Breckenridge

As the California Zephyr approached Denver I received a text message from Tom S. who was due to meet me at the Amtrak depot: "The singles are organizing a retreat in Breckenridge.  Would I be interested in going?"  I replied, "Great idea!", and so that was my weekend organized!

Within a couple of hours of my arrival in Denver, I was being driven west along I70 heading for Breckenridge.  All I knew about the town was that it is a ski resort high up in the Rocky Mountains.  Denver is just over 5000 feet and Breckenridge is somewhere around 10000 feet above sea level.  When I got out of the car and got my bags I thought I was going to collapse from exhaustion!  The air is very thin and dry and so I had to keep my fluid intake at a higher level (no pun intended) than when back home in Edinburgh.  Thanks to my recent bike ride it didn't take long for me to adapt to being that far above sea level.

When we arrived there were only a few of the singles there: most of them were due to arrive the following day (Saturday).  There's an old saying in the UK that goes something like this: "You know you're getting old when policemen start looking young."  Well, I wasn't hanging out with policemen but fired up YOUNG singles and, I must admit, that I did start to feel a little old.  However, that feeling did not last long as they all made me feel very welcome and I felt totally at ease with all of them.  When it came to watching a movie, horror movies were the order of the day, and the scarier, the better.  I called it a day some time around midnight as I was feeling very tired by then (having had a rather long day) and I slept better than I'd done for a while.

When I woke up Saturday morning, I was greeted by clear blue skies and a temperature hovering just above freezing point.  Even though our elevation was around 10000 feet, there were mountains souring up around us, some of them snow capped.  After a leisurely breakfast and some sharing of scripture, a few of us went for a hike.  It was warm enough, by this point, not to need anything too warm but I decided to take a fleece in my backpack just in case.

At some points the trail was quite narrow and there were some loooooooong drops down the side of the path which meant taking much care as there were also patches of snow to try and catch us out.  I was carrying my video camera, which may not have been the wisest decision, as we got to one point where the trail dropped down quickly and it was covered in snow as well.  Discretion being the better part of valour, i decided to wait for everyone else while the climbed down the trail to go a little farther.  At this point, I was extremely glad that I had taken my fleece with me as it soon got very cold standing around.  On the way back to our lodgings I had a great chat with one of the sisters and shared some of the spiritual principles that I'd learned over the years.  By the time we got back, many more singles had arrived and lunch was soon being served before we got into the first afternnon session which was playing games.  'Psychiatrist' was the first game on the agenda and everyone who took part in it had a great time.  Later on, some of us played 'Bibleopoly', which is based on Monopoly, but with a totally different end game: to build a church rather than acquiring wealth.  One thing we did learn after we had finished was that it's always a good idea to read the instructions thoroughly!  After dinner, we had a devotional given by one of the disciples in Denver and he focused on Isaiah 55.

Sunday morning was very similar to Saturday morning: clear blue skies and a temperature to make you wear thermals!  After breakfast, we took communion together and had a lesson based around 2 Peter 1.  Then it was time to clear up!  Thirty people in a small place can make a big mess and it took some organizing, and a lot of hard work form everyone, to make the place look as clean, if not cleaner, than when we arrived.  Then it was the long drive back to Denver, but at least it was in the daylight so I was able to view the amazing scenery.

The California Zephyr

The train ride to end all train rides: The California Zephyr

It's a foggy morning in San Francisco as I walk the mile or so from my hotel to the Amtrak station in the Ferry Building.  I check my large bag through to Denver and wait for the Thruway Bus to take me across the Bay Bridge to Emeryville.  The driver of the bus is a bundle of laughs: "It's my first time on this route so you'll have to direct me," and, "I drive so fast that the bus goes round the corner on two wheels," were typical of his sense of humor!  As it happened, he knew the way and he couldn't go fast enough to go on two wheels.

Our train rolls into Emeryville from the depot where it has been serviced overnight.  Unusually, the coach cars are not at the end of the train but towards the front.  I have to remember to go towards the rear of the train to get to the lounge car.  once my ticket has been collected and my seat assignment has been placed above my seat I head to the lounge car.  I leave my Amtrak blanket on my seat to show it's been taken.  The Frisco fog soon gives way to sunshine as we head up the Bay, stopping at Richmond and Martinez to pick up more passengers.  We crossed the Carquinez Strait and headed across the Sacramento Delta towards Davis, with its beautiful Spanish Mission style depot and then on  to Sacramento.  I took the opportunity to go back and check my seat.  There was a guy in the seat next to mine and my blanket was still there!

