Since printman2000 has done his travelogue about the same trip I was on, I guess it's about time to do mine. Pictures may be forthcoming, though since I forgot my SD card, the only photos were taken on a phone. =\
I started out in Omaha, arriving around 9:45 PM on Friday, June 29 at the Omaha station (way early, I know.) There was no line, and I went up to the counter to get my tickets. The agent had my name printed on a list, pulled up my reservation, and explained everything well for my trip, including the transfer to the bus in Salt Lake City. Wish I would have remembered his name...he was about as friendly as a station agent can be. (When I asked for a timetable for the Zepyhr, he offered a system timetable, which I took him up on.) He also informed me of a detour through Wyoming due to the wildfires in Colorado.
I sat and waited in the station. I would have plugged in my phone, but all the outlet had outlet caps on them (those child-safety caps), so I decided against it. At around 10:15 PM, the conductors came around and collected the tickets for the people that were there (I believe they did that for everyone that boarded in OMA...no tickets were collected on board after OMA.) After the tickets were collected, they informed us of the situation in CO, the detour through WY, and how there was no alternate transportation being provided for stops between DEN and SLC (since, in her words, every tour bus in the country is booked. Maybe an exaggeration, but probably not by much!) There was then the "kindergarten walk" that everyone seems to dread but, as a relative newbie to traveling, is still appreciated.
After boarding in OMA, it was a fairly uneventful night. Had a seatmate in LNK until DEN, but still slept okay (listened to podcasts on my phone), though I woke up for a second at most of the stops. Around Fort Collins (6 AM sharp), I went to the diner car to have breakfast. The diner was packed...apparently everyone wanted breakfast before DEN. It took a few minutes to get coffee, and just a fair amount of time overall to be served. I didn't have my food (crab cake) until 6:40. I made good use of the unlimited refills, though. =] Also during breakfast, there was a PA announcement stating that they had found alternate transportation: Glenwood Springs would have charter buses, and Granby and Winter Park would have car service. People going to Grand Junction and points west were to stay on the train until Salt Lake. (The wildfires closed I-70 between Glenwood Springs and Grand Junction).
In DEN, a lot of people got off, and a much fewer number boarded, giving me my own pair of seats. I spent much of the morning in the lounge with printman2000 (until around 1 PM, when it was time for lunch). I had lunch, again with slow service, though the ham melt I had was very tasty, at least as far as ham melts are concerned. After lunch, I sat, watched the scenery, and read a book. Pretty uneventful, though the scenery was quite nice in Utah. (For supper, I had a burger from the lounge.) As I got into SLC, I noticed my phone was acting up...very infuriating when I need to contact someone to pick me up in TFI!
We got into SLC about 10:40 PM, and I asked an Amtrak conductor standing outside where the Greyhound terminal was. It's only a block away...basically, there's a plaza there. One side was the Amtrak station, the other side had the Greyhound station. It was "held in", so to speak, by the FrontRunner and UTA Trax services on either side. I went to the Greyhound ticket counter to check my baggage...they just give you a tag for your baggage to go under, and you give your Amtrak ticket to the bus driver when you board. I tried to fix my phone, but the only wi-fi was off of one of the buses, so it was very spotty and only successful in sending an email to the person picking me up.
They searched our carry-on baggage...fairly uneventful, though it didn't seem like it was terribly useful, as someone could stash something in their checked bag until they finished checking carry-ons, then swap out, as they didn't take the checked baggage beforehand. There was a large amount of reboarders, who were able to board first and get the first choice of seats. (In fact, there were more reboarders than new boarders...and the bus was full!) I was worried that I wouldn't get a seat, but there was enough room, and it was an uneventful ride up to TFI (other than stopping every 45 minutes for a smoke break.) Arrived around 5 AM on Sunday, July 1.
Had fun in TFI, of course, and spent the week there. Also fixed my phone, thank goodness.
Since the bus connection requires a 10 hour layover, I got a ride down to ELK to board the train there. The train stop there...was nothing more than a glorified bus stop. The people dropping me off weren't impressed by it, but it got the job done. We boarded and left on time from ELK, and I had two seats to myself, which I made into a mini-couch and slept there for the night. Woke up around Helper, had breakfast in the diner again (eggs this time), and went back to my seat for a while. Grabbed a guidebook in GJT...very interesting! Thanks to those who recommend it on here...it's worth the $13 after-tax cost for the DEN to SLC guidebook. Had lunch in the diner...simple burger. Service was much faster on the way back...food took maybe 10 minutes to get to the table after ordering. I spent a lot less time in the lounge car, as it was much more full than on the way out. Lots of beautiful scenery, though, and definitely glad to have taken it. It's overwhelming how much scenery there is...though maybe we could do without the "moon" part of the Moon...ahem, Colorado River.
I had a veggie sandwich for supper. While not horrible, it wasn't something I would eat again. I don't eat vegetarian food, though, so it's obviously not catered to me. In DEN, I got a seat mate, and was able to get some signal to check email and such on my laptop. Other than that, an uneventful trip back, and about 15 minutes late into OMA.
