p&sr
OBS Chief
On Thursday, June 12th, we were up at 4:00 AM Chicago Time (the locals thought it was 5:00 AM). We had a pleasant Buffet Breakfast in our Motel, and they arranged for a 6:00 AM Shuttle to the South Bend Regional Airport right nearby (5:00 our time). The Terminal for the South Shore Line was right there, but closed, so we bought our tickets on board the Train. We departed at 6:35 AM (5:35 Chicago Time) and arrived in Chicago at 8:05.
The ride was very scenic and interesting. We stopped at Hudson Lake, then after the Yards in Michigan City we began Street-Running. We crossed the route of the Wolverine to Michigan, and resumed Street-Running. We passed the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore and the Dunes State Park, and the little station and flag-stop at Beverly Shores. For a while we followed the Amtrak Route (LSL, CL, and Wolverine). In Gary and the surrounding towns, there was lots of industry, and the Train ran through a lot of residential neighborhoods, showing its Inter-Urban Streetcar Heritage. Crossing into Illinois, we came to the Stations of Hegeswich and Kensington, then joined the Metra Electric Line for the run into Chicago.
We saw the Park where the Museum of Science and Industry is, and briefly saw Lake Michigan. We passed beneath the new Convention Center and saw the Stadium at Soldiers Field. At Roosevelt Station the only way out was a very rickety old wooden Pedestrian overpass. Following a trench through Grant Park and directly under the Art Institute, we arrived in Millennium Station at Randolph Street.
We decided to stay Underground for now, walking through the Station, then into the Pedway under Michigan Ave, under the Cultural Center, under Macy's (formerly Marshall-Fields), and ending up at the Washington Station for the Red Line Subway. We rode South to Jackson, then transferred underground to the Blue Line Subway, which we rode South and West to Clinton, where we finally emerged into the City.
Walking two blocks North, we checked our luggage at Union Station, picked up a Muffin and a Soft Drink, and headed out on Jackson to the Quincy Station. We completed our Clockwise passage of the Loop by riding the Orange Line to Randolph and Wabash, where we exited and began our "NorthWalk"... another scripted Art & Architecture Itinerary.
Walking east, we passed "We Will" by Richard Hunt, stepped in to see the Cultural Center, noticed the statue of a large Bull along Michigan Avenue, and crossed over into Millennium Park. There we saw the classical Peristyle and the Crown Fountain (which displays huge faces), and found THE BEAN ("Cloud Gate", by Anish Kapoor). It was shiny and huge with great reflections. We walked around it and under it and touching it. We admired the surrounding views, including the Smurfit-Stone ("Diamond") Building and the Urban Street Wall of the Michigan Avenue Historic District right across the street.
We walked around the exotic Pritzker Pavilion (resembling L.A.'s new Disney Theatre by the same architect) and crossed the shiny BP Bridge, with great views of the Lake and the City. Continuing North through Grant Park, we came to the Aon Center (Second tallest building in Chicago), looking straight up the fluted sides to the very top. There were beautiful fountains around the sunken courtyard in front, plus several sculptures including two "Sounding Sculptures" by Bertoia (metal tubes that sway in the wind to make noise) and "Winged Form" by Hunt. We admired the styling of the building next door (Number Two Prudential Plaza, which is Tall Bldg #5 in Chicago), then walked downstairs through the Gateway onto Lake Street. We saw the historic Carbon and Carbide Bldg, Art Deco 1929 with green and gold pinnacle "like a bottle of champagne", and the huge Mural "Loop Tattoo" by Johanna Poethig.
Turning Left onto State Street, we passed the giant sign for the Chicago Theater, and right on Randolph the sign for the Oriental Theater. At the Thompson Center we saw (and walked under and through) Dubuffet's "Monument with Standing Beast", in white with black trim, looking like a paper-mache abstracted elephant-sort-of-thing. Outside, the building is of curved blue glass like a portion of a truncated cone. Inside, it is cylindrical and HOLLOW all the way up! We stood at the exact center on the plaza one floor below street level. There are scalloped glass and silver ledges all the way around inside like some sort of Inter-Galactic Space Craft.
