I can’t say that I had a good night’s sleep—it’s not David’s fault either. I kept waking up, expecting it to be 6:00am. Instead the clock had advanced only an hour. Guess I was nervous about missing the train. So I was pretty happy when 6:15 rolled around. I am looking forward to this trip on Amtrak. I have heard so much about it, so I am said about leaving Denver. But the expectation is great on what this trip brings to me.
So between when I got up and 7:00am, I ate a bowl of cereal. Then packed and unpacked several times. Then reorganized and found something more to put into the big suitcase. At 7, David takes me to the train station—Union Station. We said our good byes. Sometimes words are inadequate, you can only express something by physical contact—a hug, a handshake. This is one of those times. It is good to have a brother like mine. There are so many siblings which fight. It is a wonderful thing to have David and I being able to be brothers and friends.
I checked my bags around 7:30 and then boarded the train. The train leaves right on time—8:05am. These seats are wonderful. There is enough leg room to stretch out—more room than most cars. Plus the seats recline. Should be ok to sleep tonight. I have a seat by myself, so I can stretch out even more.
Outside of Denver, the train climbs up steeply to enter the mountains. The tracks form the number ten as seen from the air—so it is named the Big 10 curve. This is where we saw the train looking like it was looping back on itself the other day. Apparently the winds can get up to 100mph. So they filled some box cars to protect trains against the wind. Also along this stretch of track, there are 33 tunnels—the longest is Moffet Tunnel, about 6 miles long. As we climb into the Rockies you are right on the edge of some steep hillsides. Able to look down into Boulder and Denver. Great looking down into these slopes—my reactions? Wow- what canyons—and this is on the east side still!
When the Disney designer created the train ride at Disneyland,, he must have just taken a ride on this train. You get a lot of the same feel when you go through the narrow rock faces.
We got through Moffet Tunnel around 9:45. It takes 10-12 minutes to go through. Its all dark, not very exciting. Much rather be on the outside skiing or watching the trains coming in and out of the tunnel. Frazer/Winter Park came to us around 10:15. It is several miles away from Winter Park.
But this was the start of the canyons. The first is Fraser Canyon. It’s a nice canyon. Then Byer’s Canyon, just outside of Sulphur Hot Springs, appears. Its starts to look interesting. About 11:00 we stop—apparently the rock fall detector wires were tripped—these detectors were called slide fence detectors.
Around 11:30, we enter the first of three canyons—Gore Canyon, which is followed by Red Gorge. I go into the observation car. These are spectacular—an over used word I know, still it is. While not narrow or towering, it is impressive with the color, with the trees, the train clinging to the side of the canyon. All three canyons bring their own sense of uniqueness. As the conductor announced, you can only see the canyon either on a raft going down the Colorado or on the California Zephyer. This is the way to see it. A fellow travelers remarked that the snow in places looked like powdered sugar on pastries. A good description
In the observation car, I meet up with a lawyer/judge from Wyoming. We exchange stories about horse packing and backpacking. It is an entertaining time, even without the scenery. This gentleman is on top of that.
But the time with the Wyoming lawyer makes me understand something. I would rather be sharing this time with Sherri than traveling alone. There is a reason why God created man and woman—so they would not be alone. Things like this needs to be shared. Words or pictures do not convey what touch or feeling can reveal.
We join up with I-70 around 1:30. Which means we also enter Glenwood Canyon. Maybe it is because of being through this canyon a few times view the car, maybe being on the side right next to the canyon wall—I do not know—but I was more impressed with the Gore Canyon’s views. But Glenwood Canyon does rightly earn its oohs and awes. It does tower above you—straight up. Sometimes the canyon wall is only inches away from the train. It probably looked better without I-70 running through it.
There is one last canyon which we enter--Ruby Canyon—at about 4:45pm. It’s the type of canyon which you picture in the Old West. Bright red rock, cut through by the Colorado river. This is near Moab.
For the rest of the time, its running through desert country. Not too interesting. Until sundown. We are a couple of miles away from the San Rafael Swell. The setting sun turns the Swell into a silhouette. Looks like a string of waves. Beyond that, all I do is read, write and answer e-mails until Salt Lake City. We get in early—about 10:40pm. I go outside and walk around a bit, pick up a signal to send e-mails. Its 32F outside. Not bad from what I expected in David’s territory. When we leave, I make my way to being a sleep.
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