Zephyr Trip: Day 2

Downtown Denver

Colorado farmland

We woke up just before dawn somewhere in eastern Colorado. At first the Rocky Mountains were only a darker blue on the western horizon, but as the sun began to rise the snowcaps began to turn orange. I'm sure 'back in the day' it would have been even more dramatic, crossing the plains for weeks and weeks, then finally seeing something other than endless Prairie.

Mountains ahoy!

We rolled into Denver slightly ahead of schedule- nice! My parents and brother were just finishing up their Spring Break trip in Colorado visiting my sister, so Day 2 provided a rare 'entire Matteson family' event on the road. After being fortunate enough to check in early at the hotel [it was 8:30 am], we dumped our bags and grabbed a quick breakfast. We were eager to get out and enjoy the 80-degree [!] day.

Civic Center Park

Cas and I walked a lap around Colorado's statehouse while waiting for the rest of the family to join us. The capitol building sits at the head of Civic Center Park, facing the city/county building at the other end, and the Rockies in the distance. A step leading up to the capitol's front doors is labeled as 'One Mile Above Sea Level'... so yes the Mile-High City title is an exact measurement.

Libeskind's DAM

We took advantage of the nearby Denver Museum of Art's 'Free First Saturday' promotion, and then found a nearby brunch place at 'Dozens'. The weather was perfect for wandering semi-aimlessly, and we worked our way over to the 16th Street Mall- the main shopping drag that is closed to all traffic except for a free bus shuttle system that runs regularly up-and-down the boulevard. We walked most of its length heading northwest towards the Platte River and the bridge overlooking Commons Park.

Mattesons on tour

A few of us caught a Final Four game at Wynkoop Brewing [Denver's Oldest Brew Pub], while the other half of the party grabbed a nap back at the hotel. So we were all relaxed and ready for some quality Italian dining across the river at Gaetano's. A nice, warm, full day.

5,280 feet up

Defend the high ground!

Denver State Capitol building

16th Street suspension bridge tower

Zephyr Trip: Day 1

California Zephyr: Naperville-->Denver overnight route

It's been a long time since my last vacation... unless you call unemployment a vacation. But now back in the working world, it's easier to appreciate time off. A-niiiiice. It's also the first week away with Cas... which will coincide nicely with Day 6.

All Aboard!

Our trip began in Naperville, IL, conveniently the first stop for Amtrak's California Zephyr, its 2,438-mile route between Chicago and Emeryville, CA [on the east side of San Francisco Bay]. Looking back, I can't believe I hadn't taken a long-distance rail ride in the States before now. I love the trains of Europe when abroad... TrenItalia, the German ICE, the French TGV... so easy to get where you need to go, and not have to worry about busing it into town from a distant airport. Then again, I was also praying for the train to be relatively on time, and avoid any horror stories of my own.

Our Coach seats...

Waiting for the train in Naperville, the weather was a seasonal 35 degrees with a light sleet blowing in our faces. We couldn't wait for California. The westbound Amtrak Train #5 arrived on schedule, so far so good, and we went from conductor to conductor, being referred to a coach car with our 'reserved' seats. We walked up to the second floor of the car, and chose a pair of seats with a 'D/2' posted over them [to Denver, party of 2, simple enough...].

Lounge car

The California Zephyr route is described as 'the most beautiful railroad trip in America'... however, almost all of the scenery takes place post-Denver. So after getting settled in coach, we had a lot of Great Plains to see. Weather cleared up as we rode west, and other than a 'smoke stop' in Galesburg, IL, which allows 10-or-so minutes outside the train at select stations, we explored the Coach car [our overnight seats], the Lounge car [with its many windows] and the Dining car [made reservations for the 5pm dinner].

Dinner & a river

It was during dinner that we crossed the Mighty Mississippi; that's about the only landmark on Day 1. Since Cas and I only filled half a table in the Dining car, we were paired with a retired couple from Ontario, Canada. We swapped travel stories [including a hearty endorsement of Malta from them] over salad and breadrolls, then the entrées [tonight we had steak & trout]. The food was a pleasant surprise, but a little pricey [~$25 per person with a beer or glass of wine]. But how often can you dine while looking out on the freshly-planted cornfields of Iowa at 70 miles per hour?

Got a lot of reading done after the sun had set, and tried to get as comfy as we could in our coach seats. If you were to do this trip in one go [2 nights in a row] I'd highly suggest reserving the more expensive Sleeping berths [which also include all meals]. But one-night-at-a-time is doable, and although we had much more legroom than in a plane, I still woke up several times with a stiff neck. But after traveling through Nebraska overnight, you're promised views of the Rockies!

