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Emeryville to the Great Central Valley
Once dubbed the "most talked about train in America", our
journey on the California Zephyr begins in
Emeryville, just after the western terminus in San Francisco. On
leaving Emeryville, we cross the shallow tidal estuary that forms
the northern extension of San Francisco Bay. Across the strait is
the California Maritime Academy, and on the Solono County side is
the former Mare Island Naval Shipyard - the first such facility on
the West Coast. We pass through Martinez, and at Suisun Bay, we can
see on the right a 70-ship fleet of decommissioned warships, kept
afloat since World War II in case of another war. Travelling
through Suisun Marsh, the Montezuma Hills are visible from the
northern banks of the river. These are known for their wind energy
resource potential; there is a windfarm here which boasts turbines
up to 415 feet tall. Our next stop is in Davis, which has a 1913
adobe-style railway station listed as an historic landmark. After
this we reach the Great Central Valley - the large, flat valley
that dominates the central portion of the state. Outside the
windows we can see the Yolo Basin, which produces one billion
pounds of rice annually.
Sacramento into Utah
We then reach the capital of California, Sacramento, where
we can see the remnants of the Southern Pacific's locomotive shops
on approach. We later pass through Auburn, known for being part of
the gold rush. On the left we can see a firehouse, which was built
in 1888 and housed the first voluntary department west of Boston.
We call at Colfax, and then our train begins to cross the Sierra
Nevada Range. We see Cape Horn on the right, some 1,500ft above the
American River, before we journey over the Long Ravine Bridge,
which provides one of the first clear views of the Sierras in the
distance to the right. Before too long we cross Interstate 80.
There are two cascade lakes actually above the train here, and
their runoff flows beneath the tracks under two bridges.
The California Zephyr stops in Reno in the
evening, and as night falls, the train continues on into Utah and
through Salt Lake City. We also pass alongside some of the region's
imposing mountains, such as the 11,000ft Mount Timpanagos on the
left as we travel through Geneva.
To Colorado
In the morning, we cross over the Utah/Colorado State Line
as our train continues eastwards. Here the scenery becomes truly
spectacular as we journey over the 12.5-mile gorge at Glenwood
Canyon, followed closely by the short Gore Canyon. This particular
gorge is 1,000ft above the river, meaning that it can only be
crossed by rail. Shortly after this, the California
Zephyr travels through Granby and into the stunning Rocky
Mountain National Park. We make our way through the 6.2-mile Moffat
Tunnel, a feat of engineering that cuts our journey by 176 miles,
before we reach Denver. Known as the Mile-High City because of its
elevation above sea level, Denver is the final calling point for
some of our journeys, and the boarding station for others.
From Denver to Chicago
Leaving Denver behind in the evening, the first main point
is the Colorado/Nebraska State Line. Here the clocks go forward one
hour. We pass through Lincoln, Nebraska's state capital, after
night falls. After this, our train passes alongside a part of the
Platte River, which is over 300 miles long. After a stop in Omaha
in the morning, we pass Offutt Air Force Base on the right. This
was where two B-29 Superfortress bombers were built which were then
used to drop atomic bombs on Japan, and shortly after this our
train crosses the Nebraska/Iowa State Line. At the same time, we
cross the Missouri River. Our next stop is at Creston, so called
because it is the highest point on the railway between the Missouri
and Mississippi Rivers. We then make the descent to the
Iowa/Illinois State Line, shortly before the enormous Mississippi
River appears beneath us. Our train calls at Galesburg and
Naperville before arriving at Chicago, Illinois' largest city, and
the industrial core of the Midwest.