Friday was a very relaxed day for me. After sleeping in I rode Lisa’s bike to Bryant-Lake Bowl where my cousin was a bartender for four years. I sat at the bar and ate breakfast while occasionally talking to the man behind the counter. I then went back to Muddy Waters and sat outside watching the world go by, drinking coffee, and taking pictures. After that I just rode back to Lisa’s, stopping and taking pictures every once and a while. I got back, uploaded pictures, and took a nap, waiting for my 11:15 train to take me to Seattle. I finally had the chance to actually talk with Lisa Friday night, when I got back, and when she very thoughtfully gave me a ride to the Amtrak station. Lisa graduated from Maumee Valley in 1991, and has lived in Minneapolis for 13 years. We got to the station, I hugged her goodbye, thanking her for all her help, and I walked up to the train. Two cities down, five to go.
The first thing I noticed when I got on the train was the two electrical plugs next to every window. I thanked the Lord and took a seat, seat 17 to be exact. The next thing I noticed, however, was the lady a few rows behind me sleeping in the middle of the aisle. Objective: get water. Obstacle: lady sleeping in the middle of the aisle. She was so large, and I have been mistaken for being 15 three times since I left. I approached the sleeping beast, carefully scoping out the situation. A man steps out of the observation car and simply steps over her, hardly paying any mind to the ridiculous situation at hand. I notioned that she must have been there for a while. I took a deep breath and stepped over my obstacle, water was important, and the snack car was closing in mere minutes. I walked back through, water in hand and stepped over her a little more confidently the second time. More people start filing into the train and we exchange funny glances, “are you serious?” their faces say. The train attendants eventually see the lady, and many people gather around her trying to wake her from her slumber. She’s not getting up. I suddenly start to feel bad. I have been laughing at this situation for some time, what if she was unconscious? “Mam, are we going to have to call the authorities?” one of them says. “I don’t know whether to call the police or the ambulance.” another replies.
A guy steps up to my car who I recognized from my train to Minneapolis. He stops at the top of the stairs, staring at the lady. “Can I help you?” the conductor says to him in a nasty tone. “Can I help you?!” he replies, pointing at the crazy sight of the passed out lady they’re all gathered round. He puts his stuff down and steps outside. I soon followed him, not wanting to be near the now potentially dead body I just confidently stepped over. Life is just full of surprises. An ambulance arrives on the scene and she soon comes walking out of the car, very sleepy eyed. I start talking with the guy on my last train, Derek, about the ridiculousness of the situation. I told him about my trip. The ambulance took off, and the train was just getting ready to leave, right on schedule. I said I’d talk to him tomorrow, it was time for some shut eye… yeah right.
“I thanked the Lord and took a seat, seat 17 to be exact.” good choice, i bet it made the ride a lot better that you were seated in 17.
call me unethical….but did you happen to take a pic of the lady passed out in the aisle?
It did, I’m sitting in an optimum position in my car.
No, I didn’t get any pictures of the happenings last night, otherwise I’d have pics up with it.
Ah, seat 17. Always a good decision.
The Empire Builder is treating you well, timewise, so far. It’s slower going in the mountains, hope you got to see some of Glacier National Park before it got dark. Tomorrow morning, the ride down the mountains and into Seattle, the scenery should be pretty incredible.
And the Pike Place Market is a great place to wander/take photos/etc. And it’s right across the street from your place o’ lodging. The walk from the train station to the hostel is mostly uphill — fair warning. But at least it means that the walk back is downhill!
a mile uphill with all this crap on my back? oh boy hahah
i didn’t make it into Glacier National Park before sunset, which was somewhat disappointing, but the mountains out my window right now are absolutely beautiful.
The ladies that shared your table at breakfast are glad you had a good time in Seattle. Sorry I didn’t warn you about the hill climb, but you can’t visit Seattle without doing that. Great photos!