BajaNomad

Amtrak Vacation to Colorado, Nov. 2014

David K - 11-11-2014 at 05:10 PM

Well, not going south to Baja for a vacation is a rare thing for Baja Angel and I, but on occasion we do go the other direction!

2014 is the 10th year that Elizabeth and I have been together, and to do something different we explored options... My friend and fellow Viking Fish Club member Tim Undheim is a travel agent (Four Winds World Travel) and put together a fun train trip, after I asked about train options through the mountains... and he have never traveled far on a train before... so something new.

The trip was from here (San Marcos, San Diego County) to Glenwood Springs, Colorado and then Denver before the return, using a different route. Friday Oct. 31st to Friday Nov. 6.

AMTRAK MAP:



We begin in the lower left corner area... take the Sprinter rail from our home to Oceanside, then get on the train to Santa Barbara. The train hits a trespasser as we near the Ventura station, delay of 1.5 hours while the person is removed. It is a dark and rainy night at the time, so perhaps it was a suicide attempt?

The next part of the trip is a bus from Santa Barbara to Emeryville (Oakland) to catch the morning train to Colorado. 11:30 pm to 6:00 am.

DAY 2 SAT.:
On the Colorado train ride, we have a roomette which has two large seats facing each other next to the widow, with a fold down table. This turns into a bed, the other bed is a fold down upper bunk. Rooms and roomettes come with three meals in the diner car, and the food is good. There is also a snack bar and lounge for food, drinks, beer, etc. The observation car was nice to see both sides when we were not in the roomette, and always had room to sit.

We leave along the back part of the San Francisco Bay and into the Sierra Nevada and it is snowing! It gets dark after we leave Reno and are crossing Nevada. We sleep through Utah and awake as we cross into Colorado.














DAY 3 SUN.:



















We have two nights at the Hotel Denver in Glenwood Springs, and it was GREAT. We had a voucher for the tram gondola ride to the top of the mountain (a mile walk from the hotel) and for the cave tour at the top where there are some very nice limestone caverns.









DAY 4 MON.:
The next day, we were going to visit the hot springs, but decided to just stay close to the hotel and relax. A great Mexican restaurant with killer Mango Margaritas gave us a taste of Baja, called 'Las Margaritas'.

DAY 5 TUE.:
We get on the train to continue east through the Rocky's to Denver. One tunnel is over 6 miles long, and near 9,000 feet above sea level, as I recall.
We arrive at Denver, and it is election day, so the governor is at the train station with the camera crews, so it is a bit busy. We didn't get the correct shuttle pickup location told to us, and later found out that hotel shuttles pick up underground and not in front of the station in Denver where the taxis are. The hotel is a Quality in, near downtown, and nothing to write home about. We have a tour the next morning, and need to get up early!













DAY 6 WED.:
We get on the tour bus at 7:15 am and stop and pick up other at a few other locations, including a group of very happy Dutch tourists! The tour takes us to the Red Rocks amphitheater where the Beatles and numerous others have played over the years in a beautiful spot with Denver far in the background. Next we go into the mountains and visit the Buffalo Bill Museum and his grave site, on top of Lookout Mountain. We pass the Coors Brewery on the return to Denver.




















Denver from Lookout Mountain and Buffalo Bill's grave



DAY 7 THU.:
A really early start to get the shuttle to the train station where we ride another bus south to Raton, New Mexico. It is a Greyhound bus. When we get to Raton, we learn the train to California is 2 hour late because of maintenance on the tracks. People in Raton are very nice, all three of them we met! One of the old buildings had swastikas around the top... this was built years before Hitler adopted the symbol for his N-zi party. On the train we head west and it gets dark at Albuquerque. .











DAY 8 FRI.:
We sleep through the desert of Arizona and California and wake up at the Cajon Pass near San Bernardino. Change trains in Los Angeles, for the trip to Oceanside and then Sprinter to San Marcos.

David K - 11-11-2014 at 05:20 PM

IF the above wasn't enough, you can see all my photos in a slide show format here: http://s213.photobucket.com/user/DavidKier/slideshow/2014-No...

