And finally on to Glacier National Park

In what I can only describe as some sort of miracle we arrived in East Glacier on the first train to be on time in over two months. In fact we were 5 minutes early!  A quick walk across the street to collect the rental car and we were ready to go. 

Because we got in on time I was able to make the drive from East Glacier up to Saint Mary Lodge while it was still light out. A definite plus on that narrow winding road.  It also meant we had some gorgeous views.

Once again Sprog manned the camera and did a great job!

We were up nice and early the next morning and ready to head into the park. We decided to go farther north and check out Many Glacier first. The lodge was built in 1915 and like all the lodges in the park was done in the style of an alpine chalet.

We had breakfast at the lodge and then took the 2.5mi hike around Swiftcurrent lake. Wildflowers abounded. 

Bear grass 

As did mountains. Mount Wilbur

Indian paintbrush in pink

Next we drove back south to the Saint Mary entrance and drove along Going to the Sun road (the only road through the center of the park) where we encountered these guys!

Momma black bear with two cubs in tow crossed the road right in front of us.  

Cub goofing around. 

Momma on lookout. Don't worry, we stayed safely in our car to take the pictures.  

Our home for night two at Rising Sun Motor Lodge.  We spent the evening sitting on the porch watching it get dark. Bliss!

The next morning we took a boat tour of Saint Mary Lake. Simply Gorgeous!

There was an optional 3mi hike to see Saint Mary Falls. It was worth every step!

After the boat ride we once again drove along Going to the Sun Road to see what we would see.

Oh, and what we saw!  At Logan Pass we encountered this guy. 

He posed so beautifully on the edge of the parking lot for everyone to get pictures. 

Sprog and snow. 

Me and snow and mountain

More mountains!

Lunch Creek was one of my favorites. 

Late afternoon and it was time to start heading back. We made the drive south to East Glacier where we checked the train status (nearly 2 hrs late) and returned the rental car. 

Then over to check out Glacier Park Lodge (built in 1913)

When we walked in with our luggage we were met by the bellhop. I explained that we weren't checking in, just stopping by to have dinner and then heading over to the train station. Didn't matter, he was happy to hold our luggage for us and we could take the shuttle to the train. Well, ok then!  The whole shuttle to the train is a little silly (and I'll show you why in a bit) but made us feel kinda pampered nonetheless. 

We had a very nice and indulgent dinner at the lodge. Huckleberry iced tea was the highlight for me, though the trout was very good too. 

We spent time checking out the lodge and just relaxing. See, the red clogs made it the whole way!

Our ride awaits. 

This is the view of the lodge from the train station. (Now you get it, right?)

Another darling little train station. This one was built in 1912. While I was taking pictures one of the two (yup, count 'em, two) employees asked what I was taking pictures of.  She said she sees people take pictures all the time but couldn't figure out why. I explained that I really liked to look of the station with all of its original details. I guess since she sees it every day it didn't occur to her that it's anything special. 

These benches have been here a while. 

When it was time to head out to the platform there were still beautiful things to see and silliness to be had. 

This guy was at least three inches across. 

And then our train came. 

A Quickie in Chicago and on to Madison

Train delays did us in and we were 3 1/2 hours late getting into Chicago. There was no way we would have time for a trip to the art institute or any other sightseeing.  The one part of the Chicago plan that I thought I might be able to salvage was Sprog's request to try Chicago style pizza. A frantic web search from the train turned up a place that was not only less than three blocks from the station, but also took orders online.  I ordered our pizza when we were about 30 min out and then fervently prayed for no further delays. The timing was gonna be close.  We arrived in Chicago and dashed to the first class lounge to drop off our bags. So far so good.  Then out of the station to find our pizza. And that's when serendipity struck. To get to the pizza place we would walk right past the Willis (formerly Sears) Tower.  Not enough time to go inside but a short pause to stare up, open jawed at the tallest building in the US  fit into the schedule just fine.  Our luck held and the pizza was ready on time allowing us to get back to the station in plenty of time.  We boarded the Empire Builder and headed to our next stop, Madison, Chicago pizza in hand.

We spent two days in Madison, WI with my brother-in-law, James and his fiancé, Meg who both work at the University of Wisconson.  Thursday was my birthday and started out with a hearty breakfast and visit to campus so James could take the Sprog to see his chemistry lab. Then I got to spend the middle part of the day canoeing on lake Wingra. We then went for drinks at The Terrace overlooking lake Mendota. Apparently this is an obligatory activity when in Madison. But obligatory or not the combination of peach cider, live bluegrass music, and a lovely view of the lake made it wonderful spot to relax and have a good long chat.

The Sprog and his Uncle James both deep in contemplation.  

Friday started with a bit of a logistics issue trying to get a flat tire fixed on Meg's car. But once that was taken care of the rest of the day was much more fun. We got to visit Meg's part of campus in the art department where the Sprog was scanned for a 3D image!  Some afternoon shopping and then it was time to return to the train station. 

