After checking out of the Travelodge as late as possible around 1:00PM, we schlepped two bike boxes 10 blocks from a bike shop to the Everett Transportation Center, in order to save the $15 per box that Amtrak charges. The bad news was our road bikes would not fit in mountain bike boxes and the station had run out of boxes to sell. The good news was that the helpful station agent had some used boxes on hand that he gave us for free.
We checked our bikes through to Chicago even though we would be stopping over in MSP for three days. We would be able to borrow bikes for our stay in Minneapolis. Not only would we avoid the hassle of unpacking and repacking them; but we would save the additional handling fee and possibly box charge.
The Everett Transportation Center served the Empire Builder, several Amtrak Cascade trains, several Sounder commuter trains, and local buses. It is fairly new but in some ways tried to emulate the grand old train stations. For example, pews, similar to the grand hall at Chicago Union Station, served as seating. Never the less, there wasn't much to see around the station. So we weren't thrilled when it was announced that our 5:44PM departure would be pushed back one hour due to problems with the dining car before it ever left Seattle. We had been waiting around since about 2:00.
Since we wouldn't have a lounge car until Spokane during the middle of the night, I retired early. Thus I was able to get up early and take advantage of the early morning scenery along Whitefish Lake west of Whitefish.
