Reno - Denver 111

We wait........ 

The train finally arrived at 6.40pm 2.5 hrs late! 

As we were sleeper class, our cabin was at the station door. As the train pulled up, the attendant jumped from the train and enquired as to whether we were John and Mary? He took our bags and took us to our cabin. He informed us that the dining room was booked out but that we would accommodated and we would receive a call when a table became available! All our meals are included in sleeper class. 

The cabin is quite small and one would want a certain dexterity to reach the top bunk which was barely my width!! One passenger referred to  the cabin as a closet!! 

As we left Reno, it was sunset and so we would miss the sights of the remainder of the Sierra Nevada. 

We were called for dinner The food is excellent on board. It is freshly cooked and there is a good variety on the menu - 3 courses and coffee. Coffee is also available 24/7 in the carriage The steak is excellent even if it is full of hormones, fish, pork, chicken and a vegetarian option are also  available. The desserts were calorific!! 

Service is not what it once was  - alas - no longer silver service!!

We retired early. I didn’t sleep well as the bed was so narrow that I awoke every time I turned. There was a harness at the edge in case one were to be thrown out. We arrived in Salt Lake City at 6am but I didn’t waken! The train was supposed  to arrive at 3.05 am  - hence we had decided not to disembark here. I would have liked to have seen the city but we would have to rejoin the next train coming through at the same time!! Too early!! 

We awoke at 7am and had breakfast at 8. Tables are set for 4 so you must share. We were joined by a lovely couple who had travelled from their home in Chicago to Seattle but their train was late - one  hour after arriving in Seattle, they had to reboard for their return trip to Chicago!! They were not Trump supporters. I haven’t met one yet or at least anyone who claimed to be a supporter!! 

I’m now back in the cabin watching the countryside roll by - miles and miles of nothingness. The Utah countryside is arid, flat and barren. 

 

The railroad ran beside the road where many trucks were ploying their goods east and west

We reached Green River - the first settlement for many miles. 

Tha land continued flat for a time 

As we followed the Colorado river upstream

We came upon more awe inspiring scenery. 

We entered Red Canyon. My photographs do not do justice to the majesty of the Rockies as they towered up above us 

The next stop was Glenwood  Springs

We have taken another passenger or should I say another carriage! In the US wealthy individuals own their own, often restored, carriages. They pay Amtrak to pull them! Trump wanted to close all railways except the east coast corridor, so Amtrak replied that they would cease accepting private carriages - Trump supporters discommoded - and their ended the closures!!   



Glenwood is a ski resort with Swiss like chalets dotting the landscape 

while visitors punted on Colorado 

Later, far, far from the madding crowd,  a lone fisherman at one with nature 

The train continued to follow the mighty Colorado River 

Evening was approaching as we reached Fraser 

The vegetation was beginning to don its Autumn apparel 

and still we journeyed on. Night approached. 

We entered the 6.2 mile Moffat Tunnel at 9,200 ft - the highest point in the Amtrak network!! We had crossed the Continental Divide - we left the source of the mighty Colorado. From here on in all rivers flowed either to the Gulf of Mexico or the Atlantic.  

We arrived in Union Station Denver, Colorado. We were late - very late

Our ETA was 18.38 - it was now 21:45!! One would only travel by train for leisure. Our private coach was  still with us. Their private chef was preparing dinner ! The carriage was continuing to Chicago or further? 

We taxied to the nearby Holiday Inn - its a major convention centre as a result Hotel prices in Denver are very high!! 

The entire day was breathtaking. The phenomenal landscape of the Rockies was  awe inspiring. Neither words not photographs can convey its beauty. It has to be experienced.