- Jan 16, 2012
- 3,567
- 2,560
- 1,928
The scenery is captivating, but so are the characters, and when the narration ends, the passengers’ stories begin. “What brings you here?” I ask again and again, often opening the door to much more than I bargained for. There’s an absence of filter and instant friendliness among many Americans that makes conversation come easy — most don’t mind spilling their life story to a stranger. Amid the retirees, commuters and students, there’s a large family of traditionally dressed Amish — women in bonnets and demure dresses and men with long beards and braces — playing card games on the way home to Pennsylvania Dutch Country after the mother had a medical procedure in California. Two Japanese students who aren’t totally fluent in English only add to the unusual menagerie of travellers.
The next morning, as the sun rises over Utah, I wake up in my roomette, one of Amtrak’s sleeper cabins, which have seats that fold out into small bunks. I’m ready for another day of observation car antics, so I reconvene with the motley crew. A new conductor boarded the train overnight in Salt Lake City and has clearly drunk his morning coffee, calling out over the tannoy as if we’re on safari. “There’s a bald eagle!” he cries, followed shortly by, “See that herd of antelope?”. All of us in the observation car start playing a group game of I spy, letting out a collective gasp when the animals are spotted.
www.nationalgeographic.com
The next morning, as the sun rises over Utah, I wake up in my roomette, one of Amtrak’s sleeper cabins, which have seats that fold out into small bunks. I’m ready for another day of observation car antics, so I reconvene with the motley crew. A new conductor boarded the train overnight in Salt Lake City and has clearly drunk his morning coffee, calling out over the tannoy as if we’re on safari. “There’s a bald eagle!” he cries, followed shortly by, “See that herd of antelope?”. All of us in the observation car start playing a group game of I spy, letting out a collective gasp when the animals are spotted.
What's it like to travel on the longest daily-running train service in the US
Over two days aboard the California Zephyr, the longest daily-running train service in the US, unlikely bonds form between passengers as mountain passes and river valleys slip past the window.
www.nationalgeographic.com