Boxcar says where we're headed

Liked the lines in this one

The Great Plains

Sunset over Iowa

Madness

Just' bumping' the blog to keep it alive, wouldn't want an entire month to pass by without an entry. I promise you several posts documenting the first real vacation in a couple years, via Amtrak's California Zephyr, once the trip is completed.


For now, I hope you've been enjoying a very entertaining NCAA Men's Bball Tournament. Aside from the Irish bowing out disappointingly [yet not surprisingly] early, the games and matchups have been spectacular. So many close games; no team seems to have had an easy journey to the Final Four [which will be completed later today]. Throw those brackets out the window, sit back, relax, and enjoy.

Past Blast: The Matterhorn

View from Zermatt

While Americans may become familiar with the Matterhorn via an amusement park ride, the 14,690 ft summit is actually one of the most dangerous peaks to climb in the Alps. Alas, we only hiked from the nearby Swiss town of Zermatt to the glacier at the Matterhorn's base. The four-sided peak has a way of repeatedly dramatically-revealing itself, both in the winding streets of Zermatt and the other nearby Alpine villages, and as the trails make their way past small streams and ski slopes.

Zermatt- nestled in an Alpine valley

While the hiking itself is nice and quiet, there is an almost-constant rumbling of mini-avalanches down the steep faces of the Alps. Kind of neat to watch small streams of snow pour over the top edges and appear to be a short-term waterfall. Our day of hiking was filled with sunshine, and was only missing a yodeler or two to complete the Swiss experience.

Know where to go

The Freshmaker

Now is the winter...

Welcome to the first Sunday AF [after football]. It was a fun season, from a Bears fan perspective- coming in nobody predicted an eventual NFC Championship fight against the Packers. The hype on local radio stations [it didn't matter if you were listening to The Score, The Drive, or even NPR] was unprecedented. And although our defense did its job against the ballyhooed Packers O [albeit after spotting them a 2-TD lead], it's hard to win with a 1st-string QB injured before halftime, and a 2nd-string 'veteran' QB who made me yearn for Kyle Orton. That's hard to do.

How about a '5th Phase' next year?

At the end of the day, though, da Bears missed a golden chance to take a stab at a title. It ain't easy getting through the playoffs, and the Packers look poised to start an NFC North dynasty [they are a quarterbacking gold mine]. With 32 teams in the NFL, simple math in a 'fair league' says you should win a Superbowl once every 32 years... so da Bears still have 8 years before their next Superbowl win is overdue. But with certain teams always trying to spoil the party and win at a rate faster than 1/32, being this close to the Superbowl [and losing in it a few years ago] hurts. I don't know how da Bears got where they were this year, but it'll take some similar magic to do it again. And the NFL rewards solid-team-building much more consistently than 'magic'.


Okay, that's enough rambling about football for the next few months [assuming there's no 'work-stoppage'...]. My weekends just opened up due to lack of football. Here's hoping the weather avoids dipping below-0 from here on out... but it's still another month until the equinox brings us Spring. Looking forward to an Amtrak trek west in early April, too! But for now, time to get back to lazy Sundays.

Blizzarded

Early Wednesday- the plow just couldn't keep up!

'Twas fun driving

Chicago's third-snowiest-storm-on-record is now history, and yes we managed to survive. Although my early commute home Tuesday took two hours [no thanks to some moron who ran out of gas in a center lane on I-88 only 30 minutes into the storm...], everything else went smoothly. Full cupboard, check. Power only flickered a few times. Watched a whole slew of The Wire season 4, although Cassie still had to work thanks to her laptop. And it's looking like my snowday will be repaid on Saturday in the office. Still, can't say it wasn't a little exciting.

~18"

My apartment parking lot was finally plowed around 4pm, and we dug out the cars to avoid doing it tomorrow when the temperatures are going to be brutally cold. It's the storm that keeps on giving. 

Snowplow aftermath

Gotta climb it, right?

Past Blast: Bruges

The Bonne-Chière Windmill

An hour by high-speed train from Brussels, Bruges is a northwestern port city for Belgium. While its official city limits are quite large, its well-preserved medieval city-center draws the visitors. And while I didn't notice any hitmen on retreat, it's easy to see why Bruges is often referred to as a "Venice of the North".

Like Venice,
but less marble

Standing near a windmill, you're rewarded with a skyline-view

The medieval district is dominated by church bell towers, and it's not a bad idea to pick one in the distance and try to make your way through the winding streets and canals. There are small buildings straddling the waterways, and private gardens lining the roads. If you reach the outer edge of the district, you'll find the old textile windmills on their built-up hills, allowing them to reach the sea breeze above the mostly-2-story city.