Amtrak Adventure-Day One

A high school friend got married in Denver this last weekend, and I really wanted to go. Due to work constraints it had to be a rather fast trip, just four days. I've been wanting to take Amtrak across the mountains for a couple years, so I figured this would be a great opportunity. Our basic itinerary was go to Salt Lake City, get on Amtrak and go eight hours to Glenwood Springs, spend the night there and go six more hours on the train to Denver, then go to the wedding and fly back to Salt Lake City. The journey would be a key part of the vacation, especially because Desert Boy loves trains so much.

We didn't start out too well. Instead of the normal four hour drive to Salt Lake City, it took much longer because Desert Girl was fussy and we did errands and got caught up in city traffic. Eventually we got there and checked into our hotel and managed to swim a little before getting to bed at 11 p.m. The alarm rang all too soon at 3 a.m., and we walked groggily the few blocks to the train station where we found a surprising number of people at the train station.

The train pulled in on time and we boarded, trying to schlep all our stuff without waking up the other passengers.
It started getting light as we climbed up out of Provo, but Desert Boy was still sleeping. I caught sight of a couple of elk watching the train go by and enjoyed watching the scenery.

I was fascinated by how the train tracks were laid. While the highway is relatively straight, the train had to take switchbacks to go up onto the Colorado Plateau.

One really nice surprise on the train was how much leg room you have. The seats were comfortable and there is an electrical outlet at each seat.

Our train was fairly long, with two engines, a baggage car, three sleeping cars, a dining car, an observation car, and three coach cars. We were in the last coach car, so we could see the rest of the train far ahead of us.

Desert Boy was still napping. The train doesn't have seat belts, but the car seat was still handy so he had a more comfortable place to sleep and so he could sit up higher and see out the window better.

In a little while he woke up and we decided to eat breakfast in the dining car. It tasted good and gave me energy.

Just before breakfast the train stopped at Helper, Utah. We couldn't really see much of the town from the tracks. Then we traveled southeast towards Green River. Part of the time we were away from roads, and that was my favorite.

The beautiful rocks of eastern Utah rose in the distance.

I recognized this huge anticline from trips along the interstate. This is the east slope of the San Rafael Reef.

The erosional patterns on the other side of the train were also spectacular.

Desert Boy had a backpack full of activities to help keep him amused, but most of the time he was content to look out the window.

I was in awe of the views. It was really nice to be able to look as much as I wanted to and not worry about driving.

One of the unexpected benefits of traveling in early June were all the wildflowers that lit up the scenery. We saw lots of globemallow and some little yellow flower in the Mustard family.

Emma also took plenty of naps. She really liked not being confined to her car seat, and the train ride was quite smooth, but with a little rolling movement that she found quite comforting.

Some more great desert scenery. I saw so many places I'd like to go back and visit again.

My hair was a little wild. But most of the people in coach class had spent the night on the train so had even stranger 'dos than me. Some brought their own sleeping bags and pillows--I guess they had traveled coach on the train before and knew how to make the ride the most comfortable.

This is Emma on a baggage rack. She was quite a good traveler on the train.

We met up with the Colorado River shortly after passing the stateline. It was flowing swiftly and high, and we saw many shrubs and trees on the edges submerged.

Grand Junction was a fairly long stop, and anyone who wanted to get off could wander a bit. All the smokers piled off immediately, as there is no smoking on the train. We wandered around a bit and then went into a small store.

It was quite warm.

Then we heard the "All Aboard" and got back on. We went into the observation car for a change of scenery and shared a table with some other travelers.

Near Grand Junction there are many orchards and vineyards. I think they said there are several wineries in the area, too.

Sometimes we were next to the Interstate, but sometimes it went through tunnels while we followed the river.

We got a Colorado map so we could follow our progress better.

And then it was time for another snooze. It was great to be able to get up and wander around when we wanted, but then go back to our seats for some quiet time.

We saw evidence of forest fires and the excellent regrowth.

And then we were at Glenwood Springs. It really didn't seem like it had taken very long to get there.

To be continued...

Zion and More

The day after we went to Sand Hollow Reservoir, we decided to go see a part of Zion National Park we hadn't visited before and head up to Kolob Reservoir. On the way we made a little detour to allow for my wildflower obsession. The indigo bush was stunning.

I think the bush above is large four o'clock (Mirabilis multiflora), a perennial in the Four O'Clock Family.

Here are some beautiful sego lilies (Calochortus nuttalli).

