The Adventure Begins

Day One - May 7 - South Surrey, B.C. to Seattle, Washington

Our adventure begins bright and early as we leave sunny South Surrey at 4am to catch Amtrak Cascades to Seattle.  Emma has clinched her nomination for daughter of the year by dragging herself out of bed to drive us to the train station for a 5:30am customs clearance.

Beautiful ride to Seattle....everyone needs to try to find some time to ride the rails along the coast.

Enjoyed an afternoon slummin in Seattle - heard some reggae beats which  reminded us of our fav band - Giraffe Aftermath - currently on tour in Southern Cal and available on Itunes ...lunch at Pike Place Market, Safeco, Century Link Field...home of the 12th man.....next time tailgate party!

Huge shout out to Lorne at the Seattle Amtrak ticketing station.  Lorne personally carried our bike boxes.....our most prized possessions at this point in time #amtrak and explained the ins and outs of travelling by train.  All with a huge smile and enthusiasm..."that's why I'm here." We must confess it is a little stressful taking your bikes apart, putting them in a box and trusting they will arrive in Fargo when we do......we have taken a page from Adam...dont'worry - be happy- the bikes will arrive.

The King Street Station in Seattle has recently undergone a major reno..it is spectacular - reminds me of train stations of old.  

Giggle of the day:

Jane tries to buy a bottle of wine in Seattle  ....gets carded ...can't produce ID...so Rob has to rescue her yet again!  Jane was crushed to learn that the store cards EVERYONE!!!..and she wasn't carded because of her youthful passion for life and wine!

Booked a sleeper car for the journey to Fargo,  just boarded the train only to discover  sleeper cars come stocked with champagne  [no cards]  ....  WHO KNEW?

Lounging at Safeco...waiting for the Empire Builder

Amtrak Station - Vancouver, B.C. - Departure Day