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| George! | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Sep 21 2014, 02:58 PM (846 Views) | |
| brenda | Sep 21 2014, 02:58 PM Post #1 |
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How's the train riding for you? |
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“Weeds are flowers, too, once you get to know them.” ~A.A. Milne | |
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| jon-nyc | Sep 21 2014, 03:00 PM Post #2 |
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Cheers
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He should be in Portland by now. |
| In my defense, I was left unsupervised. | |
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| Kincaid | Sep 21 2014, 04:21 PM Post #3 |
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HOLY CARP!!!
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Yep! Going to meet George (and daughter) in about 50 minutes! |
| Kincaid - disgusted Republican Partisan since 2006. | |
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| brenda | Sep 21 2014, 08:29 PM Post #4 |
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“Weeds are flowers, too, once you get to know them.” ~A.A. Milne | |
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| Steve Miller | Sep 21 2014, 11:16 PM Post #5 |
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Bull-Carp
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I just watched episode 1 of "Portlandia". Too bad George hasn't had a chance to see it before visiting. |
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Wag more Bark less | |
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| George K | Sep 22 2014, 05:15 AM Post #6 |
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Finally
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Whew.... First of all let me tell you about Amtrak. Our train, the Empire Builder left Chicago on Friday afternoon on time. We boarded, dropped off our luggage in the common baggage area downstairs in the Superliner car, and wound our way upstairs to our roomette. The roomette is small, but adequate for two people. Seats were spacious and moderately comfortable. However, as we discovered the next day, getting dressed in one of those with the beds turned down requires a contortionist! We hit our first three or four spots pretty much on time, and by 6:30 we were near the Mississippi River. Before that, we went to the lounge car where they charged me $6.50 for a mini bottle of Dewars. DEWARS!!! Nevertheless the lounge car was comfortable and the overhead windows were great. We crossed the Mississippi while having dinner with a charming couple from Great Britain - he is a software guy, she is a nurse. The steaks were good, surprisingly good, and the mashed potatoes and beans were okay too, if unremarkable. The steak dinner was $25 but the meals were included with our purchase of the roomette. It started getting dark, so we retired to our roomette for a couple of games of rummy. Our sleeping car attendant turned down the beds at about 11, but we stayed up until about 1. Sarah climbed into the upper berth, and I slept below. Surprisingly, I found sleeping on the train very easy. The ride is very smooth and quiet. There's nothing to see outside in the dark in Minesooota, so we slept well. We awoke somewhere west of Fargo, and had some coffee prepared by our attendant. Then we showered and got dressed. The shower is small but functional, and there was a nice supply of towels and soap. We had breakfast with a couple of ladies who were traveling to Havre Montana. Breakfast was an omelet with browned potatoes and toast. Saugage patties were MUCH too salty. And yes, Minot was all I expected it to be. The rest of the day was pretty boring, scenery-wise (not much there there in N Dak and eastern Montana) but still fun to watch the country zoom past at 80mph. At least when we were zooming... There have been many delays on the Empire Builder because of freight ( oil) traffic. This train is frequently 3-4 hours late by th time it reaches Montana, but we were lucky, getting to Havre only about an hour late. Since much of the right of way is one track, we would get diverted to a siding to let a freight train pass. Sometimes we sat for as long as 20 minutes. I was told that that was very good, because sometimes the delays are such that Amtrak requires a crew change if it's the end of their shift, and you and wait for hours for a emplacement crew. We had no mechanical issues, fortunately. More later on Glacier and Washington state. Those of you on Facebook can see some of the photos. I will upload to photobucket and share when we get back next week. Oh, and yeah, dinner with Kincaid was a total blast. Again, more later. |
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A guide to GKSR: Click "Now look here, you Baltic gas passer... " - Mik, 6/14/08 Nothing is as effective as homeopathy. I'd rather listen to an hour of Abba than an hour of The Beatles. - Klaus, 4/29/18 | |
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| jon-nyc | Sep 22 2014, 05:23 AM Post #7 |
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Cheers
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Awesome! Thanks for the update. |
| In my defense, I was left unsupervised. | |
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| Improviso | Sep 22 2014, 05:34 AM Post #8 |
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HOLY CARP!!!
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Sounds like a really great trip, George. I took Amtrak from Richmond to St Augustine Florida a couple years ago and could not wait to get off that damn train. Then again, I didn't spring for a roomette. Sat in my seat all night and didn't get a wink of sleep. And yea... I was really surprised at the cost of food and drink on the train. A bit high for what it was. Enjoying your videos on FB. Keep them coming.
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Identifying narcissists isn't difficult. Just look for the person who is constantly fishing for compliments and admiration while breaking down over even the slightest bit of criticism. We have the freedom to choose our actions, but we do not get to choose our consequences. | |
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| Improviso | Sep 22 2014, 05:35 AM Post #9 |
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HOLY CARP!!!
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Yeah... really nice guy to meet in person, as was his wife. |
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Identifying narcissists isn't difficult. Just look for the person who is constantly fishing for compliments and admiration while breaking down over even the slightest bit of criticism. We have the freedom to choose our actions, but we do not get to choose our consequences. | |
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| jon-nyc | Sep 22 2014, 05:38 AM Post #10 |
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Cheers
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We did a sleeper car from Munich to Berlin in 2002. It was more or less as George describes. It was only overnight though. |
| In my defense, I was left unsupervised. | |
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| brenda | Sep 22 2014, 08:04 AM Post #11 |
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Thanks for the update, George! I think the train would be excellent as a rug hooking trip. Lots of natural light, looks like enough room to have a small lap frame, and a small hooking project. |
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“Weeds are flowers, too, once you get to know them.” ~A.A. Milne | |
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| Kincaid | Sep 23 2014, 09:12 PM Post #12 |
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HOLY CARP!!!
