Other random Amtrak thoughts from the Emeryville-Denver leg

I didn't have to check my big bag because the size and weight fit within the limits of a "carryon." This definitely isn't like traveling by plane. It's also interesting that no one asked for an ID when they collected my ticket, even though the ticket says you need to show a picture ID (or maybe you just need to be ready to do so). And the bag went on these luggage rack on the first level so it was pretty convenient to do that as opposed to checking my bag.

We went through a town called Raceville. They had a restaurant called Cattlemens, written in script letter. And all I could think of is if this was the equivalent of a Gentlemen’s club for Cattlemen. (It’s actually a nice steak house http://www.beststeakinthewest.com/ and yes I’m very much a city girl)

From a distance I saw someone train a horse in a round fence a la George of the Jungle. He stood in the middle and was making the horse run around him

Foundations of houses fascinate me because they remind me of the floor plans we drew in Drafting class in high school when you look down on them.

It was really cool to ride this section of the railroad because a huge part of Chinese American history out west is tied to building the transcontinental railroad. I’ve read so much about it since high school and now I’m actually riding it. Also, Leland Stanford made a lot of money by being one of the 4 barons of the Central Pacific Railroad, so that’s also another historical tie.

I felt so bad for the guy running the lounge car. He just sounded sad when he made his announcements inviting people to go see him on the first floor of the lounge car. He also sounded beleaguered when he made an announcement telling people he can’t give them ice for their coolers because they carry a limited amount of ice on the train and there’s no ice machine. Therefore he can only give out a small cup of ice because he needs the rest for people who are ordering beverages. At another point in the trip, when the electricity went out while they were attaching another car to our train, he had to announce that since there’s no electricity, he cannot power the microwaves to make food for people. I guess enough people took the opportunity to stop by that it was an issue. There was nothing wrong with the content of the announcements, he just sounded tired.

It was nice that there were plugs next to the seats. I wasn’t counting on it but it’s nice to have since it’s such a long trip.

I finally went to sit in the lounge car after the weird guy got off at Grand Junction. Most people were sitting with other people. There were some old ladies with their knitting and bags of books. Behind was a dad and his daughter and he was telling her about the mountains. At one point this woman would exclaim over some sight and the rest of us would look up and try to snap pictures. It felt like everyone had a digital camera.

During one segment of the trip, we were parallel to the highway we would typically take to get to Aspen so it’s fun to see the roads from the other side.

If you ever ride the train from CA to Denver, I recommend sitting on the right side in the beginning, but switching to the left side once you pass Glenwood Springs or Winter Park. There were some majestic valleys on that side of the train and I couldn’t get great shots because I was sitting on the right. The train also got crowded around Winter Park/Glenwood Springs because of all the skiers. A huge family got on and one of them sat next to me. They were going to Mt. Pleasant. I thought it was pretty close until I took the Denver to Chicago train and discovered it is in Iowa. That’s a long way to go skiing.

Apparently the train will leave without you if you don't come back in time from the longer stops. As we were pulling into Denver the conductors told people to be back on the train by quarter after and pay attention to the announcements otherwise they'll be left behind like "a couple of guys in Grand Junction." Since this train ran once a day, they'll somehow have to fend for themselves/try to catch that train to continue on their trip. How much would that suck?