afternoon. A dining car is available for meals but Miller said a traveler could order sandwiches which were brought to their seats. She added a passenger could bring all their food and drinks on board if they chose. “It was a lot of fun,” Miller said. “We could walk around the train, from car to car, or go to the observation deck to play cards.” At one point when they were walking from car to car, the top half of the Karen Miller and Nancy Nelson boarding the train. Dutch doors between the cars were open and they could look out at the passing scenery. The trip started on a Monday and they returned the next Sunday. From Fargo to Glacier National Park the trip took 16 hours Miller said. They boarded at 3 am and slept for a few hours until it was light. By this time, they had traveled through North Dakota and had just started to cross over into Montana. The cousins chose not to use the sleeper car option and instead slept in their seats. They reclined with a foot rest and really, Miller said, it was dark and everyone slept. The seats were full and there were lots of families on board in the eight passenger cars. The destination in Montana was Whitefish, a great skiing area in winter but also a great town for summer park visitors Miller said. They rented a van and traveled throughout the park, staying at a variety of lodges after a day of sightseeing. They took ski lifts up in the mountains but forest fires complicated the places they could visit and see and clouded some areas with smoke. “We (cousins) have a lot of fun together and we did some hiking,” Miller said. They also took a boat ride on Lake McDonald which was a great choice. Everyone in the group researched the area and picked out things they wanted to do. When they arrived, they sat down together, pointed out what they wanted to do, set their schedule and made the arrangements. The group did not cook for themselves but agreed to eat out together. Miller’s college roommate was one of the group and her research found Dennis and Janice Rieppel in the observation car playing cards. a local restaurant called Lulu’s. She told the group they would love the French toast with lemon curd and fresh raspberries. “She was right. It became our favorite breakfast place and the French toast was ‘to die for,’ Miller said with laugh. Miller will definitely travel by rail again and is already planning a future trip. She has two small grandchildren, one of them being a grandson who is enamoured with trains. “When he gets a little older, I’ll take him for a trip by rail,” Miller said. It was just a fun way to travel. Denise Wubben’s ride by rail was a longer trip - 24-hours, and she enjoyed it just as much. She traveled the same rail as Miller but her destination was Seattle and the casual train trip was just her style. The train ride and seeing Seattle were both on her bucket list so she killed two birds with one stone, so to say. Wubben’s trip traveled the great Northwest last July with a friend but boarded at Williston, No.Dak. She drove to Rapid City to pick up her friend and then drove straight north to Williston, which she said was an experience itself since they traveled through the oil fields. “I have put my kids on the train in Omaha to Chicago different times and thought it would be a fun way to travel,” Wubben said. Wubben had a wish to see Seattle and that part of the country including the Space Needle and the Pacific Ocean. When they arrived, they rented a car and did sightseeing, hitting the west coast and then heading north to Canada, touring all the State and National Parks in the area. vRAIL continued on page 8 HERVOICEvJANUARY/FEBRUARY 2018v7