Zephyr Trip: Day 5

Route, Days 4 & 5: Denver, CO, to Emeryville, CA

Sunrise in the hills

Woke up early, just before sunrise. We had passed through all of Utah [Provo and Salt Lake City] and most of Nevada overnight. The peaks of Nevada's hills began to light up as we made our way back to the dining car for breakfast. Soon we were packing our gear and freshening up for the final leg of our Amtrak trip.

Truckee River

In Reno, Nevada, "Chuck" from the Sacramento Railroad Museum boarded the lounge car and began to give a running commentary of the "Union Pacific Donner Pass Route." We began by following the Truckee River up to its similarly-named town in the Sierra Nevadas. Large wooden flumes run along the river here, routing water to hydroelectric stations.

Truckee, CA

In Truckee [near Lake Tahoe], Cassie and I were joined by some of my California branch of the family- Uncle Andy & Aunt Elda, Shawndra, Sam and Keira. The more the merrier, I say. Soon we were passing high above Donner Lake, named for the ill-fated party. The train follows a circuitous route through the mountains here, twisting around peaks and canyons with incredible vistas.

Lounge Car

Winter 2010-2011 set a record for snowfall in the Sierra Nevadas, and the 10' of snow still on the ground made sitting on the second floor of the Lounge Car feel like sitting at ground level- although many of the smaller trees were buried up to their tops. After our quick lunch in the dining car, the California Zephyr was finally on its way down to sea level.

The Mothball Fleet

Traveling through California's Central Valley, we passed Roseville [the largest railyard west of Chicago] just before a quick stop in Sacramento. From here on out the Zephyr only stops if ticketed passengers need to get off- so we actually got ahead of schedule in the end. We passed the "Mothball Fleet" in Suisun Bay, waiting for the next World War, and caught sight of the hills near the Pacific. Soon we were coasting along San Pablo Bay, then with the Golden Gate to the west we arrived at Emeryville, CA. End of the line!

Coach Aisle

Overall, I enjoyed my first Amtrak trip; would certainly recommend the California Zephyr route, although would suggest investing in the sleeper accommodations [meals included!] if you decide to do the entire route in one go. I look forward to sampling another Amtrak route in the future; perhaps the Empire Builder, Coast Starlight or the Southwest Chief.


It felt good to get a shower in after 30 hours on a train, and we had a great dinner in San Rafael at the Panama Hotel. Delicious seafood while enjoying the live jazz music of perhaps the oldest quartet I have ever seen.

Nevada Early

Nevada Landscape

Truckee River

Hydroelectric Plant

Donner Lake

Lounge Car View

Sierra Nevadas

Valley

Snow Removal Train

Bridge over Suisun Bay

Made it to California!

Zephyr Trip: Day 4

Route, Days 4 & 5: Denver, CO, to Emeryville, CA

We grabbed a quick breakfast with my sister before she dropped us off at the temporary Amtrak station near Coors Field [Denver's Union Station is being remodeled]. We got on the train soon after it arrived, and secured similar seats to the ones we had rolling into town [although we ended up with a lady just behind us who seemed to sleep the entire 30 hours to Emeryville].

Big-10 Curve and Denver in the distance

The train pushed out, and began making its way toward the Rockies. The first major change in elevation occurs at the "Big-10" curve as the train uses this huge switchback to get up into the foothills. The downdrafts from the mountain are so strong that they had to weld full hopper cars to a track next to the curve to act as a windbreak. As you rise, the east side of the train had a last view of Denver and the Great Plains- goodbye flatlands!

The Tunnel District.

The Amtrak began winding its way through the mountains in what's known as the "Tunnel District," a series of 29 tunnels that interrupt the already-breathtaking vistas. Here you'll catch a distant view of the Gross Dam & Reservoir, which provides the Denver metro area with all of its drinking water. The final tunnel is the 6.2-mile Moffat Tunnel, which also takes you through the Continental Divide. So from here on out, all rivers lead to the Pacific!

Fraser, CO

By now we were high enough for snow to still be a couple feet deep, and we spent a long stop at Fraser, Colorado, as a big ski group unloaded at the station. The train began following the Fraser River, which soon led to the upper reaches of the Colorado River. The tracks wind along the water, with an occasional tunnel or trestle, using the river's constant grade as a guide. Early on we passed through Gore Canyon, which is only accessible via Amtrak or trying to take on the Class V rapids by kayak or raft. With the train constantly turning to follow the river, the views up and down the valleys were spectacular.

Train #6, eastbound

Amtrak doesn't own any of the tracks on the route, so occasionally we would have to park and wait for [higher priority] Union Pacific trains to pass us. Usually a mile or two of coal-filled hoppers, with engines at the front, middle, and back of the trains to push it through the difficult grades. At one point, our westbound California Zephyr [Train #5] passed its eastbound sister train [Train #6], headed back the way we had come.

Welcome to Utah

As the afternoon wore on, we slowly made our way out of the Rockies, making a couple stops including Glenwood Springs and Grand Junction. By the time we caught up with Interstate 70, the snow had disappeared and the canyons and cliffs began to take on a red hue; an early preview of the Colorado's Grand Canyon handiwork. Around dinner time we officially passed the Colorado-Utah state line. Cas and I were paired up with travelers from Norway and Amsterdam, and the sun set as we had dessert. I highly recommend the cream puffs!

Waiting for a Union Pacific freight train

Gross Dam in the Eastern Rockies

Just after passing the Continental Divide

Fraser River

Shortly after meeting the Colorado River

Gore Canyon

Waterwheel

Crossing

The Lounge Car [Glenwood Springs stop]

Glenwood Springs, CO

Highlands Retreat

Cattle

Bridge over the River Colorado

Eons of Rock

Mountain Vineyard

I-70's river route

Star-shaped mesa

Welcome to the West

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