Now it's uphill for the next 80 or so miles as the train climbs "The Hill".  There is a 7000 foot height gain before dropping down the other side of Donner Pass towards Truckee.  The scenery changes gradually as we gain height.  From Sacramento to Roseville it is predominantly urban but hen changes to being more arable as the train heads towards Colfax.  After Colfax, the train goes round Cape Horn where there are amazing views down towards the North Fork of the American River.  At this point, the river is about 1000 feet below the railroad tracks and it's a long way down!  Most of the trees are now conifers and they crowd around the track and reach up to the skies.  From time to time there are gaps in the trees which reveal tracks leading who knows where; houses and small settlements nestling among the trees and rivers with crystal clear waters.  We have a couple of guys on the train from the California State Railroad Museum who describe some of the events which took place in the building of the railroad and some of the communities involved in the gold rush of 1848/49.  After crossing Emigrant Gap the view opens up on the other side of the train.  I80, which we had been following from Auburn, can be seen down in the valley below.  The environmental impact of aa highway is so much greater than that of a railroad and it's good to see that UP are still transporting stack trains from the ports on the west coast to places inland.  After passing through the 'Big Hole' at the top of the pass, the train starts to descend passing Donner Lake and going round a couple of 180 degree bends before making the next stop at Truckee.  I've been talking with a fellow passenger and after leaving Truckee a plain clothes detective comes to interview him.  He fits the profile of drugs smugglers - a one way ticket from California to the east coast.  His answers satisfy the police officer who leaves the car but comes back a few minutes later asking if anyone owns a bag in the next car.  No-one owns up and I think nothing of it.  At our next stop, Reno, after a change of crew and passengers, I see the policeman with a young man handcuffed on the platform.  Next to them was the bag matching the description of the one described by the officer.  It looks as though someone had been trying to smuggle drugs on the train!

After leaving Reno, the train headed across the Nevada desert as the sun slowly set in the west.  One thing that I was looking for was the place where a truck ran through a grade crossing into the side of the Zephyr, killing six people.  It was not difficult to find thnks to Google maps.

I slept in fits and starts as we crossed from Nevada into Utah and I was grateful for the stop in Salt Lake City where I was able to buy a hot chocolate at the station.

We were way past Hepler, UT, before the sun came up.  I love the time when the sun is low in the horizon as it gives a lot of texture to the land.  The further east we got, the dryer and browner the vegitation got.  It's hard to believe that this desert was once fertile.  Gradually, the Colorado River came into view as we approached the border between Utah and Colorado.  Then we headed into Ruby Canyon.  There is no road through this canyon but there was a couple of groups of rafters on the river.  Before long we were at Grand Junction where it was time for an ice-cream before setting off again through Grand Valley where the best peaches in the country come from (so I'm told).  We continue to follow the Colorado River as the train heads towards Glenwood Springs.  When travelling this route in '99 I took a picture along this section which always stood out.  In 2001, I took another picture and then realised that it was the same house taken from practicallythe same point.  So, every time I ride the Zephyr I look for the point where I took the pictures and I can usually locate it.  Between Grand Junction and Glenwood Springs I saw several Bald Eagles, some of which were in flight!

Heading up Glenwood Canyon, I was on the wrong side of the train for a change.  However, it gave me the opportunity to look upwards and see the canyon from a different perspective.

I was praying that a rock didn't come loose and fall on the train!

The train then continued to follow the Colorado River between Dotsero and Orestod.  The.re were many farms, houses and small communities along the river which seem to integrate themselves with the landscape.  The train followed every twist and turn of the river as we traversed deep canyons and wide plains in the high Rockies.  Snow capped peaks could be seen in the distance.  Bond and Winter Park were passed before we crossed under the Continental Divide in the dark depths of the Moffat Tunnel.  I'm so grateful that David Moffat had the vision to build the tunnel, and so reduce the time it took to cross the divide from four hours to ten minutes, even though he didn't live to see it.

After the tunnel, the train rolled downhill for the next forty miles until we arrived at the Mile High City of Denver.

Kansas City/Southwest Chief/Coast Starlight

It was another beautiful day when I left Chicago and I was sad to be leaving all my friends but, to quote Arnie, "I'll be back!"

Chicago Union Station was its usual bustling self when I arrived early afternoon to board the "Chief" for the seven hour ride to Kansas City.  One advantage of being a senior citizen is that I get priority boarding so I was able to get a good seat on the train.  Once the conductor had come round and collected my ticket I was heading for the lounge car and setting up my camera.  It's always a problem, on this route, deciding which side of the train to sit.  The last time I rode this train I sat on the left, so this time I chose the right (looking forward) which turned out not to be the best decision (more on this later).