And this is one of my absolute favorites, a member of the Buckwheat Family: desert trumpet (Eriogonum inflatum). Mother Nature had a sense of humor when she created this plant!
I like it so much, here's another view of it.

After our little wildflower extravaganza, we kept heading towards Zion and in the town of Virgin turned north at the sign pointing to Kolob Reservoir. This windy road goes through a couple sections of Zion National Park. Before we got into the park, the kids needed a food break, so we found a nice sandy area next to a small stream.

Then we proceeded up the road. This road can be quite scary in places, with hundred-plus foot dropoffs on either side. The reward is spectacular views.

Under the burnt orange cliffs are the burned trees and a small park entrance sign for the Kolobs Terrace section of the park. There aren't many attractions here, just a few trailheads, and further north a campground, picnic ground, and overlook. No entrance fee is charged to travel the road through this part of the park.

It looks like the vegetation in the burned area is coming back nicely, including the prickly pear cactus.

Every once in awhile there are surprise vistas from the road, like big green meadows. These meadows eventually drop off into the numerous canyons of the area.

Out at the Lava Point Overlook, the view is grand. With a bit of telephoto magic, one can feel very close to some of the famous Zion canyons.

The grey trees are mostly aspens that haven't yet leafed out. It was a bit chilly, and of course the wind was blowing. The campground was still closed and we saw patches of snow.

Nevertheless, we pushed on to Kolob Reservoir, a very popular trout fishing locale. At least it is during the summer, but even in the forty-degree weather we saw a number of people trying their luck.
We drove around the reservoir, admiring different views. The map showed a back way to Cedar City on gravel roads, but we weren't sure if it was passable with all the snow we saw on north-facing slopes. We asked some other people and they said that they had tried, but as soon as they went around a corner, a huge snowdrift blocked the way. So we'll have to go back again in the warmer months and give that a try. It would also be nice to get out of the vehicle more instead of staying huddled inside it to keep warm!

On our way back to Virgin, we found some cows being moved along the road. It didn't look like an easy job with all the traffic.

I guess if you train them early enough, though, they'll get the hang of it!

Sand Hollow Reservoir

I hope everyone is enjoying their Memorial Day Weekend. We aren't venturing too far from home, mainly because last weekend we did. We wanted some warmer weather, so we headed south to Sand Hollow Reservoir near Hurricane (pronounced Hurr-eh-kun), Utah. We had never been there before, so we didn't quite know what to expect. We stopped at the store to get a fishing license and lures for the bass and stocked up on snacks.

We drove along the dam to a quieter part of the state park, where another dock and boat ramp were found. After we got home, we learned that quagga mussels had been found by divers just days earlier. Those are nasty things, and it's really too bad that they are now in this reservoir.

I had to have my cuties pose for a photo in the wind. That wind was everywhere last weekend.

Desert Boy quickly found a game: wade out in the water, then climb up on the dock, then wade out a little further, and repeat. The water was cool but not unbearable.

We watched some bass boats go near the dam, and one boat had a lot of success. So we gave it a try, but didn't have near the success.

We did get to see one bass, washed up dead on the beach.

Then we wanted to see a little more of the state park, so we drove around part of the reservoir. There's an area for four-wheeling on sand, picnic spots, a campground, and some really beautiful wildflowers. A botanist had told me that the Mojave desert was having a really good flower year, and I was happy to get to see some in bloom.

I took a lot of flower photos, but I'll just include a couple here.

I really like the orange sand, it gives everything such a nice glow.

We found another spot to try fishing. You might notice the different fishing attire. Desert Boy then had a new target--wade out to his papa.

When he got a bit chilled, he returned to the beach to play in the sand.

Then it was time to head back out in the water.

Meanwhile, I was holding Desert Girl on the beach and playing with the camera. She didn't really like it when I dipped her feet into the water. Doesn't she have lovely legs? I just want to continually squeeze them. Of course she might get a little tired of that, so I only squeeze them once in awhile. I'm glad that it's getting warmer so that I can admire her legs more often. There's just something special about rolls of baby fat.

I was having some difficulties getting photos of her while trying to hold her up at the same time. I think she was amused by my efforts.

Here she looks like she's contemplating the sand.

I think the sand on her feet was something that she enjoyed a little.

Then my husband came and took a proper photo of the two of us.

We knew it was time to leave when she started looking so concerned.

I imagine that during the summer this place is packed, but there was plenty of elbow room last weekend. Someday we'd like to go back and visit again. Maybe we'll have more luck fishing.

Desert Girl agrees that's a good plan!