Amtrak Adventure-Day Two

Our second day of our Amtrak Adventure was from Glenwood Springs to Denver. We were supposed to depart Glenwood Springs at 12:50 PM, but due to a broken down freight train on a single-track section, the train came about an hour late. I've heard many stories of delayed trains, so we were prepared for much worse. We were entertained while waiting by watching big logs and even entire trees float down the Colorado River. Some locals also gathered to watch the train, and it was entertaining talking to them, as they were a bit on the colorful side, to put it mildly.

As soon as we got on board, we went to the observation car. We wanted the full experience of seeing Glenwood Canyon with the big windows and skylights. We also went because National Park Service volunteers with the Trails and Rails program provide commentary from Grand Junction to Denver (and back) on weekends in summer. I really liked listening to the extra information they provided.

The volunteers were excited about the new technology they had to share information: an iPad. It was loaded with the Audubon apps with birds, wildflowers, mammals, and more so if any passengers wanted to learn more about a particular species, it would be easy to pull up.

(If you're planning on taking the train at a different time and still want to learn some information, their are some great books by Eva Hoffman that cover the entire California Zephyr route. I actually bought one in Grand Junction before I knew about the NPS volunteers coming on the train, and it is full of wonderful info and photos.)

Glenwood Canyon is one of the most spectacular sections of the Interstate system in the entire country. The scenic canyon has the Colorado River charging down it, the train tracks perched on the side, and the Interstate weaving its way over the river, through the cliffs, and along the edges. It was started in 1980 and completed in 1992.

During drier parts of the year, some of the river goes nearly dry due to diversions for water power. However, this section was a massive whitewater section--Class VI rapids, too dangerous for anyone to run. Three people tried a number of years ago and their raft flipped instantly. Two were saved by people watching close by, while the body of the third was found weeks later downstream.

In one place the canyon is so narrow that the Interstate goes double decker. Along with the river, the train tracks, and the road, there is also a bike trail. Someone please drop me off on the uphill side and let me ride down the 16 miles! Much of it was submerged by the flooded river during this trip, though. When it's dry, the bike path must be a fantastic way to see the sights at a slower pace.

The train eventually veered away from the Interstate at Dotsero and heads north. We passed a water wheel, and only when I looked at this photo at home did I realize I also had a photo of a horse stranded on a little island.

This section of the river is quite a bit calmer, with rapids interspersed. It has become known as Moon River, due to a frequent action performed by river rafters. As one of the volunteers said, we saw plenty of white-rumped rafters and bare-breasted rafters. (Click on the photo if you want a larger version.)

We continued north with some spectacular scenery.

As we entered Gore Canyon, we could see a highway high above us on the west. A couple wrecks are located on the steep slope below Inspiration Point, also known as Dead Man's Curve, but fortunately no one was injured.

Gore Canyon was steep and narrow, and this terrain made the Interstate planners choose another route.

Middle Park is crossed next. In Colorado, the term "park" means "valley." You can see the snow-capped Rockies in the distance.

Then it was time for Byers Canyon. Many places along the canyon have wires hanging just above the train. These detect falling rocks and can send signals to the train if there is any disturbance.

Then it was time for dinner. I had enjoyed breakfast in the dining car so much that I decided we would also do dinner there. We were seated with Grandma Pat, who has a plethora of children, grandchildren, and great-grand children. She has a friend in Grand Junction and travels by train to see her several times a year. I asked her what was her favorite season to travel, and she said she enjoyed them all, and that they all look quite different. Hmm, another reason to take the train again!

Here are the three of us! Hopefully next time my husband can come, he would really enjoy the trip, too.

We started going through a lot of tunnels as we got closer to the edge of the mountains. There are 42 tunnels between Denver and Grand Junction, and Desert Boy enjoyed seeing how long they were by counting in each of them. We knew we were in a long tunnel when we counted more than 15. And then of course there is the Moffat Tunnel, 6.2 miles long. We were busy eating dinner then so we didn't have to count. (Thank goodness)

The sun was shining on the distant skyscrapers of Denver. A group of teachers helped me entertain Desert Boy and took turns holding Desert Girl in the observation car. The train is a good way to meet people. We enjoyed the sunset arrival into Denver.

We arrived in Union Station in Denver, happy to have had such a grand train adventure.

Glenwood Springs

We got off the train in Glenwood Springs partly because I had stopped their briefly on a trip may years ago (maybe with my Grandma on the way to Death Valley?) and I had remembered the awesome swimming pools. It was also partly because I figured that eight hours of train travel was enough for one day with two little kids. And I had a third reason: the National Speleologic Society convention in 2011 is going to be held in Glenwood Springs and I wanted to scope out the area.

