This is me, exhausted after 3 days on a train traveling from San Francisco to Chicago.
And this is the story of that trip
It all began on a beautiful Sunday morning in California
We didn’t know it at the time yet, but this trip was going to be a little bit longer than
we were anticipating
The bad news didn’t take long to arrive
This is Amtrak, calling about an upcoming trip for Adrian Otero Vila
There are changes to reservation 2-5-9
We wanted to let you know that train number 6, the California Zephyr, from Emeryville
in California on Sunday, June 19th, has been delayed due to lead operations
Please be advised train number 6 on June 19 is expected to depart 2 hours late
The initial 2 hour delay just kept getting longer and longer
California Zephyr is now at 11:45, 11:45
Number 6, we’ll give it another 15 minutes
Train number 6…
But finally, and only 3h30min late, our train arrived at the station
This train is going to be full
There’s always this phase at the beginning of a long trip, the honeymoon phase
A mostly empty train, we were just getting used to our very comfortable seats, with plenty
of space… we discovered the beautiful panoramic car, and we had the first onboard coffees
Everything was just awesome
But eventually, the magnitude of the trip started to sink in
After a few hours, feeling already a bit tired, we realized that most of the trip was still
ahead of us
More and more people boarded the train in every station, crowding the car
And the first freight trains made us stop several times, while we waited for them to
pass
It was going to be a long trip, at a very slow pace
It was precisely the pace what made this trip special, though
When someone gets on a train for a 3 day long trip, they do so with a different mindset
Time doesn’t matter as much, it’s all about the experience
and a big part of that is the landscapes
They began to change as we left the valley and started to climb higher, riding through
the mountains
Vineyards and farmland disappear, and the trees took over
We were entering the Tahoe National Forest
I’m going to link to a video of mine from Lake Tahoe on the top right corner
These were the parts of the ride that I was looking forward to
I usually drive through this kind of landscapes, without many opportunities to glance at them
On the train, though, I had plenty of time to take it all in
Nevada was my first love years ago
the spark that inspired me to get on more road trips
There are very few places that make you feel as small as Nevada does
The vastness of the landscapes here is something that can take your breath away
and casinos are part of that landscape, too, of course
Running hours behind schedule, passengers started to get ready for what was going to
be the first night aboard the train
After some rather unsuccessful attempts to do some work, I decided to get ready in the
downstair bathroom and try to get some sleep
I didn’t get much that first night, though
I woke up just a couple of hours later in Elko, Nevada
For some reason, we were stopped there for quite a while, as a firetruck and an ambulance
stood outside
In any case, we were about to enter Utah
and thanks to the freight trains with priority over us, I got to witness a beautiful sunrise
at the Salt Flats
not as good as the one I had there a few years back, though
on the top right corner, a link to the video of my previous visit to this stunning place
The approach to Salt Lake City was absolutely beautiful
it reminded me of my time around the Great Salt Lake
I made one of my favorite videos then
of course, it should be showing up now on the top right corner
Even though I barely got any sleep, the beautiful landscapes kept me awake
well, that and plenty of coffee
but most importantly, having good company made this trip so much more enjoyable
In stark contrast to the dry, arid, dessert land to the West of Salt Lake
the lush and green landscapes of the Wasatch mountains
Check out the video of my hike to the top of Mt Timpanogos
again, linked on the top right corner and in the description down below
Breakfast time, the best time of the day
We brought a lot of food with us, as we didn’t know what to expect from the onboard snack
bar
good thing we did
It was refreshing to have some oats and blueberries just as we were reaching the first 24 hours
aboard the train
The landscape was about to change again, as we left the mountains behind
The green tones started to fade away, as the browns took over
I feel like the dessert is deeply misunderstood
usually seen as a lifeless and empty land
it is here where I’ve felt I was the most isolated from the human world
in a good way
free
something I like to experience every once in a while
as a traveler
of course, for those living here, this place can be much tougher
it can be an unforgivable place, almost hopeless
26 hours on a train can make you feel very tired
especially when you know that that is just half of the trip
we kept waiting and waiting for freight trains, which erased any hopes we might have had of
making up for the delay
quite the contrary, as we were running almost 5 hours late by now
Just before leaving the state, Utah gifted us with a glimpse of its beautiful red rocks
and landscapes
I have plenty of videos from this area
from national parks like Arches and Canyonlands
and many other spots like the town of Moab
all links in the description
We heard about a small shop in Grand Junction’s train station
It was very hot, and I was craving something fresh
I really wanted to get some fruit, and I was hoping they had some
first time outside in 26 hours!
We didn’t make up for any of the lost time
so sadly, we were going to miss the Rocky Mountains
still, this part of the ride along the Colorado River was one of the prettiest of the whole
trip
so we headed to the panoramic car to have a good seat
by the way, I also have a video from Rocky Mountain National Park
of course, the link is on the top right corner
or in the description down below
denver, at the other side of the Rockies, and the gateway to the East
after another mostly sleepless night, we woke up in Nebraska
land of colorful sunrises, but also incredibly flat landscapes
this is where distance and time start to take a toll, as everywhere looks the same
this was also where the 5-hour delay grew into a 6-hour delay
and then 7 hours…
and then 8 hours…
We got out of the train a few times to stretch our legs
but it was hot
really, really hot
eventually, more than 50 hours after leaving Emeryville, we crossed the mighty Mississippi
river
we were almost there
almost
just a few more hours…
we arrived in Chicago after 56 hours on the train
we were 8 hours late and I was exhausted
but I’m really glad I did it
I already forgot the tiredness of that day
but this experience, that is something I will never forget