We first boarded the Empire Builder route at Chicago Union Station on August 2, 1997, and rode it to Whitefish, MT, where we arrived the following day, after traveling along the edge of Glacier National Park. We spent a few days visiting the natural wonders of the park.
Then we boarded the Empire Builder again at Whitefish and rode it to Portland, OR. After spending a few hours in that city, we boarded the Coast Starlight, and early the next morning, arrived in Sacramento, CA. We spent some days there, especially touring the historical sites of Old Sacramento.
Subsequently, we boarded the California Zephyr in Sacramento and rode it east to Denver, CO, where we spent some time sightseeing and visiting family.
We began the final leg of our trip when we boarded the California Zephyr late at night in Denver and rode it east to Chicago, arriving back there on August 15.
This trip was one of my earliest memories of a family vacation. We indeed had a great time being together and sharing so many experiences throughout this trip.
Traveling out west was a great chance to see the wonders of the natural scenery. It was a wondrous time seeing so much of what Glacier National Park has to offer. The train gave us views of other scenic areas. While I don't remember them as well, the train travels took us by the Columbia River corridor and then through the mountainous areas alongside the California Zephyr route.
Visiting Sacramento gave me the chance to appreciate the history of this country, too, with Old Sacramento, and especially the vintage train cars.
I also had my first opportunity to visit Denver and see my relatives there. I certainly enjoyed spending time at the home of Great Aunt Carmen and Great Uncle Leonard.
It was the longest distance I had ever traveled in my life up to that point as we looped around the northern part of the western USA, and it gave me a sense of the vastness of the United States of America as a country.
That time probably stoked something deep inside of me that I couldn't have fully realized at the time, but surely I feel it now when I ride the rails across the country. It's a wonder to behold how big this country is, and all that is contained within it. Riding Amtrak certainly makes me feel proud to be a citizen of the USA, especially as it connects me with America, the Beautiful.
I appreciate how the unique experience onboard Amtrak allows me to see the country in a special way, so that I can appreciate it deeply. For example, it's enjoyable to board a route with a specific name, which sets the tone for the journey, especially when traveling it over long distances. This trip involved three different routes. I'm sure that the 1997 trip on Amtrak is a large part of the reason why I enjoy train travel so much to this day.
During the most recent RE year, as sometimes happens, one of my students asked me about my favorite trip I've been on. I've had so many wonderful trips, enough to make it a challenge to pick one. Yet as I reflected on the answer to the question, I realize that the 1997 train vacation left a huge impression on me as a 6-year-old, and it continues to this day. Even today, when I'm in the downtown Chicago area, and I wander into Chicago Union Station, something stirs in me when I look at the departure and arrival boards, even if I'm not scheduled to board a train. Seeing the train names causes me to think of all the marvelous journeys to be had onboard those routes. Indeed, it's a great, big county here in the USA, and it's an incredible experience to go out to see and explore it.
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| Here I pose in the Great Hall of Union Station on August 14, during the 25th anniversary stretch of our Great Western Train Trip. |
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| On August 15, the 25th anniversary of the conclusion of our trip, I paused by the BNSF tracks at Ridgeland Avenue in Berwyn. The eastbound California Zephyr rode these tracks shortly before reaching Chicago Union Station where we ended our trip on August 15, just as we had started it there almost two weeks prior. |
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