Day 3 – the journey continues (Provo, UT to Emeryville, CA)
2nd August 2019
After a strange night – the train was going so fast that we woke a few times as it hurtled around bends, and there were a few stops – Salt Lake City being the main one, but we finally awoke for good at 5:35am Pacific time. The beds have been comfortable, and my sleeping partner didn’t snore too badly, so we feel well rested.
The sun was coming up over the Nevada plains - we had entered Nevada at around 4:30am in a place called Elko. Andrew and I blearily opened the curtains to see the sunrise and quickly pulled on some clothes to go to the observation deck. Oli decided to stay in his bunk.
There were very few people in the car, most still snoozing away in their beds, so we had the place largely to ourselves. The sun slowly rose up over the horizon. Good morning indeed.
We got Oli out of his bed and ordered breakfast from the dining car. Andrew and I had omelettes and Oli had scrambled eggs. We spent much of the morning reading, looking out of the window and dozing. Our first stop today is Winnemucca – what a great name! It looked like a really nice town too. The train followed the Humboldt River, and the land surrounding us was green and lush. Amazing what a little water can do.
Two and a half hours later we arrived in Reno. We got off to stretch our legs. Reno sounds like it would be so cool, but the station platform wasn’t. It was just concrete and train! The conductor warned everyone getting off that we should NOT go to the casino, as many people think they have time and then miss the train. Strangest tannoy message ever.
This will be our last stop in Nevada – our next stop will be Truckee, which is in California. So in under 36 hours we will have passed through four states, eaten four meals and slept in a bunk on the California Zephyr. Not bad eh?
The hour journey to Truckee took us through the beautiful pine trees of the Tahoe National Forest. Up and up and up we climbed, mostly with the Truckee River tumbling down beside us in the canyon, until we were looking down on a beautiful vast blue lake. There was a lot of activity on the lake. The earth around us was bright red, and we saw quite a few birds of prey hovering around looking for lunch.
Truckee looks like the most quaint little town. A little like a set from a Western. Wood panelled shops with their names painted above the door. It looks clean and well-kept and somewhere we would love to go. A lot of people got onto the train and we chatted to an elderly couple who live in Sacramento (the capital of California) and had taken the train to Truckee, stayed over night and were on their way home again. They described it as ‘real cute’.
A little more about the train before we leave it for good. There are three ways to travel. Coach – a reserved seat for the whole journey where you eat and sleep. A Roomette – a two-person mini carriage which are on either side of the train with a corridor between them (so they measure a third of the width of the train). They have two seats facing each other, which convert into a single bed at night, and a bunk above. They share a toilet and shower with other roomette guests. They have a door with a curtain for privacy. Then there is the one bedroom (which we have). It has a chair and large sofa, a sink, cupboards and mini wardrobe. A toilet with a shower in. As explained before, the sofa converts to 1.5 bed and there is a bunk above. These rooms have one long corridor which runs along the side of the train (with windows) and the rooms take up the remaining two thirds. You have a door with curtain, and if the curtain is open you can see out of both sides of the train. Roomette and one-bedroom travellers have food and drink included, which you eat in the dining car.
Most of the train travellers are elderly. Either couples or loners. I would imagine that is because of the time it takes to get from A to B and also the cost. The rooms are not cheap. In fact, the cost of this journey was the single most expensive part of our trip (more than the flights), but well worth it for us. The coach tickets are inexpensive though, so I think it would be a good budget option for younger travellers wanting to explore America.
After leaving Truckee, it was a two-hour ride to Colfax. We ate burgers for lunch (just as good as yesterday) and watched the more familiar landscape of California start to take over. I am not sure when we started to make our way down, but we definitely have and we are passing fields of corn and almond trees. The sun is beating down.
We are now less than three hours from Emeryville and civilisation is become more obvious. Traffic, factories, houses and schools all whizzing past the window.
On arriving at Emeryville, the whole train disembarked and the staff started to get ready to clean and get set for the journey back.
We got a taxi into San Francisco, the traffic was heavy (it was around 5pm) and after the open rugged landscapes of the last days, it is a shock to see how built up San Fran is - I had forgotten.
Our hotel is called the San Remo Hotel. It is a Victorian Guest House and a ten minute walk from the wharf area. It is like stepping back in time. Very floral, very lacey, but actually really lovely. The room has everything we need, and a laundry. 10kg of luggage each means there will be a few wash stops!
We recharged for half an hour and then took a walk down to Fisherman’s Wharf. This area, when we last came, was heaving with people, and feels a little like Southend in places. It’s where all of the bay boat trips leave from, and the trips to Alcatraz, and where all of the fish restaurants are. Now it’s night time, and a new time for us to be there. It’s more empty, but still a bit trashy. And after spotlessly clean Denver it could do with a wash! We headed to Alioto’s - a restaurant that serves amazing clam chowder, which I had my heart set on. I was still quite full from lunch, so I had a small clam chowder with a half crab sandwich, and Andrew and Oli found room for pasta.(Andrew had seafood Alfredo and Oli had ragu).
We planned to walk back with an ice-cream, but we were so tired that we just walked back to the hotel.
Having already been to San Francisco before, tomorrow’s plans will be less traditional tourism and a chance to see something new. The Golden Gate Bridge will definitely feature though!
