Bucket List Trip

Yesterday’s blip was from Union Station in Denver - and a shot of the train known as the California Zephyr. What I DIDN’T say is that today I would be riding on it!

My trip to Denver this time included going back to London as a passenger (‘deadheading’ in airline lingo). So I took my option to stay and return at a later date. I decided to use my extra time to take the train up to Glenwood Springs - a hot springs resort town in the Colorado Rockies. Glenwood Springs is on the route of the California Zephyr, the train that goes from Chicago to San Francisco. I am staying here 3 nights and then on Tuesday I will continue on the train, going all the way to the west coast. Today’s journey was almost 6 hours and it will take 28 hours to do the remaining distance to San Francisco. As I said yesterday, about 30 years ago I rode the train from Chicago to Denver so now I will complete my journey.

The train left Denver a little late at almost 9 am. I had a normal coach seat today but I spent the entire time in the observation car. The scenery was varied - from Denver’s industrial area, up through the foothills, through snow-capped mountains, and then through more arid areas. The last part of the journey followed the path of the Colorado river. Check out the Extra photo for a few of the scenes. It wasn’t easy taking pictures with so much glare on the train’s windows. I wish I had more from the more snowy areas.

I arrived into Glenwood Springs in the mid afternoon and it was a beautiful sunny warm day. After checking into the hotel I walked around in sandals and a light jacket. Believe it or not snow is coming!

The picture at the top is my train in Glenwood Springs station. Bottom left is where I’m staying - the historic Colorado Hotel. Although I booked the hotel via a budget hotel booking site, I was surprised when they’d upgraded me to a suite! Opened in 1893, the hotel was frequented by the famous and the wealthy, including many visits by President Theodore Roosevelt. The hotel claims that this is the place where the first ‘Teddy Bear’ was born, named after the President, but that is unlikely an accurate story.

The Glenwood Springs spa and hot springs pool is shown at the bottom right. I plan to spend some time there while I’m here! It’s the largest hot springs pool in the world. The hotel and the spa and pool used to be all together but was later split up and is now owned by different people.

I decided to enjoy the warm weather today and explore the town and leave the soaking for tomorrow. Who cares if it’s going to get cold if I have a giant hot tub to relax in?