The Action-Packed Adventure Part 2

It was around 10 AM PDT on Wednesday, May 17.  I had just gotten off Amtrak train #7, the westbound Empire Builder, upon its arrival at Seattle's King Street Station (please see picture below).  If you haven't had the chance to read about my journey to Seattle in part 1 of my Action-Packed Adventure, you may go to read that post here.

Per the suggestion of Stuart, our wonderful onboard Trails and Rails volunteer guide, which he made to everyone, I walked two blocks to the Seattle unit of the Klondike Goldrush National Historical Park, which is in a refurbished former Cadillac Hotel building (please see picture below).

I looked around at the exhibits, which focused on the preparations prospectors made to gather their supplies before venturing north.  While there, I even saw Stuart come by.

I then headed to the International District/Chinatown LINK station.

Here's the LINK train at the International District/Chinatown station, which is in the Downtown Seattle Transit Tunnel, also used by certain bus routes.

With my new ORCA card in hand, I rode the LINK light-rail train (please see picture above) south to the Rainier Hill neighborhood, where I was staying at an AirBNB place, my first time using this service for lodging.

Here's a view of the intersection of Henderson Street and Martin Luther King, Jr., Way, right by the Rainier Beach LINK station, which was close to my AirBNB lodgings.  I took this picture at sunrise a couple days later.  On this portion of the route, the LINK train runs through the median of the street.  There's a small portion of the route between downtown Seattle and Rainier Beach where the train runs above street level.

After meeting my host, and her three fine dogs, and getting settled, I made my way to Olympia, using LINK to get back downtown, and then I rode two different buses along the I-5 corridor, transferring at a park and ride stop in Lakewood, south of the interesting city of Tacoma, which I passed through enroute.

Upon arriving in Olympia, I grabbed a quick lunch at Wagner’s, just blocks from the Washington State Capitol Complex, before going to the capitol building for the 3 PM guided tour.  The building was filled with marble, and the tour guide even pointed out specific images like Santa Claus and fish in the walls.  We saw the ceremonial reception room and the two legislative chambers.  (I found out that members of the House use a smartphone-like device to cast their votes.)

Here's the ceremonial reception room, where an inaugural ball is held each time the governor starts a new term.

the House Chamber

the Senate Chamber

the rotunda, with a Tiffany chandelier

the Great Seal of the State of Washington, in the floor of the rotunda

Being from Illinois, whose legislature is having a hard time finalizing a budget, it was notable for me to hear that the Washington legislature was similarly having trouble finalizing a budget.  (The legislature finally passed a budget after additional special sessions, and Governor Jay Inslee signed into law late at night on June 30 with about 40 minutes to spare before the subsequent fiscal year started, averting a state government shutdown.)  The tour ended in the gift shop, which showcased Washington products in the wide variety of merchandise for sale.

Close-up of the Washington State Capitol Building dome

A passerby kindly got this picture of me outside the Washington State Capitol.

After stopping in the governor’s office, I walked around the splendid grounds of the Washington State Capitol and nearby state government buildings.  The capitol building itself had a rather mighty look to it, especially with the columns, even up by the dome.  Around the grounds, the one aspect that stood out was the vibrantly colored flowers, which I saw everywhere in the Pacific Northwest (please see picture below).

I then got on a free shuttle bus and wound around the various other state government buildings, and rode it further into town where I went to see the building that was used as the first (temporary) state capitol.  Then, because I was having Internet connection issues with my computer, I stopped by the Olympia Timberland Library to use the Internet there.

It seemed fitting to visit Washington's state capital city, to see where major state government action happens, after having traveled through much of Washington this day to get to Olympia, and for this being my first time really soaking in conscious memories of Washington.  And Olympia is a fine city, modest in appearances, but nonetheless playing a significant role in Washington, and drawing well on the natural features of its location at the southern tip of Puget Sound.

Then it was back on the two buses to Seattle.

I got this picture of the Seattle skyline from Interstate 5 while riding the Sounder Transit bus back to Seattle.

Upon my arrival in downtown Seattle, I went for dinner at the Uwijiama Asian Market (please see picture below).

I was kind of suckered into getting food from the Aloha Plates stand in the food court, which was fine because I was looking for dinner, and it looked pretty good there.  I got huli huli chicken, which has a marinade with ginger in it.

