My daughter Colleen and I (and her 3 stuffed & furry friends) left Milwaukee 12/22 on the Empire Builder, car 0730 roomette 6. We were very impressed with the newly remodeled Milwaukee Intermodal station. The passenger waiting area is in a 2+ story glass enclosed atrium whose style echoes the nearby 6th street viaduct as well as the Calatrava addition to the Milwaukee Art Museum. The new area had only been open for a month, and as yet there are no food services except vending machines, but it is our understanding that more amenities are coming soon. It is still a pleasant space and a VAST improvement over the old waiting area. The train shed remains the same - dark & gloomy at the rear of the building, but at least it is under cover. The day we left it was very foggy & very few planes were flying, so we were doubly glad to be on the train.
The line of travelers waiting to board formed early & was very long, but sleeping car passengers were escorted to the front of the line to board first. Our car attendant had already made dinner reservations for us. We had 2 large suitcases (one containing snowshoes & boots) which we were able to leave on the downstairs rack, and 2 tote bags (one containing the furry friends) which we took into the room. We were offered small bottles of champagne to celebrate our departure, and you can see we enjoyed them while getting settled.
We departed on time & it was already dark when we reached the first stop in Columbus, WI. Dinner was much improved over my California trip 18 months ago. I had the flat iron steak, and Colleen had the salmon. Both were delicious with portions too large to eat. We did manage to save room for dessert - our choice was a delicious lemon bar on a shortbread crust with a little dollop of whipped cream. We admired the cheesecake & apple pie our dining companions ordered (they both had the steak also). Back in the room, we played some Scrabble & finally went to bed early after sorting out our places for the night (I definitely was NOT going in the upper bunk). We had trouble regulating the heat - first too cold, then too hot - but we did sleep well. The room and bathroom were all in good condition, although as the trip went on the bathrooms could have benefitted from having trash removed more promptly.
We woke the next morning in North Dakota to no snow & very cold temperatures. We decided not to venture out at Williston (they said it was -30, but I think that was the windchill, not the temperature). Breakfast was cooked to order eggs. Lunch was the only meal that seemed a little weak - not too many choices. One of our dining companions ordered the special - meatballs on rice. The rice turned out to be neon yellow - a little scary looking, but he said it was tasty. We signed up for the afternoon wine tasting which was conducted in the dining car. The offerings & format were unchanged from my last trip - 4 wines & 4 cheeses to be sampled. We teamed up with out tablemates to win a bottle of wine in the trivia contest which we shared with them at dinner. (Due to a scheduled 8 PM arrival at the Inn, we decided to eat on the train.)
At Havre we were running about 30 minutes late, but we decided to get off & walk around for the fresh air. Still no snow, and now I am really worried. It was dark by Cutbank so we couldn't see if there was snow, but when we arrived at the Inn at 8:05 PM, the door opened to a view of fluffy white with the Inn's van waiting for us (and several people waiting to get on the train). Coming around the corner & seeing the Inn decorated with twinkling lights in the SNOW was a thrill. We settled quickly into our room, and missed only few minutes of a Native American folksinger performing in the bar - he was GREAT!
Christmas Eve morning we ate breakfast and went for a walk to orient ourselves. There were 22" of powdery snow on the ground (according to a measuring stick in the front yard) and the temperature was in the high 20's with no wind. Very pleasant!. We walked down to highway 2, taking lots of pictures. After a bowl of soup for lunch, we decided to try our new snowshoes. After a few false starts, we crossed the overpass bridge to the trailhead. Since I had bilateral knee replacement surgery last May, I was a little tentative, but the biggest problem proved to be endurance. I decided to turn back after 2 hills, but Colleen went on to the top of Essex Creek & back. I waited for her in the holiday decorated lobby by the roaring fire.
The Inn had called us two weeks earlier to make reservations for dinner for Christmas Eve & Christmas Day dinner. The special was Prime Rib, but opted to split huckleberry chicken and a mountain meadow salad. Food was great the whole time, but the portions were so large that we split most entrees. A short Christmas Eve program was conducted in the lobby at 8:30 PM. We went for a walk afterwards & snuggled down for the night.
The next morning, we found an Inn Christmas ornament hung on our room door as a gift from Santa. After breakfast (and opening our gifts which we had purchased the previous day in the Inn's gift shop), Colleen rented x-c skis for an outing. I used to ski & fell down enough to be a little worried about falling on my new knees, so I decided to stay behind & enjoy the fire. We had soup for lunch, and she took off for the trails. Our traditional Christmas Day dinner was turkey with all the trimmings, including delicious pumpkin pie. A family from Kalispell arrived that day with their teenagers, and they informally led carol singing in the lobby that evening. On December 26, Colleen went skiing again, and I walked out to Route 2 again. We also got out our snowshoes & explored the ground of the Inn, including the pavilion which had been flooded for ice skating.