BajaParrothead - 11-11-2014 at 05:40 PM

Great trip and photos. Lucky to cross Nevada and Utah during darkness, there's not much to miss there!!

Bob H - 11-11-2014 at 05:40 PM

Very nice trip report. Always wanted to do a longer train trip vacation.

David K - 11-11-2014 at 06:16 PM

Thanks... and if anyone wants more details or what we would call the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly, just ask (u2u, email, Facebook message).

Bajaboy - 11-11-2014 at 07:03 PM

Good stuff David! Congrats on 10 year mark. We hit ours this year as well.

sd - 11-11-2014 at 07:22 PM

Thanks David! I have been to Red Rock - they have great entertainment, and also have been to Buffalo Bill. I have not taken the train, looks like something I would enjoy. Certainly enjoyed reading your report and the photos.

BajaLuna - 11-12-2014 at 01:50 PM

Awesome pictures, David!! Wow what a fantastic trip for the 2 of you!

I really prefer to travel by train, my friends think I'm nuts, but it's such an adventure in and of itself, meeting different people from all over the world, and the scenery is great too, you can see so much untouched countryside by train!

I wish the U.S, would work on their rail system though, in some places having to sit on the tracks for hours can get a bit grueling at times.

I took the train from Boston to Seattle a couple of years ago, jumped off for 2 days in Chicago....what a blast! I would really like to do the 30 day trip and also see Canada by rail too, which I hear is an awesome trip!

congrats on 10 years!!

David K - 11-12-2014 at 04:30 PM

Thank you BajaLuna!

There is a romance to train riding that goes way back... and since it was a romantic vacation, this seemed to be the ticket!

I also posted the photos because most Nomads probably don't think I have much interest outside of anything Baja related!

The train ride/ overnight was fun and beat driving hundreds of miles to get somewhere. Having drinks, reading book, or (mostly) enjoying the scenery (in the daytime) was unique while traveling.

Some notes...
While the Amtrak Coaster train (San Diego-Santa Barbara) has WiFi, the east/west-overnight trains do not. I had plenty of off line time, but when we were in towns or along the Interstate, I got a cell signal and made posts to Facebook (with photos different than those above) and to Baja Nomad during the ride.

Those with cabins or roomettes had three meals a day included, only alcohol drinks were charged. Those riding coach could have meals in the diner, but the meal prices were $15-$29 range. The food was good and plenty... and came with desert (cheese cake, ice cream, sorbet). Dinner was by reservation, and there were about 4-5 services of 45 minutes. You would be seated with other passengers to fill all open chairs and yes, that forced you to introduce yourself and meet others, during your meals. It was very nice.

The staff was very nice and fun. One person is assigned per car to see to your needs, turn down your beds/ fold them back up, etc.

There is a quiet time from 10 pm to 7 am(?) when there are no announcements as to upcoming stops or sights and you are asked to be quiet with no phone calling, etc. Very nice. It was easy to sleep with the rocking motion. Going east we were in an upstairs roomette and coming back west, in a downstairs roomette. Upstairs is very quiet, downstairs you hear the clappity-clap of the rails.. it was fine either way.

During the ride (daytime) the conductor makes info announcements about what is along the way, history, etc. The train also runs slower through the scenic areas, and speeds up at night (or perhaps at night is long straight-a-ways?). It is definitely cruising easy in the pretty places. This makes it more like a travel experience than just a means of transportation.

If we had any negative comments, it would be about the long bus connection rides (Santa Barbara to Emeryville and Denver to Raton NM). Not comfortable seats, smelly (urine) on the trip to Raton we attribute to a family with diaper wearing toddler.. at the stops along the way, both parents went out to smoke cigarettes and not change the kids pants.

