R
Rutus
I am still scratching my head a bit at Doug's geographical demarcations - I always thought Montana was in the west, but - what the hey. It is where it is, right?
Monday my sister and I flew from Bremerton, WA (PWT) to Kalispell City Airport (S27) in Montana's Flathead Valley. We had some slight beginnings of thunderstorms scattered across the Cascades as we flew over, but overall a smooth ride and otherwise fairly good ceilings but hazy until we got to the Spokane area. We had perhaps a slight tailwind, and ended up with a trip time of 2:05 for about 350 NM.
At S27 we tied down at Red Eagle Aviation, and office boss Rachel gave us a great suggestion for a quick, cheap night's stay at Aero Inn, just 1/2 block away and with pretty nice rooms for $53 (ask for the Red Eagle discount). As usual, the scenery here in the valley is top notch and our family vacation was off to a great start - at least for us . . .
The rest of the story? Well, my wife Laurie and twin 12 year olds Emma and Grace were taking the Empire Builder over to meet us. They were to leave from the Amtrak station at Edmonds, WA (about 15 miles north of Seattle), conveniently across the street from my office, and arrive early Tuesday morning here in Whitefish. BUT - the flooding in the Midwest caused all kinds of havoc with the trains, and the end result was that there was NO TRAIN in Seattle that day. Did Amtrak call Laurie to tell her? Uh .... no.
So, they (and may other passengers) got put on a bus to Spokane, which would supposedly meet the other half of the Empire Builder (which leaves from Portland) at midnight, and then arrive at Whitefish as scheduled. BUT - when they arrived in Spokane, there was (drum roll please.....) NO TRAIN from Portland. In fact, it did not arrive until 6 AM, so they finally got into Whitefish about 12:30 PM, after hearing various conflicting explanations for what was going on. Nothing like spending the night in the combination bus/train station in Spokane with your kids, especially when the bathrooms get locked at 2AM :eek
Now, back to me and my sis in Kalispell. Would Hertz allow us to pick up the rental car that Laurie had reserved at the Whitefish train station? Uh.... NO. In fact, they (the local Hertz agent) would not even be at the station until the train came in, whenever that might be.
What to do? Rachel and Red Eagle Aviation to the rescue! They cheerfully gave us the courtesy van (one of the best I've found at an airport) for as long as we needed, so we bopped up to Whitefish, checked into the rental cabin, went shopping for supplies (including wine and treats for Laurie and the kids when they arrived), and then met the train when it arrived. We ran the van back to Kalispell later in the day, with a full tank of gas as a small token of our appreciation.
Today, everyone is ready for Glacier National Park and 6 more great days of vacation. Moral of the story?
1. Flying the RV is just fabulous compared to other ways of getting where you want to go - what a treat! My sister really enjoyed the flight (her first in a small GA craft), and I felt kind of guilty when my wife called and told us they were on a bus to Spokane....
2. As has been said before, one of the great things about our hobby is the great people you meet, and the kind of trust and esprit de corps that lets you borrow a car for free to help deal with the unexpected problems that can come up. Red Eagle Aviation was super helpful, and Rachel was a gem at helping us get things sorted out and suggesting options. Would they accept a tie down fee for the 7 days the RV will be there, I asked? Nope.
3. This area of Montana is gorgeous and offers a lot of outdoor activities. If you haven't been here, check it out some time - and stop in at Red Eagle. They are definitely on my list for a repeat visit.
Monday my sister and I flew from Bremerton, WA (PWT) to Kalispell City Airport (S27) in Montana's Flathead Valley. We had some slight beginnings of thunderstorms scattered across the Cascades as we flew over, but overall a smooth ride and otherwise fairly good ceilings but hazy until we got to the Spokane area. We had perhaps a slight tailwind, and ended up with a trip time of 2:05 for about 350 NM.
At S27 we tied down at Red Eagle Aviation, and office boss Rachel gave us a great suggestion for a quick, cheap night's stay at Aero Inn, just 1/2 block away and with pretty nice rooms for $53 (ask for the Red Eagle discount). As usual, the scenery here in the valley is top notch and our family vacation was off to a great start - at least for us . . .
The rest of the story? Well, my wife Laurie and twin 12 year olds Emma and Grace were taking the Empire Builder over to meet us. They were to leave from the Amtrak station at Edmonds, WA (about 15 miles north of Seattle), conveniently across the street from my office, and arrive early Tuesday morning here in Whitefish. BUT - the flooding in the Midwest caused all kinds of havoc with the trains, and the end result was that there was NO TRAIN in Seattle that day. Did Amtrak call Laurie to tell her? Uh .... no.
So, they (and may other passengers) got put on a bus to Spokane, which would supposedly meet the other half of the Empire Builder (which leaves from Portland) at midnight, and then arrive at Whitefish as scheduled. BUT - when they arrived in Spokane, there was (drum roll please.....) NO TRAIN from Portland. In fact, it did not arrive until 6 AM, so they finally got into Whitefish about 12:30 PM, after hearing various conflicting explanations for what was going on. Nothing like spending the night in the combination bus/train station in Spokane with your kids, especially when the bathrooms get locked at 2AM :eek
Now, back to me and my sis in Kalispell. Would Hertz allow us to pick up the rental car that Laurie had reserved at the Whitefish train station? Uh.... NO. In fact, they (the local Hertz agent) would not even be at the station until the train came in, whenever that might be.
What to do? Rachel and Red Eagle Aviation to the rescue! They cheerfully gave us the courtesy van (one of the best I've found at an airport) for as long as we needed, so we bopped up to Whitefish, checked into the rental cabin, went shopping for supplies (including wine and treats for Laurie and the kids when they arrived), and then met the train when it arrived. We ran the van back to Kalispell later in the day, with a full tank of gas as a small token of our appreciation.
Today, everyone is ready for Glacier National Park and 6 more great days of vacation. Moral of the story?
1. Flying the RV is just fabulous compared to other ways of getting where you want to go - what a treat! My sister really enjoyed the flight (her first in a small GA craft), and I felt kind of guilty when my wife called and told us they were on a bus to Spokane....
2. As has been said before, one of the great things about our hobby is the great people you meet, and the kind of trust and esprit de corps that lets you borrow a car for free to help deal with the unexpected problems that can come up. Red Eagle Aviation was super helpful, and Rachel was a gem at helping us get things sorted out and suggesting options. Would they accept a tie down fee for the 7 days the RV will be there, I asked? Nope.
3. This area of Montana is gorgeous and offers a lot of outdoor activities. If you haven't been here, check it out some time - and stop in at Red Eagle. They are definitely on my list for a repeat visit.
