kevin_standlee | Entries tagged with traincon

As California Zephyr left Denver on Monday evening, we observed that the lower level lounge car was unoccupied, so the members of TrainCon moved down there for the scheduled 8 PM BASFA meeting. With everyone accounted for, BASFA Vice President Chris Garcia called things to order early. The meeting lasted only around twenty minutes but did cover the entire regular agenda. The meeting actually ended twenty-seven minutes before it was scheduled to start. You can blame it on time zones; indeed, meeting “Amtrak-6” ended before the regularly-scheduled meeting back in the Bay Area was scheduled to begin at 8 PM PDT.

TrainCon moved upstairs to our regular pair of booths across from each other. Some of us sat and talked, while others (including me) played card games and talked. But soon enough fatigue overcame us and Lisa and I returned to our bedroom, where Lisa made up the beds for our second night on the train. Sleeping was very difficult for Lisa because of her cough (which isn’t really getting much better), although I slept pretty well myself.

At a long stop at what I think must have been Lincoln NE, I awoke because of a blinking light reflecting into my eyes like a flickering neon sign in a cheap hotel. Peeking through the curtains, I saw a piece of BNSF railway maintenance equipment on the next track to ours with a rotating yellow warning light. I pulled the curtains more securely closed and returned to bed.

( Through the Fields to Chicago )

After lunch, it was time to begin the wind-down process and move most of our things back into our luggage downstairs in order to make the deboarding process easier. Lisa and I spent most of the rest of the trip in our bedroom with her reading, me composing LJ entries, and Bear watching the scenery go by. As we passed Aurora, and the EJ&E crossing, I waved in the direction of my company’s regional offices where I’ve worked numerous times and started shutting down in preparation for our arrival in Chicago.

Current Mood: happy
Current Location: California Zephyr approaching Chicago

After a day of spectacular views, our train pulled into Winter Park for what was supposed to be a relatively short stop. Passengers were told they could step off the train for a couple of minutes, which mostly means smokers stream for the doors, but Lisa and I like to get off when we can and walk the length of the platform. We walked from the rear of the train where our sleeper was toward the baggage car at the front, admiring the small Winter Park station platform. We were just about to head back toward our end of the train when there was a commotion ahead of us near the center of the platform. We walked part-way back that way when we saw a man get knocked over and land hard with his head hitting the yellow bumper strip on the edge of the platform. About that time the conductor waved everyone aboard and we got on at the first open door. I said, “So much for a quick stop.”

( Fight, Fight! )

After the half-hour delay at Winter Park, we departed for Denver, and they made an announcement that we would be passing through the long Moffat Tunnel in about five minutes, and that to prevent diesel fumes from getting into the cars, would everyone please find the car in which they would stay for the transit of the tunnel and not move between cars, as doing so lets fumes into the cars. Lisa had a sudden brainstorm and said to me, “Quick, let’s get down to the front!”

( Cut-Rate Dome Car )

After making our dinner reservation plans for the eight members of TrainCon, we went to the lounge car for the descent toward Denver. Even though Winter Park and Denver aren’t far from each other as the crow flies and even only 62 miles by rail, the timetable allows two hours to make the trip, and the train needs it. The rail line down from the tunnel to the flats at Denver is slow and twisty, with several horseshoe curves to change altitude as gently as possible. The views are almost as stunning as those back in the canyon. We saw deer grazing alongside the tracks, apparently unconcerned about our train passing by as we headed for Denver.

I was concerned that we’d miss our chance to get out at Denver because we’d be at dinner, but as it happens we were finishing just as the train backed into the single-track temporary stub at Denver. Those of you who rode the train to Denvention 3 will remember that all trains back into Denver Union Station, located at the foot of the pedestrianized mall and near the baseball park. As part of a major rebuilding of Union Station to a multimodal transit hub including commuter rail, the Amtrak station has moved a bit to the north with a temporary single-track stub and station building across the street.

Denver is a major servicing stop for the Zephyr and we had plenty of time to walk up and down the platform and see what could be seen; however, it’s not close enough to any shops or service to be able to run quickly and grab something. (I had hoped I might be able to grab some more medicine for Lisa’s deep chest cough.) That’s as much due to the idiot at Winter Park as anything else. If it had not been for that mess, we would have been as much as an hour early at Denver and might have been able to run out on an errand. As it was, the recovery time built into the schedule meant that we were pretty much on time as we left Denver.

