apologies for not posting a blow by blow account of the train ride. after tending to the needs of close to 40 people for 10 days, i was mentally exhausted and just needed the train ride home to decompress gracefully.
i will offer some thoughts/observations though to kind of put some closure to this thread.
overall, the train experience was a positive one for me. however the same will not be said for the girl i transported across statelines. she expressed that she didn't think her bones could do that again. as i said though, i am a construction guy and as such am a bit used to a rougher side than others might be. the ride out was a bit tough because i think i may have gotten a total of 10 hours sleep over the span of three days. the Lake Shore Limited is an older train than the one we rode from Chicago to Seattle. as such was much harder to enjoy oneself on. the Empire Builder was roomier and had greater ammemities to enjoy which made the trip bearable. i'm not sure why, but i was able to sleep on the way back much more easily than i was on the way out perhaps anticipation of the event that was to come helped play a part in my lack of being able to sleep. conversely, perhaps it was the sheer exhaustion that played a role in my being able to sleep on the return trip. unknown to me really but i'm sure both played parts.
the scenery was simply beautiful. the Glaciers and the Cascades are not to be missed if you ever get the opportunity. especially along the mighty Columbia between Portland and Spokane (we took the train out of Portland on the return trip), very majestic. we also traveled through a number of the wildfires that atre plaguing the west these days, what a terrible experience for the people that live there that has to be. it was terrible enough to travel through, i couldn't imagine living through it all. no, we didn't see any of the famed Sasquatch while there, though that would have been an experience to keep. ?
all in all, i would/will do it again.