On La Salle Street we saw Richard Hunt's "Freeform" mounted above the entrance to the State of Illinois Bldg. Heading east and south, we came to the Daley Center Plaza, with the famous "Chicago Picasso"... like the face of a Mandrill, mounted on a slanting metal base that makes an excellent slide (we tested it!). There was a Flower Market and Craft Fair in the Plaza. Across the street we saw Miro's "Chicago", also called "Woman" or "The Sun, The Moon, and One Star".
Two blocks south on Dearborn we entered the lobby of Three First National Plaza, with a nine-story Atrium and lots of plants and beautiful white and purple orchids. There we saw Henry Moore's "Large Internal-External Upright Form" in polished bronze, which we took to be a sort of mother-and-child. Continuing South past the curved walls of the Chase Tower we found the Plaza containing Marc Chagall's Mosaic "The Four Seasons", which was very interesting and energetic. Then passing the Marquette Bldg we saw Calder's "Flamingo" once more.
From there we headed two blocks East on Adams to the "L", and at about 10:15 AM took the Orange Line to Midway Airport. We returned from Midway on the 10:45 Train, enjoying wonderful views of the City as we approached, through a complex area of railroads and old industry. Off at Roosevelt (11:15 AM), where we walked a couple of blocks east to the Shedd Aquarium. There we caught the 11:45 Water Taxi (Shoreline Sightseeing) to the Navy Pier amusement area. We had a great ride out onto Lake Michigan, with perfect views of the City and the Buckingham Fountain in operation. We went near the historic Harbour Lighthouse and saw the Locks at the entrance to the Chicago River (which flows westward away from the Lake).
At Navy Pier we immediately transferred to the connecting Water Taxi in the Chicago River, which showed us LOTS of great Architecture close up, including the Wrigley Building, the Tribune Building, lots of new Towers near the Lake, and the futuristic "Marina City" (two round apartment towers with seashell-like balconies, and a private Marina in the Basement!), plus the massive Merchandise Mart and the slender Mather Tower, and the two-level Wacker Drive (one level underground in the dark, but visible from the River). Finally we landed at Adams Street, right across from Union Station!
Since we were running 15 minutes ahead of schedule, we had Lunch in the Station. At Gold Coast Hot Dogs, I ordered the Grilled Polish Dog with all the classic "Chicago-style" trimmings, and we shared a magnificent Gyro Sandwich (with extra cucumber sauce)... the best of its kind ever. Plus another soft drink and a muffin at the newsstand, as usual.
Then we picked up our luggage and arrived in the Boarding Lounge at 1:00 PM for our 2:00 reservation on the California Zephyr. Boarding was about 1:30.
We departed from the Chicago Train-Dungeon underneath the Station on time, and had a smooth and scenic trip. The train was booked full, so eventually the toilets failed in one coach, and then another. With three coaches on the train, we made it to California with at least some plumbing still functional.
I had an afternoon snack of Rum-and-Pepsi, plus Pretzels, plus a Root Beer for dessert. Very pleasant. Dinner on board was the Roast Game Hen (my third time out of four on the trip). Crossing the now-familiar countryside of Illinois, we had a dramatic crossing of the Mississippi River at Burlington, with high water beginning to flood structures in the Park along the shore. Turning left, we climbed sharply through town up to Prairie Level, and headed west. About this time, it started to Rain. The Rain increased and became intense, and developed into a family of powerful thunderstorms. All of the Rivers were overflowing their banks, and many fields were flooded.
The Train progressed stop-and-go, with a Tornado Watch in effect. In contact with the Dispatcher in Fort Worth (with their Weather Radar), we attempted to pass between the most severe cells of storm activity as they drifted by. Eventually we could see the clear pink glow of Sunset beneath and beyond the dark storm clouds, so we knew that we would be able to make it through that night. As it turns out, we were the LAST Train through the Great Iowa Floods of '08, as the Tracks were all underwater soon afterwards.
