Riding the Rails

Earlier this week, I took the train to Green River, Utah; not because I had any business in Green River, but because I wanted to take the train across the state of Colorado.  There is only one train a day through Denver, but the Amtrak got the schedule right in ensuring that the California Zephyr takes in the dramatic scenery of the Rocky Mountains during the day.  It took eleven hours to cover the 350 incredibly scenic rail miles to Green River, about twice as long as it would take to drive a competitively scenic route between the two towns.  Among the train's advantages I'll name two; having someone else to the driving and the historical significance of the route originally built by the Denver, Rio Grande and Western.

I could have taken the train all the way to Salt Lake before switching to the eastbound train, but I didn't see much point in staying on passed Green River since it would soon get dark.  Though the remote city's population might not even exceed that of my childhood neighborhood, as the only city for miles along I-70, it offered me a place to eat dinner--a great little tavern called Ray's--and sleep before catching the morning train back to Denver.


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Train Trip Statistics
Length: 750 miles
Train Trip Time: 22 hours 33 minutes
Total Trip Time: 1 day 12 hours 30 minutes
Moving Average: 21 MPH
Maximum. Speed: 81 MPH
Minimum Elevation: 4,080 ft. (Green River, UT)
Maximum Elev.: 9,327 ft.(Moffat Tunnel - West Portal)

Elevation Profile

Climbing into the Rockies

Glenwood Canyon

Ray's Tavern in Green River, Utah

Colorado River in Grand County

Upper Gore Canyon