all images © James Tung, 2001-2008
These pictures were taken in May 2002, during a 2 1/2 day train ride from Chicago to San Francisco. I took advantage of Amtrak's awesome Weekly Special (formerly Rail Sale) from their website; the cost for a one-way ticket was $58.
Take a look at some basic information of the California Zephyr here, from the official Amtrak webspace; the page has a nifty map and a timetable for this particular service. There are also plenty of information and pictures from this trainweb.com site.
The pictures are mostly a little blurry and have strange colors, because even with adjustment in Photoshop I'm not so sure what things really look like behind the heavily tinted windows of the train. At first (in Illinois, Iowa and Nebraska) the weather wasn't cooperating and it was too dark to take any decent pictures. Fortunately the next two days were bright and sunny, so I was able to click away.
The scenary went from grand to breathtaking soon after we left the Denver station during the morning of the second day. And it lasted for about as long as there was light out, as we rode well into the state of Utah.
eastern slope |
near Moffat Tunnel |
near Moffat Tunnel |
Fraser, Colo. |
near Byers Canyon |
Gore Canyon |
Gore Canyon |
Red Canyon |
near Glenwood Canyon |
near Glenwood Canyon |
Glenwood Canyon |
western Colorado |
western Colorado |
early evening in eastern Utah |
eastern Utah |
eastern Utah |
good morning, northern Nevada |
desert |
desert |
This was another day of meandering through the mountains, but this time the view is much greener. By late afternoon the train arrived in Emeryville, across the Bay from San Francisco, which is another story.
in the Sierra Nevadas |
in the Sierra Nevadas |
Donner lake |
in the Sierra Nevadas |
Suisun Marsh |
the Mothball Fleet |
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all images © James Tung, 2001-2008