passengers took advantage of a ``fresh air'' stop at Minot,
8:20-8:35 p.m. 

Day 33:

Thursday, 1 September, 8:00 a.m. C.D.T., aboard the Empire
Builder, somewhere in Minnesota

I woke up at 6:00 a.m. The train stopped at 6:35 in
Minneapolis-St. Paul, and we got off for some fresh air. It was
very nippy! The Empire Builder pulled out at 7:20 a.m., on time,
after the sun was up. We ate breakfast in the diner with a couple
from Seattle on their way to visit family in Fort Wayne, IN. Our
route follows the Mississippi River. 

1:00 p.m. C.D.T., aboard the Empire Builder, who knows where 

For lunch, we got sandwiches in the cafe and ate at our seats.
I'm not sure where we are; we're not following the regular route
over the Soo Line because they are on strike. We are east of the
Mississippi. I think we are in Wisconsin, heading
south-southeast, but we passed through East Dubuque a short time
ago, so we may be in Illinois. The weather is partly cloudy, 68
degrees. The terrain here is quite different with rolling hills
and trees. The flat places aren't as flat as in North Dakota or
Montana; the timber isn't nearly as tall as in Oregon and
Washington. Farmers here are growing corn. We have seen more
houses today than we saw in the past two days combined.  

People aboard are cordial but there is nowhere near the
camaraderie we experienced aboard the Canadian; perhaps because
our trip is shorter? Or, because the seat backs are higher?
Because the conductors are more rigid? Because we aren't seated
near a group of fun-loving students? Because the passengers are
Americans? Since we are now returning home, this part of our
eastbound trip isn't as much of an adventure for us as our
trans-Canada excursion was. 

2:40 p.m. C.D.T., aboard the Empire Builder, west of Chicago, IL 

We are 99 miles out of Chicago on Burlington Northern tracks. The
train is experiencing numerous delays along these single tracks.
Amtrak has no priority and it is first-come, first- served along
with all of the freight trains. Our only passenger stop was this
morning at Minneapolis-St. Paul. There are acres and acres of
corn.... We were supposed to have a five-hour layover in Chicago;
I don't think we're going to have to decide what sightseeing to
do there! 

9:00 p.m. C.D.T., 
aboard the Broadway Limited, east of Chicago, IL  

The Empire Builder got into Chicago three hours late, at 6:45
p.m. We spent a lot of time sitting on sidings! Not only were we
held up waiting for freight trains to pass, but there was a
broken signal. Then, we were delayed by numerous Chicago commuter
runs that had priority. Finally, we had to wait in the yard at
Chicago for someone to come aboard to back the train into the
station. A number of passengers were very upset about missing
their connections. We just missed some sightseeing time that we
hadn't really counted on. 

While Richard watched our bags and saved a seat for me in the
mobbed, noisy waiting room, I shopped for dinner at a variety of
food stands on the station's mezzanine. We ate a pork barbecue
sandwich and shrimp fried rice while waiting; I saved my
blackberry milkshake for the train. In the Chicago station, as I
remembered from our Denver trip in 1991, crowds of confused
people cram themselves into a herd to wait for boarding. 

The Broadway Limited left on time at 8:15 p.m. The train is full.
The old equipment is dingy and the windows are dirty. Our coach
has a women's lounge in front (similar to the Montrealer) and a
men's and an accessible (supposedly, but still small) rest room
in the rear. There is nothing attractive about the interior; it
is actually depressing. These older cars have doors you pull
open; the SuperLiners had pocket doors that open with kick plates
or push plates. Our car has 44 seats; the SuperLiners had 60
seats. 

Aboard are a number of noisy, irritated passengers; a woman next
to us, traveling from California, is griping about trains always
being late. There are some people on board who missed their
intended connections and are being creatively re-routed to their
destinations. A diner, sleepers and cafe car are behind us. Our
car is too cold; others are too hot. Soon, we turn our watches
ahead one hour. 

Day 34:

Friday, 2 September, 8:50 a.m. E.D.T.
aboard the Broadway Limited, east of Pittsburgh, PA

I woke up at 7:00 a.m. as we neared Pittsburgh. The train backed
into the station. We had to go through three cars to get off the
train; I walked around on the platform to get some fresh air.
(Our car now is too hot.) The Broadway Limited contains two
diesels, six baggage cars, two sleepers, a diner, a cafe and five
coaches. We left Pittsburgh on time at 7:40 a.m.  

The train is a mess. The floors are dirty because some people
just throw their trash in the aisles! One of the loud women
behind us complained that our car was too cold, so the conductor
adjusted the temperature and it got too hot. Now she is wondering
whether she can complain about the temperature again. (Somebody
needs to! Where is the conductor?) 

We ate breakfast in the dining car, of French toast and sausage
links (microwaved on board), juice and coffee for $4.50. There
were real flowers on the tables and linen tablecloths, but
plastic utensils and plastic dishes. We sat with a couple going
to Philadelphia to visit family; they didn't seem to want
conversation. Breakfast took over an hour -- it was inefficient
in the galley with just one cook, and the steward was so busy we
had to wait to pay our check. 

4:45 p.m. E.D.T., aboard the Minute Man, Wilmington, DE

At 10:13 a.m. the Broadway Limited went around Horseshoe Curve, 7
miles west of Altoona, PA. We bought sandwiches in the cafe car
to eat at our seats. The Pennsylvania countryside was beautiful
and familiar. We stopped at Harrisburg. The on-board temperature
got cooler. (Somebody found the conductor and complained.) Near
Paradise we saw the Strassburg Railroad steam train. We arrived
on time in Philadelphia at 3:30, and decided to take an earlier
train to BWI than our scheduled Virginian at 5:13. I had time to
phone Brian before we boarded (so that he will pick us up
earlier). The Minute Man, from Boston, left Philadelphia at 4:15.
This train is clean, smooth and quiet in spite of being crowded.
There's a lot less leg room! Most corridor passengers are
business travelers. We expect to arrive at BWI rail station at
5:40 p.m. SIGH! This short ride marks the end of our five-week
journey. 

It has been a wonderful vacation, and the longest one I've ever
had. We saw spectacular scenery, met many interesting people,
enjoyed delicious food, experienced a few unplanned adventures,
and traveled in areas neither of us had been before. Richard and
I realized, again, that we are remarkably compatible. Our
planning was good; all of our connections worked well; we didn't
misplace any bags; and we had fun. It really was helpful to
``travel light.'' (Of course we did take advantage by shipping
additional clothes.) I packed successfully for train travel -- I
used everything I had and didn't need anything else. 

Next, we will have to deal with re-entry: cooking and shopping,
making our own beds, cleaning, doing laundry, going back to work
(groan), reading newspapers, editing Richard's 11 hours of
videos, putting together albums of souvenirs and my 17 rolls of
pictures, transcribing a notebook full of my scribblings, and
paying the bills for all of the things we charged! Next year,
Atlanta....