Campsites at Sears Motel?

[Jen]

Has anyone ever pitched a tent at the Sears motel in East Glacier Park? Seems this would be a convenient first stop for someone arriving via Amtrak.

[Stevo]

Personally, I'm not sure they'd want someone camping on their property that isn't already renting a cabin from them. After all Two Medicine is a short 15 minute drive from town.

[Jen]

According to their website they have campsites for $20. If I do take the train, I was thinking I could wait until the morning to pick up the rental car. I am worried Two medicine will be full by the time the Empire Builder arrives in East Glacier.
Who knows, I may bite the bullet and fork out $600 for airfare.

[missguinness]

Jen,
We are looking to do the same at Sears Motel. They have one of the few car rental agencies around when you get off the train. I have read that the train is often later than the 6:45 pm posted time. One of the things I read on their page was that they will pick you up no matter what time the train gets in! Since we don't know when the train will come in, we are going to rent a cabin, $50 a night, and get the car in the morning. I'm not sure I want to set up a tent if it's really late after being on the train for 36 hours.

[Jen]

Both my visits to GNP have been via Empire Builder and both times the train was pretty close to on time. I get the feeling that is the exception and not the norm though. My car rental will be through Glacier Trading Co. (Avis). When are you guys heading out?

[missguinness]

Jen, we will be doing the same. Booking our train, car and a couple of nights at Swiftcurrent all with Glacier Park Inc. I think we have decided to leave July 3rd and leave the 13th. That will give a couple of days to get things together before school starts on the 17th. When are you heading out?

[Jen]

Miss G,
you have Glacier Trading Co. (east glacier park next to Two Med Grill) confused with Glacier Park Inc.
I am looking at heading out perhaps on the 16th. Still very early planning stages though. Could very easily change if I find a decent price on airfare.
Jen

[missguinness]

Jen, thanks for straightening me out. Good luck on airfares. We don't have much luck from Indy under $600 a person. With the train, we can both get our there for that!

[llholmes1948]

Both my visits to GNP have been via Empire Builder and both times the train was pretty close to on time.

In the summer, the train seems to have a very good on time performance record. When I have been at Glacier in 2001, 2005 and 2007 I have seen the train a number of times and I don't ever recall seeing it more than an hour late, often it is right on time.

Closer to the time of your trip, you can check out this site which usually has 1-3 weeks of train arrival records:

http://www.amtrakdelays.com/

You can type in train 8 for the eastbound train and train 7 for the westbound train and "WFH" for the Whitefish station code and that gives you a good idea of how things have been running. Starting May 1, when the station at East Glacier opens for the season, you can type in the station code there "GPK" to check out the arrival times there and see what the average delay has been over the past few weeks.

As I understand it the train has had a lot of weather problems lately. Last weekend passengers were bused between Havre and Whitefish due to avalanche concerns near Essex. Today I understand that service between Spokane and Seattle has been suspended due to avalanche concerns in Washington.

Of course with the airlines today, there is no guarantee of timely flights either. When I flew to Glacier last June, my flight from Maine was delayed due to weather. Although I should have reached Great Falls at 10 P.M. that night, I didn't get there until about 11 A.M. the next day and had to stay in Minneapolis or Saint Paul or Bloomington or wherever the airport is at my own expense. Next time I will get on the internet and put out a distress call to see if there are any chatters who can rescue me from airport hotel oblivion.

Lyman

[slowhiker]

Both my visits to GNP have been via Empire Builder and both times the train was pretty close to on time.

In the summer, the train seems to have a very good on time performance record. When I have been at Glacier in 2001, 2005 and 2007 I have seen the train a number of times and I don't ever recall seeing it more than an hour late, often it is right on time.

I have ridden the Empire Builder numerous times, all seasons. I have been anywhere from 20 minutes early (figure that one out) to 11 HOURS late. But it is still a great way to travel if you have no time commitments.

[Ear Mountain]

I have similar experience to slowhiker. I also see the train very frequently in the Shelby to Essex corridor and most times the Builder is pretty close to schedule. Heck an hour or two late means nothing on a 27 hour run.

But I do have one interesting winter tail.

I left Shelby on time heading eastbound for Milwaukee a few winters ago. Somewhere around poplar we went on a siding to let a freight go by in the opposite direction. The freight went by but while we were on the siding the switches at either end of the siding froze. Lost about 90 minutes before they got them working. We pulled into Williston 90 minutes late. Snow was falling hard and the winds were howling. We left Williston heading for Stanley and Minot. Somewhere before Stanley the train jolted, crept forward for a while then jolted harder. We stopped moving. It was dark out and no lights were visible. We jolted a few more times then began creeping along. The train crept along slowly but I kept getting the feeling something was still amiss. It was still so dark and I could see nothing outside.

Eventually I figured out we were going backward. About then the conductor announced we had got stuck in a snow drift that was about 20 feet deep. once free from that the train was ordered to back up to Williston to await for plows from Burlington Northern to clear the tracks ahead. We got back to Williston sometimes around midnight. The lack of any more movement made it easy to sleep.

A few hours later I awoke to the forward movement of the train. Ahh! I thought, back on track again. We pulled into Minot and the Conductor announced that the train would terminate there.

We all unloaded and were bussed to motels for the day. I got a nice hot shower, a good complimentary breakfast an a bed for the day all on Amtrak. A blizzard was raging out side and no cars, trains or planes were moving.

Late in the afternoon Amtrak called and told me to meet a van at the hotel lobby around 6 PM. They picked us up and took us back to the train station. I caught the evening eastbound and made my destination only 27 hours late.

[BCD]

The owner of the Sears told me that the train is more oft....later than punctual. Often can be one hour-to-hours late.

The whole week before we arrived, had the train showing up over 2 hours late due to the S MN washout of the tracks S of Pepin. Amtrak was busing people fronm Chicago to Minneapolis and then back on the train.

The night before we arrived had a Eastbounder hit a cow and rip out electrical from underneath the train carrige. that has also happened out on the E MT plains for the westbounders.

Things like these tend to happen and you just gotta go with the flow.

If you're coming into E Glacier from the East.....call the Sears motel from your stop in Havre on your cell. That's a good safe projection as to your arrival time. She'll have her mother pick you up at the station if it's not too late (IMO...depends on how many rentals she has on the train). I found the Sears owner to be very accomodating.

As far as the Amtrak 800 number....I don't put much stock in it. My last trip found me in Det Lks, MN....train is 2 hours late. Amtrak says arrival will be in another 30 minutes....I almost went for coffee down the street....luckily I didn't as the train was there in 5 minutes....I would have missed my ride.

Amtraks a blast if you got the right mind-set!

[Stevo]

Next time I will get on the internet and put out a distress call to see if there are any chatters who can rescue me from airport hotel oblivion.

Lyman

Lyman, I'm about a 20 minute drive from the airport. Feel free to PM me if you foresee any problems next time.

[Kathy]

Next time I will get on the internet and put out a distress call to see if there are any chatters who can rescue me from airport hotel oblivion.

Lyman

Lyman, I'm about a 20 minute drive from the airport. Feel free to PM me if you foresee any problems next time.

I second the offer! If Stevo's on vacation, we'll find a place for you, Lyman!

[llholmes1948]

I second the offer! If Stevo's on vacation, we'll find a place for you, Lyman!

Sounds like we could have had an instant Glacier Chat Party and thanks for those offers!

By the way, the Walleye breakfast at the airport restaurant, which was recommended by the waitress, was very good. I doubt I would have tried it if she hadn't recommended it so highly. You Twin Cities people must eat walleye for breakfast all the time, right?

Lyman