WE’RE TRAVELING from Chicago to Seattle aboard Amtrak’s famous Empire Builder.
ATTENDANTS GREETED US as we approached the car we were assigned to. After checking our boarding passes, we stepped up onto the train. Watch out for those steps; they are steep even with the traditional step stool.
Once on board, we were shown a wall of racks to store our larger suitcases. Having been on a train overnight before, we learned the value of packing a small bag with the essentials we’ll need on the train to carry to our room. And of our course, another carry-on bag with all the toiletries we’ll need throughout our vacation. (No comments from the peanut gallery about how many necessities I absolutely needed for our vacation.) Additionally, I brought a bag full of knitting projects and manuscripts to read.
Our Room with a View
WE HAVE A PRIVATE BEDROOM designed just for two passengers. At bedtime, our steward made up our beds—a lower and upper berth. Guess who got upper—Larry.
WE WATCHED THE TRAIN head north out of Chicago headed to Minneapolis where the train will turn westward almost hugging the Canadian border to Seattle.
Here’s the thing about trains
THE THING ABOUT TRAINS is there’s no wifi. We only get cellular coverage when we pass through a town–but the stations are small and we go through them fast there’s no time to post.
Instead, this will be a time for truly unplugging from the world. Larry is reading on his Kindle. I am knitting while listening to Audible. I hope I get a lot of knitting done. Perhaps I overpacked here or overly optimistic.
And who knows, this might be the perfect time to take time to enjoy the silence and solitude watching the scenery.
From Somewhere in North Dakota,
The Write Stuff 