Day 3!

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This is a most excellent article Acacia wrote for anyone thinking about/interested in taking a train trip:

Factoids About Trains, by the First-Timer, for the First-Timer: by Acacia Uible (ahhhh! I'm Uible, not Hillard now. Freaky!)



There's an interesting mix of people who ride the trains. Some use them to commute (outskirts of chicago into town, for instance). These people get an affordable rate, so students and many others stay on for a short time. The people in for the long haul include: people who dislike air travel (out of fear, or for environmental reasons, or religious reasons-Amish/Menonnite), older people who find other travel difficult, people who like the adventure, or people who have and like the time that it takes to travel. You almost never see people who are in a hurry, the disabled (I assume because it's difficult to navigate the tiny hallways, and steps from the platform to the train), business travelers, or the very poor (as train travel tends to be more costly than air or bus). For better or worse, that's your crowd. FYI: Amtrak is 4 times more energy and environmentally efficient than auto, bus, or plane!

If you purchase meals in the dining car they range from $6 to $10 for breakfast and $7 to $18 for dinner. Dinner reservations are made by the dining car manager, who walks through the cars at lunchtime that day to spread out the flow of people. As noted, the meals are actually very good, and very filling (American-style). Most people who stay in coach, tend to purchase their food in the small deli car and eat it in the lounge. The sandwiches are more reasonable, but not remarkable quality. Alcholic beverages can be purchased, but drunkenness is highly looked down upon. Some (including us) bring some of their own snacks. These must be prepared on your own, as the train crew are not allowed to microwave food for you, or help in that manner. The lounge car is surprisingly nice. They provide flyers and crosswords for kids (and adults!), people bring board games, hang out with their traveling companions, etc... This lounge is also nice if your neighbor in your coach seat is boring and/or stinky.

Speaking of stinky...I attempted to shower last night, and discovered the water is ICE COLD! I understand that the water lines have frozen, and just in our car. There is another shared shower further down that supposedly is warmer. I got a surprise when I saw that the hole at the bottom of the shower drains directly to the ground outside. A little scary to see the ground below you moving so fast! The train provides your soap and towels only. You might want to bring some flip flops to prevent foot germ contamination.

Sleeping on a train is unbeatable. There's no airline that I know of (or at least can afford) that has full beds, or seats that might as well be, so that you can sleep straight through your travel time-if you wish. Daytime hours are much more interesting, as the sightseeing is incredible, and the staff is great about pointing out where we are, and what we're seeing. Take lots of photos!

Winds travel up to 100 MPH in the Rocky Mountians near Denver. Trains used to flip right off their tracks in the wind. They solved this problem by having "dummy" cars parked in those areas at the tops of the mountains, so that you can pass next to, or between them safely.

Exerpt from "Across the Wide Sierra" flyer: Before 1869, "there was a contest to see which crews- the Union Pacific building from the east, or the Central Pacific from the west- could lay more track. On the contest day, the Central Pacific workers won by laying over 10 miles. In doing so, they used 5,000 men, 25,000 ties, 3,500 rail sections, and 55,000 spikes."

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Photos

Log home outside of Denver
This was a gorgeous log home near the tracks as we were leaving Denver, CO yesterday.

Donner Lake
Great view of Donner Lake on the fabled Donner Pass.

Donner Pass landscape
Another fantastic shot of the trees and moutain tops on Donner Pass.

Comments

[Aunt Barbara]

WOW
Hi, guys! Know you are having a great time. The snow looks wonderful! We even had snow here this week! Guess the cruise will offer a little differen temperature range. Have a great time!