I had booked a room in a motel only about five blocks away. Glenwood Springs turns out to have lots of motels with a total of about 1,700 rooms. Yikes! We walked up from the station (which will hopefully have the handicap ramp completed soon--carrying the stroller up all the steps was not fun) onto the pedestrian bridge across the train tracks, Colorado River, and Interstate.

We had an awesome view of the pool. And after we all took a three hour nap in the motel, that's where we headed.

They have two main pools, a therapy pool at 104 degrees and the big pool at 94 degrees. It was definitely a place to relax. Desert Boy tried out arm floaties and liked them. By the end he was able to kick himself around without hanging on to me. He also really liked to play on the steps and even found a friend to play with for awhile.

It was convenient going later in the evening because there's a discount after 6 pm and I had forgotten the sunblock.

Little Miss Emma (aka Desert Girl, but she just hasn't had enough desert adventures for me to be ready to call her that) was all decked out in her swimming costume. She sat on the edge of the pool for awhile in her stroller, but eventually she told me she wanted to get in. She loves the water just as much as Desert Boy.

We strolled around and played in the water for a couple hours and then decided we were pruney enough to head back to the motel.

The next morning our destination was Two Rivers Park, a beautiful spot near the river. They have a neat playground, and Desert Boy gave me a little attitude when it was time to leave.

He got happier when I pointed out the freight train crossing the Roaring Fork River, which in the above photo is joining the Colorado. We took the pedestrian bridge and followed the trail along the river. With both rivers slightly flooded, it was neat to get to be so close to them. The trail system is excellent in Glenwood Springs.

From the pedestrian bridge we got a closeup view of the freight train--and of the many barn swallows that make their nests under the bridge.

Many of them flew when we got close.

The trail along the river follows an old railway right of way so is very gradual. In places there are some old tracks, and Desert Boy had fun walking along them. We also had fun watching the paragliders come over the mountain. They land in the dog run next to the trail.

We were getting hungry so we walked a couple blocks east and were on main street and found a grocery store. Desert Boy declared he was ready for a picnic as soon as we got out of the store, so that's what we did. Hey, whatever works, right?

We had walked over two miles by this point and still had at least a mile to go. Desert Boy was getting a little cranky, but fortunately a bus pulled up. Glenwood Springs has a free bus system, and since we still had some free time, we rode it out to the mall so we could see a little more of town. Glenwood Springs is a very linear town, with the river, Interstate, and train tracks creating a bit of a barrier between the two sides of town.

Finally it was time to pack up and walk to the train station to catch our train. Inside the train station is a small railroad museum, and Desert Boy was fascinated with the model trains.

Our train was delayed, so we went out and got some ice cream. Waiting is always better if you have some ice cream.

Nevada Northern Engine House Tour

On Mother's Day we headed to Ely, Nevada to ride the Nevada Northern train. Moms ride free that day, so we figured it would be a great opportunity to get our little train aficionado a treat and do some relaxing and enjoy the scenery. We started at the East Ely Depot.

They have a scenic old cart near the loading area.

Desert Boy thought he was so cool with his conductor shirt on. Then came his friend Ava, who was totally outfitted as a conductor. We all got a kick out of watching them compare their outfits.

Then it was time for the real conductor to collect the tickets.

It was a windy, chilly day, typical Ely weather. We braved the weather part of the time to go to the outside car.

Lots of people chose to enjoy the views from the warmer coaches.

At the end of the ride, they offered a tour of the engine house. We had never done that before, so we got off and waved by to Ava and her dad.

Then it was time for our tour guide, an extremely knowledgeable gentleman (whose name I didn't catch), to start the tour.

Safety is obviously a big component of what they do, there are safety signs everywhere.

The signs next to the door read, "No admittance except employees only" and "Notice: Book agents, insurance agents, peddlers, ticket sellers, solicitors, politicians Positively Prohibited from visiting the offices of shops of this Company. Nevada Northern Co."

That part about the politicians is good.

The shop is huge, filled with all sorts of machines, tools, and other stuff.

Here's a giant lathe. Many of the machines are really large because the train parts they're used to make or repair are also very large.

Then the doors on the side open, and the diesel engine that had been pulling our train entered the engine house.

The Nevada Northern Railroad has a huge number of volunteers who help keep the trains running. It's quite an impressive effort.

Our tour group dwindled as others had to leave to do other things, so we ended up getting the tour guide all to ourselves. We went into the next room and found it full or trains.

The Nevada Northern has two working diesel engines and two working steam locomotives. They also have one of each that they have plans to repair. And they have many more housed there, probably because they have room and future plans.




I should have taken notes on the tour, because I'm afraid I don't re,member all the details. I guess I will have to take the tour again!
As we were leaving, we saw steam locomotive 93 heading into the engine house. It gets a bit of rest before it goes out on its next trip.