Chama to Denver

After the big trip yesterday, everyone was pretty exhausted and went to bed early. Most of the group met for breakfast at 8am again, but not me. I'm not a big breakfast person. I got all packed up and loaded the car and met everyone at the train station for the 10am departure of the steam train. We were hoping they would double-head two engines being that it was a Saturday with the possibility of more passengers on a weekend, but no luck this time. Just one engine and the same consist we had yesterday. It was cold again this morning so the steam looked great as they pulled out of town.

We all said our goodbyes and I was ready to head to Denver, which is a little over 300 miles from Chama. I was planning on going the fastest and most direct route, but I was convinced by one of the group members to go a different way that was more scenic and would take about the same time. I head towards Antonito, then up to Alamosa, where if you remember I stayed a few days ago on the way to Durango. I stopped for lunch, filled up the car and cleaned the windshield. I took Highway 17 north out of Alamosa, which is the same road I came in on from Cripple Creek last Sunday.

About 20 miles north of Alamaosa I came upon a UFO viewing platform in the middle of the desert. I guess they have quite a lot of activity in this area because it was a pretty elaborate set-up, including a gift shop that wasn't open and a two level viewing platform. There wasn't another person in sight, but I stopped and paid the $2 requested entry fee and started to walk around a bit. The sign on the building said "you are welcome to leave a bit of your energy here, but please don't take other people's items". I had nothing to leave that would contain any of my "energy", unless you consider a used gum wrapper as some kind of cosmic magnet. There were cartoonish alien characters in different places and in various positions, but what I found interesting was all the items other people had left that contained their "energy". Lots of hubcaps, dolls, stocking caps, felt-tip pens, hotel door keys, old satellite dishes, used lottery tickets, etc. You get the idea...just about anything you could think of was there. It was all a little weird for me, but still cool at the same time.

I continued northbound on Highway 17, which eventually turned into Highway 285. As I headed into the mountains I started seeing low clouds hovering right along the tops of them. I had heard earlier that Denver had received some snow yesterday, and there was snow falling in Cheyenne just this morning. As I started climbing, the outside temperature started dropping, which wasn't unexpected. As I approached the pass going over the mountains, I got into those low clouds and it got quite dark, very foggy, it started to drizzle, and the temperature outside was showing as 25 degrees. The pine trees along both sides of the road had a good accumulation of ice on them already, and now my windshield was getting ice on it as well. The defroster went on high heat and the windshield wipers were scraping off the drizzle and ice, and I slowed way down. This Houston boy is not used to driving in this kind of stuff, and yes, I did get a little nervous, especially when I started to see sand trucks going by. All the locals were driving their normal speeds and none of this seemed to bother them at all. They probably thought I was some old lady being overly cautious as slow as I was going. I'm sure they knew I was from Texas, or somewhere else that didn't have to deal with cold, fog and ice on mountain roads.

As I came down the other side the outside temperature started to rise and got to exactly 32 degrees, which is where it stayed all the way into, and all over Denver, and the drizzle stayed as well. It was just a miserable night and I was glad to get to my friend's house and get out of it. I went out to the car a little later and there was already a thick sheet of ice forming on all the cars in the neighborhood. We have no plans for tomorrow, and depending on the weather, we might just relax here at the house. I've been running crazy all week, as you are well aware, so a nice quiet day wouldn't be too bad.

I fly home on Monday afternoon, so I will wrap up this latest adventure at this point. For the moment, I have no future travel plans in the works, but that could change. I do know that I will try and go to Alaska next year for a train convention, but that's not until next September. We are going to try and finish up all the work needed on the new house, so that's where my priorities will be through the winter months. If I end up doing a trip, I'll let you know.

Thanks again to everyone that has been reading the blog, and I appreciate all your comments. I'm really enjoying sharing all of this with you.

Until next time, take care, and keep in touch.

The Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad

Thankfully, the train didn't depart until 10am this morning, so I was able to sleep-in a little bit. I was up late last night doing laundry and writing yesterday's blog entry. Most of our group, a total of about 24 people, met for breakfast at 8am. I passed and opted for some breakfast on the way to the train later on. We all met at the train at 9:30am for the annual group shot, and that's always fun getting it organized and finally shot by numerous cameras.

Our group chartered a very nice parlor car at the end of the train, which came with its own attendant. Although we had just had breakfast, she had prepared a nice fruit plate for each of us, gave us all a souvenir pin from the railroad, as well as a nice beverage tumbler emblazoned with the railroad logo, with refills of any beverage of your choice. Now I know why the tickets were so expensive, but it's worth it. We had our own rear platform we could ride on to enjoy the passing scenery, take some pictures, and engage in good conversation.

About halfway through the trip, we stopped at a place called Osier for lunch, which is included in the fare. It's in the middle of nowhere, and they turn out amazing food. You have a choice of turkey and dressing with all the trimmings, or meatloaf with mashed potatoes and gravy and vegetables, or for the vegetarians on the train, a soup and salad selection. All served with dessert as well. They are very well set up to handle large crowds all arriving at once as there are actually two trains arriving very close together. This railroad runs between Chama, NM and Antonito, CO, and starts a train each day at both ends, and they meet at the lunch stop. When you get to the other end, buses drive the passengers back to their origination point. A vey good system. While we were eating, we couldn't help but notice the very large dirty bear prints on the windows. At night they come and try enter the building, and they stand up with their muddy paws against the glass and peer in the windows. The paw prints aren't removed to remind everyone that this is bear country, and by the size of the prints, they are very large.

After lunch, we departed once again towards Antonito, and soon we were preparing for a ceremony. It has become custom that when a member of this group, or their spouse, or other family members passes away, their ashes are spread along the rails at a particular location as a remembrance. The location is above a large and deep gorge by the side of the tracks, and just before the train enters one of the tunnels along the route. Today's ceremony was for a brother of one of the members that passed away a little over two months ago. A bottle of champagne is opened, everyone gets a small sample, and a toast is made to the deceased. At that point the container is opened, final goodbyes are said, and the ashes are released. It's always very emotional, and there isn't a dry eye in the car, including mine.

We wind our way through the mountains and enjoy the beautiful colors that this time of year ignites in this area. The aspen trees are on fire with yellow, red and orange leaves fluttering in the breeze.

We finally arrive in Antonito right on schedule and board the buses back to Chama. Once we got back we relax a bit and then head to dinner at a steakhouse across the street from the motel. The food was delicious, and the service was good. Then it's back to the hotel for the night. I'm heading back to Denver tomorrow to spend a couple of days with my friends before flying back to Houston on Monday. For more information about the train, here's the website: http://www.cumbrestoltec.com

I would like to conclude today's blog entry with a special poem that was shared with the group as we prepared for the spreading of the ashes. I was deeply moved by this poem, and I want to share it with you on this special day:

Don't grieve for me, for now I'm free

I'm following the path God laid for me.

I took his hand when I heard him call,

I turned my back and left it all.

I could not stay another day

To laugh, to love, to work or play.

Tasks left undone must stay that way

I found that peace at the close of the day.

If my parting has left a void, then fill it with remembered joy.

A friendship shared, a laugh, a kiss,

Ah yes, these things I too will miss.

Be not burdened with times of sorrow,

I wish you the sunshine of tomorrow.

My life's been full, I've savored much,

Good friends, good times, a loved one's touch.

Perhaps my time seemed all too brief;

Don't lengthen it now with undue grief.

Lift up your heart and share with me,

God wanted me now, He set me free.

My Non-Train Day

I called this my non-train day because I chose to do other things. My plan today was to visit a special place recommended by a police officer friend in Houston called the Monastery of Christ in the Desert. He is a regular visitor here and spoke highly of the experience. Since I'm in the area, I might as well check it out.

