So the next leg of my journey would be the California Zephyr. This will make the third time that I've ridden on the California Zephyr. I remember when I first was looking to do this and someone said that if you were going to take one train ride in your life, it has to be the Zephyr. I wasn't quite what to expect then and I wasn't sure what to expect this time although I had a better idea. All I knew was that the scenery would be beautiful.
The California Zephyr originally started out in 1949 and was a joint venture between the Western Pacific, Denver-Rio Grande and Western and the Chicago-Burlington and Quincy Railroads. The WP ran the train from Oakland to Salt Lake City, the DRG&W ran it from from Salt Lake to Denver and the CB&Q ran it the rest of the way. Scheduling was set up so that the train would run through the really nice parts during the day. Another part of the route was a group of train hostesses called the Zephyrettes.
Even the famed Zephyr couldn't hold off the advances of air and car travel. Operations were ceased in 1970, although the Denver-Rio Grande continued to run its portion of the route until 1983 although it was called the Rio Grande Zephyr. This would be the last privately run passenger rail service in the US.
When Amtrak took over in 1971, it wanted to run the original Zephyr run but couldn't, so it ran a similar route. When the Denver-Rio Grande finally acquiesed to Amtrak, Amtrak started to run a route similar to the original route. Currently, it runs from Emeryville in California to Chicago.
And so the second to last leg of my journey would start in Emeryville. The station here is pretty nice although not as nice as some of the other stations.
And so the Zephyr approaches the station. It is pretty much a standard configuration for the distance trains. There are a number of sleeping cars, coach cars, the dining car and sightseeing car.
A shot of the main engine. This is pretty much the standard Amtrak Engine.
My only shot of the Golden Gate Bridge and it was through the fog. If you squint hard enough, you can see it. I guess this means that I will have to return.
Another shot across the bay and still pretty foggy.
I just loved the way this boat was looking in the light.
Another shot of the pair of bridges on the way. I wish I knew what bridges these were though.
The C&H Sugar Factory. I play a board game called "Empire Builder". It is a game where you draw your tracks on the board and one of the more lucrative runs is the sugar run. I assume that this is where you would pick up the sugar.
A fishing boat practicing its trade.
Another pass by the motball fleet. The lighting was a little better for me this time.
The fleet has shrank in size since the last time I took the Zephyr though. I guess I should have mentioned that on the Starlight portion.
The former Southern Pacific Locomotive works in Sacramento.
An engine that is run by Amtrak California. It looks similar to the one I saw in Oregon.
And we pass a highway as we leave Sacramento. Off in the distance, you can see Sacramento's skyline.
And we started to enter the mountains. This is the part of the trip that makes it worth it. I think we pass through some spots that are pretty much untouched by humans. Based on some of the states of dress of people we passed, that was pretty much confirmed.
Another shot of the mountains. I just love how we pass by some really cool looking valleys.
I think this is Interstate 80 as it snakes through the mountains.
Another one of the mountains.
Another shot of the interstate as it passes through.
This is probably my favorite part of the trip, Donner Lake. It is named after the famed Donner Party that were trapped here and ended up eating each other. It is now a major recreational spot.
Another view of the lake as we move on. At some point there is an eagle's nest that is fairly close to the track. I saw the eagles but I couldn't quite get a shot of them since I didn't have the right lens with me.
And we move further along.
One more shot of Donner Lake. It's funny because it was all snow covered the last time I passed through. It's amazing the difference that the lack of snow can make, although it is still pretty beautiful. Right after the lake, we went on a horseshoe curve and we got to see the track that we just left.
We are passing through the Sierra Nevada mountains. One of these years, I'm going to stop here and take pictures. I can only imagine what they look like at a closer distance.
I believe this was Truckee, California.
A river snakes through the valley.
A shot of the same river a little later.
And we cross over into Nevada. While not quite as beautiful as the scenery we just passed through, the desert's not too bad.
I'm not sure what highway we were paralleling here. I think it still may have been Interstate 80.
Another desert mesa.
I couldn't quite get a shot of the alkali flats.
Another desert mountain.
A lone Union Pacific train in the middle of the desert. I love the backdrop for this picture though.
The sun was starting to set.
I kind of liked the tranquil water and the reflections the mountains were casting in it.
Sadly the sun was reflecting off the windows, but I still like this shot.
The reds of the sky as the sun sets.
A little bit of the salt flats.
One more shot before the sun set. During the night, we made a stop in Salt Lake City. I woke up briefly enough to see an ambulance stopped by the side of the train. Earlier in the day, there was a guy that was having issues with oxygen and he ended up using the supply of oxygen on the train. I think the ambulance was there to give him more oxygen. Interestingly enough, he made it a point to smoke at all the smoke stops.
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