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Now I'm jonesing for a train trip. |
| Kincaid - disgusted Republican Partisan since 2006. | |
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| brenda | Sep 24 2014, 03:34 AM Post #13 |
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I know! So many good things about a train trip. Hubby and I have talked about it many times. |
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“Weeds are flowers, too, once you get to know them.” ~A.A. Milne | |
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| George K | Sep 24 2014, 03:40 AM Post #14 |
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Finally
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Difficult to post as I lie here in my roomette cruising at 75mph thru Northern California but yeah. It's been great so far. Daughter 4 was eager to get back on so she could chill. It is also surprisingly affordable. The trip from Chicago to Portland to SF and back was $2500 for both of us. That includes meals. Think of what you'd spend on lodging gas and meals if you drove. And you go places no car has ever been. Yeah it's great as long as you don't have to be somewhere on time. |
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A guide to GKSR: Click "Now look here, you Baltic gas passer... " - Mik, 6/14/08 Nothing is as effective as homeopathy. I'd rather listen to an hour of Abba than an hour of The Beatles. - Klaus, 4/29/18 | |
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| brenda | Sep 24 2014, 09:27 AM Post #15 |
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Or need to haul a truckload of college stuff.
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“Weeds are flowers, too, once you get to know them.” ~A.A. Milne | |
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| Friday | Sep 24 2014, 09:53 AM Post #16 |
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Senior Carp
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Do you get to spend the day at your stopovers? Kind of like when you go on a cruise? My one and only overnight train ride was as a 17 year old high school grad, spending the summer in Europe. It was going from Granada to Leon, Spain. OMG, it was one of the scariest thing I've ever done in my life. My friend and I were seated with a bunch of guys openly burning something on tin foil that was not...oregano. |
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| jon-nyc | Sep 24 2014, 10:01 AM Post #17 |
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Cheers
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What made it so scary? Do tell. |
| In my defense, I was left unsupervised. | |
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| Red Rice | Sep 24 2014, 12:11 PM Post #18 |
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HOLY CARP!!!
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Weren't you there? |
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Civilisation, I vaguely realized then - and subsequent observation has confirmed the view - could not progress that way. It must have a greater guiding principle to survive. To treat it as a carcase off which each man tears as much as he can for himself, is to stand convicted a brute, fit for nothing better than a jungle existence, which is a death-struggle, leading nowhither. I did not believe that was the human destiny, for Man individually was sane and reasonable, only collectively a fool. I hope the gunner of that Hun two-seater shot him clean, bullet to heart, and that his plane, on fire, fell like a meteor through the sky he loved. Since he had to end, I hope he ended so. But, oh, the waste! The loss! - Cecil Lewis | |
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| Improviso | Sep 24 2014, 12:13 PM Post #19 |
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HOLY CARP!!!
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Identifying narcissists isn't difficult. Just look for the person who is constantly fishing for compliments and admiration while breaking down over even the slightest bit of criticism. We have the freedom to choose our actions, but we do not get to choose our consequences. | |
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| JBryan | Sep 25 2014, 03:07 AM Post #20 |
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I am the grey one
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Jon, chasing the dragon. |
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"Any man who would make an X rated movie should be forced to take his daughter to see it". - John Wayne There is a line we cross when we go from "I will believe it when I see it" to "I will see it when I believe it". Henry II: I marvel at you after all these years. Still like a democratic drawbridge: going down for everybody. Eleanor: At my age there's not much traffic anymore. From The Lion in Winter. | |
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| George K | Sep 30 2014, 05:34 PM Post #21 |
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Finally
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![]() Technology nerds, Kincaid and I try to figure out how to Pay and Park. ![]() ![]() ![]() |
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A guide to GKSR: Click "Now look here, you Baltic gas passer... " - Mik, 6/14/08 Nothing is as effective as homeopathy. I'd rather listen to an hour of Abba than an hour of The Beatles. - Klaus, 4/29/18 | |
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| Mikhailoh | Sep 30 2014, 05:50 PM Post #22 |
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If you want trouble, find yourself a redhead
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great pics. |
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Once in his life, every man is entitled to fall madly in love with a gorgeous redhead - Lucille Ball | |
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| jon-nyc | Sep 30 2014, 05:52 PM Post #23 |
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Cheers
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Great pics indeed! |
| In my defense, I was left unsupervised. | |
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| George K | Sep 30 2014, 05:59 PM Post #24 |
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Finally
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We ate here: http://portlandcitygrill.com I had: Goat Cheese and Prosciutto Stuffed Chicken Cipollini onions, buttermilk mashed potatoes, lemon garlic pan jus. Daughter #4 had: Macadamia Nut Crusted Chicken Vanilla passion fruit sauce, stir-fried petite vegetables, kim chee, sushi rice. And Kincaid ate from the "Happy Hour" menu. Oven Roasted Salmon Cakes Old Bay, green goddess dressing, fresh chives. and ...I forgot what else! ![]() Edited by George K, Sep 30 2014, 06:00 PM.
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A guide to GKSR: Click "Now look here, you Baltic gas passer... " - Mik, 6/14/08 Nothing is as effective as homeopathy. I'd rather listen to an hour of Abba than an hour of The Beatles. - Klaus, 4/29/18 | |
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| George K | Sep 30 2014, 06:01 PM Post #25 |
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Finally
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Our train attendant (whom I tipped BEFORE we departed) was good about getting ice for us.
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A guide to GKSR: Click "Now look here, you Baltic gas passer... " - Mik, 6/14/08 Nothing is as effective as homeopathy. I'd rather listen to an hour of Abba than an hour of The Beatles. - Klaus, 4/29/18 | |
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