The train station in Columbus, WI (closest station to Madison) is one of those itty bitty places that time seems to have forgotten.  Look at the details on the solid wood benches that have probably been here since the station was built in 1906. 

Nothing high tech here. 

We got ourselves settled back onto the train and spent the remainder of the afternoon watching the world go by. This will be the longest leg of the trip scheduled at about 25 hours when it runs on time. Fingers crossed...

The Mississippi River. 

Being on the train on the 4th of July turned out to be a lot of fun. We spent the evening in the observation car watching fireworks on the horizon and we arrived into Minneapolis/Saint Paul just in time to catch part of the fireworks displays there too.  Then off to bed. 

Sleeping on the train is a bit odd. On the one hand there are interruptions during the night as the train makes stops.  On the other hand the rocking and white noise make for very restful sleep and our compartment is actually one of the coziest places I've ever slept.

Morning in North Dakota. It's flat. 

With occasional outcropping as we went further west. 

But mostly flat. But look at that sky!

It's been a quiet restful day on the train. We've filled the hours with meals, games, knitting, and staring at the landscape go by.  If all goes well we'll arrive in Glacier in a few hrs.  

If it's Tuesday this Must Be Washington DC

We left Boston Sunday to start our cross country train adventure. The first stop was in Philadelphia for two nights where Sprog and I had a lovely visit with relatives. 

Cousin time!

We took the kids to the Franklin Institute (science museum) where The Sprog had a great time going through the exhibits with his very lively and curious little cousin. 

Ben himself. 

Physics!

Sprog showing off his crazy flexibility in the circus exhibit. 

The highlight of the museum for me was the giant, walk through model heart. I wish I had had access to this when I was teaching intro bio labs in grad school. What a great way to truly understand the flow of blood through the heart and body!

This morning it was back on the train for a quick trip down to DC where we had a 6 hour layover. We got our bags safely stowed in the first class lounge ('cause we's hoity toity fer this trip.) The look on Sprog's face when he found out that we got to use the the first class lounge was priceless. I'm guessing the look on my face was pretty good too.  Once we got that settled, we took the Metro to the National Mall. After a bit of negotiating, we decided to visit the Natural History Museum. Wow, wow, wow!  I love that museum!  

I was so happy to see Rosalind Franklin featured in the DNA exhibit. Her contribution to the discovery of the structure of DNA went overlooked for far too long partially because she was a woman working in a male dominated field and partially because she died of cancer (exposure to x-rays) prior to the awarding of the Nobel prize to Watson and Crick. 

Sadly, most of the dinosaurs were off exhibit for major renovations but the triceratops was still on display. I love this guy.  He's definitely been one of the highlights of every trip I've made to the Smithsonian.  

It was beastly hot out so we limited ourselves to a quick view of the Capitol Building and the Washington Monument rather than any extensive walking about for sightseeing. It was fun it be in DC even if only for a short time.  I am definitely planning a much longer visit in cooler weather soon.  I want to see EVERYTHING!  

Then back to Union Station to chill in the lounge for a bit before being escorted to our compartment on board the Capitol Limited. Our compartment is cozy and seems like it will be a comfortable place to spend the night. I got to take a quick shower using the onboard facilities which was very much appreciated after the heat. We passed a pleasant afternoon in the observation car knitting (me) and reading (Sprog) and watching the scenery go by. 

Dinner in the dining car came as part of our ticket and was actually quite good.  Now I'm settled back in our compartment feeling content, watching the sun set, and getting drowsy. We'll arrive in Chicago in the morning.  I've got my fingers crossed that timing works out so that we can have a quick visit at the Art Institute.  That would make three different museums in three different cities in three days!

Today I wore my Kali Ma earrings. 

Kali Ma is a Hindu goddess often associated with creation and destruction.  My mom sent them to me when I started grad school as a symbol of strength to help me through the exciting and scary change in my life. Now I wear them whenever I am facing a new or challenging task. They seem to be working. I was able to figure out what I needed to figure out at each step of the way and today went without any significant hitches or panic attacks. 

Home

Sprog and I arrived in Portland safe and sound (if a few hours late and a little travel weary) and were met at the train station by Hubby. We had an amazing adventure but it feels great to be home again. 

Here's a quick picture of pelicans over the Columbia River in central Washington. (Not too shabby for a picture taken with my iPhone from a moving train, eh?)

I lost my internet connection when we left Boston so I wasn't able to create posts from the road. Plus we were far too busy doing all kinds of cool stuff to have the time to compose them anyway.  Now that I'm home I'll be able to go through the pictures and tell you all about the second half of the trip. 

But... it will still be a day or two before I'm able to do that because first I have to dig out from under the enormous pile of stuff that was waiting for me to take care of when I got home. This is definitely the downside to going away for nearly three week.  Ok, back to the mountains of laundry, emails, and snail mail.  If I don't come back in a day or two someone please send in the rescue dog.  Thanks!