Funny about the cigarette smokers... while we could tell one on the first bus ride went into the on board toilet to smoke, no smoking is allowed on the bus or trains and at any stop that was going to be more time than just passenger drop off or pick up, was called a FRESH AIR STOP. That meant it was for smokers to go out and light up... 20 ft. + from the train.

wessongroup - 11-12-2014 at 05:10 PM

Thanks for the "trip" .... any good food along the war .. :):)

Bajahowodd - 11-12-2014 at 06:02 PM

Great photos. Looks like a fabulous trip. Perhaps the only thing I might have done differently would be to take a flight to Oakland. That bus ride from SB to Oakland must have taken at least five hours,

David K - 11-12-2014 at 06:24 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by Bajahowodd
Great photos. Looks like a fabulous trip. Perhaps the only thing I might have done differently would be to take a flight to Oakland. That bus ride from SB to Oakland must have taken at least five hours,


We left SB at 11:30 and arrived in Emeryville about 6... The bus stopped at several towns along the way. It was an Amtrak bus service for the train people.

It would have been better if somehow a train from Santa Barbara could be used to get to Emeryville instead. Both bus trips are parallel to train lines, I guess they just didn't run passenger trains when we needed them to?

David K - 11-12-2014 at 06:27 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by wessongroup
Thanks for the "trip" .... any good food along the war .. :):)


... along the way?

On the train, yes.
In Glenwood Springs we ate at the brewery restaurant next to the hotel (excellent food) and at Las Margaritas Mexican restaurant (also good). In Denver, we ate at the hotel (fair) and at a place called Mickey's, highly recommended by the shuttle driver... but it was tasteless, disappointing.

luv2fish - 11-12-2014 at 06:50 PM

Hi Dave, thanks for the report. On one of the last pics I noticed swastikas on the upper edge of the walls, what gives ??

David K - 11-13-2014 at 10:38 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by luv2fish
Hi Dave, thanks for the report. On one of the last pics I noticed swastikas on the upper edge of the walls, what gives ??


Swastikas were American Indian symbols long before Hitler took them for his party... Here is what I said above that photo:

DAY 7 THU.:
A really early start to get the shuttle to the train station where we ride another bus south to Raton, New Mexico. It is a Greyhound bus. When we get to Raton, we learn the train to California is 2 hour late because of maintenance on the tracks. People in Raton are very nice, all three of them we met! One of the old buildings had swastikas around the top... this was built years before Hitler adopted the symbol for his N-zi party. On the train we head west and it gets dark at Albuquerque. .

A close up:

Interesting history

bajaguy - 11-13-2014 at 10:57 AM

http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-29644591

David K - 11-13-2014 at 03:24 PM

Thanks, yes...

Maron - 11-13-2014 at 05:08 PM

Great report and even better pictures.

thanks

Bajahowodd - 11-13-2014 at 06:02 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by David K
Quote:
Originally posted by Bajahowodd
Great photos. Looks like a fabulous trip. Perhaps the only thing I might have done differently would be to take a flight to Oakland. That bus ride from SB to Oakland must have taken at least five hours,


We left SB at 11:30 and arrived in Emeryville about 6... The bus stopped at several towns along the way. It was an Amtrak bus service for the train people.

It would have been better if somehow a train from Santa Barbara could be used to get to Emeryville instead. Both bus trips are parallel to train lines, I guess they just didn't run passenger trains when we needed them to?


I have not kept up on railroad conditions, but I seem to recall that the Coast Starlight from LA to Seattle was a continuous run and went through Oakland.

So did you go through Royal Gorge? Years ago, we not only drove over the bridge, but took the funicular down to the river.

bigjohn - 11-13-2014 at 07:04 PM

Nice report, enjoyed reading it and viewing the photos! :bounce:

fandango - 11-13-2014 at 08:49 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by Bajahowodd
Quote:
Originally posted by David K
Quote:
Originally posted by Bajahowodd
Great photos. Looks like a fabulous trip. Perhaps the only thing I might have done differently would be to take a flight to Oakland. That bus ride from SB to Oakland must have taken at least five hours,


We left SB at 11:30 and arrived in Emeryville about 6... The bus stopped at several towns along the way. It was an Amtrak bus service for the train people.

It would have been better if somehow a train from Santa Barbara could be used to get to Emeryville instead. Both bus trips are parallel to train lines, I guess they just didn't run passenger trains when we needed them to?


I have not kept up on railroad conditions, but I seem to recall that the Coast Starlight from LA to Seattle was a continuous run and went through Oakland.

