All Aboard the Empire Builder

My bags are packed, the hard goodbyes have been said, and I'm headed eastbound on Amtrak's Empire Builder. I boarded in Whitefish yesterday at 4:45 am for a two and a half day marathon ride to Albany, NY where I'll spend a few days with one of my best friends before making my way to Portland, ME for leader orientation. My dad thoughtfully upgraded me to a sleeper car for my birthday, so for the first leg from Whitefish to Chicago (36 hours) I am living in train luxury. After 10 minutes of fiddling with the seats, I had them converted to a bed. My nervous excitement battled my grogginess as I fought to stay awake to take in the scenery for the beginning of the trip - perhaps the best of the entire ride. Starting at a slow roll, we quickly sped up along the high waters of the Flathead River with the dramatic snow-capped peaks of Glacier National Park bordered in the golden hue of the rising sun in the background. Past every row of trees and every tunnel awaited another impressive view. I kept my sleepy eyes peeled for wildlife along the rocky riverbanks and fields of hovering mist, but no sightings to report. I found myself getting irritated whenever we'd pass another train that blocked my view of the show for several minutes. The scenery would probably get old after a couple more days, but in the meantime I was mesmerized.

All smiles at the start of my long journey aboard the Empire Builder

When I tell people I'm taking the train across the country, they generally respond in one of two ways. Some give me a confused look with raised eyebrows, saying "why the hell would you do that?". Others light up with excitement and say something like "I've always wanted to do that!". So why the hell would I want to be stuck on a train for 2.5 days straight? It's cheaper, for one. Everything smells and feels clean, or at least sterile. But mostly it's because I love the feel of train travel. It forces you into a slower-paced life than the every day hustle and bustle (as I write this, we are stopped at a standstill). Passengers are open to long conversations with a stranger, and the train attendants are warm and friendly, although particular about their ways. Within my first few hours I was gently reminded to keep my shoes off of the blankets, which apparently don't get replaced, and for sitting down at one of the many empty tables in the dining car ("wait at the door until greeted and seated"). I haven't taken the train since I moved to Montana from Memphis, and I always said I would do it again when I had the time and flexibility. I'm very glad that I did, and I'm hopeful I'll still feel this way after another 30 hours.

The Flathead River and Glacier's peaks whizzing by

In my first day on the Empire Builder I quickly determined my strategies for staying sane and even
enjoying the next two days (it seems a disproportionate number of people on trains talk out loud to themselves). Having a sleeper car with privacy and meals included for the first leg has been a total luxury. My own coat hanger? Sweet! Showers? No way! I'm definitely not "roughing it". I've also tried to stick to a normal routine by sleeping at regular hours and not throughout the day, eating at regular mealtimes, keeping myself entertained with books and journaling, and making friends with everyone I meet. I made a buddy to share all three meals with on the first day until he departed at his hometown of Minot, ND (slogan: why not Minot?).  At every possible stop that I am allowed off the train, I do so. I've made it a game of seeing how many laps along the platform I can power walk until I hear the "all aboard" call. I share a smile and a nod with the other regulars that cruise the platform.

Things flatten out in eastern MT and North Dakota 

If anything, traveling by train has made me appreciate the sheer magnitude and distance of what I'm about to do by biking across the country in the other direction. It's given me plenty of time to reflect on the many changes I recently made in my life (leaving my job and home in Missoula, saying goodbye to friends and loved ones, moving all of my belongings to Whitefish) and focus on the road ahead. And the road is wide open.

The Empire Builder himself, J.J. Hill

History of "you can have her" Havre, MT