The train ran west through Connecticut, with nice views of water, spring greenery and many towns.
Soon we spotted the New York skyline.
We had a three hour layover, so we walked around a few blocks and saw Madison Square Garden, the Empire State Building, and much more.
We found a cute Irish pub for lunch, with a waitress who was really from Ireland.
From there, the train headed north through the Hudson River Valley and even more beautiful scenery.
We got off the train in Syracuse, New York, rented a car and drove to Kingston, Ontario.
Where we were welcomed by our good friends, Gord and Linda.
They have an amazing home they built themselves.
It's on a lake north of Kingston and it was warm enough to take a tour on their pontoon boat.
We also toured downtown Kingston and the locks.
Ate some awesome poutine and crammed a lot of fun into two days! I'm so glad we were able to visit.
On the way back down Lake Ontario, we found a cute lighthouse and walked along the beach.
We took the train overnight across Pennsylvania, Ohio and Indiana.
Ending with a layover at Union Station in Chicago, a gigantic and gorgeous building.
Once again, we walked around on a quiet Sunday morning and found a busy home-cooking restaurant for breakfast.
The Sears Tower was a few blocks away. It was the world's tallest building when I lived in a Chicago suburb in the 1970s, and I have been to the top. It's now called the Willis Tower.
After Chicago, the train went through Milwaukee and Wisconsin farm country, arriving in St. Cloud, Minnesota at 2 a.m.
Our friend picked us up later that day and had a rough few days ferrying us around because he also still works full-time! What a guy.
My friend and I talked and pulled carrots from the garden. We walked the dogs and went to visit her mom. It was a wonderful visit.
There's still ice on the lakes that far north.
Late Thursday night (actually, 1 a.m. Friday morning), we boarded the train for our longest stretch of the journey. By morning (with very little sleep), we were in North Dakota, which was pretty in spots, and a lot of open plains.
Eastern Montana was more of the same open country and we saw a lot of huge farms and fields. We also met some pretty cool people on the train and everyone was wondering if we would reach the mountains before dark.
We made it! At East Glacier, Montana the rail cars began snaking up through deep river valleys surrounded by towering peaks, and we enjoyed an hour or so of changing scenery before night descended.
We spent hours in the observation car, with views in every direction.
Saturday morning we were halfway across eastern Washington and were soon following the Columbia River and other tributaries west and northwest.
Until we finally reached the apple orchards around Wenatchee and the mighty Cascades!
By 10 a.m. yesterday, we were safely delivered to Everett, north of Seattle, and look forward to a few days with family.
Gotta go. To be continued!