The monastery is located about 50 miles south of Chama, or 75 miles north of Santa Fe, and you have to drive 15 miles down a semi-maintained rock road off the highway to get there. It is located in the Chama River Valley within the Santa Fe National Forest. As I arrived it was quickly realized that down in the valley the temperatures are a lot higher. Although it was 27 degrees in Chama this morning, it was 82 at the monastery, so layers of clothing came off quickly as I stepped out of my very dirty rental car.

You have to park down the road a bit and hike to the chapel and gift shop area. You can walk the main road, but I decided to walk the lovely and well maintained path where you encounter the Stations of the Cross. Each station has a wooden cross of a different design as well as a wooden placard with various scriptures all written in Latin. The path leads you to the main chapel, which is basically round in shape with seating on three sides, with the pulpit being in the middle of the room. Above, and all around, are large windows where one can gaze at the beautiful mountains very close by. I was alone, and it was very quiet and peaceful. Prayer candles were burning nearby. I sneezed in the chapel and said aloud "excuse me" in case anyone was listening. The desert is in full bloom and my allergies were in full attack mode causing me to sneeze and have watery eyes the whole time I was there. I'm sure the people walking by thought I was overwhelmed with emotion of the experience, but I didn't try to explain it was only allergies. I continued to the gift shop, which is located in an adjacent building to the chapel separated by a prayer garden. There are also offices and conference rooms in this building, and I soon came across a group of people walking out of one room and I could hear the monks doing their Gregorian-style chants of prayer, which was beautiful. I also noticed that all of the people exiting were wearing leather medallions around their neck. I tried to ask a couple of ladies how I could get in to hear the chants, and they smiled, said nothing, and held up their medallions towards me. After reading some literature nearby I quickly realized that they weren't being rude, but were observing a day of silence, which is customary at this monastery. Those wearing the medallions are asking others not to speak to them. Oops. Speaking is only allowed in common rooms and at meals offering prayers, and of course during mass. I perused the gift shop for a few minutes but didn't purchase anything. I could have bought the Monastery of Christ in the Desert cooking apron, but there would be too many questions asked whenever I wore it.

Although they have electricity, it's not from the power company. This monastery has its own, and very elaborate solar power system spread out all over the complex. They have guest houses for those that want to stay and interact with the monks, and each facility had its own solar power array. Very impressive.

The monks here also produce their own beer. As the literature explained, the brewery sales are under a for-profit LLC which helps support the non-profit monastery. I'm not sure how that all works, but I didn't dare ask anyone. I might have been assaulted with medallions again.

A 30-minute drive on the rock road and I'm back to the paved highway. I turned north towards Chama and one mile down the road I see something called the Echo Amphitheater, which is maintained by the US Forest Service. I pulled in, paid my $2 fee, and was immediately awestruck at this perfectly shaped, and quite beautiful, natural rock amphitheater. Nature sculpted this amazing place over millions of years, and as I approached the small staging area inside the amphitheater, I heard a young man playing Indian songs on a flute. It echoed beautifully all around the area and I found it quite moving. When he finished, a woman walked to the front, stretched her arms out towards the high cliffs that formed the amphitheater, and started to chant in what she called "toning". She just sang various pitches of tone with a lovely slow vibrato, and with perfect pitch. Wow. As anyone who knows me knows I am not a religious person, but I do consider myself spiritual, and there is a big difference. As I heard these random and beautiful sounds echoing off this amazing structure, I felt my soul stirred, my being confirmed, my life energized and more at one with everything than I did, or ever would, at a monastery, or any other man-made structure. This is the truth. This is the reality. This is what I have faith in. With no offense to my religious friends, this is what it's all about to me. Man didn't build this, the earth did. I have tried to express my feelings about spirituality to others, and it's difficult to do as I don't like to be pegged in any certain category. I have just described those feelings because of this place. No need to ask again, the questions have been answered. Not by me, but for me.

