Thu 16 Apr 2009
many, many, many days spent on a train
Posted by Quinn under Beautiful Things, The Route
[3] Comments
okay so as ken told you, our train route got all messed up three minutes before leaving nyc. we got to chicago yesterday around 10am and did a little weather research (the red river is rising-ugh)…to find that we should take a train to sacramento that goes through the colorado rockies, salt lake city and over… then we take another train up to portland. 1 extra day on the train.
the train we’re on is called the California Zephyer. we bought one sleeper car and one coach seat. andy sat in the coach seat for approx. 5 minutes and since then, no one has seen it. our sleeper car is laughably TINY (photos to come), but somehow andy and ken managed to share the not-even-twin-sized bed and i slept in the top bunk (uncomfortably small, but great). we woke up in Denver this morning.
This is a double decker train and one part is solid windows, giant windows that line the walls and go up to the roof so we just sit in there all day long and watch. After dinner last night, we sat in the “observation car “ across from a group of older men headed to denver.. boy were they drinking! They offered me shots of something and then more of something else. They were telling each other stories from the war. ever seen that youtube video, drunk history? That was them.. then there was a kid playing the fiddle! Sweeeet!
today we went through the colorado rockies – the highest elevation travelled by an amtrak train. I’ve never seen the rockies before and where the train travels, there is little to no civilization. Many feet of snow and more falling as we went through… there were 42 tunnels, and many really incredible sights.
We’ve got nothing to do other than, read, play cards, eat and talk… so we’ve been doing a lot of it. We are sitting outside the train at Grand Junction, CO right now, enjoying the fresh air. Another night on this train and then we get to Sacramento around 2pm tomorrow. We plan to find a movie theater and maybe some good food and then board our midnight train to portland. If you know of anything great in Sacramento, please please let us know! (so far, everbody says things like… oh man, sacramento.. Ummm yeahhhhhhh)
wow, sure is purdy round them parts.
If ken and I were angry women, we would TOTALLY drive our car off of those mountains.
wouldn’t we, kenny-pie?
Not a Mom, but those beautiful sites you’re watching from the cramped comforts of a train will be mighty up close & personal when you’re pedaling back over them! Will it suck big if you get snowed on? And what’s a Zephyer? (I bet a tiny, toy train?)
Sacramento has a beautiful river running through it, a fascinating historical section, lots of crime, Arrrnold, and a tent city for homeless. It is the state capitol. It’s a happenin’ town, but see above mention of crime!
Enjoy the travels. Get your rest. Thanks for this journal, it’s voyerism at it’s best. Ah, the thoughts of getting nailed on the rails! And see what could happen if you took up fiddlin’ rather than bike ridin’? Keep it going.
Yeah and speaking of voyeurism, I have to admit to being curious and disturbed about the tent cities that are cropping up all over California…it’s like some Woodie Guthrie isht for the New Depression. Let us know if you run into them – you are gonna be living in tents, afetr all…