My position at school has just been cut due to huge budget cuts, but I’m in better shape than most as I can take an early retirement. With that, for years my wife and I have talked about a trip across the US and now we’ll have the time. My initial plan it to depart Syracuse to Chicago and then the EB to Seattle. From there on to San Francisco and return on the CZ to Chicago and back to Syracuse.
This trip would be more for the scenery. I’m looking for advice as to whether that is the best direction to go or would it be better to go from Chicago to San Fran then up to Seattle and back east from there. Having never been in those areas, it looks some of the best scenery is in the dark.
Does this look like a possibility or should it be the other way around? 1. Syracuse to Chicago 2. Chicago to Granby or Glenwood Spring with possible layover (how close are hotels?) 3. Granby or Glenwood to Seattle with possible layover in Seattle. 4. Seattle back to Chicago unless there is a good layover somewhere. Maybe East Glacier. Any other advice would be appreciated.
I will be booking sleepers all the way.
I’ve been watching this forum for some time and there has always been bits of information that have come in handy. Now I’m looking for the “mother of all info” for this trip of a lifetime.
Thanks
Joe
Posted by travelplus (Member # 3679) on :
Well I am like you take the positives out of a bad situation. You are so lucky to be able to take an early retirement. I am with you 150 percent to celebrate this occasion on Amtrak. Your routing is good. My only request you is to book this as a sleeper reservation. Can I join you lol? I am a major railfan and love every aspect of rail travel despite the delays.
Posted by DeeCT (Member # 3241) on :
Joe,
You do not mention what time of year you are planning this trip. That would make some difference in the choice of which direction to take routes. Also the length of the trip (how many days from start to finish).
I personally prefer the California Zephyr westbound from Chicago to San Francisco. (Perhaps a day or two there - lots to see and do.) Then up to Portland, OR or Seattle,WA - both great cities. Then Eastbound from either city on the Empire Builder. But that is my choice -- others here will have different ideas.
Dee
Posted by Geoff M (Member # 153) on :
Westbound on the Zephyr for daylight views of the Rockies - eastbound there is a fair chance that it will be in darkness. Something to do one day as I've found that quite mesmerising but probably not your first if you want to see scenery and take photos.
For the same reason, Empire Builder eastbound, though that train runs more on-time so it's less of an issue.
Glenwood Springs has several hotels within walking distance of the station and is a nice place to stay. Nothing like bathing in the hot springs whilst watching a train passing by! Cycle trails and river rafting trips also available - the latter, at least, will pick you up and return you to your hotel.
Geoff M.
Posted by Gilbert B Norman (Member # 1541) on :
quote:Originally posted by Joe Urda: 2. Chicago to Granby or Glenwood Spring with possible layover (how close are hotels?) 3. Granby or Glenwood to Seattle with possible layover in Seattle.
Sorry to learn, Mr. Urda, of the 'retirement". hopefully your portfolio has survived better than has mine (hate to think where it would be had I fully taken my "peeps" advice on the "hot tix' of Financials; at least I put something in railroads - an industry with economics I understand).
Westward is the way to go on the Zephyr. At Glenwood, The Hotel Denver is opposite the train station and offers "rooms with a view' as well as likely more favorable rates than the better known Hotel Colorado.
However, your noting of Glenwood to Seattle is a no happen since the Pioneer came off during 1997 under the "Mercer Cuts'. Your itinerary would be #5 Zephyr-SAC-#14 Starlight.
Posted by RRRICH (Member # 1418) on :
Joe -- I would suggest, for your return trip on the Empire Builder, that you spend a day or 2 at the Izaak Walton Inn, at Essex, Montana (halfway between East Glacier and West Glacier):
I hope the retirement wasn't sprung on you too fast, but I'm with Travelplus: sounds like a great trip made possible by retirement. You mentioned that you're going for the scenery, but be open to all the wonderful people with fascinating, diverse stories to tell you that you will meet along the way (that has always been the major attraction for me). I'm assuming that you'll be wearing your travel uniform of slacks, blazer, striped shirt, no tie? I like that uniform, too. I'm not sure it gets you better service; it may be that a positive demeanor works just as well. Finally, you mentioned in a previous post that you also use an aircard for internet access that you are quite happy with. I've got a Verizon card that costs me $59/mo. Is that about the right price?
