USA

Amtrak to Albuquerque (Thursday 6 September)

Although I have now traveled several times in Amtrak sleepers (‘Roomettes’) there is still a sense of occasion when boarding the train as a First Class passenger. This was heightened when departing from historic union Station in Los Angeles (or perhaps it was the pre-boarding drinks in Traxx Bar with its understated 1930s décor). Not much to see as we left LA around 7pm and it was dark by the time I went to dinner (meals are included in First Class travel on Amtrak). The dining car is arranged as 4 seat booths and I was seated with a lady from Chicago (but originally from Latvia and a USA resident for 10 years) and an elegant older American couple. The wife was 86 years old and when we were discussing Los angles, she told on going there as a child with her family when she was 8 or 10 years old. They drove from their home in Washington state near the Canadian border. There were no motels in those days and they had a tent and camped out ; cooked their own food. In one area of Northern California the local sheriff advised them to camp near his jail because of reports of bandits attacking a camp site to the south. Los Angeles consisted mostly of orange groves - fascinating stuff.

This couple had traveled extensively in their day and we started ‘Continent dropping’ (as my friend Ken called it). As we were about to leave the table, the Latvian lady said how interesting she had found the conversation and commented how lucky we had been to be able to travel ; that was not an option open to Latvians until the fall of the Soviet Union. A reminder to me of how much we take for granted.

I had a good night’s sleep and woke up to see the sun rising near Winslow Arizona. That was one the whole sense of space really hit me .. miles and miles of land without buildings, perhaps traffic on the Interstate highway in the distance, but often with no sign of human existence. Near Gallup New Mexico we were going alongside old Route 66 with its old fashioned gas stations and motels (some now derelict). I probably drove along that same route 50 years ago on my drive back from Los Angeles to Illinois.

My nephew Dave met me at Albuquerque Amtrak station. I was in stitches at the poor broken down building serving as the Amtrak station ; the contrast with Union Station could not be greater. Apparently there is a brand new spacious station (used by Greyhound) but Amtrak and the owners cannot agree on the rent.

Dave and Jill live outside Albuquerque in Bernalillo, a predominately Hispanic community. They have a great house with character and enough tables to start a restaurant. One son, Tom, lives there while attending law school ; his twin brother John is in law school in Oklahoma and their daughter Maggie lives and works in Albuquerque. Dan (my other nephew; Dave’s brother) and his wife Ferry flew out from Indianapolis and after a lot of gossip, we went off to the great local restaurant, the Range Café.

Saturday

We drove to Sante Fe for a tour around and lunch (en route Jill demonstrated her advanced driving skills but avoiding a potential accident It was Fiesta Day in Sante Fe and a mariachi band provided some live music ; we had lunch in a lovely patio. Although geared toward tourists, this is a nice city with a impressive old church (cathedral?). we looked in a few of the expensive shops but I was happiest when Jill took us to her favourite place, a charity shop where I found a glass shade which matches one I broke last year. (It was a hassle to travel with it, but at least if did fit, so I was pleased – a dollar well spent). Delicious dinner at home ; Jill is a great cook and Maggie a fabulous wine steward.

Sunday

We had planned to take the cable car up the nearby Sandia Peak but it was covered in cloud and rain down at out level put us off. Instead we went to nearby Coronado State Monument, site of an ancient Indian settlement. There are only the outlines of the 1200 earthen rooms connected together to form a walled pueblo in 1300 A.D. In 1540, this area was invaded by the Spanish conquistador Francisco Coronado which gives the site its name. in the 1930s, the site was excavated by archaeologists and a kiva ( underground rooms that symbolized the people’s place of origin in the underground) with murals from the 1500s was discovered. These murals were removed for preservation and some can be seen in the visitors centre. I had always thought of the natives as cliff dwellers (as in Mesa Verde) so it was interesting to see the outline of this walled village. The best aspect of the site is the setting. We walked to the nearby Rio Grande River and with the Sandia Mountains as a backdrop, this place has a magical air.

The Sandia Mountains were a surprise to me – at 11,000 feet they provide a formidable outline but it is in a the late afternoon when the sun hits some of the planes of red rock that they are at their best.

Monday

Dan and Ferry went home, Dave to work, so Jill and I had the day free. We went to Albuquerque Biopark, a botanical garden, aquarium, and a nearby zoo and boating lake make up this complex.

