The Bi-Line

 Sorry for not posting about the other Seattle days. I totally forgot. I had a good time, though.

  Day 2 - February 2 My whole reason for taking this trip in the winter, as opposed to any other time of year, was to see the Pacific Northwest in the winter. I got that, as soon as the sun started to come up. I woke up shortly before sunrise and started watching a video on my phone. I had to keep pausing and switching to my camera, at dawn, because there was so much to take pictures of. Fields, frozen lakes, animals, and so much more. We passed through an area that looked like a small logging town (a town that makes a lot of money from lumber). It was like something out of a movie. I even saw a bald eagle fly by a partially frozen lake. When we got to the forests, oh my God! Trees taller than 100 feet, covered in snow! That's what I mostly wanted to see on my train ride! I was truly amazed. I was sitting in my seat, slackjawed, watching the trees as I rode by. That, alone, was worth the long trip. It was worth the fairly uncomfortable bed (though not the worst bed I've ever ...

  Day 1 - February 1 I got up early and headed to Union Station. I got there a couple of hours before departure. Since I wasn't riding coach, I was able to wait in the VIP lounge. Complimentary coffee, tea, juice, and pastries were a nice touch. I ended up being driven to my train and got on. Upon boarding, I accidentally went into the wrong room (they call it a roomette but whatever). Oops! My room is a tad bit bigger, so I'm glad the first one wasn't mine. The train has no wifi, so I'm glad I'm on an unlimited data plan. The views were wonderful. There were times when we were winding through the mountains that I was like "And now an Old West train robber is gonna take all of our money."  Unfortunately, we hadn't even made it halfway up the state before darn. So, the views were rather limited for the rest of the night. With over 12 hours under my belt and more than 20 to go until Seattle, I called it a night. Lance J. M.