I then walked around downtown Seattle, ambled by the Pike’s Place Market, and then boarded the Monorail for a fast ride to the Seattle Center, and then, on a whim, I went up to the Space Needle's observation deck.  I got there around 9 PM, and while the sun had set, there was still sufficient residual daylight that brightened the sky.  It was pretty spectacular taking in the views of the city, Puget Sound, and surrounding Metro Area, with the city lights on.  And while it had been cloudy much of the day in Seattle and even in Olympia, the cloud ceiling was high enough so that the views were unobscured, and there was no rain, as Seattle is known for.  The temperatures that day were around 60 degrees, which seems typical for the marine west climate of the city.

The view from the observation deck of the Space Needle, looking southward toward downtown Seattle

The view northward, with Puget Sound appearing to the left in the picture

A fellow tourist got this picture of me on the observation deck of the Space Needle, and another one got the picture of me below at the base of the Space Needle.

the Seattle Monorail at the Westlake Center station

What a way to wrap up my arrival day in the Pacific Northwest.

I was up early the next morning, arriving in downtown Seattle to board the 6:30 BoltBus (please see picture below) to Vancouver, BC.

On the way, we stopped in Bellingham, and there was long enough of a layover to buy food at a very nice coop grocery store near the bus station there.

Then, at 8:57 AM PDT, for the first time in 17 years, I departed the United States.

At the border crossing

Passing through customs was the first time I ever used my passport, which I got earlier this year.  The bus pulled into a designated area for such vehicles, at a port of entry designated for larger vehicles just east of the Peace Arch port of entry.  We all got off the bus, and lined up in a room to meet with a customs agent at one of three stands.  It wasn’t too complicated:  I gave the customs agent my declaration form (printed in both English and French) along with my passport, and after he looked at it, he asked a series of pointed questions about the intent of my travels.  I was expecting to get a stamp in my passport, but I guess that wasn't part of the procedure.  All the passengers on the bus had cleared customs in about 20 minutes, and then we were on our way through wide open agricultural fields in southern British Columbia toward Vancouver.  This was my first opportunity to visit western Canada, which, by the way, is the only other country I've ever been to.  My most recent visit to Canada before this day trip was a day trip to New Brunswick with my family while we were vacationing in Maine.  Before that visit, my two previous visits to Canada before that were to locations in Ontario.

After arriving around 10:30 at the Pacific Central Station in Vancouver, I decided to make Queen Elizabeth Park my first sightseeing stop.  I boarded the Expo Line light rail train to connect to the Canada Line at the Waterfront Station, and then it was a quick ride to the King Edward station, followed by a 10-minute walk south through a lovely residential neighborhood along Cambie Street.

the Canada Line train, most likely at the Waterfront Station

The park itself was lovely, with lots of vibrant flowers and other fine flora (please see picture below).

The hilltop in the park, where the Bloedel Conservatory was, provided great views of the city, especially the scenic mountains that lie to the north (please see picture below).

Then I headed back to downtown and experienced another first:  I went to the Holy Rosary Cathedral to attend Mass for the first time outside the United States.  I didn't notice too much difference, especially as the lectionary was the same as used in the United States.  It was a splendid church, with shrines to Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe and Pope St. John Paul II.  I deliberately planned to attend Mass as an opportunity to embrace the oneness of the Church all over the world.

The exterior of the entrance to the Holy Rosary Cathedral

Above and below are pictures of the interior of the Cathedral, near the frontal focus at the altar.

Following Mass, I went just down the street called to get lunch from Dae Ji, an Asian place specializing in pork cutlets.

Then, I went through the process of acquiring and mailing a postcard, first to 7-11 to buy it, and then the Canadian Post Office to get postage.  I then went to the Vancouver Public Library (please see picture below) to access my e-mail to get the correct address.  This library is incredibly amazing, with 7 stories chock full of materials.

When asked for ID to get an Internet pass, I decided to use my passport instead of my driver's license, since the passport was in a pocket that made it more readily available, the first time I used it as a general form of ID.

After mailing the postcard—the first piece of mail I mailed from outside the United States--I headed to Canada Place to experience the latest spectacular attraction: Flyover Canada.  It’s similar to a theme park ride where patrons sit in seats, and then the floor falls away.  Images of places in Canada are projected on a screen as if one was flying over them, and the seats sway.  Patrons even get sprayed with mist as they pass over the scene of Niagara Falls.  It was a pretty amazing ride.  Before going into the ride, we gathered in a room to watch a video presentation projected on walls that showed images of Canada's places and culture.  Canada Place is located right on the waterfront of Vancouver Harbour, which made for a fine stroll with fabulous views while on my way to the Flyover Ride.

