Guest Post:
This was an adventure from our home in Selah, Washington to my parents’ home in Sleepy Eye, Minnesota. We’ve been looking forward to this trip for three years, and actively planning for six months.
We purchased our tickets in January for the July trip. We had a “buy a full price fare receive 50% off up to 2 children” automatic fare discount. Worked great for us as that was our adult: child ratio. They have a sensible refund and re-schedule policy so we were confident booking that far in advance. With our round trip Empire Builder tickets from Pasco-WA to St. Cloud-MN purchased we began researching rental van options, baggage limitations, what to expect TSA-wise, what to bring food & entertainment suggestions, what the interior of the train looked like, & what “facilities” would be like.
The rental van research was blessedly taken care of by my parents. They found Fromm’s Auto in Mankato which had excellent rates. Mom picked us up from the train station and we drove to pick up the rental after depositing kids and hubby on the farm.
Baggage policy per Amtrak website is located here: Amtrak – Baggage Policy. We were boarding/detraining at stations without checked bag service, the checked bags would in no way be secure as they are stowed on shelves on the lower level of the train car at the bottom of the stairs with no security. (Checked baggage traveling to/from stations with baggage service, are stowed in baggage areas that are only accessible from outside of the car- thus more secure.) We opted for carry-on only.
Baggage we brought:
6 suitcases
6- backpacks
1- Entertainment bag
1-Food bag
1-Water bag ($2.25/bottle in the lounge)
1- med kit backpack
This worked out really well for us as each traveler pulled their own & carried their personal bag plus the 2 olders and mom & dad each carried an extra bag.
With the luggage packed into/onto our van we headed out to the Amtrak station with MapQuest directions, which took us NOT to the station. Then we asked for directions at two separate stations whose directions took us all over Pasco except the train station. Mom experienced the same in St Cloud. When we finally found the station, we parked in long term parking & headed inside. I presented my computer reservation printout to the attendant and was given both sets of tickets. We waited about 15 minutes for the train. Good to be there a little early. The trains may be running late, but, if they’re on time… they won’t hold the train for you.
There were NO baggage or personal searches at the stations we boarded/detrained – they were not even set up for this. I did see a TSA line at the West Glacier, MT boarding point, but that appeared to be totally unobtrusive- just a “do-you-have-anything-to-declare” type question with no metal detector, wanding, groping going on. Boarding and detraining were all about getting on and off the train quickly, efficiently to keep the train on schedule. (National Park Rangers also boarded and narrated/Q&A us through Glacier National Park.)
Coach seats aren’t reserve-able and you’re not guaranteed a seat with your travelling party. The conductors make EVERY effort to allow travelling companions to sit together-especially with minors, but sometimes it’s not possible. When we boarded in Pasco this was not an issue, however, boarding in St Cloud this was. The conductor assigned us to two pairs of seats together with the other two in the same section of the same car until morning (we boarded just after midnight) when other passengers detrained. If this is something you are not willing to deal with, you may want to reconsider train travel or reserve a sleeping car (see Amtrak.com for sleeping car info).
Train travel is similar to coach bus travel with wider reclining seats, plenty of legroom, a wider aisle, a standard outlet per pair of seats and several airline-sized bathrooms (and one or two handicapped accessible ones) in the basement. You can get up and walk around as you please moving from car to car (but not in the sleeping car). There is the observation car which has café booths and several seats facing the windows. Below the observation car is the lounge café with booths. In the lounge, they sell hot and cold food items as well as assorted beverages (including wine & beer) a la cart. The temperature was moderate, got a little warmer during the day and a little cooler at night. We wore summer clothes & flip flops to kick off in our seats and were thankful for the sweaters and travel blanket for night time.
People from all walks of life ride the train and for different reasons, so it’s an interesting mix of travel companions. There were Amish, Mennonite, Muslims, college kids, senior citizens, many different races, colors, creeds, orientations. Our trip there, we were seated right behind a group of 25 4-H’ers from Michigan returning from a month of exchange with another club. On the way back almost an entire car was full of baby boomers on a train-travelling tour with a travel agency. With all the differences (& similarities-since most of us are like the rest of us) riding Amtrak was definitely a slice of American pie.
We had an AWESOME trip… we would definitely do it again!
P.S What was there to do in the Sleepy Eye, MN area?
- Played in the waterpark ($5 each)
- Posed with the Peanuts Linus I love Sleepy Eye statue – the character based on a local guy (free)
- Bought amazing jerky ($6/lb) at Schweiss Meats (120 1st Ave S, Sleepy Eye, MN 56085. (507) 794-6328)
- Watched the 4th of July fireworks over Lake Sleepy Eye (free)
- Toured the beautiful St Mary’s Catholic Church-tallest Catholic cathedral west of the Mississippi (free)
- Caught Fireflies/Lightning Bugs & chased cats on the farm (free)
- Played in Flandrau State Park-picnic & swimming ($5/vehicle 2-day pass)~ http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/state_parks/flandrau/index.html
- The guys toured Schell Brewery – New Ulm, MN ($3 each)
Some of the things we could have done but didn’t:
- Geo-caching (free)
- Toured the Sleepy Eye Train Depot Museum- rich German, Native, history (museum is free)
- Climbed the Hermann the Germann monument –New Ulm (50c each)
- Traveled 60 minutes west and experienced the Laura Ingalls’ Festival in Walnut Grove (minimal cost-museum is free)
JaNell Hancock is a, former (reformed?) Minnesotan, child of God, wife, homeschooling mother to four awesome blessings aged 15, 13, 10, 6. She lives in Selah, WA and loves Jesus, friends, family, music, & simple frugal fun!
I’ve often wondered what it would be like to travel by train. My husband and I have talked about making a trip out West via Amtrack just so we don’t have to drive all the way. 🙂 Thanks for a great overview of what to expect.
Tonya, do make that trip, as long as you have the time to kill, I love taking the train, it’s almost addictive, I’d also recommend signing up for Amtrak’s reward program so you can start earning miles.
My girlfriend and I have taken several trips across the midwest and elsewhere in the past calendar year, our longest was Kansas City to Grand Rapids (via Chicago). I would also recommend getting a sleeper if you plan on going far at all, the meals are all included with the price of your room so order whatever you want as it’s already paid for. It’s also wonderful to know that you have your own space and don’t have to worry about being inconsiderate of others and you can travel however you want to.
You’re very welcome! … we sure loved not having the driving responsibilities. We just sat back, wandered around, and enjoyed the journey.
~JaNell.
Comments are closed.