DESTINATIONS
blasted monoliths or Iowa’s rolling farmlands, with their colourfully painted grain silos. Yes, at times I envy those who left
THE US | RAIL HOLIDAYS BOOK IT
LEFT: The California Zephyr takes in amazing scenery ABOVE: Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco PICTURES: Mike Danneman
explain which stops are purely to pick up passengers, or are long enough to grab breaths of fresh air. Without their announcements, I’d have missed highlights such as elks bouncing through the snow in Colorado, or California’s Stanford Curve, where the sharp angle
means passengers can photograph the train curling around the bend. The journey is surprisingly smooth, and I sleep like a baby, leaving the curtains open to be woken by the sun illuminating the latest landscape, whether it’s the Nevadan deserts’ sand-
San Francisco on Chicago-bound planes, such as when I’m woken by a screaming baby in the roomette opposite. And no, chocolates aren’t placed on pillows as they were during my trans-Australia adventure, travelling onboard the Indian Pacific, but that’s part of the appeal. With new trains being added for new and existing routes in the next 15 years as part of Biden’s plan to revolutionise rail travel in the US, it wouldn’t be surprising if comfort levels improve. But for now, forays through the observation car and coach section – where reclining seats replace beds – are part of the fun. On a leg-stretching strolI, I meet a student who’s taking the journey as a tribute to his mum, who took
Amtrak Vacations’ seven-day California Zephyr Rail Exp-erience, which includes two nights’ coach class accommodation and four nights in a hotel, starts from £569pp.
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him on the train when he was a toddler. Later, I spot an Amish lady cradling a baby at one end of the observation carriage, metres from a tattoo-covered skinhead. A final word of warning – there’s no Wi-Fi on many of the services, including the California Zephyr. But as we rumble into Chicago, it dawns on me just how much I’d have missed if there had been – all those views, and interactions with other passengers. It’s a journey I’d happily do again – screaming baby and all.
TW
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17 MARCH 2022
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