Report On Our Big Adventure—Entry #3

Late Tuesday afternoon, March 16th, we were getting some good views of the Rocky Mountains.

 

As we got nearer to Glacier the views got much better.


It was getting into late afternoon or early evening when we made our trip through Glacier.  Shortly after reaching Glacier we were able to spot a small herd of elk right near the railroad.  I had my camera in hand but it wasn’t ready to take a picture. 


The above photo and the ones following are just a few of the shots I attempted.  I just picked out a few to share.  I’ll share a few more that I took on our return trip in another report.


The railroad tracks have a number of curves and are in many places right on the side of a mountain.  The next photo is one of several I took of the train we were travelling on.  As I mentioned before we were in the next to last car on the train and we were able to see the front section when making some of these curves.


As can be seen here, the cars on the Empire Builder are “double decker” cars.  On the coach cars, such as we rode, the seats are “upstairs.”  On the first level were the restrooms and some luggage storage.  There are some special seating that can be reserved, as we found out on our return trip.  Several ladies and their small children had reserved those seats and had an area that was pretty private.


Shortly after 8:00 P.M. we crossed the continental divide at 5216 feet above sea level.  Actually, Marias Pass is the lowest pass between New Mexico and Canada.  It was the pass sought by Lewis and Clark and which was finally established by John Stevens, with the assistance of a Blackfeet Indian guide, while on a mission for the Great Northern Railway in 1889.  Just past the actual top of the pass I spotted this obelisk and snapped this picture.  I found later that it is a monument to President Theodore Roosevelt.





By the time we reached the western entrance to Glacier Park it was getting dark.  Connie and I were delighted to see the evening star and the small crescent moon. 

Until the next installment.