Trains, planes and cars… – The Trek

Travel to East Glacier National Park
Day 1
7/6/25 Traveling
Turtle Trax carefully wraps his backpack in Sarah Wrap and boxes up his extra food. The food comes from a failed attempt to put up a mailbox. It was going to cost $115 just to ship it and another $30 for the ranch to hold it for us. We decided not to do it.

On the way to the airport, a two-hour drive, there is a fatality that closes the interstate to get out. A car left the road, crashed into trees and possibly rolled before catching fire. EMS was pulling out the sheet just as we passed. Someone’s not going home today. Another reminder of how short life can be, so go out and do your thing, whatever that may be.

SW doesn’t like the plastic packaging and makes him take it off. TSA doesn’t like the gelatin you carry in your carry-on and takes it along with peanut butter. I can’t be too sure. They don’t flinch at my peanut butter. I was actually talking to another TSA guy (Allen) while Turtle Trax was trying to conserve his jelly. He wrote down the YouTube address of the vlogs I’m going to make. Youtube.com/@SideMiles

A note to the wise; Go ahead and pay the extra for TSA PreCheck; It is the best money you will spend. Our connecting flight to Minneapolis was delayed 2 hours. Luckily we had 4 hours between landing and the train.

The flight attendant (Andy) in our section of the plane asked if it was an AT symbol on my tattoo. We talked to him for a while. He and his friends have been hiking the AT for the past 10 years. They’ve made GA to New York. Congratulations to my boy. I don’t think I can do that. Yes, I uploaded it but it stops and starts twice a year! I have to rip off the band-aid or it can’t be done.

Midway Airport is NOT shy about raising prices. $17 Chicago dog, $20 cheeseburger, $22 thin crust pizza. It’s too early to eat yet, but I’m going to have a $14.50 beer; Half Acre Daisy Cutter. At least it’s a beer I haven’t tried before. Dinner was a Chicago Dog minus the tomato ($11) and a bag of Doritos ($4.89). TT had a hamburger and fries. The flight continues to bounce at departure time. They move it back, forward and then back. At least they don’t just keep pushing.
The plane took off at the rescheduled time and the flight was uneventful. I made it to the subway with no problems and wasn’t sure where to go next. I met a friendly flight attendant and she helped us. Blue line to Red bus #54. Union Depot was pretty big and I walked around for a while. Unfortunately, everything was closed and the doors close automatically at 10 pm.

Boarding the Empire Builder train was also uneventful. I’ve already had a look at the saloon car briefly. Very similar, if not exactly the same, to the Auto Train that runs between DC and Orlando.

The saga will continue on the same Bat channel, at the same Bat time.

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