Definitely would take the train again. Though I seemed to enjoy the trip out more than the trip back. Maybe something to do with the destination each way, though. Better than flying or taking Greyhound, though.
I started out in Omaha, arriving around 9:45 PM on Friday, June 29 at the Omaha station (way early, I know.) There was no line, and I went up to the counter to get my tickets. The agent had my name printed on a list, pulled up my reservation, and explained everything well for my trip, including the transfer to the bus in Salt Lake City. Wish I would have remembered his name...he was about as friendly as a station agent can be. (When I asked for a timetable for the Zepyhr, he offered a system timetable, which I took him up on.) He also informed me of a detour through Wyoming due to the wildfires in Colorado.
I sat and waited in the station. I would have plugged in my phone, but all the outlet had outlet caps on them (those child-safety caps), so I decided against it. At around 10:15 PM, the conductors came around and collected the tickets for the people that were there (I believe they did that for everyone that boarded in OMA...no tickets were collected on board after OMA.) After the tickets were collected, they informed us of the situation in CO, the detour through WY, and how there was no alternate transportation being provided for stops between DEN and SLC (since, in her words, every tour bus in the country is booked. Maybe an exaggeration, but probably not by much!) There was then the "kindergarten walk" that everyone seems to dread but, as a relative newbie to traveling, is still appreciated.
After boarding in OMA, it was a fairly uneventful night. Had a seatmate in LNK until DEN, but still slept okay (listened to podcasts on my phone), though I woke up for a second at most of the stops. Around Fort Collins (6 AM sharp), I went to the diner car to have breakfast. The diner was packed...apparently everyone wanted breakfast before DEN. It took a few minutes to get coffee, and just a fair amount of time overall to be served. I didn't have my food (crab cake) until 6:40. I made good use of the unlimited refills, though. =] Also during breakfast, there was a PA announcement stating that they had found alternate transportation: Glenwood Springs would have charter buses, and Granby and Winter Park would have car service. People going to Grand Junction and points west were to stay on the train until Salt Lake. (The wildfires closed I-70 between Glenwood Springs and Grand Junction).
In DEN, a lot of people got off, and a much fewer number boarded, giving me my own pair of seats. I spent much of the morning in the lounge with printman2000 (until around 1 PM, when it was time for lunch). I had lunch, again with slow service, though the ham melt I had was very tasty, at least as far as ham melts are concerned. After lunch, I sat, watched the scenery, and read a book. Pretty uneventful, though the scenery was quite nice in Utah. (For supper, I had a burger from the lounge.) As I got into SLC, I noticed my phone was acting up...very infuriating when I need to contact someone to pick me up in TFI!
We got into SLC about 10:40 PM, and I asked an Amtrak conductor standing outside where the Greyhound terminal was. It's only a block away...basically, there's a plaza there. One side was the Amtrak station, the other side had the Greyhound station. It was "held in", so to speak, by the FrontRunner and UTA Trax services on either side. I went to the Greyhound ticket counter to check my baggage...they just give you a tag for your baggage to go under, and you give your Amtrak ticket to the bus driver when you board. I tried to fix my phone, but the only wi-fi was off of one of the buses, so it was very spotty and only successful in sending an email to the person picking me up.
They searched our carry-on baggage...fairly uneventful, though it didn't seem like it was terribly useful, as someone could stash something in their checked bag until they finished checking carry-ons, then swap out, as they didn't take the checked baggage beforehand. There was a large amount of reboarders, who were able to board first and get the first choice of seats. (In fact, there were more reboarders than new boarders...and the bus was full!) I was worried that I wouldn't get a seat, but there was enough room, and it was an uneventful ride up to TFI (other than stopping every 45 minutes for a smoke break.) Arrived around 5 AM on Sunday, July 1.
Had fun in TFI, of course, and spent the week there. Also fixed my phone, thank goodness.
Since the bus connection requires a 10 hour layover, I got a ride down to ELK to board the train there. The train stop there...was nothing more than a glorified bus stop. The people dropping me off weren't impressed by it, but it got the job done. We boarded and left on time from ELK, and I had two seats to myself, which I made into a mini-couch and slept there for the night. Woke up around Helper, had breakfast in the diner again (eggs this time), and went back to my seat for a while. Grabbed a guidebook in GJT...very interesting! Thanks to those who recommend it on here...it's worth the $13 after-tax cost for the DEN to SLC guidebook. Had lunch in the diner...simple burger. Service was much faster on the way back...food took maybe 10 minutes to get to the table after ordering. I spent a lot less time in the lounge car, as it was much more full than on the way out. Lots of beautiful scenery, though, and definitely glad to have taken it. It's overwhelming how much scenery there is...though maybe we could do without the "moon" part of the Moon...ahem, Colorado River.
I had a veggie sandwich for supper. While not horrible, it wasn't something I would eat again. I don't eat vegetarian food, though, so it's obviously not catered to me. In DEN, I got a seat mate, and was able to get some signal to check email and such on my laptop. Other than that, an uneventful trip back, and about 15 minutes late into OMA.
Definitely would take the train again. Though I seemed to enjoy the trip out more than the trip back. Maybe something to do with the destination each way, though.
Better than flying or taking Greyhound, though.
