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Colorado Vignette - A Step Back In Time

We recently experienced our first Amtrak Train ride. Having used the train system in Europe, we were anxious to try the Amtrak Service. This was a delightful experience and one we would recommend as a wonderful Step Back In Time. We knew it would be a much slower pace than we are accustomed to, but we hadn?t stopped to think of all the ways it can be so.

Our trip was from Denver Union Station to Glenwood Spring. This is a route we have driven and enjoyed many times. The Drive along Interstate 70 is about 3 hours long. The train is scheduled to take a little over 6 hours. Therefore we knew it would be a slower pace. Many surprises awaited us in this department. All the literature said the train is often late, so call ahead. We were to depart 8:30 am and did board the train by 9:15am. We wound and crept up into the foothills west of Denver. The views of the plains of the Denver Basin were lovely and the foothills were the usual delight to ascend in to. We enjoyed a leisurely breakfast in the dining car. The service was superb and the food very well prepared.

About 2 hours into our journey a fellow passenger was taken ill. The conductor made the announcement that we would be stopping at a crossing to wait for emergency vehicles. To old city dwellers, this was a most interesting break in the routine. We were stopped in a pristine mountain setting for over an hour while representatives of the Coal Creek Canyon Rescue Service came out the gravel, winding road, picked up the unfortunate passenger and then we were on our way again.

The next few hours were filled with beautiful scenery and glimpses of wild life. We slipped in and out of many tunnels and canyons. Then we entered the dark confines of the Moffit Tunnel for over 12 minutes, to burst forth at the base of Winter Park Ski Area and a world covered in White.

There were more beautiful canyons, many miles along the Colorado River before we entered the spectacular Glenwood Canyon. When we were only a few miles from our destination we came to an abrupt stop in the canyon. The conductor again came on the intercom to tell us we had hit a rock and there would be a short delay to make inspections to be sure there was no damage. Again, we were delayed in a most spectacular setting to await the OK to continue.

We arrived in Glenwood Springs at 4:00pm. The trip was a unique adventure and gave us a tiny insight into a slower time and place. Given the time to just relax and watch the beautiful Colorado Mountains and Canyons slowly pass our window was an exceptional experience.

We spent 2 nights in the beautiful historic Colorado Hotel. It was a delightful experience in a splendid setting and enjoyed superb service. The Hot Springs Pool (the largest in the world) was a relaxing and enjoyable change. Many opportunities for pampering in the spa setting are available.

We started our return trip on Saturday afternoon (the train was only 1 1/2 hours late). We enjoyed a less eventful return trip and even made up most of the lost time as we were going down hill more of the time. The views were as beautiful on the return trip and we sighted bald eagles, elk and deer as well as many ducks and geese on the river in the unfrozen areas.

The experience was a delight and we now plan to have some other train adventures and will be reporting on them. As I stated in the beginning, we highly recommend this trip and hope you enjoy the relaxed and slower pace as much as we did.

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