On Friday Morning we had a beautiful approach to the Rockies, from the National Park area in the North as far as Pikes Peak (again) to the South. At Denver, we backed in to the Station, and could walk around on the platform.
Our Train consisted of 2 engines, baggage car, charter car, 3 sleepers, diner, lounge, 3 coaches, and an extra sleeper on the end (which we left behind in Denver). The charter car was the "Pacific Sands" Pullman Car, continuing a circle trip LAX - Chicago - EMY - LAX. Also at the station was a private train for "Creative Charters", and light rail traffic in view immediately to our north.
We then began the scheduled Wyoming Bypass (Denver to Salt Lake City). We pulled out of Denver on the UP tracks, following Hwy 85 North. Again there were great views of the Rockies, and of open country including the Pawnee National Grassland. Entering Wyoming, we began to see large numbers of Pronghorn Antelope, as well as Prairie Dog colonies. At Borie (near Cheyenne, Wyoming) we took the southernmost tracks over Sherman Hill (near 8000 ft elevation), climbing high and steady up rolling Prairie country, then coming to Pines and Aspen and colorful Rock outcroppings.
Passing through Laramie there were great views of the snowy mountains in Colorado as we continued on into remote country. We saw a refinery at Sinclair, and the working-town of Rawlins, then climbed the low divide into the Red Desert (Great Divide Basin). At the town of Red Desert we touched the southern divide, then at Table Rock we crossed the Western Divide, with great views of the Wind River Range (all snow-capped) further north in Wyoming.
Passing a coal mine, we came to Rock Springs, and then stopped (7:00 PM) at Green River, Wyoming, for a Crew Change and a chance to stretch our legs. West of there we climbed over the divide into the Great Basin (with a long tunnel at the crest), and then across the Utah State Line a Summit at 6850 feet beginning our descent into Echo Canyon. There were fine views of the Wasatch Range (snow-capped) in Utah as we headed toward the State Line.
All across Wyoming our travel was slow in places, with miscellaneous stops. It turned out that our Train's communications equipment was not being properly recognized by the UP Signal equipment on the Bypass. After another unscheduled stop at Devil's Slide in the dark (waiting for a manual over-ride to allow continued passage), we finally made it down from the Mountains. I woke to see the "Roy Street" Station for the UTA Front-Runner Train in Ogden, and we arrived in Salt Lake City at Midnight... unfortunately too late for a ride through Downtown on their Light-Rail System!
Saturday began at Midnight with views of Salt Lake City, including the State Capitol and the Mormon Temple, and all of Downtown brightly lit up. We saw a south-bound Front Runner Train pass us on our way in to the Station. We pulled in at 12:15 AM (just 1 1/4 hours behind schedule), and had time to walk around (barefoot, since shoes are only fit for daytime use), visiting the Light-Rail Vehicles stopped on the Platforms on the other side.
We departed (backing out) at 12:45 AM, and saw the Great Salt Lake and the Kennecott Copper Smelter by Moonlight. We climbed the Mountains of Eastern Nevada in the wee hours, and stopped at Elko at 4:50 AM by early daylight. We took the former "SP" Tracks across Nevada. There were great views of the Humboldt River and wetlands, and the Mountains (green and some with snow). We came in to Winnemucca at 7:25 AM (just 15 minutes late) and walked around in the fresh Morning Air. We arrived at Sparks very quickly, 5 minutes ahead of schedule! At Reno (with the underground Station in the new Trench) many people got on board for the Trip to California.
With clear, sunny weather, we had perfect views climbing to Truckee, and the Stanford Curve, and Donner Lake and Donner Pass. After the Summit Tunnel we went under the Ski-Lift at Norden, and saw the little Lake there. Then followed extensive views of the Granite High Country of the Sierra Nevada Range. At Emigrant Gap we crossed over into the deep and wild American River Canyon. We passed the cute Gold-Rush Town of Alta, and saw old water-flumes and scars from hydraulic mining at Gold Run. Rounding "Cape Horn" we crossed the Long Ravine Trestle (actually two bridges side-by-side) and pulled into Colfax, our final stop in the Mountains.
