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I'm ashamed to say this will be only my 2nd train ride in 14 months of retirement. I'm driving to Osceola, IA tomorrow (9/12) to hop on the Zephyr for four days in Glenwood Springs. Roomette westbound, but coming back (9/17) I'm doing coach GSC-Denver, then switch to Roomette so I only have to spend 1 zone's worth of Guest Reward points.
Posts: 1572 | From: St. Paul, MN | Registered: Dec 2002
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You can buy Amtrak points at a discount at this time, possibly cheaper than the roomette will cost.
Posts: 1418 | From: Houston, Republic of Texas | Registered: Jan 2001
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I'm renting a car from Budget and heading toward Ouray and Silverton for the scenery. Maybe Moab as well. Since I generally use Best Western to earn points for free stays, I stay at the Best Western Antlers which is only a few blocks from Amtrak, but that will probably be for only 1 or 2 nights.
Posts: 1572 | From: St. Paul, MN | Registered: Dec 2002
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Be sure to stop by the little railway museum in Ridgway (just north of Ouray). They have a Galloping Goose and other interesting displays. There is no charge. It is on the west side of the highway at the main intersection in town. In late afternoon you can chase a northbound UP freight out of Moab if you head over there. Reports on our recent trip will be posted on TrainWeb's news page in coming weeks. Have a great time!
Posts: 561 | Registered: Jul 2003
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SilverStar, I have been to the museum at Ridgway and I probably will stay in the Lodge across the highway from it. The food at the True Grit Saloon there is great. The freight out of Moab sounds like something I'd enjoy.
After a day of skiing Telluride, my daughter and I overheard a conversation between the bartender and a cowboy in the True Grit. Bartender asks why he doesn't ever try something other than Coors, like a Guiness. His reply (with a totally straight face): "Guiness and Coors? Ain't that how Richard Pryor lit his hair on fire?" My kind of place!
Posts: 1572 | From: St. Paul, MN | Registered: Dec 2002
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Climbing toward 5,000 posts like the Southwest Chief ascending Raton Pass. Cautiously, not nearly as fast as in the old days, and hoping to avoid premature reroutes. Posts: 4203 | From: Western North Carolina | Registered: Feb 2004
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I look forward to all the trip reports, as few or many as get posted. Until I retire, they serve to allow me to share vicariously.
Posts: 406 | From: La Grange, CA | Registered: Sep 2007
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From the Best Western Red Arrow in Montrose, CO:
They still let me have dinner (alone) despite getting on the train about 8:45pm in Osceola. My sleeper car #531 had the name Alabama on the door. All the toilets failed shortly after I got on, and they could not fix them in Denver. The ride was fairly smooth and I slept well. There were quite a few people from Europe on the train.
The National Park Service guides, who told the story of building the line to the Moffat Tunnel, were actually quite good. Despite being over an hour late prior to Denver, the train was almost on time into Glenwood Springs. Budget gave me a Subaru Outback at my compact rate. They picked me up at the depot and will drop me off.
Lunch was dominated by a "party of 42" about 11:30 who all spoke French. The diner staff had a hard time moving them out in time for everyone else to get lunch, and the rest of the train never got to eat until after 1pm.
So much to see, so little time. I am headed to Ridgway and Ouray tomorrow for the big mountains. The aspens are bright gold at high elevations.
Posts: 1572 | From: St. Paul, MN | Registered: Dec 2002
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Twin Star -- on my trip, I would have liked to hear the NPS guides in the Sighseer Lounge, but apparently they are only allowed to broadcast to the one car -- the lounge -- and not to the entire train like the California RR Museum dogents do on the SAC-RNO portion of the trip, and I was stuck in my room since there were no seats left in the Sightseer Lounge.
Posts: 2428 | From: Grayling, MI | Registered: Mar 2002
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Rich, this was the case for me too. The lounge was full as usual west of Denver. As I was leaving, a threesome at a table kindly offered the last seat to me. Two were from the UK traveling CHI-SLC and then flying to Jackson Hole and Yellowstone.
There were a couple of folks wearing headphones. The NPS narrators did a lot of pointing in both directions, so some parts would have been lost in another car. Too bad they don't have an option in bedrooms to receive the audio.
Posts: 1572 | From: St. Paul, MN | Registered: Dec 2002
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I think the NPS narration is 'can't please all the people all the time'. Some prefer the quiet in the sleepers while others, especially those that don't travel frequently, prefer to hear the commentary in their sleepers, especially if the lounge is full. Seems to me a simple solution would be the ability to turn off the speakers in your room. But then, my pet peeve are those repetitive strident announcements about Amtrak rules. I kept looking for an 'off' switch.
Posts: 2397 | From: Camden, SC | Registered: Mar 2006
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Palmland -- yes, ditto for the repetitive announcements for me too! On one of my trains (the CZ I believe), the dining car steward would repeat everything twice on each announcement, and called himself a dining car "stewart," not a "steward."
"This is your dining car stewart -- everyone holding a 6:30 dinner reservation, please come to the dining car now.....This is your dining car stewart -- everyone holding a 6:30 dinner reservation, pease come to the dining car now."
Posts: 2428 | From: Grayling, MI | Registered: Mar 2002
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