The botanical garden is small but the selection of regional plants is stunning and the layout means that there is a sense of discovery in the different zones. The butterfly house was packed with butterflies and included a ‘nursery’ showing the progress from chrysalis to butterfly. We also liked the aquarium though one tank appeared very small for the large number of big fish in it (like an old fashioned zoo where the lions pace back and forth.)

http://www.cabq.gov/biopark/

Another dinner at the Range Café finished off my visit in style. We had a good laugh over the sign in the parking lot – to the standard warning about the establishment not being responsible for theft, damage, etc. someone had added ‘pregnancy’.

We arrived in Durango around 5pm and checked into the historic Strater Hotel .. family owned and in immaculate condition. Dinner in the Belle Diamond Saloon and a walk around town and an early night as we were scheduled to catch an early train.

Sunday

I overslept which made for a hectic departure, but we got out tickets and found our seats for the 2 hour + journey by steam train to the old mining town of Silverton. I was pleased that I had opted for a closed carriage (there are open carriages called gondolas which are good for sightseeing and taking photographs, but exposed other elements). The Durango and Silverton Railway website emphasised the classic steam train, restored carriages, etc. I expected that to be the main feature of this trip but it was the incredible landscape and the thrill of a railway cutting through a canyon and the thrilling views down to the river crashing down from the mountains above.

The line goes up 2000 feet to Silverton and the train stops at least twice to take on water. It was exhilarating ; especially when we saw the massive Needle Mountains in the distance. During the last half hour of the journey rain put a damper on the whole thing, The people in the open gondola behind us looked miserable ; rain was blowing all around.

Silverton is like a movie set but with frequent showers, we were simply keen to find a place for lunch. Larry showed ingenuity by asking a shop owner where the best burger in town was served and we got there to find lots of locals and few people off the train. We had a good lunch and did a bit a window shopping in antique stores and visited the old jail before rejoining the train.

On our return journey we were traveling First Class in a Victorian carriage with small tables are chairs which we could move from side to side to catch the best views. The attendant (a local woman) gave a commentary on the train and the scenery and served up drinks during the journey. Some people took a coach back to Durango assuming that a return journey on the same line would be redundant, but we really enjoyed the return journey because there were some new views and we could savour those spots we’d enjoyed on the trip up. The rain continued and a mudslide as we got close to Durango meant that we had to stop and going a walking pace for a few hundred yards. Near Durango A small fire high in the forest (said to be started by lightening) showed that a fire in this part of the country is a very serious matter .. the fire was in a tree which was not easily accessible.

We were headed through the San Juan Mountains (destination Durango .. what an evocative name). The autumn leaves were obvious even in the car park of the post office as we set out from Cedaredge .. not sure what the tree was but the yellow leaves against the white trunk was subtle and pleasing to the eye,

First major stop was at Ouray Colorado, “the Switzerland of the America”.Just off the main highway, Box Canyon Falls is a small (by Colorado) gem. Nothing in the small car park and entrance building prepares you for the dramatic view ahead. As you walk toward the falls you can hear the sound of crashing water. There is a sturdy steel walkway which takes you around a corner and right into the canyon. It is about three flights down to the river (slightly dizzy making as the steel grid is open mesh) .. look ahead ; don’t look down is my advice. The river drops within the jagged rocks so there is only a relatively short bit that looks like a traditional waterfall, but this is really a fascinating sight. Twisted steel and the occasional steel cable hint at the history of industrial works on this site.

http://www.ouraycolorado.com/Box+Canon+Falls+Park

Our next stop was arguably the highlight of my trip:

Black Canyon of the Gunnison National park

The park is centred on the most scenic 14 miles of the 50 milers of this deep canyon. Apparently is called black because the sun penetrates the walls of the canyon so briefly that much of it is in shadow ; the native Americans considered it a haunted place ; I can see why ; it is truly awe inspiring. We were so high(2600 feet at one point) that I found it almost impossible to see people kayaking on the Gunnison River below .. they were simply specks on the white foam of the rapids. The here are interesting short trails and viewpoints perched out over the canyon .. exciting stuff. I concur with The National Park Service website which says:
No other canyon in North America combines the narrow opening, sheer walls, and startling depths offered by the Black Canyon of the Gunnison.

Perhaps it is not a good thing to analyse an experience too much, but three things occur to me ;

• Nothing in the approach through beautiful high country prepares you for the surprise of this dramatic scenery

• The relatively short distance between rims of the canyon add to the effect.