We had been running slow behind a heavy freight train whose brakes were threatening to overheat. Finally at Auburn we passed that train when they routed us onto the northern route (which is normally used only for uphill traffic). This gave us good views of the Town of Auburn, including the Station there for the Capitol Corridor Trains, which stop there once per day. Heading down the hill from there toward Rocklin on the valley floor, we began to see Palm Trees and other signs of our return to California. We came to the Station and Yards at Roseville at 3:15, and arrived at Sacramento about 3:45 PM, substantially ahead of schedule. (Never before have I been on a long-distance train arriving early, yet on this trip it happened twice in a row!)
We walked west along the platform and continued through to Old Town. Near the Pony Express Monument there we had a late lunch of Hot Dogs "California Style", then we caught the 5:00 PM Tourist Train from the historic Central Pacific Depot for its six-mile round-trip down the Sacramento River. The expected Steam Locomotive was undergoing repairs, so we were pulled by a 1952 GE Diesel Switching Locomotive, the "Sacramento Southern 1240". We had a fine trip, riding in open air, past the Delta King Steamboat and the golden Drawbridge, with views of the State Capitol and the River and a small Marina. At the end of the line, the engine separated and drove past us, re-connecting to pull us back in to Town... an interesting display, with the switches all thrown by hand and confirmed by hand-signals. We then followed the River Walk past the Turn-Table for the RailRoad Museum and crossing under the UP Mainline, continued on to our Comfort Suites Motel (next to the American River Discovery Park).
Sunday, the final day of our trip, began at 8:00 AM (our most civilized start yet!) with a Buffet Breakfast at the Motel. We returned to the Station (enjoying a playful "leaping fountain" in the River Park along the way) and checked our luggage for the day. Purchasing a Day-Pass, we boarded the 9:30 Light-Rail to Folsom. We walked through the Old Town, and on to the City Park to ride the Children's Steam Train there. Live Steam, running on 12" track. They have a 3/4 mile run and operate every 15 minutes. We had a very pleasant ride, along with lots of young families. The Station is on a single-track center section, with a reversing loop on each end. The owner/conductor/engineer ran the Steam Trains at Disneyland for many years, and now continues to pursue his interests right there in Folsom.
After our Ride on the Children's Train, we visited the little Sanctuary Zoo in the same Park there. We saw a couple of South-East Asian Crab-Eating Macaques (one bathing and one climbing), and some Peacocks, and a Feral Cat exhibit. Returning to town, we picked up snacks and soft drinks at Circle-K, then saw the RailRoad Museum there with some historic cars. We walked through the Caboose, then explored the re-constructed RailRoad Turn-Table, which is turned by hand, moving on its own circular rails. We caught the Noon Light-Rail back to Sacramento, past the Stanford Mansion and the State Capitol with its Fountains. At the Station, we picked up our luggage and relaxed in the fresh air out on the Platforms until boarding for out 2:15 Train. This Train included the cars "Petaluma River" and "San Fernando Valley". For lunch, I had a Hot Dog and Potato Chips on board, demonstrating my expanding tastes.
We had a scenic crossing of the Sacramento River and the Yolo Causeway, then passing through Davis (with historic station and UC Campus), then through farms and past coastal hills with views of Mt. Diablo. The train stopped at Suisun/Fairfield because of scheduled Track Work in the early afternoon. At least we were properly back within the Bay Area. They provided a Bus Bridge to Martinez (where other passengers could continue on by Train), and we then caught our regular Bus back to the North Bay Area, arriving at 4:35 PM. We walked over to the Airport Express Bus Stop, where we sat down indoors and awaited our Taxi. Twenty minutes later we enjoyed a relaxing drive home with our luggage on a fairly hot day, and found everything in good order. Setting down our things, we watered the Rose, started the Car, and had a fine Breakfast-Dinner (ham steak and eggs, English muffin and coffee) here in town to celebrate our successful return.
So everything worked out according to plan. The plans themselves were meant to be flexible, with plenty of backups and alternates for everything except the two long-distance runs. Little did we suspect that they themselves would be threatened, then interrupted within just the next few days.