Tom
Posted by Joe Urda (Member # 8938) on :
Thanks to all for the flow of information. Just the suggestions that I've been looking for.
The time frame that I'm thinking of is late September or early October, too much going on this summer. As for the length, it looks like about 10 days if all will fit in. Maybe I'll have to extend that.
The outbound direction seems to be the CZ from Chicago west. I like the idea of Glenwood Springs too. Interesting looking place and would be a good spot to hang out for a day or 2.
Like I said, I expect to book sleepers for all but the Syracuse and Chicago portions.
The Hotel Colorado is booked solid for all but the most expensive. On advice I checked out the Hotel Denver. Good tip Gilbert.
Tom, you mentioned blazer and slacks. The bride and I are big on dress. It does make a difference and our presence at dinner will be in blazer for me and appropriate attire for the wife.
I subscribe to Millenicom nearly a month ago for my internet connectivity. We have Verizon in our area, so that is my provider and with Millenicom there is no limit as of this writing. At home the connection flies with downloads from 1Mb up to 1.8Mb. I'll have the laptop with me and hope to maintain some connectivity to the net. Actually, I think that someone on this forum mentioned Millenicom and that is how I ended up subscribing. I have since had several others in my area subscribe too.
The tip about the Isaac Walton Inn in Essex is one that I would never have known about. Again, that is the advantage of this forum and the information that is out there by those who are in the know.
Keep the info coming.
Joe
Posted by Ocala Mike (Member # 4657) on :
Joe, go west (on the Zephyr), young man! Here's a tip on retirement, be it early, forced, or otherwise. Stay busy and active, with lots of hobbies and/or socializing, whatever turns you on. There is also much to be said for part-time or volunteer work as a means of avoiding the feeling that you're not useful any more. Good luck and happy trails!
Posted by Bill-n-SEA (Member # 14417) on :
Joe, based on your time frame, west on the EB is absolutely the way to go for the best daylight sightseeing. I'm taking a similar trip next week - Seattle to Chicago to San Francisco to Seattle. And going northbound on the Coast Starlight you will beautiful sunrise views of Mt Shasta. Also, it hasn't been mentioned here yet, but Autumn is a VERY popular travel time on these routes and if you don't book early you will pay very high sleeper rates. Pack you sense of adventure and have a blast! Bill
Posted by RR4me (Member # 6052) on :
Joe, I see you'll have lots of info to sort out, and have to figure out how to go west on both the EB and CZ. I'd agree, but on a round trip, impossible. One more idea from me, and that's to get off the CZ in Sacramento, and take the San Joaquins to LA, even though that requires a bus ride. Going north on the Coast Starlight past the Pacific ocean, up through No. Cal and Oregon is a beautiful trip not to be missed.
Posted by Joe Urda (Member # 8938) on :
RR4me,
Actually I'm doing a loop. I'm confused with Bill-n-Sea above. I think that there is a typo as to direction when he states west on the EB yet the routing indicates that he's coming east on the EB.
Bill n Sea is that correct if you are reading this?
By the way, the more info that I get here the more excited I get about putting this trip together.
Keep it coming.
Joe
Posted by Ocala Mike (Member # 4657) on :
Yes, Joe, I definitely think Bill-n-Sea meant "west on the CZ." Anyway, with the info this thread has generated, you'll probably be too excited to pack when the time comes.
Posted by TwinStarRocket (Member # 2142) on :
There is not much to the town of Granby, and seeing the country around there would require a car. Glenwood Springs offers many attractions, with or without a car. Enterprise car rental will pick you up at the depot but may not be open weekends.
Essex offers a wonderful wilderness experience, but there is no checked baggage service. Whitefish offers checked baggage in a full service depot,a colorful downtown with many fine eateries and car rental in the depot.
Eastbound on the Builder is preferable because you see Glacier Park and the Mississippi River bluff country in daylight. I would recommend choosing the earliest possible date to leave because the days are getting shorter that time of year. Also if you get to Glacier when the red "Jammer" buses are still running for the season, this is a wonderful way to see Glacier. They stop at Essex and are accessible from Whitefish.
