More Photos Below!Gallery
What a great train trip across the continent!
We cashed in years of Amtrak credit card points and got a free sleeper car both ways. It’s automatically First Class. Linen table cloths. An attendant.
I tell ya 1st Cl train travel is the way to go! Our cabin was fine for us four big folk. It helps if the adults don’t mind sharing a double-size bed. It helps if you’re bodily flexible. It’s not a lot of room, but enough.
Sleeping at night was a delight — rocking and rumbling gently to and fro.
I’m going to try to relate useful, helpful info about our trip, in case you decide to do such a thing or to visit Seattle. But I won’t be able to avoid all opinionating, I’m afraid.
Also, so far, I’ve only had about 15 min’s at a time to do wired-work. Whew! I’m dashing off right now, even…
So, the quiet politeness of 1st Cl is wonderful from the get-go. When we boarded in Michigan, headed for our big launch from Chicago, we were put in Business Class — right away that was very nice. Really, it’s just the lack of rude and obnoxious people that is so refreshing. The crazy thing, of course, is that basic manners don’t require money and they let groups of people get along. Hollering, braying folk end up rubbing each other wrong then there’s shootin’. I don’t need the spaciousness of 1st Cl: I only need the sanity.
We saw coyotes and great snowy plains along the way. We had a 2-hr delay which caused us to miss seeing our entrance to Glacier Nat’l Park, but we made up the lost time. Still, we were awed to see mountains in the distance a few times. The observation car was a wonder, except for people making loud-talking cell-calls. We did have some nice chats with people. It’s always great to mingle, I think. It’s the hollering that grates.
After we arrived we had ‘train legs’ for a day — that was kinda fun, if wobbly.
We’re staying at a friends-of-friends’ condo right on the Ballard Locks. Just amazing to see all the harbor traffic, all the “Deadliest Catch” fishing boats coming and going.
It’s been sunny. The pace has been high. Lindy set us up with bikes. And our biking has been wonderful — the family is grooving on the urban riding.
We went sailing on the Salish Sea with Lindy and her friends after work yesterday, and watched the sun set behind the mountains. Martha was given the helm awhile and I could see that the tension of sailing at 6.5kts gave her a thrill. It was simply wonderful to finally get our little family out onto a “house on the water.” The kids enjoyed playing below deck and peaking out the leaning windows. It was chilly out so a diesel heater was keeping the cabin warm. Captain Bob was a great host. We chatted a bit about our favorite movies: “Captain Ron” and “Cabin Boy.” 🙂
The day before we’d driven an hour to the snowy Snowqualmie Summit and played in the snow then visited the nearby Falls. Huge! …But mobbed with tourists. It’s amazing the ugliness of public fashion — the sparkly t-shirts and pro-sports advertising. But who cares! It was a nice mob, really. I’m serious! I wasn’t bummed out — it’s cute that the public has a “look.” …So does the rest of Seattle. Most everybody wears sneakers, hiking boots or “rugged” boots below. Black and outdoor techwear above. Still, there’s a lot of fun style.
The bikes, cars and motos are inspiring, as always in an urban setting. The boats, too! Oh my! But it is a bit funny how many folks ride trashed 80’s beaters with a dozen strap-on kludgy accessories. Maybe it’s the theft risk. Their other stylepoints are fussy but so many of the bikes are rolling junkyards.
I see what Jan, a local, of “Bicycle Quarterly” means about the local fenders. Everyone has em. They need em for the rain — but nearly all are rattly, wobbly, clanky. Real fenders don’t have to be that way, of course. Still, a fair number are dialed-in, with long, street-dragging front-flaps to keep the feet dry(er).
It’s also neat seeing all the RV’s stashed around here for cheap dwellings.
The maritime culture, though, rules all. That would be the neatest thing to dig further into. It’s the core, the source, and it’s HUGE. All sizes and types of boats and water life.
Speaking of life, the fish ladder is right below our condo. Big ones aren’t running now but 8″ smolts are. If you walk down below there are windows letting you view the underwater world of the ladder — with the little fish making their way out to sea.
Next to the Locks is a wonderful garden park of flowering everything. Oh, the smells! It’s a wonder to stroll in. It closes at 9pm, sadly.
We’ve also visited friends on Whidbey Island. What a neat community! The whales are moving through these days. They come near shore and when spotted someone rings a bell. Our friends live in a gardeny clearing with several dwellings all colorfully painted. There’s a lot of French in the family and there were visitors from back home so we enjoyed good wine and cheese around a bonfire. It was very nice to run into other people living to a different drummer! Our kids enjoyed their kids.
We biked to the EMP music museum. I hear that it was set up in honor of Hendrix — it was part of his vision-thing. It features a “Sky Church” for public music encounter. The idea is neat — not sure that what we experienced at the church worked the way Jimmi had in mind, but it’s a start!
Henry is inspired by the Cobain and Hendrix exhibits and got to play an elite drumset. He also ran into a death-metal kid who was looking for someone to record with at the studio inside the EMP. So Henry played with him and got an eye-opening view of quality DM. He said it was neat but scary — the kid was snorting like a pig and growling and singing about killing a lot of people and the corpses rotting.
I went to the library nearby for the wifi and processed some eBay orders.
Today we’re going to Maker Haus to see 3D printing, plus a chocolate factory and Gasworks Park and the Wooden Boat Museum to rent a rowboat and explore the maritime lake more.
Well, once again, I’m outta time… The bikers are swinging by to get me!
Train view.
Free at last! In the fresh air of the Art Deco period Smith Tower near the lovely (but under construction) train station clock tower. It’s a fresh air tower unlike the indoor Space Needle. What views! Sunshine! …Our legs are shaky, not from the height but from the train! …I hope this image displays LAST but my image-manager is backwards and I’m have to work hasty (am late!). Fingers crossed!
A lush green river with rapids outside our window as we roll along a valley for hours as we near Seattle.
Sleeping cabins hallway on the upper level. Our cabin was below and occupied the end of a car. We had plenty of room for fun and sleep.
Nice to see the cars curving away.
