Many of the Day 2 posts were written during the three hours I sat in King Street Station waiting for the Empire Builder to board. They did not get posted till the morning of day four while waiting for the great in and out flow of tourists to ebb at Whitefish Montana. That’s the west gateway to Glacier National Park that itself was formed to promote the railroad rather than green causes.
I digress.
My first night off the train is actually my second free stay in a hotel on this journey. It’s free from the prospective that I used hotel frequent traveller points to book the hotel. In reality it is far from free considering all the hours, days, and weeks working on the road that it took to accumulate those points. Let’s just say it was not out of pocket now.
Proximity to the bus terminus, a moderate point charge, and a quest laundry were the primary selection criteria. As with the Burbank Residence Inn, it was an excellent choice. They both offered new immaculate modern and well appointed rooms complete with wired & wireless internet, more than half a dozen unused power outlets, and a refrigerator. Did I mention the great pillows? The Residence Inn wins points for being a one bedroom suite while losing for directly facing busy Interstate 5 and the main train trunk line. In all, a wash.
I am glad I chose Bellevue for the night. I got to see Lake Washington and Mercer Island again but the main inducement was traveling over the I-90 floating bridge. For the locals it is just a part of daily life. For the rest of us, it is a marvel. Remember when I said the deep waters created challenges for bridge makers? Well, this was the biggest.
The distance is too wide for cantilevered and suspension bridges and the water is too deep for pillars or towers. So the middle section floats on the water. From the east, the freeway bores through the headlands of Mercer Island emerging on a descent down to the lake surface. Passage need not be provided for ocean going vessels so the eastern and western spans afford adequate access for watercraft. Nowhere else will you ride so close to the water vertically. The western rise enters another tunnel through the cliffs that separate downtown Seattle from Lake Washington.
Today I get to take the pictures of the train stations I was not able to get the day before upon arrival. Then I sit down to wait and write.
