Our Train Ride

Well, now that we are settling into something of a routine I thought I might share some of the travel adventures that we have had over the past couple of weeks. After all we have done some rather major traveling lately, going over the mountains, across the prairies, through big cities and forests and farmland. We have reunited with Roman and are settling into our temporary home in Maryland.

We left Whitefish Montana at 6 am on Monday November 3rd. We had a family sleeping room on the train, two child-size bunks and two adult ones. It did not take long for us to spread ourselves all over that tiny little room.

The movement of the train was very soothing to Carsten, though taking a shower on a moving train is one of the strangest experiences I have had.

The last we saw of the mountains! November may not be the prettiest month for traveling, but there was still much to marvel at in the passing country.

Dollies made it much easier to endure the cramped quarters.

It took a full day just to cross Montana, and all night to pass through North Dakota. We had a stop in the middle of the night in Minot, ND where I had a chance to visit with a friend of mine who is studying to be a doctor.

Watching movies to pass the time!

Caught my foot!

Ethan really liked his upper bunk, and spent a lot of time playing there, but he did get tired of the train. He was glad to have any chance to step off the train.

Doing exercises' on the stairs. He got the hang of walking on the moving train and crossing between cars very quickly.

The sunset behind us.

Playing games with Nana. I am so grateful that my mother-in-law could travel with us. She was able to see Roman graduate, and it was a huge help to me. While traveling by train was definitely a smart choice with small children, it was made much easier by Rhonda's aid.

Getting a breath of fresh air in St. Paul. States went by much quicker on our second day of travel.

The mighty Mississippi River.

Ethan was paid by a fellow passenger to search under the seat for a bottle cap. The older gentlemen also enjoyed visiting with Ethan and Saoirse.

 

We spent Tuesday night in Chicago, and all day Wednesday and left for DC late Wednesday evening.

The dining car offered a nice selection of meals, very café like. Prices were high, but meals are included in the price of a sleeper ticket. It was nice not to have to think about meals. Our dining car attendant would bring us milk and hot water for tea as soon as we sat down. All the attendants were very friendly. We saw many other passengers in the dining car. It was fun to hear where they were from and where they were going to.

The passing countryside of Pennsylvania.

Our final meal before pulling into Union Station in Washington DC on Thursday November 6th.

 

I have no pictures of the train stations themselves. Suffice it to say it was a madhouse whenever we stepped off the train. Between babies, backpacks, and luggage maneuvering the crowds was overwhelming. Still, it was a lot of fun to travel by train, and my kids did really well. More posts coming on our day in Chicago, our crazy car buying frenzy, and the trip to South Carolina.