N.B. Ever since I left Portland, I have been in Alaska. Internet and cell phone service has been absolutely HORRIBLE and we have experienced a lot of difficulty with most everything but texting. Please forgive me if this doesn’t look as polished as my posts usually do. It has been several days with no internet and finally, here in Seward, we have a glimmer of a connection so I am trying…

So, I left Portland at 7:00 AM flying to Anchorage on Alaska Air. Because the flight is 3 hours and 40 minutes, I decided to use some air miles to upgrade to first class so it turned out to be a wonderful flight, with a huge comfortable seat, and a tasty breakfast of quiche and fresh fruit. My hotel, Lakefront Anchorage provided a free shuttle already waiting at the curb upon my arrival. The hotel sits directly on Lake Hood where most of the seaplanes take off and this afternoon it was quite busy. The hotel lobby is full of stuffed animals—moose, thin horn sheep, and who knows what else. After I got settled in, I caught the shuttle into Anchorage where I wandered for a bit, then met up with my tour director, Ellie.

I had signed up for a bike tour along the coast. Named for former Alaska governor Tony Knowles, who served from 1981 to 1987, the Tony Knowles Coastal Trail is one of four greenbelt trails located in Anchorage. The trail spans 11.0 miles from Kincaid Park to just north of where 2nd Avenue ends in the Cook Inlet. We drove to Kincaid Park, donned bike helmets and set off on a scenic path towards downtown Anchorage. I actually lucked out–I got a private tour as I was the only one to sign up for the 2:00 PM bike ride!

After an exhilarating ride where I actually saw a moose that was very, very close, they dropped me off back at my hotel where I relaxed for a while before going to the bar where I enjoyed tomato shrimp bisque and what they called a Nature’s Candy Salad—caramelized pears, Arcadia greens, herb=rolled goat cheese, candied walnuts and pecans with a champagne vinaigrette. Ofcourse, I also drank a nice crisp sauvignon blanc. Lovely dinner for the end of a spectacular day.

OMG! This hotel bed is probably the most comfortable hotel bed I have ever slept in! Also, they provide you with four huge pillows, each with a different level of density. Adding to the hotel’s concern for their client’s comfort, the walk-in shower has separate heads and, separately, there is a nice deep tub. A comfortable plush robe and spa-quality toiletries add to the ambience. The room is spacious, clean, and well-appointed. Adding in the free happy hour each afternoon, the friendly and knolwedgable reception personnel, gym, bar and restaurant on premises, pet-friendly, and its ideal location, I give it four or even five stars. I am very happy here and I think I picked well.

Anyway, I decided that today I wanted to visit Portland’s famed Japanese Gardens, approximately two miles from my hotel. So, using my phone’s GPS, I set off walking. It was mostly an uphill walk and, at times, a steep one. It was worth it! A deep sense of serenity envelops me as I wandered through the twelve acres of exquisitely planted and landscaped gardens, fountains, and pools. The intoxicating smell permeated my senses giving me tranquility. Many times I sat on wooden benches strategically placed throughout the gardens giving one privacy for the experience.

Within the garden, at The Umami Café, a place to relax and refresh, I experienced the pairing of world class Japanese tea with traditional gracious, attentive service, and delicious edible delights. I selected Matcha with Ukishima, a traditional green tea with a somewhat grassy flavor paired with a steamed sweet cake made from red and white adzuki beans.

As I left the Japanese Garden, I came upon a massive rose garden The Rose Test Garden covers 4.5 acres and is on several tiers showing over 10,000 rose bushes of approximately 650 varieties. Cultivars of new roses are continually sending bushes to the garden from many parts of the world which are evaluated on several characteristics, including disease resistance, bloom formation, color, and fragrance.

