Day 11: Montana 




Amtrak's Empire Builder goes all the way to Chicago, but we have made a stop at the Izaak Walton Inn in Essex, Montana (Population: 30). When we first arrived, I was a little worried about not being able to post -- since there is just a pay phone in the lobby and no cellular reception for miles -- but the place surprised me with Wi-Fi in the lounge. Built in 1939 to house crews for the Great Northern Railway, it now serves tourists to nearby Glacier National Park, as well as "railfans" who are drawn to the activity of the "helper" locomotives who standby waiting to assist freight trains through the steep Marias Pass.



After a terrific lunch, we found the resident ski/bike guy, Mike, and rented some 7-speed cruisers to ride around for a few hours. That's Stephen above riding on US Highway 2. We rode for about an hour and then decided it would be wise to head back since we forgot to take bottled water. The altitude here is about 4,000 ft. I'm doing a load of laundry, drinking a bottle of wine, and writing this post. We'll have dinner tonight, maybe partake of the sauna, then watch something on the "movie watching machine" (I kid you not, that's how they described their 19-inch TV and VCR).

Tomorrow morning, we board the Empire Builder again for one of the longest rides on the trip -- 30 hours through the great plain to Chicago. 

Posted: Sat - April 14, 2007 at 06:49 PM          

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