Lake St. Mary

We arrived in West Glacier at around 9:30pm, mountain time.  We got our car and then made our way to The Great Bear Inn where we would be staying for the remainder or our trip.  It is an awesome place and I can’t say enough great things about the accommodations (which included breakfast, a cocktail hour, and gourmet dinner) or about Susan, the owner, and Ryan, the chef.  They were amazing!  We also met some fun people from all over the world while we were there.

View of mountains in the rain

The next day, after having lunch at the West Glacier Restaurant (where we ate lunch a LOT),  we took our first drive through Glacier National Park.  It was a rainy day so we decided to take it easy.  Even with much of tallest mountains being obscured by fog, the sights we saw were simply breathtaking.  I’ve never seen so many beautiful sights in one place before.  We went to Alaska a few years ago and the glaciers and snow there were beautiful, but it was a different beauty than this.

We spent a great deal of time on the Going to the Sun Road.  It’s the main road that travels through the park.  They are doing a major repair of the road and it’s a little unerving at time to drive on, but it’s a really easy road.  Sometimes we needed to wait around for the random bear, big horned sheep, or white mountain goat to pass (and pose for pictures as they do) or you would get caught on the periodic road closures, but those wouldn’t delay you as much as one would think.  Maybe 20 minutes at each of two stops, at the most.

We spent a great deal of time playing by streams and throwing rocks into the water, playing in the snow at Logan’s Pass, and taking little hikes like the Sun Point Nature Trail leading to Baring Falls.  It always amazes me what a stream/waterfall can do to people.  Everyone at the falls was playing in the water (as much as you can in a glacier fed waterfall and stream) and laughing.  It was as if everyone there, of all ages and religions (even some Amish), turned into five year olds.  It was so cute!

View of Lake St. Mary from the Sun Point Nature Trail

Around the middle of the trip, C took us to The Park Cafe for lunch.  I had a burrito and then had some pie, which The Park Cafe is known for.  It really was very tasty.  I had the razzleberry which was a mixture of blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries.  The crust was extremely light and flaky and different from other pie crusts I have had.  I’ll warm you, though.  It is a totally hippie place.  I think one of the prerequisites in order to get hired is the use of Birkenstocks.  But, they do have really good pie, and burritos, and chili, and bison burgers.

C went overnight hiking on Gunsight Lake one day, so I entertained Enzi by going to play in the snow again at Logan’s Pass.  While we were in the parking lot, I had a random big hornes sheep just come up nudging me to pet him.  It was a really friendly sheep, though I can’t help to think that he was just trying to steal my little bag of Sour Patch Kids.  Kid theaving sheep.

After 10 days in Montana, it was time for us to return home.  We took the train back to Chicago and then stayed in Merriville, Indiana for the night before driving home, exhausted and happy.

Illinois, Minnesota, North Dakota
As soon as we checked out of The Palmer House, we made our way to Chicago’s Union Station.  Since we had booked a sleeper aboard the train, we were given access to the Metropolitan Lounge while we were at the station.  We didn’t get to use if for very long though as, once everything was taken care of, including a second trip to and from the car, we only had about 10 minutes before we boarded the Empire Builder on our way to West Glacier, Montana.

What was most impressive throughout the whole boarding process is that we did not have to go past security.  There was no taking off of shoes and having everything you own ransacked as if you were already guilty of being a plotting terrorist, while grandma and an infant are getting frisked to the side.  No, we were let out onto the platform from the lounge and wished a good trip as we made our way to our car.

We boarded car 31 and made our way to our room- Family Room #15.  This is the most spacious of the on board rooms.  It takes up the entire short width of the car and can seat/sleep four people (although I would say it’s more of two adults and two children.  There is room to walk around and even to set up Enzi’s little Thomas the Tank Engine playset.  A few minutes later we were brought some champagne by our attendant, Laura, and asked what time we wanted to have dinner.  She also let us know that there was complementary coffee, tea, juices, and water available in our car for us.

We rested the few hours until dinner.  We stretched out and read and played on the various i-things we brought for entertainment.  C went to get us some lunch from the little counter service place and we had some our snacks that we brought on- which included various liquids above 3 oz that we brought from home.

Dinnertime arrived and off we go to the dining car.  Being in a sleeping car meant that all our meals are included in our fare and all we are responsible for are tips and any alcoholic drinks we wanted.  Sofia greeted us first, sat us, and brought our drink orders with a smile.  Then Justin, from Seattle, brought our food.  Both C and I ordered the steak with baked potato and we got Enzi a grilled cheese.  Both steaks were cooked to our order and very tasty.  We had overheard Sofia mention to another table that she spoke Greek so I mentioned that so did I  so we started speaking Greek to each other.  After dinner we chatted with Justin for a couple of minutes and found that they are on a six days on, five days off schedule.  That is a lot of hours!

After dinner we rolled ourselves back to our room.  We took a small leg stretching break somewhere in Minnessotta, and then headed back inside to start turning in.  Our attendant had made up our room for sleeping and we settled in for sleep.