Back in Chama, our group that will ride the Chama steam train tomorrow are gathering in the parking lot of the motel at 6:30pm. The pizza has been ordered, the cocktails and being served, and the stories are getting interesting. I haven't seen most of these people in four years, but somehow they all seem to remember me. That seems to happen wherever I go, and I often wonder why.

The pizza is gone, the mess is cleaned up, and I need to do a load of laundry. Tomorrow is the big group trip on the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad that runs between Chama, NM and Antonito, CO, and it's a rolling party. I've been waiting four years for this event, and it's finally here!

Information:  http://www.christdesert.org

                     http://www.chamatrailsinn.com

The Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad

Wednesday, October 3, 2012

(uploaded on October 4th because I had no Internet service)

The alarm went off at 7am as requested, a quick shower and I'm off to the train station for an 8:30am departure. I had already purchased my ticket online and printed a boarding pass, therefore I didn't have to stand in line. Straight to the train I went and boarded. I chose to ride in the open-air gondola car for better picture taking opportunities. Even though it's past the regular tourism season, there are a lot of people here, and the train is mostly full, mainly older folks who wisely waited until the kids went back to school. This time of year they run two trains a day, whereas during the peak season they run four. At $80 a ticket, that's a lot of revenue. They even charge $7 to park. It's a great run through beautiful scenery and along steep crevasses leading down to a river below us. The colors are changing so there is lots of yellow, red and green along the mountain sides.

This train is world famous. They carry a little over 200,000 passengers a year, according to Conductor Rich Millard, who I found out is friends with Ed Dickens of the U.P. Steam program, and who also used to work for this railroad.

We arrived in Silverton right on schedule at noon, and what's interesting is that they pull right into the downtown area down the middle of a street. Its your typical small Colorado town with one paved street, very old buildings dating back to the 1800's, all nestled within a green valley surrounded by mountains dusted with snow. Everyone got off the train, and with a short walk were closing in on the numerous restaurants and gift shops offered. This town comes alive when the trains arrive.

 I beat the crowd to the best place in town to eat called Handlebars. I sat at the bar and enjoyed a Reuben sandwich and a cup of soup. I couldn't help notice that there were a lot of foreign visitors around me. There was a Japanese film crew documenting the train, and I overheard numerous French, British and Spanish speakers close by.

Even at lunchtime it's still chilly here. Temps in the 60's and a good breeze calls for my wearing a jacket to continue.

Our scheduled departure time was 2:15pm, but today we will leave at 2:45pm instead, the scheduled departure time of the second train that followed us up. They decided to combine both trains for a total of 24 cars, pulled by one steam engine. It's downhill almost all the way back to Durango so it won't be a problem for the engine. I was hoping they would double-head the steamers, but they didn't.

We headed back and I got a lot of great pictures and video along the way. I was chatting with some of the other passengers around me and we all agreed we were ready to get back to Durango as the track is extremely rough on this railroad. All day long the train was never smooth. We rocked back and forth the entire time, doing about 20mph, and that gets exhausting. As much as I love trains, and as beautiful as this trip is, next time I ride I will do the option of riding the train one way and taking the bus back.

We arrived back in Durango at 6:30pm, and I promptly left to head to Chama, NM for the night, which was about 120 miles away, but I wanted to stop and grab some dinner and fill up the car because I knew there was nothing between here and there. A local Mongolian restaurant was recommended, so I tried it and it was very good. With me full, and the car full, off I went. Its already dark at this point, and I'm very tired from the train rocking all day, which all adds up to some tough mountain driving at night fighting fatigue. And that doesn't include all the critters along the way feeding at night.

Although the speed limit signs said 65mph, I was doing about 50-55 most of the way. Glad I did as I soon encountered a very large male Elk, with very large antlers, standing in the middle of the highway. He started to dash towards my car and somehow, and luckily, I didn't hit him and he didn't hit me. I didn't want to have to explain the damage to the rental car company next Monday. I really slowed down at this point and I encountered two more female elk or deer on the way. They were off to the side of the road, but you never know what they're going to do.

