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Just an update - Last Night I booked the middle portion of my June Rail Excursion. I did this when I discovered that the sleeper on the Portland section was already sold out both the day before and the day after I wished to travel.
Here's what I have at this point -
June 22 Dp Havre, MT #27 Empire Builder June 23 Ar Portland, OR Dp Portland, OR #11 Coast Starlight June 24 Ar Los Angeles
I will be in roomette for both segments.
So now all I have left is to determine what to do with the beginning and ending segments.....
Trainwise the decision is one of embarking to Havre from Chicago on #7 or from Seattle on #8.
Which would you good readers prefer if you were making this trip....and why?
Airwise the decision is which is the preferable southern airport and airline...... Do I prefer to depart from GSP, BNA, or ATL? Return will be from LAX.
Still weighing options and seeing what the availability for sleeper space looks like on #7 and #8.
Vincent206 Member # 15447
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Depart Seattle!
Sunset will be about 915pm in middle June so you'll get to see more scenery in daylight and the moon will be just past full, so there will still be quite a bit of celestial illumination after the sun sets. Sit in your roomette, block out the ambient lighting of the car and you'll be able to watch the scenery all night.
notelvis Member # 3071
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Seattle was (and still is) my early lean..... though it would mean the earliest departure from home.....
Would also mean a tight turnaround from #8 to #7 at Havre...... but then I could turn back at Shelby if neccessary.
sbalax Member # 2801
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David--
I'd have to agree with Vincent.
When you are looking at airfares remember that Southwest doesn't show up on Expedia, etc.
I'll be back up and on "Meet and Greet" duty by June so I just may run down to say hello as you pass through SBA.
Frank in soon to be wetter SBA
P.S. Only 15 more posts, David!
notelvis Member # 3071
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Frank -
I'll keep you posted as we draw nearer to my brief visit to SBA...... and I may even later decide to bail there and catch Amtrak into LAX Saturday morning.
I've scanned the Southwest fares hoping to find something fabulous out of Greenville, SC which SWA begins serving in March and which is just 75 miles from home....... no dice in terms of the best bargain though.... SWA to GSP is comparable to what I could book on any number of Heritage Airlines out of Charlotte..... and the flights to/from Charlotte are more direct with shorter layovers.
The very best airfare I have found is actually with SWA's soon to be merger partner AirTran. AirTran has non-stops from Atlanta TO Seattle and FROM LAX for under $165 each way......
The ONLY drawback being that I would need to battle Atlanta rush hour traffic in order to make it to the airport by 8:15am (for a 10:15am flight) on a Tuesday morning.
Hmmmnnn - a motor hotel near the Atlanta airport the night before might be a wise choice.
sojourner Member # 3134
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Re flying to Chicago vs Seattle: I don't see turnaround in Havre as a major problem because, as you mention, you can detrain earlier . . BUT there sure are a lot of considerations. In addition to being more convenient for you to fly to Chicago, won't it also be cheaper? And at that time of year, it's light enough to see quite a bit of the Mississippi on the EB westbound, and you should see Glacier Park (unless the EB is superlate, which as yet hasn't happened to me). Of course you'll miss the Spokane to Seattle run in Washington State, but remember, thre's no observation car for that part, and some of the best scenery is always on the other side of the train!!! Also, you've seen that run before, haven't you?
Mind you, I'm not voting for Chicago, but I'm mentioning a lot of things to consider.
I have no idea what getting from airport to train station is like in either city, but that would be another consideration, of course.
But another consideration might weight toward SEattle: that of on the ground time you might get before departure--will you have any in either case? Your EB departure from Seattle is of course later in the day, plus you pick up more time because you are going further west, so if that gives you more time to do something in Seattle near the station, that would be a big consideration with me. When do you expect to get to the station from your flight? Very close to the train station there is that Klondike National Park thing, small but interesting, and Salumi if you're there Tues-Fri, very fine place to get a sandwich . . . plus Seattle station, which I think is still being redone (don't know if that might be finished by June???), had had its very nice old ceiling uncovered when I was there last November.
Decisions, decisions!!!
I cannot tell you a thing about airports in CA, of course. Santa Barbara is great, though, as I know you know. . .
notelvis Member # 3071
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Important considerations Sojourner.....
The cheapest combination of airfares is actually to Seattle from Atlanta on AirTran....... though a Chicago option is only about $30.00 higher....
I did get to experience a ride along the Mississippi River from St. Paul to Chicago in July 2009...... though it was aboard an excursion train using the former Burlington Railroad across the river from the line Amtrak uses.....
I have ridden the Seattle-Spokane portion of the Empire Builder...... but not since 1989.
Obviously I am not stymied or overwhelmed with making a decision. I am, rather, enjoying the virtual travel experience weighing my options and using this forum as my sounding board!
sbalax Member # 2801
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quote:Originally posted by sojourner: I cannot tell you a thing about airports in CA, of course. Santa Barbara is great, though, as I know you know. . .
I've always said that going to our little airport is an experience much like going to someone's nice "Spanish Colonial Revival" home. United is in the Living Room, American in the Dining Room, and the Gates are in the garden.
Most of that is changing due to increased flights (More flights but, sadly, smaller planes.) and the requirements of security in this day.
The "New" Terminal is well on it's way to completion and, from all accounts, it is going to be user friendly AND beautiful. They have wisely retained the original building (Built by United in the late 1930's.) but I'm unclear about its use in the new scheme.
I was very pleased that the "powers that be" went ahead with more expensive copper cladding for the dome that is a major design feature. It will last a very long time and add the same sort of character that the Clock Tower adds to the County Courthouse and the towers at the the Old Mission.
A bit of trivia. Even though SBA is located about 10 miles from the center of town and completely surrounded by the City of Goleta and UCSB and the ocean it is "in" the city of Santa Barbara thanks to an underwater dogleg that was created especially for that purpose.
Flight out of here are generally more expensive that from LAX or SFO but sometimes it is well worth it.
Frank in increasingly cloudy SBA
RRRICH Member # 1418
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In June on the EB, you will have daylight going westbound all the way to Whitefish, and going eastbound, all the way from Whitefish thru Glacier Park.
TwinStarRocket Member # 2142
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In June you usually make it to Red Wing, MN by sunset and may see some beautiful lighting on the Mississippi Valley. Just a thought.
notelvis Member # 3071
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Seattle wins!
Booked myself Seattle-Havre on the Empire Builder of June 21st last night.
For the record, I'm spending 30,000 AGR points for the equivalent of more than $1,200.00 worth of rail travel.
I'm still tinkering with airline options but needless to say, I'll be flying to Seattle and from Los Angeles. I'll wait until next week to make my airline arrangements so that the bill for such won't come due until the end of March.
TwinStar - I appreciate your insight.... it basically boiled down to the fact that I've been aboard a train between Chicago and the Twin Cities at least a half-dozen times....maybe more... since I last rode the Builder between Seattle and Spokane in 1989.
For that matter - with the exception of the Lake Shore (last ridden in 1985), I have been on every train in the long-distance network since I last rode between Seattle and Spokane.
dmwnc1959 Member # 2803
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Of all the times I took the Empire Builder I would do the final leg taking the Spokane to Portland route and thought it absolutely beautiful as it paralleled the Columbia River. I would stay in Portland at the Embassy Suites downtown and then rail up to Seattle or Vancouver for a cruise or down to LA for a stay on the Queen Mary.
dmwnc1959 Member # 2803
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Some pics of that ride along the Columbia River
posted 