Rockies Mountain High? Not so much.

Update: Anne passed on the brownies.

But, the ride over the Rockies was amazing anyway.  So beautiful, and what an engineering feat!  From our seat in the observation car we saw herds of elk, countless mule deer, coyotes, bald eagles, golden eagles, and other assorted creatures wild and domestic as we wound through the mountains and descended along the Colorado River.

For those who are interested, our train is nine cars long -- two engines, a baggage car, two coach cars, an observation car, a dining car, and two sleepers.

All meals are included with the sleeper fare, ordered from a menu, and served by a fun and friendly staff.  We enjoyed two good meals, again with good company.  

There are six California Zephyr trains -- three on route west and three heading east, all a day apart.  Our train is sold out!

I am writing this at 3 am as the train begins to leave the station in Salt Lake City.  We are running behind schedule, which is a regular Amtrak experience, as the rails are owned by the freight companies which give priority to their own trains,  We learned last year not to get derailed by delays -- it is best not to have anything crucial planned for arrival day.  If you are in a hurry, however, you wouldn't be on a train in the U.S. in the first place -- and, even though we are eager to start peddling, we are in no hurry for the train journey to end.

Qualification: There seem to be conflicting reports regarding the carbon footprint of trains vs. planes (actually, container ships are the very worst).  Everything I have read says there is no worse mode of personal travel than flying; but not all agree that trains are that much better.  I'll have to do more research.