I arrived at the motel in Chama a little after 9:30pm and met the other people in our group who were already there. It will be nice to settle in for three nights and not have to keep moving suitcases around.

You'd think this day's adventures would be done at this point, but no. I was warned that there has been a large bear rummaging through the dumpster at night, as well as a skunk spotted in the area that has already sprayed the motel owner's dog. Oh, and it's going to be in the 20's in the morning.

I swear I'm not making this stuff up. Welcome to my life.

Information: http://www.durangotrain.com

149 Miles in 11 1/2 Hours

I departed Alamosa at 9:30am. I wasn't in any hurry to get to Durango as its only 149 miles away. I arrived in Durango at 9pm. Here's why:

My first stop was in the small town of South Fork, CO. I made an appearance at the local tourist information place looking for interesting things to see along the way. Next door was the city hall with the town's only police car sitting in front. I stopped in and said hello to the officer and we chatted cop talk for a bit. I was going to continue west towards Durango but was convinced to head north to Creede. They had just shot a new movie there with Johnny Depp called The Lone Ranger (It will be released soon). It was only 22 miles up the road, so why not. I had plenty of time. As I was leaving town I saw an old railroad depot on the left and decided to stop in for a minute and get some pictures of some of the equipment on display outside. My 5 minute visit turned into three hours! The two brothers that were there are both owners of the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad, which is now located in this town and headquartered at this small depot. My railfan friends reading this probably think there is a mistake, but there isn't. When Union Pacific didn't re-incorporate the D&RG name, as well as all the subsidiaries of that name, these two brothers scooped them up and incorporated them under their names. Union Pacific didn't mind, and in fact they only retain the rights to the speed lettering style of the names, but not the names themselves. Both the brothers are railfans and were watching for the opportunity, and they succeeded. What a name, and what a history to be the proud owners of! They run a small excursion trip from South Fork to Creede using a Maintenance of Way crew hauler. Kind of like a Doodlebug, just smaller and open-air. It carries about 14 comfortably.

After my visit I drove north to Creede. Not much to see there, so I continued north to Lake City. I was told I could get to Durango from there but it would take a little longer. I punched the destination of Durango into the GPS unit and away I went. It told me to turn right on a certain county road, so I did. It was paved for a few miles, but then it turned into unpaved road, but it was smooth and no problem. About ten miles down the road it started to climb to the top of a large ridge very quickly, and it got a lot rougher. I started to see signs warning people to use 4-wheelers and 4-wheel drive vehicles carefully. The path narrowed, the rocks got bigger, and I started to bottom out on some of them. As is usual with me, my Guardian Angel stepped in and saved the day. I met two fellas in a 4-wheeler going the opposite direction and the first thing they said to me was "what the hell are you doing up here in a Kia?" they told me to back up and go back to town and get off the mountain, which I promptly did. I got back to town and stopped for directions to Durango. They told me to go back the way I came from Creede and South Fork, but I wanted to go the other way since I just came from there. They said that would be fine, but it will take about 5 hours to go that way, and it was already getting dark. I gave in and headed back the way I came, and at this point I'm embarrassed about being on a rocky trail in a Kia, and pissed that I have to go back the way I came, which by the way was via a very, very twisty road through the mountains. Eventually I got back to South Fork and headed west towards Durango. The GPS said I had a little over 100 miles to go. Now I'm REALLY pissed AND tired AND hungry! I never knew it could be so fatiguing to drive mountain roads at night, twisting and turning the whole way, and having to watch for large Elk along the way. By the time I got to Durango I was about ready to fall asleep at the wheel, but I found the hotel and a place to eat and started to feel better.

So, instead of 149 miles in 2 1/2 hours, I actually drove a little over 400 miles, in every direction, across every kind of terrain, partly at night, and it took me 11 1/2 hours. I feel like a total idiot.