Above, while walking alongside Canada Place to Flyover Canada, this was the view I photographed toward the west.  The building with the pointed top is another part of Canada Place.  Below is the walk toward the Flyover ride, called The Canadian Trail, with pieces of the sidewalk displaying notables aspects of Canada.

After the ride finished, I made my way to Pender Street to board a bus to reach Stanley Park, a lovely natural area at the western edge of Vancouver.

A fellow tourist got this picture of me in Stanley Park on the north side of the Brockton Point peninsula.

I walked along the Seawall path near the water’s edge of Coal Harbour, and went to see the totem poles, which was fine artwork and a great way to highlight First Nations culture of Canada, which, like the United States, is an important part of the history of the land in North America.

View of the Vancouver skyline from the Stanley Park Seawall walk

The Seawall walk, toward Brockton Point

The Stanley Park Brockton Point totem poles

As a further sign I was truly in Canada, I heard at least two different parties of people speaking in French as they walked around Stanley Park.  It made the French factor of Canada seem more real than when I flipped the customs declaration form over to see the side printed in French.

Stanley Park is a very delightful place, and there was one point when I was walking along a path through an area with many trees clustered together, like in a forest (please see picture below).  It was so quiet and serene as I walked along the path.

I truly sensed Stanley Park as a place of oasis not that far in distance from Vancouver, but well removed from the urban bustle.  And it was a very pleasant day for a stroll in the park, with temperatures in the 60s range (or perhaps I should say upper teens in celsius), and the sun was out after earlier overcast skies--weather that is fittingly like Seattle.

On my way back to the Pacific Central to board the BoltBus, I stopped at a Tim Horton's place for a cold drink, which came in a special Canada 150th cup--a nice stumble-upon souvenir.  I had never heard of this chain before, and it was nice to check it out.

The bus left right about on time at 5 PM, and after leaving Vancouver, we soon enough were passing through the open agricultural fields of what the license plates say is Beautiful British Columbia.

Here's the view I got of the Vancouver skyline from onboard the BoltBus as we departed southward.

It took a while for us to get to the border because of an incident on the roadway.  Upon reaching th port of entry, we pulled into a designated area, and went into a building, and lined up.  One of the customs agents explained some procedural matters to us--including some strict rules about reporting any food, stricter than it seemed going through Canadian customs--before we individually went to meet with one of three customs agents, who were all seated at desks.  The procedure involved some questions again--though with a less pointed tone from the US customs agent than I sensed from the Canadian customs agent earlier that day--and the agent took my passport and slid it through a scanner--hence the reason for the electronics in the booklet.  Then I put my bags on a conveyor belt that went through a scanner and handed in my customs declaration form that the driver handed everyone upon boarding the bus back in Vancouver.  We all finished in about 20 minutes.

And so marked an end to my enjoyable time in Canada.  It was especially wonderful to have a chance to visit the western part of Canada.  I was impressed by Vancouver.  It was easy to get around the city by foot and public transit, and there were plenty of neat sites to see.  In many ways, Vancouver had a similar feel to Seattle, both being prominent Pacific Northwest cities.  With my visit to Vancouver, I can say I've now visited an Olympic city outside the United States--I still have memories of how great the opening ceremony was at the 2010 Winter Olympics.  Vancouver also marks the newest northernmost extent I've traveled anywhere in the world, according to latitude, about 49.3 degrees latitude north.

Furthermore, I was so glad to have the opportunity to visit Canada during 2017, when it marks 150 years as a Confederation, and to experience what the fine neighbor is all about that lies to the north of the United States.  (I mentioned this day trip to Vancouver in my Canada 150 tribute blog post earlier in July on Canada Day, which you can read at the link.  It includes some other pictures, too.)

Canada 150 banners at Canada Place

There were more great views as we proceeded south along I-5 as sunset drew near (please see picture below, from onboard the BoltBus).  It was my first journey using BoltBus, and it proved to be a smooth, inexpensive way to travel, very much like Megabus.

We were back in Seattle around 9 PM, and I found some pork fried rice at the Uwijama Market for dinner before returning to my lodgings.  I went to bed in my room full of Native American decor for one last time.