Current Mood: pleased
Current Location: California Zephyr leaving Denver

I awoke around 6:45 AM as our train rolled through Utah heading for Colorado. Lisa had a rough night, being awakened repeatedly by coughing fits. We pulled ourselves together in a leisurely way in preparation for breakfast. I got out my razor and pre-shave lotion and was dismayed to discover that the cap had come loose on it during the night. Now I keep that lotion in a Ziploc bag for this reason, but the bag itself had sprung a leak! Fortunately not a lot got loose and I was able to contain the damage and use a spare bag. After cleaning up a bit, we went to breakfast and enjoyed the view as we passed through Green River, Utah.

After breakfast, TrainCon reconvened in the Lounge Car for a while. Lisa was pleased to actually win a game. Some of our fellow travelers were intrigued by our card games and we explained how the game worked. At least one asked where he could buy a copy of Guillotine, and we said any good specialty game store should be able to get it for him.

It was mostly sightseeing today. The route passes through the ex-Denver & Rio Grande Western Colorado River route, sometimes sharing the canyon with Interstate 70, but in other places the only access is by train or by river raft. We saw many rafting groups in the river, and, as we had been warned, some of them decided to moon the train. We had lunch as the train paused at Glenwood Springs, right across from where Lisa and I had stopped for lunch on our drive back from Denvention 3. I wore my D3 polo shirt today in recognition of today’s major stop, which will be Denver. Unlike Lisa and my trip to Montreal in 2009 (which was diverted via the faster-but-less-scenic Union Pacific “Overland Route”), we won’t have a two hour layover at Denver. Tonight, the eight members of TrainCon are scheduled to try and commandeer the lower level lounge car area for BASFA meeting “Amtrak-6.” For my sins, I agreed to be Secretary, with BASFA VP Chris Garcia presiding.

Current Mood: happy
Current Location: Colorado River Canyon

Around Reno, Lisa went back to our bedroom to collect her camera bag and begin setting up to shoot video as we passed through Fernley. It was here that we faced a setback.

( Battery Pack Gone Walkabout )

There wasn’t a huge amount we could do about the battery pack in the short term, so Lisa loaded her camera with alkaline batteries and set up for our own personal “money shot” of our home as seen from the passing train.

( Fernley in Passing )

Beyond Fernley, the scenery isn’t hugely impressive for quite a while, and besides, it was time for dinner in the diner. I had and enjoyed the crabcakes, and thought maybe the no-sugar-added vanilla pudding would be okay. A 212 blood sugar an hour after dinner, even with the benefit of walking up and down the platforms when we made our station stop at Winnemucca, said otherwise. Lisa had us walk up and down the length of the train, including going up and down each stairwell, and my blood sugar dropped back down to normal levels.
By then it was time to start getting ready for bed. We had previously asked our car attendant to let Lisa make down our beds rather than having the attendant do it. The attendant was going around making down beds pretty early because current work instructions require her to go to bed right after the Elko station stop in order to be up and awake by the 3:30 AM stop in Salt Lake City.

( Mysterious Delay at Elko )

After the annoying 45-minute delay at Elko, Lisa and I rigged up our respective sleep-assistance devices (my CPAP, her tinnitus-masking static-making radio), and we turned in for bed. It didn’t take me long to get to sleep. Alas, even with cough syrup, Lisa was still troubled with bronchitis from her cold, but she eventually managed to fall asleep herself.
Location: Between Elko NV and Salt Lake City UT

Current Mood: sleepy
Current Location: Between Elko NV and Salt Lake City UT

[This is the first of a series of entries written during our trip from the Bay Area to Chicago aboard Amtrak's California Zephyr, where there is no internet connection. During significant portions of our trip, there wasn't even cell phone service and the only way to get to where we were was by rail, raft, or maybe helicopter.]

Although Lisa and I were capable of walking the 1500 m or so to the train station — after all, we’d done so yesterday — Lisa had been coughing all night long and not feeling especially strong, so when a taxi in search of a fare pulled up in front of the hotel just as we were coming out the door, I decided to take it. We therefore got to Emeryville Station maybe 20 or 30 minutes earlier than expected, and that’s just as well.

( TrainCon, day 1 of 3 )

The trip through the Sierras was lovely as usual, and augured of good things to come on the rest of our trip. Everyone seemed to enjoy the sights, and we entered Reno in high spirits, waved at the Atlantis Hotel (I’d worn my Reno in 2011 t-shirt in honor of today’s major intermediate stop) to the south as we passed about 5 PM, and got ready to (briefly) show off our house to our friends.

Current Mood: happy
Current Location: Reno, Nevada