The Action-Packed Adventure Part 4

It was Sunday, May 21, 2017.  I was still going strong in an action-packed adventure of a trip to the Pacific Northwest.  It started with a westbound trip on Amtrak's Empire Builder route, which, if you haven't done so already, you can read about in part 1.  Upon arriving in Seattle, I spent time in Washington and British Columbia--which is the focus of part 2, if you haven't had the chance to read about it yet.  And then I went south to spend a couple of days with my good friend Roy, taking in the sights and scenery of Oregon, which I tell about in part 3 if you haven't gotten the opportunity to read it yet.

Hope Church in Albany, OR

After attending the 9:00 service at Roy's church (please see photo above), we headed north on I-5 toward Portland.  One notable sign we passed indicated the location of the 45-degree north latitude parallel, exactly halfway between the equator and the north pole.

Here's the ride on Interstate 5

From what I can remember, the mountain appearing in the center of this photo is Mount Hood.

We also saw some of the natural scenery of the mountains along the way, and passed by Woodburn Premium Outlets, a large shopping complex.  Roy told me that people travel there from as far as Canada solely to shop.

We arrived around noon in Portland.  On our great western train trip 20 years ago, my family spent a few hours in Portland, mostly ambling around the downtown area, in between arriving on the Empire Builder and departing on the Coast Starlight.  I only remember looking around at a book fair and some fountains.  So it was nice that before catching the Empire Builder train back east that I would have the chance to soak in some of Portland, since two days earlier, I had only been there for about 30 minutes while at Portland Union Station transferring from the Cascades train to the thruway bus.

First, we had lunch at Andina, a Peruvian restaurant, which had tasty food, like my beef entree.  Then we moseyed along the streets in the Pearl District, looking at coffee shops, home goods stores, a shoe store (which had a shoe vending machine out front), and the renowned Powell's City of Books (please see the photo below).

Powell's was quite an impressive place, with its large array of books, with even a special rare books section, which included a very old copy of a famous medieval book that cost about $12,000.

Then we headed over by the waterfront along the Willamette River, which is a splendid spot for good views.  As we walked along, we stumbled upon the Portland market, with crafts, food trucks, and other wares for sale (please see picture below).  It was such a fine, summerlike day.

Here I am by the Willamette River waterfront.

Here I am near the Japanese American Historical Plaza, with the Historic Portland White Stag sign behind me.  Below is a close-up of that sign.

Portland, even as a big city, doesn't feel the same as big cities like Seattle and Chicago.  It's more of a down-to-earth kind of place, seeking to give off a certain vibe.

Around 4 PM, it was time for me to head to Portland Union Station to board the train back east, and so we walked there.

Here I am at Portland Union Station, getting ready to board the train.  Below is a close-up of the top of the stations' clock tower.

Roy and I concluded our wonderful visit together on an eloquent note by offering prayers for each other at the station.  With that, we parted ways, Roy back to Albany, and me to start my two-night journey back home by boarding the eastbound Empire Builder train, my first time riding this route eastbound.

I ended up lingering in Portland for another hour.  The northbound Coast Starlight train was stuck about 1/2 mile from the station because it couldn't cross the Steel Bridge over the Willamette River, apparently due to some structural safety issues, from what I heard the Amtrak personnel tell passengers at the station.  Because a significant number of passengers were transferring from the Coast Starlight to the Empire Builder, the latter's departure had to be delayed.

Here's the eastbound Empire Builder, waiting to depart Portland.

The Empire Builder finally departed around 5:45, about an hour late.  Within the hour, the train had crossed the Columbia River and entered Washington, one of several vantage points that provided a fabulous view of Oregon's famed Mount Hood.  After the first stop at Vancouver, WA, the train headed eastward, following the Columbia River corridor, with Oregon on the other side (please see the photo below).

A little ways east of Vancouver was the Bonneville Dam--which was interesting to pass, like the train had passed the Grand Coulee Dam on the way west to Seattle.  (You can see Bonneville Dam in the picture below, where the stone-looking wall is, stretching from the center to the left.)

There was lots of incredible scenery, including plenty of more great views of Mount Hood for miles and miles.

Mount Hood appears off in the distance in the middle of this photo, with the Columbia River in the foreground.  The Columbia is also in the picture below.

This was the leg of the Empire Builder route I had ridden 20 years ago on my family's grand train vacation, headed westbound, but I didn't remember much of the ride, or the scenery, so it was especially nice to experience it this time.  We passed from forested areas to the so-called desert area of central Washington/central Oregon.

Once again, Mount Hood appears just to the right of the exact center of this photo.  So far as I can remember, The Dalles, OR, is the city that appears on the opposite side of the Columbia River.  Below is a zoom-in shot of Mount Hood.

Here's the Columbia River again.

Late at night, at Spokane, we joined with the part of the Empire Builder that originated in Seattle, and then continued eastbound.

In the early hours of daylight on May 22, we were in Montana, and then passed through the gorgeous scenery by Glacier National Park.

Morning daylight washes over Libby, MT.