We had a fine time, and have no complaints. We met lots of interesting people on board, some of whom we hope to contact again. Would we do it again tomorrow (if the Trains were running)? Perhaps not... But Next Week? Yes, absolutely!
The ride was very scenic and interesting. We stopped at Hudson Lake, then after the Yards in Michigan City we began Street-Running. We crossed the route of the Wolverine to Michigan, and resumed Street-Running. We passed the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore and the Dunes State Park, and the little station and flag-stop at Beverly Shores. For a while we followed the Amtrak Route (LSL, CL, and Wolverine). In Gary and the surrounding towns, there was lots of industry, and the Train ran through a lot of residential neighborhoods, showing its Inter-Urban Streetcar Heritage. Crossing into Illinois, we came to the Stations of Hegeswich and Kensington, then joined the Metra Electric Line for the run into Chicago.
We saw the Park where the Museum of Science and Industry is, and briefly saw Lake Michigan. We passed beneath the new Convention Center and saw the Stadium at Soldiers Field. At Roosevelt Station the only way out was a very rickety old wooden Pedestrian overpass. Following a trench through Grant Park and directly under the Art Institute, we arrived in Millennium Station at Randolph Street.
We decided to stay Underground for now, walking through the Station, then into the Pedway under Michigan Ave, under the Cultural Center, under Macy's (formerly Marshall-Fields), and ending up at the Washington Station for the Red Line Subway. We rode South to Jackson, then transferred underground to the Blue Line Subway, which we rode South and West to Clinton, where we finally emerged into the City.
Walking two blocks North, we checked our luggage at Union Station, picked up a Muffin and a Soft Drink, and headed out on Jackson to the Quincy Station. We completed our Clockwise passage of the Loop by riding the Orange Line to Randolph and Wabash, where we exited and began our "NorthWalk"... another scripted Art & Architecture Itinerary.
Walking east, we passed "We Will" by Richard Hunt, stepped in to see the Cultural Center, noticed the statue of a large Bull along Michigan Avenue, and crossed over into Millennium Park. There we saw the classical Peristyle and the Crown Fountain (which displays huge faces), and found THE BEAN ("Cloud Gate", by Anish Kapoor). It was shiny and huge with great reflections. We walked around it and under it and touching it. We admired the surrounding views, including the Smurfit-Stone ("Diamond") Building and the Urban Street Wall of the Michigan Avenue Historic District right across the street.
We walked around the exotic Pritzker Pavilion (resembling L.A.'s new Disney Theatre by the same architect) and crossed the shiny BP Bridge, with great views of the Lake and the City. Continuing North through Grant Park, we came to the Aon Center (Second tallest building in Chicago), looking straight up the fluted sides to the very top. There were beautiful fountains around the sunken courtyard in front, plus several sculptures including two "Sounding Sculptures" by Bertoia (metal tubes that sway in the wind to make noise) and "Winged Form" by Hunt. We admired the styling of the building next door (Number Two Prudential Plaza, which is Tall Bldg #5 in Chicago), then walked downstairs through the Gateway onto Lake Street. We saw the historic Carbon and Carbide Bldg, Art Deco 1929 with green and gold pinnacle "like a bottle of champagne", and the huge Mural "Loop Tattoo" by Johanna Poethig.
Turning Left onto State Street, we passed the giant sign for the Chicago Theater, and right on Randolph the sign for the Oriental Theater. At the Thompson Center we saw (and walked under and through) Dubuffet's "Monument with Standing Beast", in white with black trim, looking like a paper-mache abstracted elephant-sort-of-thing. Outside, the building is of curved blue glass like a portion of a truncated cone. Inside, it is cylindrical and HOLLOW all the way up! We stood at the exact center on the plaza one floor below street level. There are scalloped glass and silver ledges all the way around inside like some sort of Inter-Galactic Space Craft.
