by
Rail
(updated 7/31/2017)
 added to my "bucket list" |
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| Route Description |
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From Towering Skyscrapers to the Golden Gate (click for pictures) Experienced travelers say the California Zephyr is one of the most beautiful train trips in all of North America. As you climb through the heart of the Rockies, and further west through the snow-capped Sierra Nevadas, you may find it hard to disagree. The Zephyr runs daily between Chicago and San Francisco, coursing through the plains of Nebraska to Denver, across the Rockies to Salt Lake City, and then through Reno and Sacramento into Emeryville/San Francisco. Reserve a spacious coach seat for your journey or, for a more luxurious experience, reserve a roomette or bedroom in one of the Superliner sleeping cars. (courtesy of Amtrak) Route Description Heading westward from Chicago, there are many small towns along the right-of-way as the train crosses the great plains towards Denver. The scenery changes dramatically at Denver as the train climbs the Rocky Mountains. After crossing the Continental Divide via the Moffat Tunnel, the tracks follow the Colorado River for several hours. Passengers can see the transition from a narrow, whitewater river (popular with rafters, who habitually moon the train as it passes) to a much wider stream past Glenwood Canyon and Grand Junction. The train finally departs the now much larger Colorado River after exiting Ruby Canyon which is also where the train enters Utah. In Utah, the train follows the southern rim of the Book Cliffs to their end near Helper. The train then crosses the Wasatch Mountains, cresting at Soldier Summit. After passing the Wasatch the train arrives at the Wasatch Front where most of the population of Utah is located. Once the train reaches Salt Lake City the train loosely follows Interstate 80 until the terminus of the train in California. Both the freeway and railroad pass along the south shore of the Great Salt Lake and across the Bonneville Salt Flats towards Nevada. The Humboldt River provides the path across most of Nevada. However, before the train reaches the Humbolt river, it crosses through two mountain ranges, tunneling under the Pequop Mountains. Like all rivers in the Great Basin the Humboldt does not reach the ocean, but terminates in the desert. On the other side of this desert valley is the Truckee River which provides the train's path to Reno and up the Sierra Nevada Mountains in California. In California, the train crests the Sierra Nevada at Donner Pass and descends following a ridge between the American and Yuba Rivers. Eventually, the California Zephyr reaches the lowland areas of the California Central Valley. The trip terminates in Emeryville, a suburb of Oakland, where a free shuttle bus connects passengers to the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) system. Passengers continuing to San Francisco transfer from the train to a Thruway Motorcoach which will take passengers to downtown San Francisco. The original California Zephyr used the Feather River Route as its path through the Sierra Nevadas. The rails are still in use for freight; however, anyone wishing to see this portion of the original route must now use State Route 70 which runs parallel to the old Western Pacific track. (courtesy of Wikipedia) |
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| Scenic highlights..include: | ||
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| All links are long downloads. Please be patient. |
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Click
to
Enlarge |
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Click to Enlarge  |
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Virtual Room -
long download -
 "Superliner"
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| PRICE 11/23/2009 & 7/28/2017 |
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 Including
meals
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Amenities |
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The California Zephyr connects to San Francisco and Oakland stations via Thruway Motorcoach Service at Emeryville, California. |
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| Prices
are for Amtrak service, including a bedroom and all meals. Travel to Chicago, return travel from San Francisco, lodging, meals in San Francisco or incidentals are not included. Any taxes, fees or charges are not included. |
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| many thanks to Jeff Plettcher for
the advise |
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MUST BOOK the train at least in advance |
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| From here down are examples only August 24 - September 8, 2018 |
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(Example) Rental Car Info Hertz - mid-size |
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| Lodging | Car Rental | Sights |
Napa (Example) /2 (Example) /3 |
(rent car - drive to Chicago) Rent car in California split cost until JWS drives home Hertz (rental /2) EXAMPLE _ONLY |
Napa |
San Francisco (Half Moon Bay) (Example 1) /2 (Example 2) /3 |
San Francisco | |
Yosemite (example 1) /2 (example 2) /3 |
Rt 101 | |
L.A. |
L.A. | |
Routing ? |
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| Interested ? e-mail me |
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