Looking to tomorrow, I will once again ride the world famous Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge train. It will be in the 40's in the morning so the heavy jacket and knit cap are ready to go. When I get back to Durango about 5:30pm I will head directly to Chama, NM, which is 109 miles away. No detours. No dirt roads. No stops of any kind. Straight shot with no distractions.

I refuse to be an idiot two days in a row. Once is enough.

Information: http://www.denverandriogranderailroad.com

The Royal Gorge

Up early here in Canon City, a small breakfast at the Village Inn, and I'm off to the train. It's a beautiful clear day with sunny skies and temps in the upper 50's. Perfect!

As I arrive at the station, the train stands in the bright morning sun with its two beautiful F-units painted in traditional Rio Grande orange. Behind it a cornucopia of various pieces of rolling stock including two Alaska Railroad full-length dome cars, numerous Via Rail (Canada) coaches, and two open-air cars, which is where I will be hanging out the whole trip. They have a concession car and a bar car if needed, and yes, plenty of restrooms. Being a Monday morning there isn't a big crowd, which is a lot better than the first time I rode this thing about five years ago. It was packed then, which made it difficult to get good pictures. We have mostly older folks and families with young children onboard, and I don't see a lot of cameras. Excellent.

The ride was smooth and about 20 mph is all we did, but that was a great speed for picture taking. The river running alongside us narrows to only 40 feet across at one point, and it's a tight squeeze. The tracks through the canyon were built in 1887 by the Santa Fe Railroad, but UP ended up with them eventually. A private company bought the line from UP in 1996 and have run excursion trains since, and they handle about 350,000 people a year.  UP, as part of their contract of sale, retains the right to run trains through the canyon if needed. The only one they have run was with 844 in the late 90's. The line is still connected to the UP at both ends just in case. If your travels ever bring you close to this area, come ride the train. You'll never forget it. It's really spectacular, and it takes about two hours for the roundtrip.

I departed Canon City and headed for Alamosa, Colorado. I had to go due west for a bit, then turn south. At least I didn't have to go north first. I stopped in Salida, CO and found my way into the beautiful historic downtown area. I first looked around for an old depot to photograph, but none were found. I stopped a gentleman and asked where a good place for lunch was, and he said the Boathouse Cantina around the corner. I sat on an elevated outside porch overlooking the small river babbling by, and it was one of the best lunches I've had in years. I ordered the Chicken Club sandwich and it was a marinated chicken breast on a delicious bun with lettuce, tomato, onion, avocado, and dressed with a green chili mayo. OMG! Amazing. And the fries were crispy and hot. I soon departed and it was another twisty-turny road for awhile until I crossed over the mountains at a pass and then it smoothed out. I drove through a vast, flat prairie along the side of the Rockies. As I approached Alamosa, about 20 miles out, I passed a UFO viewing platform. Apparently they are frequent around here, and who knows, I may go out there later tonight and see what I can see. I also passed a huge solar power collection array that had giant solar panels as far as the eye can see. It was really impressive. It's fairly close to the UFO platform, but I don't think it would be very exciting at night. Yuk-Yuk.

I got checked into the Best Western in Alamosa, and although it's clean, it's very expensive for a Best Western. $80+ a night, and my room smells like cinnamon. I guess there's not a lot of competition here. I drove around town for awhile looking at the train yards to see if anything was moving. As usual with my luck, nothing. There's not a lot else to see in this dumpy place, so I headed back to the hotel until dinner time. I spotted a nice Italian restaurant, and a steakhouse. Things are looking up! Anything's better than Village Inn, and that was a lot better than that buffet lunch yesterday. I still have indigestion from that lunch.

Although there's not a lot to do or see here, there's nothing else around any better. I head to Durango tomorrow and will ride their famous train on Wednesday. This is kind of a wasted stop, but they have good cable in the room. After a steak dinner I'll see what's on HBO and wait for a train to go by my window. I'm right on the tracks, of course.

Maybe E.T. will fly over and say Hi.

Information: http://www.royalgorgeroute.com