Knowing that my trip back to the hotel was primaily downhill, I decided to leisurely walk back and look for a place to eat dinner as it had been several hours since I had eaten. I found a menu that intrigued me at Southpark Seafood. I settled in with a glass of house chardonnay and ordered a small bowl of clam chowder, a delectable concoction of seven clams, together with braised bacon and gnocchi. I also decided to try their dungeness crab roll mixed with a tabasco herb mayo, celery, and Old Bay served on a buttered bun. YUM! Yes, it was good but Maryland crab still is my preference

I was sound asleep when the train split in Spokane, WA with seven cars heading to Seattle and six towards Portland. I woke while approaching Pasco, WA. Traveling alongside the Columbia River on the Washington side, our view is of Oregon on the opposite bank. The terrain is rugged and desolate with many windfarms, some boat traffic and, at times, you can see Mount Hood in the distance. I discovered that during the night, we made up the time and now are scheduled to arrive in Portland on time.

The train runs right on the bluffs above the Columbia River through Wishram, WA, then Bingen-White Salmon, WA offering views of the surrounding mountains, occasionally cutting through short tunnels but constantly hugging the coastline all the way to Vancouver, WA.

Once in Vancouver, we crossed a bridge into Portland, Oregon, arriving on time. Disembarking and gathering luggage was a relatively easy process and, with the assistance of Uber, arrived at Dossier Hotel by 11:00. The extremely nice young men at reception stored my luggage for me and assured me that my room would be ready within an hour. A great location, Dossier is central to shopping and restaurants in the Pearl District. So, I took off to explore, first finding a barrista where I could indulge my predilection for cappuccino. No cappys on the train so I was in major withdrawal.

Once sated, I walked to the riverfront where the Saturday market was well underway. The largest continuously operated arts and crafts outdoor market in the United States is well worth visiting. I knew this could consume hours of my time so I put off checking out the booths and just wandered around town. There are a lot of homeless persons and many seem young. One of the most disconcerting things is to be walking past a pile of blankets that starts to move as you walk by.

Despite that, the impression I have of Portland is young and vibrant. Music can be heard almost everywhere in this district with bands performing on street corners and along the waterfront. Lots and lots of dogs and people take them everywhere. I went into a Nordstrom (a high end department store) and saw people with their dogs. Eventually I wandered back to my hotel and checked in, then spent some time reorganizing my baggage back from the train ride. I then spent several hours exploring including the Saturday Market.

We finally crossed into Montana and Mountain Time a little before noon (MDT). I opted to have lunch in my cabin and relished the large quantity of PEI mussels steamed in an herb, garlic, and white wine broth served with a piquant spring salad and nice crusty bread for dipping. Since lunch, for hours, the landscape mirrored that of North Dakota—farmland stretching so far and wide with occasional lonely houses dotting the picture. Being primarily from the population-heavy East Coast, it is hard to imagine such vast stretches of uninhabited land. I saw hundreds and hundreds, of fields with bundles of hay (?) and had to wonder what it is all for. Also, periodically, one would see what I believe are oil drills.

The Empire Builder Train makes many stops at towns heretofore unknown by me—Wolf Point, Glasgow, Malta, Havre, Shelby, Cut Bank—all towns in Montana where people actually got on or off. We had a 30 minute stop in Havre so were able to get off and stretch. It is okay to wander about the train and I have availed myself of that privilege but the windows don’t open so it’s refreshing to get outside. Also, the train lurches quite a lot making walking a bit of a challenge. We are now about an hour behind schedule. It doesn’t cause me a problem as I am just checking into a hotel once we reach Portland. Since the turnaround for the train’s return is about six hours, they don’t seem inclined to make up time. In fact, there are baffling times when we slow down or even stop in the middle of nowhere.

Another strange thing is seeing a bunch of rv’s randomly parked in places that make no sense. No water, no stores, no electricity, no town nearby. I saw this several times. One has to wonder what they are doing.

After Havre, the terrain is getting much hillier and you can see mountains in the distance. While outside, I heard several mention that the scenery is boring. True, it is not majestic but I do not find it boring. Instead, I am impressed that a great swath of our wonderful country is dedicated to feeding those of us who never give a thought to where the steaks or ground beef come from, where bread originates, the love given to raise corn and other vegetables that appear magically in our supermarkets. As the train whisks us through part of our heartland, I am proud to be an American and so thankful to those who choose to use our land to sustain us.

