Because we didn’t board until almost 11:00 PM, I slept through most of Minnesota (St. Cloud, Staples, Detroit Lakes) and woke somewhere between Fargo, North Dakota and Grand Forks, ND. The sun was rising as we headed into Devil’s Lake, ND. All you can see is miles and miles of farmland, corn, wheat, soy and probably many other crops, silos, and, here and there, a farmhouse. Many ponds, occasionally cows or horses, and every once in a while, a town. The land is pretty flat until we reached Minot, ND (pronounced MY-knot). We were able to get off the train and wander for almost an hour.

I was able to see the entire train and found that I am in the very last car of thirteen (there is no caboose). I had learned earlier that the dining car is six cars forward. Passing through one more sleeper car, two first class cars, two coach cars, and the observation car, I reached the dining car to find there to be an hour long waiting list for breakfast seating. That’s also when I found out that as a sleeper car passenger, I can order food to be delivered to my cabin. So, I returned and did just that. Coffee and water are free for the taking in the sleeper cars so I just ordered a croissant. You can have a full breakfast of eggs, pancakes, whatever. I am just not usually a big breakfast person and eating big breakfasts the last two days in St. Paul actually made me a bit sluggish.

During my trek, I did notice that most cars are actually two levels and most seemed to be full and, when I returned, I asked my steward and he said it is pretty full—about 400 people. Also, he had converted my bed back into two large seats with a table in between. The seats are close enough that I can prop my legs up on the other. I have two large windows facing south. The shower and three restrooms are but ten steps away. I am in the cheapest of the sleeper cabins—it is called a roomette which can accommodate two persons. Unlike sleeper trains I have taken in Europe and Vietnam, on Amtrak, you do not share with a stranger. Thus, I am alone. For that reason, I am very comfortable. I have a curtain as well as a door for privacy. A roomette would be a very tight space with two people. I have seen several of my “neighbors” in roomettes with two people and it seems that one of them is always off wandering.  By the way, I am in Cabin 13!

Occasionally, I have gone to the center of the car to look out the door towards the north but so far, basically, northern and southern views appear the same. Quite a few times today we passed by very long freight or tanker trains headed east. One train I counted forty cars.
After passing through Minot, the terrain became hilly and lush with trees for several miles before flattening out once again. We passed through Stanley and Williston, ND and many more miles of farmland. Many of the towns seemed to consist of dirt roads and sadly, a lot of decrepit structures, rusted out vehicles, and piles of junk. But then, who would want to build near the railroad tracks?