So did you go through Royal Gorge? Years ago, we not only drove over the bridge, but took the funicular down to the river.


The coast starlight arrives in emeryville at night and would require an overnight to then take the zephyr which departs in the morning. The train/bus combo offers a connection without an overnight. : ^ )

David K - 11-14-2014 at 08:02 AM

Thanks fandango.
Bajahowodd, I didn't hear anyone call out "Royal Gorge", so I do not know where that is.

bajalearner - 11-14-2014 at 08:56 AM

Nice photos and thx for posting this. So what were your thoughts when you were traveling and comparing your train trip to past trips in Baja? Did you think this trip was "better" than going to Baja or "not as good" or???

And what was your feeling as far as feeling "safety and security"? Just curious of your thoughts since you have traveled many years in Baja.

David K - 11-14-2014 at 09:36 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by bajalearner
Nice photos and thx for posting this. So what were your thoughts when you were traveling and comparing your train trip to past trips in Baja? Did you think this trip was "better" than going to Baja or "not as good" or???

And what was your feeling as far as feeling "safety and security"? Just curious of your thoughts since you have traveled many years in Baja.


Totally different and no comparison to a Baja vacation... Which is why this Amtrak trip was chosen.

Baja Angel is always so positive and willing to go to Baja (well she loves it there, too), that I wanted to go outside the envelope for this vacation.

We have traveled in the USA before, and I have shared those trips here, as well: Carlsbad Caverns, Meteor Crater/ Petrified Forest, Grand Canyon, Yellowstone, Lake Tahoe, etc.

A Baja trip for us is total relaxation and fun... we love Shell Island for the solitude, the beach, sea shells, and bathtub warm water (June-Oct) and we love other areas of Baja as well: Bahia Concepcion, Loreto, La Paz, Bahia Asuncion, Mission Santa Maria, Mission San Borja, etc, etc. They all offer special features that attract us to go back... be it the people, the history, the beauty, the off roading, whatever.

An American vacation gives us a look at the very beautiful and interesting sites we have in our own country, and there are many indeed. The difference is relaxation is not the same... we use motels and there is lots of driving. We do love to travel and see new things, so we accept the 'stress' of driving and finding motels in order to see the sites. We are both easy going and not fussy and don't let a bad meal or a bad motel ruin our vacation. Life is too short to fuss over these things.

I always feel safer camping in Baja... but we do not camp in the U.S., at least not so far. I used to with my kids... camped in Anza Borrego Desert State Park or the Ocotillo Wells Off Road Park.

So, the train trip is just a different experience from our other vacations. We would do it again, but try and avoid any long distance bus trips, that was the 'ugly' part of the trip. If we went back to Denver, we would like to tour the U.S. Mint and maybe the Coors Brewery, otherwise we would probably just stick to the mountains and enjoy more of Glenwood Springs... we really liked that place!


NOV 2007:



MAR 2008:





MAY 2012:



JUNE 2013:



[Edited on 11-14-2014 by David K]

Bob H - 11-14-2014 at 11:11 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by bajaguy
http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-29644591


That was a great read! Very informative.... thanks for posting the link.

Bajahowodd - 11-14-2014 at 05:58 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by fandango
Quote:
Originally posted by Bajahowodd
Quote:
Originally posted by David K
Quote:
Originally posted by Bajahowodd
Great photos. Looks like a fabulous trip. Perhaps the only thing I might have done differently would be to take a flight to Oakland. That bus ride from SB to Oakland must have taken at least five hours,


We left SB at 11:30 and arrived in Emeryville about 6... The bus stopped at several towns along the way. It was an Amtrak bus service for the train people.

I guess my post was more about why there are not other trains that one can take that will allow you to ride the train all the way.

A few years ago, we went from Union Station in LA to Albuquerque. No Bus. Then, we rented a car and drove up to Santa Fe and Taos, Driven there many times, just wanted to see what the train ride would be like.

That also brings up a point about, if I remember correctly. David had to take a bus from Denver to Raton, NM. That's a long bus ride too.

