A Trip To Remember
Oct. 17th, 2008 09:33 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
thoreauI can't remember a vacation I have enjoyed more than this trip. Traveling by rail really is something else. The best part of this trip has been simply how unbelievable romantic and close it has been.
Even in the desert coming west - past Salt Lake there is a real beauty to the countryside. We woke up this morning (Friday) in Winnemucca, NV and pulled out in the desert as David and I went in for breakfast.
While the trip from Chicago to Denver wasn't as picturesque - it was a snapshot of small town America as little villages along the way with their parks and pigodas surrounded by benches. Amtrak certainly schedules everything so that you get the maximum visuals for your trip. You sleep the night through the great plains from Omaha, Nebraska to Denver -- then sleep again as you cross the desert from Salt Lake City, Utah to Winnemucca, Nevada.
Yesterday's ride through the Rocky Mountains was glorious - following the Colorado River from it's origins to where as a grand river it turns south toward the Grand Canyon. We saw deer, big horn sheep and bald eagles. Unlike the Chicago/Denver leg - the sleeper cars are full to capacity. We had the upper level of the sleeper car to ourselves coming out of Chicago. Our neighbors are having the same relaxing experience on the trip - and everyone is very friendly.
With the exception of breakfast (not Amtrak's strong suit) - the meals have been outstanding. Dinners of pork loin, roasted chicken, delicious steak and wine have just created a lovely time each evening. Our first dinner companions out of Chicago were Orville and Dorothy - a pair of 70+ folks on the train celebrating their honeymoon. Both married to their first spouses for 50+ years and surviving their death - the two had met in a support group. It was very charming! Last evening we shared dinner with Paul - a retired judge from Ithaca, NY who travels by train exclusively. He said he had done just about every westward route in the US - and that the California Zephyr was his favorite. We had a lively discussion about classical music - and how he'd fallen in love with it as a teenager much to the disdain of his country/folk music loving parents who "never really understood it." I bragged about KDFC a bit - since he'll be staying in San Francisco for a few weeks before returning back east.
After dinner each evening - David and I broke out board games. He is CLEARLY the superior "Go" (the japanese checkers game) player - while I seem to prevail at backgammon. We might have to take Drew's (![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
bootedintexas) lead - and buy a Scrabble game for future trips - as I think our minds (David and I) work differently enough it could be very entertaining. Then we settle in and read our books - I brought along Hanns Ebensten's Volleyball with the Cuna Indians - a lovely memoir of one of the world's first organizer of gay travel adventures - - everywhere from the Monasteries along the Bospherus to finding ruins in the Andean mountains. I will have to look him up on the internet when I get home - as his writing is simply wonderful. I also brought Michael Thomas Ford's It's Not Mean If It's True; Size Does Matter... a simply delightful light reading set of shorts. I also brought along some podcasts and audiobooks on my iPod. I really tried to get into the "seven habits of highly successful people" but couldn't go farther than 20 minutes. ugh. the subject matter might have been approachable had they not put new agey wierd music behind it the entire time. I caught up on my episodes of Hyperion's (Eddy Guttierez, revhyperion) "The Unnamed Path" in which he talked about Polarity and Gender. Before leaving I combed through available podcasts and downloaded several "Story of the Day" podcasts from NPR and some back episodes of Fresh Air. A particularly funny bit - was "Beyond Obama Girl" --- Yikes - - "McCain McCutey" ("...I'm insane for John Mccain.... LOL!). Some of these songs are just scary - a guy singing an 'Ode to Mccain' - a piano filled serious song about McCain. With NPR's usual sense of humor - they found all sorts of stuff - - - 'The Ballad of Sarah Palin" - and other things. A very funny song called "Obama Lamma" - a techno dance number about all the things to do with an Obama Lamma. LOL! Another lovely podcast was about John LeCarre's new novel A Most Wanted Man - about an illegal german/czechian muslim immigrant in Germany - who the government suspects of terrorism. My favorite of course - is the NPR Food Podcast - which featured an interview with the chef at one of Obama's favorite restaurants. They say the recipe is available at NPR - so I'll have to go check it out. I might have to make the skirtsteak for David this coming weekend. It was lovely to have all this to listen to and experience as the darkness flowed by the train.
David continues to work through his book "An Introduction to the Bootstrap" - a mathematical theory that David describes (for me being absolutely totally math-impaired) a way of assessing statistical signifigance that uses computer power vs. mathematical analysis. Statistical signifigance meaning - when things appear different is it a random fluke or is it because they are truly different. Every once in a while I'll look up and he'll be scribbling away at an equation and smiling as he 'gets' something. Like any kind of theory --- the book takes a few different visits to actually get through it all. He's truly enamoured with it - and it's soooooo David to bring this book on vacation. You can see him relax when he's working through it - and that is what vacation is about right?