View from the train while traveling between Libby and Whitefish, MT

A view along the corridor between Glacier National Park and Flathead National Forest

In this photo, the train is traveling around a curve while journeying by Glacier National Park.  You can see the front part of the train just to the left of the center of the photo.

View of the mountains and forests by Glacier National Park/Flathead National Forest

The Izaak Walton Inn at Essex, MT

The Glacier Park Lodge as seen from the East Glacier Park, MT, station, just to the east of the National Park

This is most likely the Flathead River by Glacier National Park

There was a Trails and Rails guide onboard to provide commentary of the sights.  I also got talking to a number of wonderful people, like a group of women doing water coloring.  I also met a man, an outdoorsman type, who had been traveling around extensively by train recently, and boarded at Essex after staying at the Izaak Walton Inn.  We ended up sitting at the same table in the dining car for lunch, and we sat with two other nice people, and we four enjoyed good conversation.  (Interestingly, another man at the table boarded at Whitefish, and when I was on the platform at that station, it turns out I met his daughter.)  It was when I went for lunch around 11:30 that the train had left the Rockies by Glacier National Park, heading into the wide open spaces of north central Montana.

Above and below are views of the Rocky Mountains as the train heads into the Plains of north central Montana

We were in the vicinity of Native American Reservations, with sites in these Plains of Montana that pertain to the stories of conflicts between the government and the aboriginal Americans during the later 19th century, including Chief Joseph and his journeys in the Little Rocky Mountains.  At Havre, we followed within close proximity of the Milk River, and then, a little ways east of Glasgow, the Missouri River, a significant part of the Lewis and Clark Expedition's route.

The view of the Missouri River, most likely somewhere in far eastern Montana, east of Wolf Point, MT, and west of Williston, ND

This landscape along the route reminds me of the Badlands, from the glances I've taken at pictures of that area.  This was most likely in far eastern Montana, along the route between Wolf Point, MT, and Williston, ND.

And I had wonderful views from the train.  I also had a nice "Just for you" dinner at my seat, which was an option offered to coach passengers.  And I enjoyed passing the time with fellow passengers, including a fine woman--I think her name was Judy--seated across the aisle from me, who generously kept treating me to offerings in the cafe car as a thank-you for my keeping an eye out for her mobile device.  The sun was shining nicely all this day through Montana into North Dakota, with daylight continuing even past 9 PM.

A view of the sunset in western North Dakota, likely around Stanley

A view of the oil fields of western North Dakota

The next morning, Tuesday, May 23, I awoke shortly before we reached St. Cloud, MN, and from there it was into the depths of the Minneapolis-St. Paul Metro Area, as we passed Northstar commuter rail stations along the route.  At St. Paul, the train really filled up, and someone sat next me to me all the way to Chicago, after I had spent all of the ride since Portland with two seats to myself, similar to how I had two seats to myself on the entire ride to Seattle.

At the station platform in St. Paul, MN

A view of St. Paul from the station platform, looking toward the northwest

View of the Mississippi River from the St. Paul Amtrak station looking toward the northeast

The view of the Mississippi River from the St. Paul Amtrak station looking toward the southwest

It was onward into the splendid Mississippi River country, as is in the photo below, taken at Red Wing, MN, by the US Route 63 bridge.

As we rolled through Wisconsin farmland (like in the picture directly below), I decided to try the vegan burger in the cafe car.  When I ordered it, the cafe car attendant, an incredibly pleasant woman named Ms. Oliver, remarked how good it was, and she was right.

It had been generally overcast since I awoke, and it started to rain as we neared Milwaukee (which is in the picture above), and it continued all the whole way into Chicago.

Views of the Forest Glen neighborhood, above and below, where my grandparents used to live--below is from the day I headed out, in case anyone was wondering

View of Foster Avenue from the elevated railroad tracks, looking east

About 4:50, we arrived at Union Station, bringing to a conclusion the long-haul journey back, which was about 45 hours like the ride to Seattle.  I made my way through the thick of peak rush-hour commuters streaming through Union Station on their way to board Metra trains home as I made my way to the Blue Line and back home to Oak Park.

After my odyssey of over 5000 miles, here I am back in Oak Park, in this photo at the Oak Park Avenue Blue Line Station taken by my neighbor Steve, who was riding the Blue Line home from work at the same time I was riding it home from Union Station.

Reflecting on this trip, the term “action-packed” comes to mind, and I used that term to describe my trip whenever people asked about it after my return home.  Certainly, the way I’ve written this narrative on my blog bears that out, as I made the decision to break up this trip chock full of things into four different posts.

As a person who is drawn to the breadth of this country and its beauty, this trip provided an incredible opportunity to really soak up the land and culture of the Pacific Northwest.  There’s so much wonderful scenery with so much lush flora, which I saw everywhere I went, in British Columbia, Washington, and Oregon.