• The schist stone of the canyon seems has lovely veins in it and the whole aesthetic is far different from the sedimentary layered rock on the canyons of Colorado National Monument (for example).

http://www.nps.gov/blca/

Ramada Inn proved a winner with its shuttle van providing a timely trip to Union Station for the 8am train to Grand Junction. The ‘Amtrak boarding system’ seemed designed to create maximum tension and confusion. Even though it is supposedly a Reserved Seat ticket, the seating is open and you finally figure out that you are assigned to a car where you find a free seat. Because single travelers have the lowest priority I was wondering if I’d be standing (British Rail style). In the event, there was a lot of space and I had found a seat with a good view and legroom. This is a most spectacular rail journey. Volunteers from the USA Park Service gave a running commentary during the trip.. I learned that the old freight cars on one huge curve were there to protect the train from the high winds which had blown a train off the tracks in the 1960s. the cars were filled with dirt and by now, had full grown tress in them.

There are 43 tunnels between Denver and Grand Junction and it was exiting to come out from a tunnel into the light and a new vista. The railway line was cut through rock for much of the way and the mountains are beautiful as the train climbs up to the Intercontinental Divide.

My nephew Larry and his wife Brenda met me at Grand Junction ( I was slightly late). We went to a very good Italian restaurant in Delta, near their home. Real food in a friendly atmosphere and after my second glass of red wine I suddenly realised there were people waiting for tables, so we left and went to Larry and Brenda’s home in the mountains outside Cedaredge. Oh dear, this is really ‘off the grid’. A few miles from a small town and then down a road to their 18 acre spread. A vast house (certainly by English standards) .. but oh dear, the views. Mountains in the distance a large meadow in front of house .. as if on queue, three deer came to drink from the bird bath, seemingly oblivious to the lights in the living room. Larry and Brenda said that a buck deer will often come up to window and stare in. All manner of smaller animals are present, depending on the time of year. My immediate thought was that no matter how beautiful this place was, it was a long walk to the nearest pub or tavern. I later learned that it was not walkable and was a long drive.

After our trip to Durango, we came back to Grand Junction for a day's touring there. Monday

We drove up to the mountains above Grand Junction

Colorado National Monument

By this time I was running out of superlatives (or was I just out of words because of the altitude?). Different from the Black Canyon because it was bigger in scale, wider and with sedimentary rock which have eroded to leave isolated rock formations standing all along the 23 mile drive on the rim of the canyon. I had difficulty getting my bearings because of the huge scale of this park .. at first I thought we were looking at the same canyon from different viewpoints but actually there are many canyons which make up the vast park. There were multiple places to park and walk along trails to dizzy making viewing platforms. In the process we became familiar with the most amasing juniper trees whose gnarled trunks are sculptural .. and a beautiful called Morman tea (aid to have medicinal values) ; both of which seemed to flourish with even the smallest amount of soil, appearing to grow right out of rock.

Dinner was a special treat at a fine restaurant in Grand Junction, The Winery. I had a heft New York Strip steak ; Larry and Brenda had halibut steak and we were all pleased with the meal.

Tuesday

I spent the morning doing chores including Internet and shopping ; we met for lunch at a super little Italian sandwich shop on the edge of town. All freshly made – Larry and Brenda are both trim (maybe hard work and exercise play a roll) and their choice of restaurants was a reminder to me that the USA is not all fast food and there are good inexpensive places with real food. The train to Los Angeles was two hours late but after we had a little walkabout I was all installed in my ‘roomette’ for my trip to San Francisco.

Just west of Grand Junction the train went through Ruby Canyon in Utah .. which proved that ‘when you have seen one canyon, you ain’t seen them all’. Fairly wide and not as high as Colorado , the canyon had red, purple and ruby colours in its sedimentary rocks, with occasional flashes of dense green from the trees growing along the river rushing through the canyon floor.

With great regret I made my way to dinner as the sun was setting … but what a pleasing image to retain on the final day in the great South West of America.

It was a two day trip to San Francisco (where most of the time was spent soicalising).

. The train to Los Angeles was two hours late but after we had a little walkabout I was all installed in my ‘roomette’ for my trip to San Francisco.

Just west of Grand Junction the train went through Ruby Canyon in Utah .. which proved that ‘when you have seen one canyon, you ain’t seen them all’. Fairly wide and not as high as Colorado , the canyon had red, purple and ruby colours in its sedimentary rocks, with occasional flashes of dense green from the trees growing along the river rushing through the canyon floor.

With great regret I made my way to dinner as the sun was setting … but what a pleasing image to retain on the final day in the great South West of America.

It was a two day trip to San Francisco (where most of the time was spent socialising).