And, as an aside, raton means rat. Just like Corpus Christi means, you know. I find it humorous that Americans are comfortable with the uncomfortable foreign names.

It would have been better if somehow a train from Santa Barbara could be used to get to Emeryville instead. Both bus trips are parallel to train lines, I guess they just didn't run passenger trains when we needed them to?


I have not kept up on railroad conditions, but I seem to recall that the Coast Starlight from LA to Seattle was a continuous run and went through Oakland.

So did you go through Royal Gorge? Years ago, we not only drove over the bridge, but took the funicular down to the river.


The coast starlight arrives in emeryville at night and would require an overnight to then take the zephyr which departs in the morning. The train/bus combo offers a connection without an overnight. : ^ )

TMW - 11-16-2014 at 12:03 PM

Wow DK great trip and report. Beautiful country for sure.

capt. mike - 11-17-2014 at 09:33 AM

looked fun. Last time I looked at an amtrack vaca the tickets were really high. Wanted to go from phx to KC mo. For 2 it was way more than air. If you don't mind - how much were your fares? did you have the good sleeper? how much were drinks on the bar car? From PHX you have to DRIVE to Flagstaff then get on the train at o dark thirty. Not fun.

David K - 11-18-2014 at 12:56 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by capt. mike
looked fun. Last time I looked at an amtrack vaca the tickets were really high. Wanted to go from phx to KC mo. For 2 it was way more than air. If you don't mind - how much were your fares? did you have the good sleeper? how much were drinks on the bar car? From PHX you have to DRIVE to Flagstaff then get on the train at o dark thirty. Not fun.


Hi Mike,
Well, you only live once and taking a long train ride was on my bucket list (after-all, I have already been a passenger on your Screaming Airlines)!

It was an Amtrak vacation package, so I don't know how much the train ride part was without our 4 nights in Colorado hotels and the two tours that were included. You can email or call my friend Tim the travel agent at his FOUR WINDS WORLD TRAVEL in Carlsbad, CA and tell him I sent you for a good deal!

There are rooms with regular bed and toilet and shower and there are roomettes with upper and lower single beds. Basically two big seats that face each other with a fold down table between that turn into the lower bed, and an upper fold down bed... like those on a fishing boat... comfortable if you aren't too big. A net goes in place, so you don't roll out...

The snack car had drinks, food, etc. and was not overly pricey. I think our beers were $4... I am not sure, we were on vacation and not being picky over a buck or two. We had brought a bottle of vodka with us and some Squirt, and was able to get some ice no problem. This was suggested by our travel agent, that you can bring your own wine or liquor into your room and enjoy yourselves. The three meals each day were good and included for those with a room or roomette. If you rode coach, then the meals were in the $15-$27 price range. Steak, Chicken, Turkey meatballs on noodles, salad, deserts (great cheese cake). Only extra charge would be for alcoholic drinks.

Dinner was by reservation (in groups every 45 minutes) and rooms/ roomettes had priority seating for dinner over coach passengers. Breakfast and lunch was open seating, but there was never a problem... they had at least four seatings announced each day for those meals.

[Edited on 11-18-2014 by David K]

capt. mike - 11-18-2014 at 08:40 AM

thanks DK, I agree if on vaca don't pick over costs. We want to do the Danube from Passau Bavaria to Budapest on Viking river cruises 8 days. Prices are 2 for 1 until Dec 17th if you book and the schedule can go into next april. Yes life is too short - do things!

David K - 11-18-2014 at 09:58 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by capt. mike
thanks DK, I agree if on vaca don't pick over costs. We want to do the Danube from Passau Bavaria to Budapest on Viking river cruises 8 days. Prices are 2 for 1 until Dec 17th if you book and the schedule can go into next april. Yes life is too short - do things!


That sounds relaxing and must be a beautiful sight to sail on the Danube!

Von - 11-19-2014 at 11:47 AM

Wow David! Really awesome pictures and what an adventure! My wife is all bajad out. No more Bola, not even Rosarito lol~ sad for me. I still have a love for my Baja. Maybe things will change in the future.Thanks for sharing :)

David K - 11-19-2014 at 02:50 PM

It's good to mix it up Von!