The car steward comes by about 10pm and puts the bed down. The Denver/San Francisco leg steward gave us the "oh - I get it" look on his face when we told him he didn't have to put the upper bunk down - that we'd share the one lower bed. David found the bed very comfortable - but after getting used to bedzilla and it's ubersoftness; I've found the beds on the train a little hard for my tastes. It's lovely to snuggle the nights away in our little car - and smooch in the moonlight. Then David gets up about 2am or 3am after hitting the restroom and closes the blinds so the bright sunsets won't wake us up before we're ready. With all the time changes - I'm usually up early - and sit and read while he sleeps a little more - then we get up and go to breakfast. Like clockwork - the bed is put up and it's back to a couch and a chair before we get back to breakfast. The car stewards are very efficient.
While we splurged for the bedroom - we could have done a room-ette and both agree if we travel Amtrak again - that will be our choice. We are very complimentary travel companions - - we haven't even come close to arguing once in a week of constant "us" time. Our different interests compliment nicely - as we hit museums and took long walks. We have had such a romantic touchy/feely time on our trip; we're very much finding every moment relaxing, rejuvenating and supremely comfortable.
I am very glad we cut the train trip into smaller pieces - because well - - there isn't anything even remotely resembling a "walk" or excercise on the train. Its three and a half days of sitting and eating. LOL! I am so going to have to buckle down and hit the gym hard when we get home. (and my butt is ready to sit on something a bit softer than an Amtrak seat)
I'll write a seperate entry with a chat about scenery - and boy have we seen some. It redoubles my intention to get out in the Mini car and do more exploring. David's brother has a cabin on Lake Tahoe - and that perhaps will be our next excursion. I have to say - as beautiful as the Rockies are - that I find the upper Sierra (Yosemite, Truckee, and Lassen) far more beautiful and that I've lived in SF for two years and not explored more thoroughly is simply a crime. I will fix that this year - absolutely.
anyways - - - it's lovely to be home - Miss Kate is BESIDE herself with happiness. and David, Kate and I had a delightful dinner out at Flippers before coming back fr serious crash time.
I would highly reccomend the trip from Denver to San Francisco on Amtrak. David and I are thinking our next trip might be from San Francisco to Vancouver. Anyone care to join us? :)
bye for now.
Trip Highlights:
Even in the desert coming west - past Salt Lake there is a real beauty to the countryside. We woke up this morning (Friday) in Winnemucca, NV and pulled out in the desert as David and I went in for breakfast.
While the trip from Chicago to Denver wasn't as picturesque - it was a snapshot of small town America as little villages along the way with their parks and pigodas surrounded by benches. Amtrak certainly schedules everything so that you get the maximum visuals for your trip. You sleep the night through the great plains from Omaha, Nebraska to Denver -- then sleep again as you cross the desert from Salt Lake City, Utah to Winnemucca, Nevada.
Yesterday's ride through the Rocky Mountains was glorious - following the Colorado River from it's origins to where as a grand river it turns south toward the Grand Canyon. We saw deer, big horn sheep and bald eagles. Unlike the Chicago/Denver leg - the sleeper cars are full to capacity. We had the upper level of the sleeper car to ourselves coming out of Chicago. Our neighbors are having the same relaxing experience on the trip - and everyone is very friendly.
With the exception of breakfast (not Amtrak's strong suit) - the meals have been outstanding. Dinners of pork loin, roasted chicken, delicious steak and wine have just created a lovely time each evening. Our first dinner companions out of Chicago were Orville and Dorothy - a pair of 70+ folks on the train celebrating their honeymoon. Both married to their first spouses for 50+ years and surviving their death - the two had met in a support group. It was very charming! Last evening we shared dinner with Paul - a retired judge from Ithaca, NY who travels by train exclusively. He said he had done just about every westward route in the US - and that the California Zephyr was his favorite. We had a lively discussion about classical music - and how he'd fallen in love with it as a teenager much to the disdain of his country/folk music loving parents who "never really understood it." I bragged about KDFC a bit - since he'll be staying in San Francisco for a few weeks before returning back east.