On La Salle Street we saw Richard Hunt's "Freeform" mounted above the entrance to the State of Illinois Bldg. Heading east and south, we came to the Daley Center Plaza, with the famous "Chicago Picasso"... like the face of a Mandrill, mounted on a slanting metal base that makes an excellent slide (we tested it!). There was a Flower Market and Craft Fair in the Plaza. Across the street we saw Miro's "Chicago", also called "Woman" or "The Sun, The Moon, and One Star".
Two blocks south on Dearborn we entered the lobby of Three First National Plaza, with a nine-story Atrium and lots of plants and beautiful white and purple orchids. There we saw Henry Moore's "Large Internal-External Upright Form" in polished bronze, which we took to be a sort of mother-and-child. Continuing South past the curved walls of the Chase Tower we found the Plaza containing Marc Chagall's Mosaic "The Four Seasons", which was very interesting and energetic. Then passing the Marquette Bldg we saw Calder's "Flamingo" once more.
From there we headed two blocks East on Adams to the "L", and at about 10:15 AM took the Orange Line to Midway Airport. We returned from Midway on the 10:45 Train, enjoying wonderful views of the City as we approached, through a complex area of railroads and old industry. Off at Roosevelt (11:15 AM), where we walked a couple of blocks east to the Shedd Aquarium. There we caught the 11:45 Water Taxi (Shoreline Sightseeing) to the Navy Pier amusement area. We had a great ride out onto Lake Michigan, with perfect views of the City and the Buckingham Fountain in operation. We went near the historic Harbour Lighthouse and saw the Locks at the entrance to the Chicago River (which flows westward away from the Lake).
At Navy Pier we immediately transferred to the connecting Water Taxi in the Chicago River, which showed us LOTS of great Architecture close up, including the Wrigley Building, the Tribune Building, lots of new Towers near the Lake, and the futuristic "Marina City" (two round apartment towers with seashell-like balconies, and a private Marina in the Basement!), plus the massive Merchandise Mart and the slender Mather Tower, and the two-level Wacker Drive (one level underground in the dark, but visible from the River). Finally we landed at Adams Street, right across from Union Station!
Since we were running 15 minutes ahead of schedule, we had Lunch in the Station. At Gold Coast Hot Dogs, I ordered the Grilled Polish Dog with all the classic "Chicago-style" trimmings, and we shared a magnificent Gyro Sandwich (with extra cucumber sauce)... the best of its kind ever. Plus another soft drink and a muffin at the newsstand, as usual.
Then we picked up our luggage and arrived in the Boarding Lounge at 1:00 PM for our 2:00 reservation on the California Zephyr. Boarding was about 1:30.
We departed from the Chicago Train-Dungeon underneath the Station on time, and had a smooth and scenic trip. The train was booked full, so eventually the toilets failed in one coach, and then another. With three coaches on the train, we made it to California with at least some plumbing still functional.
I had an afternoon snack of Rum-and-Pepsi, plus Pretzels, plus a Root Beer for dessert. Very pleasant. Dinner on board was the Roast Game Hen (my third time out of four on the trip). Crossing the now-familiar countryside of Illinois, we had a dramatic crossing of the Mississippi River at Burlington, with high water beginning to flood structures in the Park along the shore. Turning left, we climbed sharply through town up to Prairie Level, and headed west. About this time, it started to Rain. The Rain increased and became intense, and developed into a family of powerful thunderstorms. All of the Rivers were overflowing their banks, and many fields were flooded.
The Train progressed stop-and-go, with a Tornado Watch in effect. In contact with the Dispatcher in Fort Worth (with their Weather Radar), we attempted to pass between the most severe cells of storm activity as they drifted by. Eventually we could see the clear pink glow of Sunset beneath and beyond the dark storm clouds, so we knew that we would be able to make it through that night. As it turns out, we were the LAST Train through the Great Iowa Floods of '08, as the Tracks were all underwater soon afterwards.
On Friday Morning we had a beautiful approach to the Rockies, from the National Park area in the North as far as Pikes Peak (again) to the South. At Denver, we backed in to the Station, and could walk around on the platform.
