Sightseer Lounge is where Amtrak passengers go for best views in a cozy setting. It's one coach located after the mid-section of the double-decked, 11-coach Amtrak California Zephyr Superliner plying the Chicago-San Francisco-Chicago route that cuts across 7 states from Illinois to California and vice-versa. We did the Chicago-San Francisco route. Amtrak's California Zephyr is one of the best ways to get to know the US from a distance.
This article is Part 1 (covering the states of Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska and Colorado) of a series of vignettes about our Chicago-San Francisco Amtrak journey.
Illinois. The 2-night/2-day journey to San Francisco originates in Chicago's Union Station and terminates at the Emeryville Station in California. Since Emeryville is still a bit far from San Francisco (the latter has no Amtrak station), arriving passengers take the bus provided by Amtrak that brings them to San Francisco passing through the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge.
All aboard now; on reclining seats with adequate leg room.
The Sightseer Lounge. We were lucky that our coach was
conveniently located immediately after the lounge and
next to it is the dining car.
next to it is the dining car.
Passengers hang out at the lounge not only to watch the scenery
but also to exchange pleasantries with new acquaintances and
play table games with friends. Some even spend the night there.
The Willis Tower (formerly Sears Tower) prominently jutting out
of Chicago skyline. The train here has just pulled away from the
Union Station which is around 2 blocks from the tower.
Princeton: one of the first regular stops after Chicago. A
farming township with farmlands as far as one's eyes can see.
Farmhouses provide a rustic retreat from a stressful city life.
The farmhouses here have parabolic disc antennas providing
residents access to communication lines and broadcast media.
Another farmhouse. Must be fun vacationing in this place.
Not sure though if it would be as fun staying here as a farmer.
Leaves take on different colors during the fall.
Wind(mill) farms punctuate the landscape, a stark
contrast to the industrial city that Chicago is.
I thought that the mini-truck was dragging a mobile home
but the American guy seated across my table explained
that this is a mobile horse stable.
that this is a mobile horse stable.
Freight train breaks the monotony of the agricultural landscape.
Mississippi River. As dusk starts to set in, the mighty Mississippi River came to our view. It looks suspiciously serene but surely, it stretches far and wide, apparently the second longest in the US.
The river separates the states of Illinois and Iowa. Right
is Illinois while left is, of course, Iowa. We were coming
from Galesburg Station (Illinois) and moving towards
Burlington Station (Iowa), the next stop.
I wonder if anyone has ever swum across the river and has
come out of it alive. The river looks treacherously calm.
Iowa. This is the next state from Illinois as the Amtrak train moved westward. Landscape is basically agricultural, pretty much the same as most of Illinois. But here are some photos of Burlington township, the train's first stop in Iowa.
Burlington, Iowa
Nebraska. The night fell in Omaha, Nebraska. It's claim to fame is none other than Warren Buffet. Who does not know this prominent businessman, one of the richest people in the world? He would not be called "Oracle of Omaha" for nothing. Amtrak train brochures also mention that senior actors Fred Astaire, Marlon Brando, Nick Nolte and Henry Fonda all have Omaha for their hometown.
With nothing much to see at night, I got off for a while and decided to take pictures of the train itself while stopping over at the Omaha Station.
Behemoth double decker
Something to step on while getting off
11 coaches all from front to back, pulled by 2 engines
Colorado. There is a change of time from Nebraska to Colorado - from Central time to Mountain time. Someone like me not used to straddling between time zones can get confused but I think it is one hour earlier if westbound. I could be wrong but some mobile phones (Blackberry in particular) can automatically detect the time change and issue prompts to make the appropriate correction immediately.
Morning broke in Colorado, somewhere in Fort Morgan
if I remember right, before Denver.
An invitation to breakfast.
Huge train depot while approaching Denver.
A stadium in Denver, Colorado
By this time, I realized that the landscapes from Illinois
to Iowa, on to Nebraska and this part of Colorado are
mostly agricultural. Sceneries of barns and farmhouses
were a visual treat.
were a visual treat.
Bales of hay scattered on the farm
The usual route takes Amtrak passengers to the scenic Rockies, but the recent flooding in Colorado made it impossible for the train to follow that route. A detour to Wyoming is the alternative. Wyoming to Utah onward to Nevada and finally California would be in subsequent parts of this article series. Thanks.
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