The Compleat Angler

What has fishing got to do with traveling on Amtrak? Well, ‘The Compleat Angler’ is perhaps the seminal work on recreational fishing, and was written by an English gentleman by the name of Izaak Walton, and first published in 1683.

In 1929, the Great Northern Railroad constructed a bunkhouse in Essex, Montana, as this was then a crew change point on the railroad. In around about 1949, changes in operating practice meant the bunkhouse was no longer needed, and it was converted and upgraded to become the Izaak Walton Inn, and was of course named after the fishy fellow himself.

The Inn still operates today, and was to be my home for an all too brief 24 hours. It is located on the southern border of Glacier National Park, a very spectacular wilderness area, renowned for its natural beauty, black bears, glaciers and fishing.

I was quite content just to ‘lax out at the Inn, and enjoy a quiet day not traveling. I had thought about doing the Jammer Bus tour up through the park, but it was always going to be a very tight connection, and given the Empire Builder was 20 minutes late coming into Essex, that pretty much put an end to that idea.

I was operating in extra slow mode, as the altitude was proving a little challenging, but the staff were most accommodating in helping me with my baggage, and getting me settled in.

The Inn is a fascinating place to wander around, as it is absolutely chock full of railroad memorabilia. It could have very easily have been horribly kitsch, but wasn’t, as much as anything because it actually is the genuine article.

After a nice lunch accompanied by a local ‘Honey & Huckleberry Ale’, I went for a gentle amble trackside to take a few photos and do a bit of railfanning around Essex yard. This brought to mind the reason I was there in the first place. A number of you will have had the pleasure of knowing Mark Coldwell, a very dear friend who was taken from us last year at far too young an age. I think it’s fair to say that Essex was one of Mark’s absolute favourite places to visit, and so it became an important stop on my trip as well. It was quite a bitter-sweet experience sitting there trackside, watching the world go by, and reliving a very special ten year friendship. Thanks for the memories Mark!

Wandering back to the Inn, I met a chap who had just pulled into the carpark on his very tasty BMW R100GS. We got chatting about bikes and biking, as you do, and after a humorous few minutes spent bagging poseur Harley riders, Jeff must have thought I was tolerable company, so he invited me down to the flagstop bar for a drink. Montana has a thriving micro-brewery industry, so I enjoyed a local IPA, and Jeff had a hot toddy.

He was just out for a Sunday afternoon ride from his home in Whitefish, 50 miles or so west, and the Izaak Walton is a regular stop off for him whilst enjoying the twisties the area has to offer. Nice bloke, and a bit of a larrikin, I’d say. It was interesting to meet a genuine Montana native too, as everyone else around the place seemed to be from ‘away’.

After a very tasty dinner of chicken with huckleberry-orange sauce, I repaired back to the bar to do battle with the rather dodgy Wi-Fi connection supposedly available down there. It proved to be an exercise in frustration, as the connection kept dropping, and I think I only managed to get one post away successfully before giving up in frustration. Instead, I had a quiet giggle over my Cab Sav, watching a couple of lezzies trying to play pool. Then it was off to my very nicely appointed room, and an early night, due to another early start on the morrow.

As it happened, I could have slept in a bit longer, as guess what – today’s train was running even later than yesterday’s. Something tells me I had better get used to this….