Day 4: Up and up and up we go

Wednesday, July 15, 2009
I actually slept during the night - must have been because Nebraska was so boring. I woke up early (for me), just in time to see sunrise over eastern Colorado. Today we got to say goodbye to our neighbors, the General and Irene. They were a bit confused when we got to Denver and they didn't realize they were supposed to get off. God bless Isaac for putting up with them.

Hay fields in central Colorado

In Denver, we switched train engines again. An Amtrak engine was waiting for us at the station. We watched as they removed the BNSF engine and coupled the new one to the train. I think that with all the car switching that's taken place, I'd be able to hook them up by now. One of the more amusing things that has happened as a result of the accident is that at every single station we stop in, train/station employees come to look at our train and take pictures of the damage. I can't think of a single station where this did not occur.

The Amish chat outside the train in Denver.

One of the odd things about the Denver station is that trains have to back in to the platform. Normally, I would thing this was annoying and a waste of time but it was perfect here. Because we had to go out the same way we entered the station, as we were leaving we saw another train waiting for us to vacate the station - the California Zephyr that left the day after we did. They caught up with us and we were now an entire 24 hours behind. Oops.

The California Zephyr that left the day after us, catching up in Denver.

In terms of scenery, today was billed as the highlight of the trip. Shortly after leaving Denver, we began to climb the Rockies in earnest. This involved a series of tight curves back and forth up the mountain. The views from here were really pretty and got prettier the further along we went. We went through a bunch of smaller tunnels before we got to the Moffat Tunnel, a 6.2 mile long tunnel and the highest point on the journey. We also passed the continental divide at this point. We continued through several different ski resorts (though obviously with it being July, no skiing was taking place). We followed the Colorado River for for awhile into Utah, travelling through massive canyons, valleys, and other really pretty scenery. One of the more entertaining aspects of following the river would be all of the rafters who moon the train. Try as I might, I was unable to get a clear picture of this.

Beginning to climb the Rockies

A lake in the Rockies

The Rockies

Fraser Canyon, Colorado

Ruby Canyon - the Colorado/Utah border

Utah desert

Wasatch Mountains, Utah

Sunset over the Wasatch Mountains, Utah

That night we pulled into Salt Lake City. Since it was dark, I couldn't really see much - I think I caught the top of the big Mormon church there, and I was able to pick out the state house, but that's it. I'm a bit disappointed I didn't get to see the Great Salt Lake or the salt desert due to the darkness.

Train travel certainly became more appealing for me this day. It's a great way to see the country - no worries about keeping your eyes on the road. The train goes through places where the highways don't so the views are a lot better. I can certainly see myself taking more train trips in the future - but I will not have solid plans booked for the end of the trip so I don't run into the same problems we had this time.

Click to Enlarge - Our Journey, Thus Far