Chicago, Illinois to Emeryville (San Francisco), California by train

Train Trip Across America   October/November 2024

Wednesday, October 20, 2024

 

We left home early this morning to hear Dr. Linda Lee speak about Aging and Dimentia (albeit a strange way to begin a new journey). It was an excellent and informative presentation. If you ever have the opportunity to hear her speak, it is well worth your while.

 

We left for the airport directly from the presentation and were soon checked in for our flight and whisked through security and immigration. Our flight left right on time and, in spite of a little turbulence, had a very pleasant flight to Chicago. We took the shuttle to our hotel and settled in for the rest of the afternoon and the night. We ordered in dinner from a nearby restaurant called Bamboo – Asian soup and springrolls. Very tasty.

 

Thursday, October 21 - Saturday, October 23, 2024

 

We packed up our bags and headed for a leisurely breakfast provided by our hotel. We were surprised to see that it was snowing, a light dusting at first which changed to a heavy and wet snowfall. Roads were icy; the wind was strong; it was very cold, indeed. Happily, the hotel manager offered to have the driver take us to the local train station where we caught a commuter train into Chicago Union Station. It was not a particularly smooth ride … due to the cold and the snow, there were major issues with the switches on the tracks. We were held up several times, delaying us long enough that I was getting anxious about making our train. Jim, true to form, remained calm and cool, and, yes, we did finally get to Chicago Union in ample time to make our train.

 

We are now underway from Chicago to San Francisco, 2 ½ day journey. We sleep two nights on the train and arrive in San Francisco on Saturday afternoon.

 

As we left Chicago, the ground was covered with snow. The temperature had risen so the roads were clear. We passed through vast residential areas as we left Chicago. Apartment buildings dotted the landscape followed by quiet neighbourhoods of modest homes. Soon we were in more rural areas and passed through several small communities. One of the main things we noticed is that the train tracks ran through residential and commercial areas. In some cases, there were homes that faced the tracks. It was a pleasant change from many trains in Canada that seem to traverse more industrial areas.

 

As we travelled west, the snow gradually stopped falling and the landscape was clearer. Vast agricultural areas ran adjacent to the tracks. Remnants of the harvest identified corn and various grains as the main crops.

 

Our room on the train is compact but very serviceable. Two beds, one down and one up; two seats by day; windows on both sides of the train; our own private bathroom; and ample storage for small pieces of luggage. The large suitcases are checked and stored in the baggage car. Jim explored the rest of the train and found the dining car, the snack car and the observation car, all of which we will use as the voyage goes on.

 

We traversed Illinois as the afternoon wore on. During dinner (excellent food and service) we passed into Iowa. It was dark so it was more difficult to see the landscape although it was increasingly flat as we rolled down the tracks. Sometime during the night we crossed the border into Nebraska and by the time we got up in the morning we were very close to Colorado.

 

During the night, I became aware that the train had stopped. At the time, I had no idea why but an announcement in the morning described what had happened. A passenger had inadvertently pulled the emergency lever causing the train to grind to a halt. When that happens it apparently causes the brakes seize so it took a couple of hours to enable them to work properly again. Thus, we are running two hours behind schedule, not an issue for us but other passengers are very concerned about making their connections or contacting people at their destinations to delay picking them up.

 

The landscape across Iowa, Nebraska and eastern Colorado was very flat. Cattle were evident in the fields. Crops of corn, various grains and hay had already been harvested and stored for the winter. We passed by hundreds of large metal grain silos, many, many transport trucks on the highway and piles upon piles of hay bales.

 

The further we travelled into Colorado, the more we left the flat land behind. Shallow slopes turned to increasingly high hills and finally around Denver, the Rocky Mountains appeared. Snow covered peaks glistened under the bright sun and blue sky. Our train climbed and climbed, always followed by an icy stream which eventually became a river. The tracks wove between the mountains and the altitude increased. The water in the river was almost covered with ice at various locations. The plains transformed to forested woodlands and we began to see some wild animals – foxes, mule deer, bison and yaks (these were likely domestic rather than wild). We passed through 28 tunnels as we travelled across the mountains. The final tunnel was over 6 miles long and took about 10 minutes in total darkness to reach the end. It was good to see the sunlight again.

 

The Rockies were extremely tall and rugged. Many rockfaces were bare and soared above us. Peaks reached high into the sky. Happily the observation car on the train has curved windows that allowed a view to the heights. While in the final tunnel, we passed by the Continental Divide where the water ceased to flow east and began to flow west toward the Pacific. The Colorado River joined the highway as both headed gradually to lower ground. Bald eagles were visible along the tracks although neither Jim nor I saw any.

 

We have met some interesting people on the train. Meals are served community style with four people at each table. We have met world travellers, parents heading to visit children and grandchildren, families travelling to visit relatives for Thanksgiving, a man who has coordinated a film festival in Denver, a young woman who has not seen her husband for 3 months and was eager to get home to Omaha. Everyone has been very friendly and the train crew are attentive and helpful.

 

Dark is now falling on day two of this journey. Dinner will soon be served followed by an early bedtime. Tomorrow afternoon we will reach Emeryville, just outside San Francisco … a distance of over 2000 miles from Chicago. One night in Emeryville and then onto another train to Los Angeles. We are very happy that we chose this itinerary rather than a Caribbean resort (that can wait until the new year).

 

We awakened on Saturday morning and we were in Utah. The land was flat and primarily used as grazing land for cattle and some sheep. Ranches dotted the landscape, quite distant from one another. A nearby major highway paralleled the train tracks at a distance. The major traffic was transport trucks.

 

As we travelled along, the landscape began to change as foothills took over. The weather also changed dramatically; sun changed to cloud and serious rain soon followed. As we climbed the rising roads, the rain changed to snow and before long we were in the midst of a blizzard … yes, a blizzard. The irony of this was that we had crossed the state line and were now in California … hardly the weather we expected there.

 

The land was white; the trees were heavy laden. We passed through several snowsheds that protected the train from the heavy snow. We looked out over valleys without seeing the bottoms and it was reported that there was a beautiful lake on the right part way down the mountain. As the snow finally started to diminish, we caught a glimpse of it through the trees. Once we passed the summit of the mountain we began our descent. Before long, no evidence of snow remained. Under a still cloudy sky, the forest displayed its colours. Leaves sprinkled to the ground and plants were frost-tinged and droopy. It was hard to believe that we had just come through a blizzard.

 

The train stopped in several towns and villages along the way, many established during the gold rush in the mid 1800’s. We saw a railway museum in one town, several ‘gold rush’ stores in other places, trying to replicate the gold rush theme. Sadly, we did not have the opportunity to explore the towns as the train stops were very short.

 

Dark is now falling and we are on our way to Emeryville (adjacent to Sand Francisco) where we will spend the night in a hotel. We had to cross Carquinez Strait, our first glimpse of salt water. Happily, we have fond memories of visiting San Francisco previously. Early tomorrow morning (Sunday), we will climb aboard another train, the Coast Starlight, this time heading to Los Angeles, a 12 hour journey, some of it along the Pacific coast. Several people have told us it is the most beautiful train ride in the USA.

 

So far, this has been a delightful journey and we have visited several states we have not seen before. Albeit we did pass through Nebraska in the dark. We have also met some very interesting people and we hope that that trend continues.