The Empire Builder

Emily and I are going on an adventure. We're planning a cross country trip on Amtrak's Empire Builder from Portland, Oregon to Chicago, Illinois.

Em and I have traveled quite extensively in the west (California & Oregon) on short trips to visit Ken when he was working for Columbia Helicopter and before we got married and settled down in Southern Oregon. These short trips ranged from fun to miserable, depending on how full the train was, the people we were sitting near and how closely the train ran on schedule. On these shorter trips we always traveled in the seated cars, and never rented a sleeper.

We're renting a sleeper roomette on both legs for our Chicago trip. Yea!

Here's our route on the Empire Builder:

Portland, OR (PDX)

Vancouver, WA (VAN)

Pasco, WA (PSC)

Spokane, WA (SPK)

Whitefish, MT (WFH)

Shelby, MT (SBY)

Havre, MT (HAV)

Williston, ND (WTN)

Minot, ND (MOT)

Grand Forks, ND (GFK)

Fargo, ND (FAR)

St. Paul / Minneapolis, MN (MSP)

Winona, MN (WIN)

La Crosse, WI (LSE)

Columbus, WI (CBS)

Milwaukee, WI (MKE)

Chicago, IL Union Station (CHI) I'm taking my laptop and digital camera (of course) and will provide updates once we get to Chicago and then when we return to Oregon. Unfortunately, there's no internet on the train. However! I may be able to use my Blackberry to grab some airtime enroute. I'll have to check that out! I have decided that - since technology is here - I might as well use it to give myself as much geographical freedom as possible. So, I consider this one big experiment in creative communication. Exactly how far away from home can I get and STILL communicate and do "business" effectively? We'll see...