The morning of 12/27 we reluctantly left our cozy room & waited for the arrival of the eastbound Empire Builder. The train was 2 hours late, but we didn't mind as we enjoyed the fire in the lobby. Finally at 11:15 AM the train appeared. We boarded car 0830 & proceeded to roomette 6 (which was on the other side of the car - a first for me). Our car attendant Doris actually had us wait in room 4 while she fixed up our room which had been vacated by other travelers at Essex. The scenery was beautiful over the pass, and we went to lunch as we left the mountains behind. Having established ourselves as "party girls" by asking Doris when the wine tasting was scheduled, we settled down to enjoy the scenery & chat with occupants of the room across the hall who were from eastern Montana. The lunch special was again the meatballs, but this time the rice was not so neon yellow. We didn't order it - just watched as it came down the aisle to another diner. The menu was the same as eastbound, and we enjoyed the lemon bars again.
At the wine tasting we won a half bottle of the same wine we had won on the westbound trip, and brought it to dinner with us. I don't remember what we had for dinner, but the server told us they also had pumpkin pie for dessert - although he warned us away from it. I took his advice & went for the ice cream instead while Colleen had the apple pie. The cheesecake that looked so yummy at lunch was gone. We were able to eat dinner with a lady we met at the Inn who was traveling in the Portland sleeper. We lost some time that afternoon due to an overheated wheel (?). Something stinky in the Portland section coach. They moved everyone into the lounge car & aired out the coach before allowing people back into their seats. We also lost 45 minutes sometime during the night ???).
Doris was a great car attendant - the first I had ever seen performing her duties in high heeled boots. She had left a 3 page instruction sheet in each room which answered almost every question you could want to ask, and she kept the bathrooms immaculate.
We arrived back in Milwaukee about 2 1/2 hours late in the middle of a snowstorm. We're already talking about going back to the Inn - I have been there in the summer, but I have to say the winter ambiance was WONDERFUL. The train ride was everything I could have hoped for (I was so worried that Colleen wouldn't like it or that something would go wrong). I can't wait for my next trip!
-------------------- My new "default" station (EKH) has no baggage service or QuikTrak machine, but the parking is free! And the NY Central RR Museum is just across the tracks (but not open at Amtrak train times. . ..) Posts: 337 | From: Goshen, IN | Registered: Jun 2006
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Terrific report, Judy. My wife and I have always loved the Izaak Walton and we want to go back soon.
It's great that Doris was such a good attendant -- on our last trip on the Builder we had a really, really rotten one.
Posts: 2236 | From: Evanston, Ill. and Ontonagon, Mich. | Registered: Feb 2007
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Looks like you found a way to have a great Christmas, Judy! I'm going to have to visit Isaak Walton one of these summers. Would like to return to Whitefish, as well. Great report!
Richard
Posts: 1909 | From: Santa Rosa | Registered: Jan 2004
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Of interest is that during 2004, my Niece and her Father simply "stumbled" into the Izaak Walton; neither in anyway are railfans. A comment made by her to me circa 2005 when she and I were waiting for her to take METRA/BNSF into town to meet up with her husband here on business, and #3 passed 18.32 was "you have Amtrak out here?".
My Brother-in-Law had a room facing away from the tracks and apparently slept without interruption; her room was trackside and her comment to me was 'those trains kept me awake all night'.
No wonder, Train & Engine employees have in their Agreement that suitable lodging is defined as "away from the railroad".
In short, this anecdote suggests to me that the Izaak Walton's 'base" is within the railfan and rail traveler community. It would appear that to "fly and rent' vacationers such as my Brother-in-Law and Niece, the Izaak Walton is just another hotel - and one that has 'distractions'.
As I've noted here in the past, I have had occasion to visit Nashville; my spot seems to be a Courtyard near Vanderbilt U as distinct from the Wyndham Union Station. The continual flow of CSX traffic would keep me awake and I'm at a hotel to get a night of needed sleep - not to railfan.
Posts: 9979 | From: Clarendon Hills, IL USA (BNSF Chicago Sub MP 18.71) | Registered: Apr 2002
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Thank you Judy.It sure looks like a wonderful way to celebrate Christmas!
Posts: 498 | From: New Hope, PA, USA | Registered: Jan 2003
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Judy -- it sounds like you and your daughter had a WONDERFUL Christmas trip -- the pictures were great too!!! Glad you had a good trip. The Isaak Walton looks like a beautiful place to spend a Christmas at!!! if you recall, my wife and I spent some time out there 2 summers ago on our last train trip.
--Railroad Rich
Posts: 2428 | From: Grayling, MI | Registered: Mar 2002
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RRRich - I've been there in the summer, too, and I have to say the winter is so beautiful, I'd go back in the winter again - even if I didn't want to ski or snowshoe. The quiet and the beautiful snow - magnificent!
No bagpipes on this trip, though. . . .
-------------------- My new "default" station (EKH) has no baggage service or QuikTrak machine, but the parking is free! And the NY Central RR Museum is just across the tracks (but not open at Amtrak train times. . ..) Posts: 337 | From: Goshen, IN | Registered: Jun 2006
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Great photos......I particularly liked seeing the improvements in Milwaukee and, of course, the Izaak Walton Inn speaks for itself.
-------------------- David Pressley
Advocating for passenger trains since 1973!
Climbing toward 5,000 posts like the Southwest Chief ascending Raton Pass. Cautiously, not nearly as fast as in the old days, and hoping to avoid premature reroutes. Posts: 4203 | From: Western North Carolina | Registered: Feb 2004
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