The Columbia Gorge eastbound from Portland is beautiful at sunset. An overnight in Portland is best to avoid being bussed and it is a nice town to explore using public transit.
Posted by notelvis (Member # 3071) on :
Hi Joe,
Let me add another vote for westbound on the California Zephyr and eastbound on the Empire Builder. With a late September, October timeframe, the days will be getting shorter and this 'clockwise' direction will maximize daylight viewing of the Colorado Rockies, Glacier, and the morning run down the Mississippi River out of the Twin Cities.
You could plan to transfer from the California Zephyr to the Coast Starlight in Sacramento. Old hands will recommend planning a night off the train to insure making the connection. Should you look into this, the Vagabond Inn (downtown lcoation) in Sacramento is virtually right across the street (and a parking lot) from the Amtrak station. The immediate area offers the California Railroad Museum, Old Town Sacramento, and the Sacramento light rail.
Going north, you may want to consider taking your night off the train in Portland, OR rather than Seattle. Better local transportation (light rail) is available in Portland, there is a world class bookstore downtown, and lodging is generally a little more affordable.
From Portland you could Amtrak to Seattle the next morning (or morning after that) and catch the Empire Builder's afternoon departure there BUT the fact is, you may prefer the Portland section of the Empire Builder and it's spectacular trip up the Columbia River. The only drawback to this is that the full diner is on the Seattle section and passengers from Portland get a cold boxed lunch for dinner.
The Isaak Walton Inn is a must-see if you can swing it. My wife and I spent three nights there on our honeymoon (and another two with rental car at a regular 'motor hotel' in Whitefish.)
TwinStarRocket - One of my retirement dreams is to take summer employment driving one of the red jammer buses at Glacier! I had a student job in graduate school driving buses for the University of Maryland Shuttle System (school buses for college kids!) and it was easily the most enjoyable job I ever had.....just couldn't stay in school and work for $8.50 p/h forever!
Now Joe, if you ever work the Southwest Chief route into your travel plans, there are some popular railfan hotels along that route. There is one in downtown Ft. Madison, IA that overlooks the railroad and the Mississippi River, the Depot Inn in LaPlata, MO which is a railfan themed hotel, and the LaPosada in Winslow, AZ which is in the fabulously restored historic Harvey House. Amtrak stops right at the doorstep.
Posted by Bill-n-SEA (Member # 14417) on :
Joe, oops! I did mean "east" on the EB. I'm sure westbound is nice too (when the days are longer). I often travel on the Coast Starlight between Seattle and L.A. and have met too many travellers doing "a loop" that complain about missing the sights of Glacier Park because the sun has already set. Sometimes just a slight delay can mean darkness thru the mtns. RR4me (above)is absolutely right about going to L.A. and taking the CS all the way up. I never get tired of the ride along the ocean and have taken some really cool pics. As for Portland vs Seattle - tough call. Portland is very convenient and the Columbia river route is very scenic. But the section from Olympia - Tacoma is also very scenic, if it's still daylight. Also, when the EB leaves Seattle, the first 30 -45 minutes are along Puget Sound, and when the train turns east to go over the Cascade Mtns the route is scenic (during autmn it will be spectacular!). And the dinner out of Seattle will be much better! Keep us posted on your decision! Bill
Posted by Henry Kisor (Member # 4776) on :
Having been to Glacier Park three times in the past 20 years, I've noticed that getting summer reservations in the lodges AND on the jammers can be difficult after January. We always made our reservations early in the morning January 1, when the switchboards opened for the year.
Things may be different now, especially during Great Depression II, but it might pay to check the park reservations desk sooner than later.
Posted by TBlack (Member # 181) on :
Hey Joe,
Take a look at this from a Steve Grande travelogue of 2006:
All the way from Boston, Massachusetts, to Williston, North Dakota, I was able to connect and remain on the internet at high speed using my Verizon WAN service. I was pretty much connected and working online for the entire trip except when I was sleeping. At Williston, North Dakota, I had a 100% signal and was rapidly uploading photographs to the web. A few miles after departing west from Williston, the signal went red to 0% for the first time. It looks like I finally fell off the end of the Verizon WAN coverage area! Looking out the window, this area looks about as remote as remote can get.