I wasn’t sure how well we would sleep on a moving train, but I slept really well.  I got cold a bit for a chunk of the night, but not enough to keep me awake.  I certainly slept better than I have ever slept on any plane, that’s for sure.

This morning I woke up to somewhere in North Dakota.  At breakfast, where Sofia remembered us and welcomed us in Greek, we looked out the window at all the fields of corn, wheat, and soy, and something that has small yellow flowers, maybe mustard?  It was quite calming.  Tonight we arrive at West Glacier.

Days 1 and 2- Kentucky, Indiana, and Chicago.
Since there is no way that we can ever leave at a decent time and are constantly led to procrastinate such things as packing and making sure everything is ready to go, it was four hours after our estimated departure time that we were finally on our way out of town.
It was a strange thing to pack for two seasons again.  I’m no longer used to actually having luggage when I travel instead of a simple carry-on and actually taking a big bag along with the usual stuff one needs when traveling with kids, it was more than we are used to putting in the car.  It was also strange because we were actually able to put things in the trunk as Cornell was not going to be on this trip with us.
We make our way out of Kentucky and into Indiana, the land of slow left lane drivers.  I am not usually prone to road rage, but the only thing that kept me from yelling my head off is that Enzi had finally fallen asleep and there was no way I was going to run the risk of ruining this rare thing called a nap.  I just don’t understand why there were so many people going UNDER the speed limit in the left lane. Last I checked, the left lane was meant to pass, not meander along.
As we reached Northern Indiana, we began seeing wind turbines, literally as far as the eye can see.  C said that when he and his friend passed by this same area, about three years go, on their way to a concert, there had been no turbines, now there were hundreds.  It turns out that they were part of an initiative that has created a few wind farms in the area.  It’s called the Benton County Wind Farm, since it’s well, in Benton County.

The problem I saw is that at the time we were passing, less than a third of the turbines were spinning.  There had been some debate about whether the area was even viable for wind farming and I guess the decision was reached that it was, but I am unsure about the statistics so far as to whether or not it has been very productive.  By the looks of it, and the numerous new platforms, towers, whatnot being built for new turbines, I am guessing that, at least for the time being, they are.

The plains soon gave way to industry and then we started to see the trains.  That is also when C and I began to constantly be told to see these trains by our very own train enthusiast (to put it mildly), Enzi. As we approached Chicago, the trains would appear on either side of the highway.  To the left there were commuter trains, to the right freight trains, and we saw Every. Single. One.
We drove past the now no longer named Sears Tower.  It’s amazing to think that it used to be the tallest building in the world for so long.  
Then began the search for our hotel, which brought us into downtown and directly underneath the train line.  From the backseat we couldn’t help but hear squeals of delight and “Look, train” every few seconds as a train would rumble above us.  Let me tell you, it got old fast.
Finally we were inside the hotel.  The Palmer House is one of the historical hotels in downtown Chicago.  It is said to be the most expensive wedding present ever.  It was built in the 1800s and suffered damage in the great Chicago fire.  It is beautiful!  The ceiling is a giant painted and carved mural that includes a Venus rising from the water and, I’m guessing an Adam and Eve.  It also has a few cherubs annoying a greyhound by pulling its tail and trying to climb on top of it.
The lobby is full of inviting leather chairs that look like they could fit into any distinguished library.
Our room in on the thirteenth floor.  Odd that it’s actually that since usually hotels skip that number.  But, on the thirteenth floor we are.  Room 13-206.
The room itself is small compared to many of the rooms in more recently built hotels, but it is well appointed.  There was more than enough room for the three of us, but had there been a second chair in the room, we would not have been as easily accommodated.  The bed was soft and full of pillows.  The amenities were all from Crabtree and Evelyn’s LaSource line. Very nice.
C stepped out last night and got us a late dinner (how I miss being able to get restaurant food at all times of the day and night) from Millers Pub, right next door.  He got a prime rib open faced sandwich with mashed potatoes and au jus.  It was really tasty, though I am not a big fan of prime rib because of all the visible fat on it, and I have my food issues with being able to see fat that is white and not charred to a crisp.  He also brought me a piece of lemon cake which was god too, but too lemon-ey.  I prefer lemon cake with vanilla or coconut frosting to tone down the citrus somewhat.
This morning, I got up and was going to get breakfast.  I decided I’m not really hungry, but could use some coffee so off I go to Starbucks, just at the street level.  I grab my cup and find a seat back in the lobby.  The World Cup is on a TV right by where I am sitting.  I am engulfed in a sea of orange shirts emblazoned with only one word- Holland.  The game is against Brazil.  Okay, I’ll watch a little.

Its time to get ready to go back to my room and pack up.  We leave Chicago in a few hours towards Montana.  By train, it will take us 31 hours to get to West Glacier.  I have never been on a long train trip and am excited.  I also fear that it will be 31 hours of repeatedly being told that we are on a train by my three year old.  At least we have a sleeper cabin so only we’ll have to hear the constant news updates.  Ha, ha!