For the past few days we've been aboard an Amtrak train bound for Seattle. We boarded The California Zephyr, which originates in Chicago, here in central Iowa. The Zephyr is one of Amtrak's premier routes because it passes through the Rocky Mountains, providing stunning scenery as you climb to the heights. Besides the mountains there are something like thirty tunnels to traverse, including one that's more than six miles long and takes ten minutes (Moffatt Tunnel). Not only do you visit the high Rockies but you also travel along the Colorado River and into Glenwood Canyon, with its deep red sandstone bluffs. The train stops in Salt Lake City, Reno and other places out west before reaching the Sacramento area. The line is the longest route on the Amtrak system (nearly 2500 miles) and is an amalgam of the original California Zephyr and two other lines predating the current system.
From Sacramento we took the Coastal Starlight which reaches Seattle via Portland. The Starlight is very like the Zephyr, with bedroom and roomette sleepers. The trip north through the coastal mountains through Oregon and southern Washington, country I had never seen. The best thing about train travel is the chance to settle in and watch the beauty of the land as it seemingly passes by the window. It's so different from air travel--unhurried, more quiet, less crowded. You could say it's more grounded.
We had a great trip. Next week we'll reverse the journey.
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