Our Train consisted of 2 engines, baggage car, charter car, 3 sleepers, diner, lounge, 3 coaches, and an extra sleeper on the end (which we left behind in Denver). The charter car was the "Pacific Sands" Pullman Car, continuing a circle trip LAX - Chicago - EMY - LAX. Also at the station was a private train for "Creative Charters", and light rail traffic in view immediately to our north.
We then began the scheduled Wyoming Bypass (Denver to Salt Lake City). We pulled out of Denver on the UP tracks, following Hwy 85 North. Again there were great views of the Rockies, and of open country including the Pawnee National Grassland. Entering Wyoming, we began to see large numbers of Pronghorn Antelope, as well as Prairie Dog colonies. At Borie (near Cheyenne, Wyoming) we took the southernmost tracks over Sherman Hill (near 8000 ft elevation), climbing high and steady up rolling Prairie country, then coming to Pines and Aspen and colorful Rock outcroppings.
Passing through Laramie there were great views of the snowy mountains in Colorado as we continued on into remote country. We saw a refinery at Sinclair, and the working-town of Rawlins, then climbed the low divide into the Red Desert (Great Divide Basin). At the town of Red Desert we touched the southern divide, then at Table Rock we crossed the Western Divide, with great views of the Wind River Range (all snow-capped) further north in Wyoming.
Passing a coal mine, we came to Rock Springs, and then stopped (7:00 PM) at Green River, Wyoming, for a Crew Change and a chance to stretch our legs. West of there we climbed over the divide into the Great Basin (with a long tunnel at the crest), and then across the Utah State Line a Summit at 6850 feet beginning our descent into Echo Canyon. There were fine views of the Wasatch Range (snow-capped) in Utah as we headed toward the State Line.
All across Wyoming our travel was slow in places, with miscellaneous stops. It turned out that our Train's communications equipment was not being properly recognized by the UP Signal equipment on the Bypass. After another unscheduled stop at Devil's Slide in the dark (waiting for a manual over-ride to allow continued passage), we finally made it down from the Mountains. I woke to see the "Roy Street" Station for the UTA Front-Runner Train in Ogden, and we arrived in Salt Lake City at Midnight... unfortunately too late for a ride through Downtown on their Light-Rail System!
Saturday began at Midnight with views of Salt Lake City, including the State Capitol and the Mormon Temple, and all of Downtown brightly lit up. We saw a south-bound Front Runner Train pass us on our way in to the Station. We pulled in at 12:15 AM (just 1 1/4 hours behind schedule), and had time to walk around (barefoot, since shoes are only fit for daytime use), visiting the Light-Rail Vehicles stopped on the Platforms on the other side.
We departed (backing out) at 12:45 AM, and saw the Great Salt Lake and the Kennecott Copper Smelter by Moonlight. We climbed the Mountains of Eastern Nevada in the wee hours, and stopped at Elko at 4:50 AM by early daylight. We took the former "SP" Tracks across Nevada. There were great views of the Humboldt River and wetlands, and the Mountains (green and some with snow). We came in to Winnemucca at 7:25 AM (just 15 minutes late) and walked around in the fresh Morning Air. We arrived at Sparks very quickly, 5 minutes ahead of schedule! At Reno (with the underground Station in the new Trench) many people got on board for the Trip to California.
With clear, sunny weather, we had perfect views climbing to Truckee, and the Stanford Curve, and Donner Lake and Donner Pass. After the Summit Tunnel we went under the Ski-Lift at Norden, and saw the little Lake there. Then followed extensive views of the Granite High Country of the Sierra Nevada Range. At Emigrant Gap we crossed over into the deep and wild American River Canyon. We passed the cute Gold-Rush Town of Alta, and saw old water-flumes and scars from hydraulic mining at Gold Run. Rounding "Cape Horn" we crossed the Long Ravine Trestle (actually two bridges side-by-side) and pulled into Colfax, our final stop in the Mountains.