The next morning, I was up early again.  I departed the AirBNB home and got on the LINK.  When I got downtown, I headed to the Columbia Center to have some breakfast at the Starbucks on the 40th floor of the building, which had some nice views of the surrounding downtown area, the Cascades, and Puget Sound.

Looking toward Puget Sound from the 40th floor Starbucks at the Columbia Center

Appearing in the center of the picture, off in the distance, are the Cascade Mountains

A fellow customer got this picture of me in the 40th floor Starbucks.

The Columbia Center, as viewed up from street level

It was a fitting way to conclude my stay in Seattle over a two-night, approximately 48-hour period.  Overall, I was very impressed with Seattle.  It's a great city, with a bustling downtown area.  The transit system got me around smoothly, and I liked walking around and taking in the sights.  And it was quite lush in Seattle.  I look forward to returning.  It was also nice to have the chance to stay at the AirBNB place that I did, which gave me a feel for the other areas of the city beyond downtown, and a feel for residential Seattle, beyond tourist Seattle.  My stay there was very nice, giving me a feel for how the service works.  And I had a wonderful host, who I enjoyed getting to know over the course of my stay there.

Upon finishing my breakfast time at the Columbia Center 40th floor Starbuck's, I headed to the King Street Station, where I would journey further south as I continued my adventure in the Pacific Northwest.  You can read about what I experienced subsequently in part 3 of my Action-Packed Adventure.

The Action-Packed Adventure Part 1

On May 14, 1804, the Lewis and Clark Expedition set out from Camp River Dubois on their famous expedition.

On May 15, 2017, 213 years and one day later, I set out on a journey myself, on a path that would parallel portions of the expedition’s route, as I rode Amtrak’s Empire Builder route out west for a vacation in the Pacific Northwest.

My great friend Roy from Valparaiso University days moved out to Oregon about three years ago to work at the National Energy Technology Laboratory in Albany, a little more than an hour south of Portland, OR.  Aware that of his plans to soon move to Spain to serve there as a missionary, I felt it was a good time to go out to visit him and visit the Pacific Northwest before his move.

Before I left for my trip, I typed up an itinerary so that family could be aware of where I would be and my modes of travel.  Mom looked at it, and remarked that I was quite adventurous to be going on such a trip.  Before that moment, all through the process of planning this trip, I never quite thought of myself as being adventurous, or that this trip would be an adventure.  But as I thought about it, I sensed that in many respects, this trip could, indeed, invoke a sense of adventure, especially given that I was headed out right after returning from South Carolina.

I began my journey of adventure to the Northwest on the afternoon of Monday, May 15, with a 2:15 departure from Chicago's Union Station.

As we pulled out and headed northward, I caught glimpses of the Chicago skyline (please see picture above), and then, a little bit later, we passed through Forest Glen, where my grandparents used to live, before heading into the northern suburbs of Chicago.

This trip was reminiscent of a journey I took during August 1997.  My family rode the Empire Builder to Whitefish, MT, where we spent a few days visiting Glacier National Park.  We then reboarded the Empire Builder and rode it to Portland where we transferred to the Coast Starlight for a trip to Sacramento.  It was great reconnecting with that experience and reliving it 20 years later.

I say this especially because of all the amazing scenery along the route, which I was able to take stock of more fully this time around.  There was lots of farmland outside of the Chicago suburbs and through much of Wisconsin, broken up by cities like Milwaukee and Wisconsin Dells, with scenic views of the Wisconsin River.  After LaCrosse, WI, we crossed the Mississippi River, entering Minnesota, and then mostly paralleled the path of the Mississippi River all the way to Minneapolis-St. Paul, with Wisconsin on the other side.  The views of the river in the time of sunset were totally spectacular (please see picture below).

When we reached St. Paul, I had the chance to step off the train to stretch my legs, during which time the car attendants and I observed lightning flashes from a storm off in the distance.

The next morning, I awoke to the wide open spaces of central North Dakota at Rugby, the geographical center of North America.  During our travels through North Dakota, two school groups boarded and rode for one stop.

The wide open landscape continued into eastern and central Montana (please see both pictures below).

I enjoyed the ride so much, and beholding all the amazing scenery passing by out the window and neat towns we passed through and stopped at as the miles rolled along and the hours ticked on--a wonderful throwback to a great vacation experience of years ago.