But the amazing scenery wasn’t confined to just what I saw there, because it was an integral part of the journey to and from Chicago onboard the Empire Builder, from the moment we headed out of Chicago.  Indeed, there was so much beauty to behold that my camera shutter went flying while passing along the Mississippi River corridor, through the Plains of Montana, by Glacier National Park, through central Washington, and by Puget Sound, as well as the Columbia River on the way back.  I estimate in all four posts on this trip I included over 100 photos in total, which I hope you, as the reader, enjoyed viewing.  Yet the many photos I've included represent only a fraction of the nearly 1200 photos I took, more than any other trip I’ve taken in recent years with my digital camera in hand.

Being in the Pacific Northwest gave me so many opportunities to connect with nature.  I liked visiting the Pacific coast in a natural setting, versus a more developed setting.  And even when I was in the big cities, I encountered nature and that lush flora, especially in instances in which these cities draw from the nature in their neighborhoods and develop it into lovely parks, like at the capitols campuses in Washington and Oregon, and most especially Stanley Park, a real treasure.

My day trip to Vancouver was a fabulous opportunity to connect with Canada in its special 150^th anniversary year, and I am pleased that I was able to make that happen and join in the celebration by experiencing what Canada has to offer.  After spending many years pondering what our fine northern neighbor is like, it was great to go there as being there made Canada come alive for me.  Experiencing another country helps me appreciate my own country and what it’s like to be a citizen of it.

I relish opportunities when traveling to gain a sense of what places are really like for their residents.  Using AirBNB is a great way to connect with people in local communities who open up their spaces to travelers.  I so enjoyed getting to know my AirBNB host and her dogs, especially in spontaneous conversation.  Staying at someone's home helped me embed myself in Seattle.

I also embedded myself in what Washington and Oregon are all about by visiting their state capitols.  And then there were the interactions I had with other people, like at the Klondike Gold Rush museum in Seattle, at Wagner's in Olympia, and the two libraries I visited.

And, of course, I shared great times with my fellow train passengers on all three train journeys I took, seeing the scenery pass by out the windows, sharing meals, and engaging in conversation about everything including climate change, state politics, and our own lives.

When it comes to the human factor of this trip, I think above all of my great friend Roy.  It really speaks the depth of our relationship that I would travel over 2200 miles westward to spend time with him.  Visiting with him is so enjoyable because he’s such a fun, easygoing, and delightful person, with a deep sense of spirituality, and an amazing ability to really enjoy life and not take himself too seriously.  Case in point: Roy spontaneously decided we would eat at restaurants we passed while walking in downtown Salem, OR, the sushi place and the tapas place.

Indeed, Roy connects and engages well the places he lives.  So it was particularly delightful to go spend time with him and have him take me around in Oregon, because he's embedded himself so well in his adopted homeland.  That certainly helped me connect with the places even more.  I am definitely so grateful to Roy for our friendship, and that we could share it together during the time of our visit.

Roy defines how this trip makes me step back and take stock of all that my life has encompassed over the years, largely because of the connections to that great trip my family took 20 years ago looping around the western United States by train.  That trip left a big impression on me as a 6-year-old, and I enjoyed reconnecting with that vacation on this recent trip, and experience everything anew in a more full way, especially taking in all the scenery of the route. It’s kind of like how I experienced Florida anew when I traveled there back in January, and returned with conscious memories of that place.

And this Pacific Northwest trip makes me think of how I live anew day by day as I experience new things, like the many firsts of this trip, which include the first use of my US passport, my first trip to Vancouver and British Columbia, my first time attending Mass outside the United States, my first trip on Bolt Bus, my first time using AirBNB, my first time in Seattle, and, probably the icing on the cake, my first visit to the Pacific Ocean.

Now having been to the Pacific, I can embrace in a broader way the breadth of the United States stretching from the coast to coast, especially given that I had just been in South Carolina on the Atlantic coast the week before this trip to the Pacific Northwest.  (And the two trips within such close proximity certainly made it an action-packed month for me.)

Yes, it was so wonderful to connect with the land of the United States by connecting so closely with the places I went on this trip.  And as a firm believer in the adage that the journey is as much a part of the experience as being there, I was so glad that Amtrak helped me come into closer contact with the land I passed through while journeying to the Pacific Northwest.  This trip reaffirmed my enamorment for trains, since there is so much amazing country to see while on my way to the scenic Pacific Northwest, like on any journey to anywhere.

Indeed, this trip afforded me the opportunity to connect with the past, amazing places, great people, and my passions for the great things in life.  Mom was right to describe this trip in terms of "adventure".  In fact, life is truly an adventure when we take the time to embrace and connect with the beauty of what is around us.

I feel like this one photo sums up my whole trip to the Pacific Northwest and all that I connected with in my experiences.  This photo is of me at Portland Union Station, where I had passed through 20 years ago on a great train trip with my family.  For my 2017 trip, I rode the Empire Builder from Chicago to Seattle, and back from Portland and enjoyed seeing all the places along the route and all over the Pacific Northwest in Washington, Oregon, and British Columbia.  This photo was taken by Roy, my great friend, and it was my distinct pleasure to travel to the Pacific Northwest to spend time with him.