The train was delayed at Aurora for a freight train and the late running California Zephyr and so we were about 25 minutes behind schedule at the next four stations.  The scenery, once you get out of the Chicago suburbs, is amazing: Rolling fields; small towns; farms and houses tucked away.  One question kept crossing my mind: would we make the crossing of the Mississippi River before it got dark?  The sun was sinking lower and lower and there was no sign of the river.  Finally, it came into view but we were still not at the bridge!  Then the train slowed down and I knew that we had arrived but it was too dark to take pictures.  Then I looked on the other side and there was the sun reflecting off the water in a beatiful shade of red - but it was too late for me to do anything.

Fort Madison, Iowa, was a designated smoke stop but it must have been one of the shortest on record as the poor smokers (who had been deprived of their habit for a whole four hours) had time to only step on the platform, light up, take one drag on their cigarette and then get back on the train.  There was not much sympathy from me on this one!

The train arrived at Kansas City on time and Dan, and his brother Josh, were there to meet me.  Dan works at Fort Leavenworth and his company were organizing a 'cook out' for families of the employees so we headed there to start getting the ball rolling.  Sleeping on a air bed is not my idea of a good night's sleep and so, when I woke up the next morning I was still feeling shattered.  However, there was work to be done!

Food, glorious food....

There were ribs to be smoked, chicken to be marinated and cooked, pork to be pulled and not a burger or sausage or dog in sight!

The guys did an amazing job and once everyone started to arrive, they were greeted by the sight and smell of amazing food.  To go with the meat, there were salads and rice, coleslaw (hand made hawaiin style), and sauces of every flavor under the sun.

Once the eating was over, there were games to be played:

One of them was called the 'Helium Stick' game.  In theory, it sounded quite simple: Four people have to keep a stick resting on their fingers without losing contact and without holding it.  But in practice it's not all that easy - trying to keep your fingers in contact means that the stick starts to rise and, unless everyone stops lifting at the same time, contact is lost by someone.

Saturday at the Thomason's house was a very relaxed affair - we were all too tired to do anything, especially Dan and myself.

Dan was more worried about keeping warm than what he looked like!

Sunday morning came around all too quickly for my liking.  I went early with Dan and Andrew to the Northlands meeting of the Kansas City Church of Christ where I met up with Josh.  After the service I went with Josh back to his place and had a great time as we built a friendship.  The two of us met up with Dan and another brother for dinner (Chinese 'eat as much as you like') before Dan and I left to do some shopping.  I ended up with a fleece at a price that would have been impossible in the UK.  It was great to get time with Dan as we shared about our lives.  Then it was back to Dan's and time for me to pack and get ready for the next leg of my Amtrak adventure: Kansas City->Los Angeles->Oakland->San Francisco.


The "Chief" left on time at 10.45 pm and, after a refueling stop, headed west across Kansas.  The sun rose just as we crossed the state line into Colorado, not that you could see any difference in the landscape, which was flat and featureless.  The John Martin Reservoir State Park came into view not long after we left Lamar and it was obvious that there had not been much rain with the level of the water lower than I'd ever seen it.

La Junta was a service stop and crew change point with not much to see or do.  The train then headed towards Trinidad (the one in Colorado) and as it got closer the Rocky Mountains slowly rose above the horizon.  From Trinidad we headed south over Raton Pass into New Mexico.  If you've heard the expression, "If you snooze, you lose", well it originated in this area.  On February 26th, 1878, the construction crews from the Denver and Rio Grande and Santa Fe railroads both arrived at the town of El Morro.  The D&RG crew headed to the hotel to sleep but the Santa Fe crew went to Raton Pass and purchased the right-of-way over the pass from Dick Wooton and started construction of the railroad.  The citizens of Trinidad even helped the crew of the Santa Fe because they were not happy with the D&RG for building the rival town of El Morro!  The distance between Trinidad and Raton is 24 miles but it takes the train an hour to cover that distance.  Raton Pass has some of the steepest grades of any railroad in the US and so the train cannot exceed 25 mph for the entire distance.

Once past Raton and into the desert the train was able to make good progress.  Las Vegas with its Harvey House (Castaneda Hotel) was the next calling point. The Harvey House chain was the precursor to the modern day dining cars.  Orders were telegraphed through from the previous station for collection when the train arrived.
Between Las Vegas and Lamy the train climbed and crossed Glorieta Pass before going through Apache Canyon.  Apache Canyon has one wall which is only 6 inches from the side of the train at its closest point.  The train then made a spirited run from Lamy to Albuquerque for an early arrival.  It was getting dark as the train left Albuquerque and headed west into Arizona.  The only 'excitement' was a delay leaving San Bernardino because of  'operational difficulties'.  The 'operational difficulties' turned out to be two freight trains which had clipped each other and derailed some cars.
On arrival at LA Union Station I left the "Chief" and then waited for the Coast Starlight to take me up to San Francisco.  The Starlight follows the California coast for over 100 miles and there is so much to see.  Highway 1 also follows the coast and it's interesting to see the number of RV's which are parked along the shore.  Santa Barbara station has the largest fig tree in the US and its branches spread over 60 feet!
My favorite part of the ride is north of Santa Barbara and before the train reaches the old Vandenburg Air Force Base.
I will post some videos of the ride when I get back home.