After dinner each evening - David and I broke out board games. He is CLEARLY the superior "Go" (the japanese checkers game) player - while I seem to prevail at backgammon. We might have to take Drew's (
bootedintexas) lead - and buy a Scrabble game for future trips - as I think our minds (David and I) work differently enough it could be very entertaining. Then we settle in and read our books - I brought along Hanns Ebensten's Volleyball with the Cuna Indians - a lovely memoir of one of the world's first organizer of gay travel adventures - - everywhere from the Monasteries along the Bospherus to finding ruins in the Andean mountains. I will have to look him up on the internet when I get home - as his writing is simply wonderful. I also brought Michael Thomas Ford's It's Not Mean If It's True; Size Does Matter... a simply delightful light reading set of shorts. I also brought along some podcasts and audiobooks on my iPod. I really tried to get into the "seven habits of highly successful people" but couldn't go farther than 20 minutes. ugh. the subject matter might have been approachable had they not put new agey wierd music behind it the entire time. I caught up on my episodes of Hyperion's (Eddy Guttierez, revhyperion) "The Unnamed Path" in which he talked about Polarity and Gender. Before leaving I combed through available podcasts and downloaded several "Story of the Day" podcasts from NPR and some back episodes of Fresh Air. A particularly funny bit - was "Beyond Obama Girl" --- Yikes - - "McCain McCutey" ("...I'm insane for John Mccain.... LOL!). Some of these songs are just scary - a guy singing an 'Ode to Mccain' - a piano filled serious song about McCain. With NPR's usual sense of humor - they found all sorts of stuff - - - 'The Ballad of Sarah Palin" - and other things. A very funny song called "Obama Lamma" - a techno dance number about all the things to do with an Obama Lamma. LOL! Another lovely podcast was about John LeCarre's new novel A Most Wanted Man - about an illegal german/czechian muslim immigrant in Germany - who the government suspects of terrorism. My favorite of course - is the NPR Food Podcast - which featured an interview with the chef at one of Obama's favorite restaurants. They say the recipe is available at NPR - so I'll have to go check it out. I might have to make the skirtsteak for David this coming weekend. It was lovely to have all this to listen to and experience as the darkness flowed by the train. David continues to work through his book "An Introduction to the Bootstrap" - a mathematical theory that David describes (for me being absolutely totally math-impaired) a way of assessing statistical signifigance that uses computer power vs. mathematical analysis. Statistical signifigance meaning - when things appear different is it a random fluke or is it because they are truly different. Every once in a while I'll look up and he'll be scribbling away at an equation and smiling as he 'gets' something. Like any kind of theory --- the book takes a few different visits to actually get through it all. He's truly enamoured with it - and it's soooooo David to bring this book on vacation. You can see him relax when he's working through it - and that is what vacation is about right?
The car steward comes by about 10pm and puts the bed down. The Denver/San Francisco leg steward gave us the "oh - I get it" look on his face when we told him he didn't have to put the upper bunk down - that we'd share the one lower bed. David found the bed very comfortable - but after getting used to bedzilla and it's ubersoftness; I've found the beds on the train a little hard for my tastes. It's lovely to snuggle the nights away in our little car - and smooch in the moonlight. Then David gets up about 2am or 3am after hitting the restroom and closes the blinds so the bright sunsets won't wake us up before we're ready. With all the time changes - I'm usually up early - and sit and read while he sleeps a little more - then we get up and go to breakfast. Like clockwork - the bed is put up and it's back to a couch and a chair before we get back to breakfast. The car stewards are very efficient.
While we splurged for the bedroom - we could have done a room-ette and both agree if we travel Amtrak again - that will be our choice. We are very complimentary travel companions - - we haven't even come close to arguing once in a week of constant "us" time. Our different interests compliment nicely - as we hit museums and took long walks. We have had such a romantic touchy/feely time on our trip; we're very much finding every moment relaxing, rejuvenating and supremely comfortable.
I am very glad we cut the train trip into smaller pieces - because well - - there isn't anything even remotely resembling a "walk" or excercise on the train. Its three and a half days of sitting and eating. LOL! I am so going to have to buckle down and hit the gym hard when we get home. (and my butt is ready to sit on something a bit softer than an Amtrak seat)
I'll write a seperate entry with a chat about scenery - and boy have we seen some. It redoubles my intention to get out in the Mini car and do more exploring. David's brother has a cabin on Lake Tahoe - and that perhaps will be our next excursion. I have to say - as beautiful as the Rockies are - that I find the upper Sierra (Yosemite, Truckee, and Lassen) far more beautiful and that I've lived in SF for two years and not explored more thoroughly is simply a crime. I will fix that this year - absolutely.
anyways - - - it's lovely to be home - Miss Kate is BESIDE herself with happiness. and David, Kate and I had a delightful dinner out at Flippers before coming back fr serious crash time.
I would highly reccomend the trip from Denver to San Francisco on Amtrak. David and I are thinking our next trip might be from San Francisco to Vancouver. Anyone care to join us? :)
bye for now.
Trip Highlights:
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2008-10-18 05:37 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-10-18 05:58 am (UTC)It is not your western luxury travel. I have sat in trains where I could watch the tracks whizz by through the hole in the floor between my feet. Then there is the food, that is an adventure in itself.
But I love the slow pace and passing scenery. It is the only way to travel.
no subject
Date: 2008-10-18 06:50 am (UTC)And yes, I'd definitely join you for the Seattle-Vancouver leg.
no subject
Date: 2008-10-18 12:32 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-10-18 12:52 pm (UTC)There is just something about traveling by train...something different...romantic, unique, and in many ways more civilized than traveling by plane. Like you, I've met some very interested people while traveling by train.
The Coast Starlight between San Francisco and SEA is a spectacular ride and I'd be happy to join you on the Seattle-Vancouver leg of that trip!
no subject
Date: 2008-10-18 12:53 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-10-18 01:13 pm (UTC)http://www.amtrakcascades.com/sniffer.htm
no subject
Date: 2008-10-18 02:03 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-10-18 02:34 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-10-18 03:09 pm (UTC)http://www.trainweb.com/coaststarlight/index.html
My parents and I took the Enmpire Builder out to Seattle several times when I was still living at home. Many, many fond memories!
http://www.amtrak.com/servlet/ContentServer?pagename=Amtrak/am2Route/Horizontal_Route_Page&cid=1081256321887&c=am2Route&ssid=135
Thank you for sharing your and David's adventure with us.