We had been running slow behind a heavy freight train whose brakes were threatening to overheat. Finally at Auburn we passed that train when they routed us onto the northern route (which is normally used only for uphill traffic). This gave us good views of the Town of Auburn, including the Station there for the Capitol Corridor Trains, which stop there once per day. Heading down the hill from there toward Rocklin on the valley floor, we began to see Palm Trees and other signs of our return to California. We came to the Station and Yards at Roseville at 3:15, and arrived at Sacramento about 3:45 PM, substantially ahead of schedule. (Never before have I been on a long-distance train arriving early, yet on this trip it happened twice in a row!)
We walked west along the platform and continued through to Old Town. Near the Pony Express Monument there we had a late lunch of Hot Dogs "California Style", then we caught the 5:00 PM Tourist Train from the historic Central Pacific Depot for its six-mile round-trip down the Sacramento River. The expected Steam Locomotive was undergoing repairs, so we were pulled by a 1952 GE Diesel Switching Locomotive, the "Sacramento Southern 1240". We had a fine trip, riding in open air, past the Delta King Steamboat and the golden Drawbridge, with views of the State Capitol and the River and a small Marina. At the end of the line, the engine separated and drove past us, re-connecting to pull us back in to Town... an interesting display, with the switches all thrown by hand and confirmed by hand-signals. We then followed the River Walk past the Turn-Table for the RailRoad Museum and crossing under the UP Mainline, continued on to our Comfort Suites Motel (next to the American River Discovery Park).
Sunday, the final day of our trip, began at 8:00 AM (our most civilized start yet!) with a Buffet Breakfast at the Motel. We returned to the Station (enjoying a playful "leaping fountain" in the River Park along the way) and checked our luggage for the day. Purchasing a Day-Pass, we boarded the 9:30 Light-Rail to Folsom. We walked through the Old Town, and on to the City Park to ride the Children's Steam Train there. Live Steam, running on 12" track. They have a 3/4 mile run and operate every 15 minutes. We had a very pleasant ride, along with lots of young families. The Station is on a single-track center section, with a reversing loop on each end. The owner/conductor/engineer ran the Steam Trains at Disneyland for many years, and now continues to pursue his interests right there in Folsom.
After our Ride on the Children's Train, we visited the little Sanctuary Zoo in the same Park there. We saw a couple of South-East Asian Crab-Eating Macaques (one bathing and one climbing), and some Peacocks, and a Feral Cat exhibit. Returning to town, we picked up snacks and soft drinks at Circle-K, then saw the RailRoad Museum there with some historic cars. We walked through the Caboose, then explored the re-constructed RailRoad Turn-Table, which is turned by hand, moving on its own circular rails. We caught the Noon Light-Rail back to Sacramento, past the Stanford Mansion and the State Capitol with its Fountains. At the Station, we picked up our luggage and relaxed in the fresh air out on the Platforms until boarding for out 2:15 Train. This Train included the cars "Petaluma River" and "San Fernando Valley". For lunch, I had a Hot Dog and Potato Chips on board, demonstrating my expanding tastes.
We had a scenic crossing of the Sacramento River and the Yolo Causeway, then passing through Davis (with historic station and UC Campus), then through farms and past coastal hills with views of Mt. Diablo. The train stopped at Suisun/Fairfield because of scheduled Track Work in the early afternoon. At least we were properly back within the Bay Area. They provided a Bus Bridge to Martinez (where other passengers could continue on by Train), and we then caught our regular Bus back to the North Bay Area, arriving at 4:35 PM. We walked over to the Airport Express Bus Stop, where we sat down indoors and awaited our Taxi. Twenty minutes later we enjoyed a relaxing drive home with our luggage on a fairly hot day, and found everything in good order. Setting down our things, we watered the Rose, started the Car, and had a fine Breakfast-Dinner (ham steak and eggs, English muffin and coffee) here in town to celebrate our successful return.
So everything worked out according to plan. The plans themselves were meant to be flexible, with plenty of backups and alternates for everything except the two long-distance runs. Little did we suspect that they themselves would be threatened, then interrupted within just the next few days.
We had a fine time, and have no complaints. We met lots of interesting people on board, some of whom we hope to contact again. Would we do it again tomorrow (if the Trains were running)? Perhaps not... But Next Week? Yes, absolutely!