Chicago: Wednesday

Today, I don't have much to write about.  I spent the morning blogging my last four days in Chicago, so it was past 1 pm before I left the house.  My first stop was Macy's (Marshall Fields) on State Street for some lunch and to get some Frango's Mint Chocolate Coffee.  One of the wonders of the store is the Tiffany Glass ceiling but you have to look UP for it as it's 6 floors up.  I took the elevator up to the 5th floor and walked out into...... before beating a hasty retreat down to the 4th.

Next stop, the Chicago River.

That's it for Wednesday!

Chicago: Monday & Tuesday

Monday

It's another beautiful, warm day in Chicago.  Time to head downtown, do some sightseeing and shopping and get something to eat.  There's a subway station nearby (about 4 blocks), so I head there and catch a Red Line train to the 'Loop'.  The Marshall Fields store (now owned by Macy's) is near to the subway exit and I make my way there 'cause I can kill two birds with one stone: food and shopping.  Food comes first: meatloaf with carrots and broccoli (and a coffee).  The Frango store beckons; do I get my Mint Chocolate flavored coffee now or later?  I've several days in Chicago so I leave it till later in the week.  Mens furnishings come next; why is clothing 50% more expensive in the UK?  I find what I'm after and then head out of the store to Millenium Park.

One thing I love about Chicago is the plethora of fountains.  The Crown Fountain was my first stop.  As it was Columbus Day, there were many people around and the kids (and not a few adults) just loved splashing around in the cool waters.

I walk past the Art Institute of Chicago, with its two lions standing guard outside before finding another fountain tucked away:

Bald eagles!  Not real ones but the basis for a couple of small fountains:

A couple of blocks down from the first eagle, there is a small demonstration taking place:

I couldn't quite figure out what they were protesting about because, for all their passion,they were being drowned out by some road work on the other side of the Michigan Avenue!  Three police officers (on pedal bikes) were keeping an eye on them, but they didn't seem particularly concerned by what was going on.

I caught the tail end of a concert taking place in Grant Park before finding Buckingham Fountain:

I head back to Ron's feeling happy but hungry.  After a short discussion about where to eat we head for Bar Louie at the old Dearborn Station.  Fish and 'chips' and a Newcastle Brown make me feel, almost, at home.  The 'chips' turn out to be French Fries which, although they were quite tasty, did not match up to what I get back home.  The beer was ice cold and I asked the waiter if they had any which was at room temperature - the type of question which goes down like a lead balloon.

Tuesday

 What's with the weather?  Another warm, sunny day in Chicago makes me feel like heading home to the cold and the wet - I can't stand it!

Time to go visit 'Big John' - aka The John Hancock Tower - and see Chicago from up on high.  It's not the clearest of days but the views are still phenomenal:

I call in at the North Face store below the tower 'cause I need some pants.  Can I find a pair of pants size 30x30 - NO!  The assisstant informs me that they only stock the sizes that I can see and I'd have to order on-line if I wanted my size.  Another lost sale!

I head south along the 'Magnificent Mile' looking for an AT&T store.  I find one eventually but it's on Chicago Avenue.  I'd actually walked past it earlier in the day.  Yes, they can offer me a pre-paid sim card - unlimited talk and text but NO data.  Another lost sale!

There's another outdoor wear store: Columbia.  Will they have something in my size?  They do!!!  However, it's not to my liking.  I see some pants I do like but there's none in my size.  I ask the assisstant, who goes into the back of the store and comes back with a pair sized 30x30 - YIPEEEEEE.  Not only do I get something I like in my size, they're 30% cheaper than back home.

On the way down the Magnificent Mile I pass a store where the windows are covered in post-it notes:

It's the Apple store and the notes are all tributes to Steve Jobs.

I head home and arrive just before Ron.  The plan for the evening is to eat and then head to the church mid-week meeting up near Lincoln Park.  We find a restaurant and I order panakes with a banana topping.  How easy it is to forget how huge American portions are!

Ron shares that he feels that the staff in the restaurant don't like his presence, which is rather surprising considering that they are not exactly American themselves.

Steve Staten does a great talk on how to be aware of, and how to overcome, the Devil's schemes.  On the way back to Ron's we listen to Leonard Bernstein's Chichester Psalms - a great piece of music to end the day.