It is once again Friday, so it's time for another photo! I apologize for being so late last week, I didn't get a chance to go online all weekend so James posted one for me. However, I am right on time this week!Today's photo comes from 2 years ago, when I went out to Utah to visit James. I rode Amtrak's Lake Shore Limited and California Zephyr to Provo, Utah. On the last day of the rail journey, the CZ goes through the Rocky Mountains in Colorado. Since I love trains and mountains, I was basically in heaven all day. Unfortunately, the weather was not that great most of the day. It was okay heading out of Denver, but once we got through the Moffat Tunnel it clouded over and rained or snowed most of the way to Utah Valley. However, I did get a few decent shots, including this one:
I apologize for the image quality, I was shooting on film at the time and had to scan in a print, and I don't really know how to use my scanner. This is in the tunnel district west of Denver on the climb to the Moffat Tunnel. The mountains started almost immediately out of Denver, they literally rose up from the plains like a wall. Once the train entered the mountains, only a few quick glances east revealed the plains, and once we passed through the first tunnel all memory of the plains was past as we were now surrounded by the massive Rockies. The train climbed and climbed to Moffat Tunnel, which is at about 10,000 feet above sea level, almost 5,000 feet higher than Denver. Once the Continental Divide was behind us, the ground was covered in snow and more was falling from the sky.
During the mountains, there are a lot of tight curves and steep grades twisting around the massive walls of rock surrounding the railroad. On some of these curves, you can see the beginning of the train you are riding. This photo is at one of those curves before Moffat Tunnel. I do not know what locomotives pulled my train, but I have several photos of them.
The photos are really nothing compared to being there in person. Ever since I rode that train, I have wanted to do it again, although I have not had that opportunity yet. I would highly recommend riding this train if you ever get the chance. Maybe, and hopefully, I will make it back out to Colorado sometime.
1 comment:
This is one of the most beautiful train rides I've ever been on, too, Steven. I love the Colorado portion of this ride. The only other train ride I have been on that my equal, and possibly surpass, the scenery in Colorado is the Skeena through British Columbia.
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