Here is a picture I found in a family photo album.  Above, Dad and I are enjoying the ride.

Here I am enjoying myself on the ride, in this photo taken by Rebecca, a Tulane student who sat in front of me while headed home for the first summer of her college years.

At Havre, a National Park Service Trails and Rails program volunteer named Stuart boarded, and in the sightseeing lounge, provided commentary of the places we passed along the train route.  It was especially nice to have him on hand when we reached Glacier National Park, which had some totally gorgeous scenery.  He pointed out many landmarks, including the Continental Divide at Marias Pass, as well as sharing lore about the places.

The obelisk pillar, a monument to Theodore Roosevelt, near the center of the picture marks Marias Pass and the crossing of the Continental Divide.

Amazing scenery of mountains and forests at Glacier National Park/Flathead National Forest

Most likely this is the Middle Fork of the Flathead River, just a short distance before we stopped at Essex, MT, near the Izaak Walton Inn.

There was so much scenery to behold as the day drew toward twilight, all the way up to the stop at Whitefish.

The pictures above and below were taken past Glacier National Park, but before Whitefish.

Here are some more photos from the same family photo album.  Above, as the caption states, the Empire Builder is arriving at Whitefish, MT.  Below is me at the Whitefish Amtrak station while our family foursome awaited the train to arrive.

Above and below are pictures of me at the Whitefish Amtrak station in 2017, taken by a fellow passenger, while we took advantage of a longer stop to get off the train and walk around, during which time I relived a piece of the 1997 experience.

I took this picture somewhere on the route west of Whitefish, at 9:25 PM MDT.

After it, I bedded down for the night, even as the sky still had plenty of light in it until at least 10 PM.  In the early morning hours, the train reached Spokane and split into two sections, bound for Seattle and Portland.  I got off the train to walk around on the platform, admiring what I saw--even at that hour of night--as a very prominent eastern Washington city, where Blase Cupich was Bishop before becoming Archbishop of Chicago.

I awoke to some stunning scenery in central Washington, which was an amazingly scenic ride all the way to Seattle.  This was my first time riding this leg of the Empire Builder, as in that August 1997 trip, my family rode from Whitefish to Spokane and then southwest to Portland.  Stuart was on hand, and started up his commentary around 7 AM over the train’s PA system--the sightseer lounge car went with the portion of the train bound for Portland--pointing out natural features, fruit fields, landmarks, and narration about the towns we passed through.

Here's a view from the train of the Cascade mountains and forests between Stevens Pass and Everett, most likely along the South Fork of the Skykomish River.

We even passed through the nearly 7-mile long Cascades Tunnel (please see picture below).

In this picture, the train has just exited the west end of the Cascades Tunnel.

As an added bonus, because the dining car, the only food service available between Spokane and Seattle, had no running water, the train attendants distributed free continental-style breakfast to everyone.

We had been following US Federal Route 2 (please see picture below) for much of the ride ever since North Dakota.

Upon reaching Everett, we came to the western terminus of the Route 2 corridor, and then the train headed south, with amazing views of Puget Sound not too far away from the tracks, all the way to Seattle.  (These tracks are used by Sounder commuter trains, and I can only imagine what it would be like for commuters to have this view on a daily basis.)

Above is a view of the tracks running alongside Puget Sound, which is to the left.  I took this picture from the window at the end of the last car, facing north as the train headed south.  Below is a picture of Puget Sound I got from a window on the side of the train.  In this picture, the camera was facing west.

As we neared our final destination of Seattle's King Street Station, I got this picture of the Space Needle, which appears near the center.

We arrived a few minutes before 10 AM, about 34 minutes early, marking the end of my longest continuous ride on a single Amtrak route, nearly 45 hours.  I bid farewell to fellow passengers, including some other long-haulers, who started their journeys beyond Chicago.

Someone on the platform kindly capture my arrival in Seattle after a delightful long-haul train ride.

My two-night westbound Empire Builder journey was long and wonderful, but it was only the start of my grand adventure as I left the King Street Station and headed out into Seattle for the first time ever.  And you can read about my experiences in Seattle and beyond in part 2 of my Action-Packed Adventure.

By the way, I really like the idea of "long-hauler" as a term to describe Amtrak passengers who ride the entirety of a long-distance route that is more than 600 miles and are scheduled for a ride of more than 12 hours.  Perhaps it's a term that will catch on.  So please feel free to use it.