Early in the evening, we glided through Glacier Park, MT for about two hours. Even what we could see from the train was spectacular. Shortly thereafter, it was dark as we made our way through Whitefish and Libby, MT, then Sandpoint, ID.

Because we didn’t board until almost 11:00 PM, I slept through most of Minnesota (St. Cloud, Staples, Detroit Lakes) and woke somewhere between Fargo, North Dakota and Grand Forks, ND. The sun was rising as we headed into Devil’s Lake, ND. All you can see is miles and miles of farmland, corn, wheat, soy and probably many other crops, silos, and, here and there, a farmhouse. Many ponds, occasionally cows or horses, and every once in a while, a town. The land is pretty flat until we reached Minot, ND (pronounced MY-knot). We were able to get off the train and wander for almost an hour.

I was able to see the entire train and found that I am in the very last car of thirteen (there is no caboose). I had learned earlier that the dining car is six cars forward. Passing through one more sleeper car, two first class cars, two coach cars, and the observation car, I reached the dining car to find there to be an hour long waiting list for breakfast seating. That’s also when I found out that as a sleeper car passenger, I can order food to be delivered to my cabin. So, I returned and did just that. Coffee and water are free for the taking in the sleeper cars so I just ordered a croissant. You can have a full breakfast of eggs, pancakes, whatever. I am just not usually a big breakfast person and eating big breakfasts the last two days in St. Paul actually made me a bit sluggish.

During my trek, I did notice that most cars are actually two levels and most seemed to be full and, when I returned, I asked my steward and he said it is pretty full—about 400 people. Also, he had converted my bed back into two large seats with a table in between. The seats are close enough that I can prop my legs up on the other. I have two large windows facing south. The shower and three restrooms are but ten steps away. I am in the cheapest of the sleeper cabins—it is called a roomette which can accommodate two persons. Unlike sleeper trains I have taken in Europe and Vietnam, on Amtrak, you do not share with a stranger. Thus, I am alone. For that reason, I am very comfortable. I have a curtain as well as a door for privacy. A roomette would be a very tight space with two people. I have seen several of my “neighbors” in roomettes with two people and it seems that one of them is always off wandering.  By the way, I am in Cabin 13!

Occasionally, I have gone to the center of the car to look out the door towards the north but so far, basically, northern and southern views appear the same. Quite a few times today we passed by very long freight or tanker trains headed east. One train I counted forty cars.
After passing through Minot, the terrain became hilly and lush with trees for several miles before flattening out once again. We passed through Stanley and Williston, ND and many more miles of farmland. Many of the towns seemed to consist of dirt roads and sadly, a lot of decrepit structures, rusted out vehicles, and piles of junk. But then, who would want to build near the railroad tracks?

Another beautiful day here in St. Paul, MN. As the temperature was in the low 50’s when I awoke, I waited until temps reached 70 degrees at about 10:00 AM before I ventured out for breakfast at the same wonderful café as yesterday. I selected the Bon Vie scramble and a cappuccino and, thus fortified, made my way back to my room to “repack” for the train. My hosts were kind enough to extend my checkout from 11:00 AM to 2:00 PM. My train doesn’t depart until 10:20 PM so I knew I had a lot of time to kill. Also, it had been suggested that because the roomette I reserved was small, I should pack my carry-on with essentials and clothing for two days and check the rest of my baggage. As a first class passenger, Amtrak held my luggage so I was free to wander St. Paul.  I had forgotten that St. Paul is the capital of Minnesota until I saw this…

As their capital building is built on high ground, you can see it glow from many points in the city. Downtown is very hilly with many cafes having sidewalk seating (which I took advantage of several times) but very few shops. Beautiful parks with incredibly soft grass, lovely flowers, and fountains are everywhere. At one point, I even took off my flip flops so I could walk barefoot through the grass. I noticed that Minneapolis does not have the only skywalks between buildings.

I also wandered through the science museum where they have a tyrannosaurus rex right in the lobby. One room’s floor was tiled in this amazing topographical map of St. Paul and Minneapolis. During a tour, I found out that St. Paul has more Mississippi coastline than any other city, a total of __ miles and I was surprised to see that the Mississippi River is just as muddy as it appears in New Orleans.

After wandering around St. Paul for almost six hours, I headed back to Union Depot and decided to have a snack and a glass of wine. I am not someone who generally orders French fries but the description called out to my taste buds—fries tossed in truffle oil, parmesan and fresh basil, served with béarnaise sauce and a creamy Brie dip. OMG! Divine.  

I then headed to the first class lounge to await my train which, unfortunately was about a half an hour late. But, Car 2731, Cabin 013, my home for the next 36 hours or so was already made into a bed so I made myself comfortable, poured myself a glass of wine, and settled in with my book.

I started out this morning going out for breakfast. Instead of preparing breakfast on site, Corban Manor Inn gives out vouchers to go to Bon Vie, a few short blocks away. I was not disappointed. With an inspired and varied menu, I selected the quiche of the day — bacon, carmellized onions, and swiss served with a side salad of spring greens, craisins, gorgonzola cheese & candied walnuts with balsamic dressing. And, of course, I enjoyed a large cappuccino.

Thus fortified, I set off walking towards Union Depot, a 2.5 mile walk through downtown St. Paul. A gorgeous 72 degree sunny day made for a perfect walk but what I was not prepared for was the terrain diversity. Major hills abound in St. Paul. Ultimately, I encountered the Mississippi River but the waterfront here was a bit of a disappointment. There are small parks as well as fountains but St. Paul is in the midst of a transformation, thus construction is everywhere.

Originally, I had planned to walk westward towards Minneapolis along the Mississippi but with the reality of the waterfront, I decided to take the Metro Green Line, a light rail line, into Minneapolis. As a Senior, my cost was $1.00! Beautiful, clean cars with ample seating travel the 11 miles from downtown St. Paul to downtown Minneapolis 24 hours per day 7 days per week. First open to the public in mid-2014, the ride end to end takes 46 minutes.

I chose to disembark at Nicollet Mall, a 12 block shopping and dining district in downtown Minneapolis. The buildings are all connected by the largest, contiguous system of enclosed, second level bridges in the world, composed of roughly 8 miles of pathways connecting 80 city blocks.  A statue depicts the cap toss by television character Mary Richards in the opening credits of The Mary Tyler Moore Show was filmed on Nicollet Mall, in front of what was then the flagship Donaldson’s department store. 

There are free buses one can catch to traverse the downtown area as well as many colorful chairs on which one can relax and people watch.

By the way, I could have caught the Metro Blue line and travelled to the Mall of America but decided walking around downtown Minneapolis to be more compelling. My step tracker shows I walked 22,514 steps today. Given my stride length, that is just a little more than ten miles.

So, I left this morning for my new adventure. Minnesota, North Dakota, Oregon, and Alaska are the targets, the last four states on my agenda so that I can finally cross “all fifty states” off my bucket list. It was an uneventful flight except for the announcement that we were not to open any snacks containing peanuts as there was an individual on board who was allergic. I had no intention of eating peanuts but I was quite surprised to be told that peanut fumes carry throughout an entire plane. Anyway, our meal (no peanuts) was scrumptious–an excellently grilled chicken breast together with a tastily seasoned farro salad. I had a wonderful seat mate who loves travel as much as I do so we traded stories making the three hour trip seem very short.

I flew into MSP (Minneapolis St. Paul airport) and immediately was impressed. Modern airport with loads of restaurants, bars, and stores. I didn’t have any problem finding the baggage carousel but somehow the shuttle desk eluded me for quite some time. I went up the elevator, down the escalator, through the people mover, out to the street. Signs for the correct ground transportation were baffling. It took me a while but eventually, I found the appropriate desk and embarked on a ride through one of the most beautiful cities I’ve ever driven through.

The airport sits at the southeastern part of Minneapolis so we were in St. Paul before I even knew it. Built in 1875, Corban Manor Inn sits in the heart of an historic preservation district characterized by its tree-lined brick streets, quaint buildings, small shops, and neighborhood pub/restaurants.  Beautiful room and I was met with a nice cold glass of chardonnay!