The Million Dollar Highway

The Million Dollar Highway is one of only 2 north-south highways in Colorado that is west of the Continental Divide. I am not sure what the other one is but it is probably straighter than this one.

According to RoadTripAmerica.com, there are at least 2 explanations as to the soiurce of the name. One version claims it is based on the value of the ore-bearing fill that was used to construct the road and another says it refers to the high cost of building a road over the Red Mountain Pass (11,008 feet).

Wikipedia warns there is a 'degree of excitement' involved with traveling this road. But 1000 Places to See Before You Die insists it is a road must taken. Who were we to argue?

From Montrose to Ouray (Oooooooray? Youray? Hourray?) the road was fairly benign. Plenty of mountain views, sweeping curves, and minimal grades. However, the minute you leave Ouray, the craziness begins. Switchbacks, n curves (who ever heard of a n curve?), etc. My daughter, who was driving, asked me if I wanted to stop at the first pulloff.

My NO was fairly emphatic because I knew that if we stopped I would never be able to continue on up! It didn't matter which direction the cars were headed, EVERYONE was hugging the center line. I was having a hard time not climbing into Fuchsia's lap so I could be away from the edge. The GUARDRAILLESS EDGE!

Near the top was a pulloff area for the Idarod mine. I felt confident enough to halt there and actually get out of the car for a few minutes. There were a few signs which described the mine across the road and also named the visible mountains. Red Mountain 1, Red Mountain 2, and Red Mountain 3. My daughter pointed out they weren't too creative on the naming thing.

She also told me that when she had made the same trip with her dad her complaint had been that if you did go over the edge, you would have enough time to know that you were going to die. Bass Man told her you would probably have enough time to write a goodbye note. What a chipper thought!

Grand Junction to Montrose

I left the vehicles in this picture to give a sense of scale to the ridges we were passing.

It was great to see the Bass Man and my daughter. It had been 4 months since I had seen them in person. Web cams don't really count! We hugged and kissed and climbed into the truck for the trip to Montrose.




Many of the businesses, ranches, homes, trailer parks, empty driveways, etc. have huge gates in front of their places, It is almost as if they are engaged in a competition. I was ready to go home and put one at the end of my driveway except I have 2 driveways and a barn entrance which would mean 3 large gates. And that might be considered absurd. I am way too conservative to ever want to be considered absurd (did I mention I recently had bright blue hair?).

But back to the description of the city. Montrose has a population of approximately 30,000. There is a small airport not far from the downtown. Lots of single family dwellings. Three zillion churches. Several schools. A standard 'Miracle Mile' leading to Walmart and Target. Just another typical small town. Set in a basin in the glorious Rockies. Grandeur all around. I had the feeling I was going to have a great week.

Please hold for the next available blogger...

I will be away from the internet for the next couple of days so I must postpone my tale of the Great Western Expedition until I get back to civilization. I should be back online by the 30th. I hope to see you all then.

Ascent

I expected our ascent into the mountains to be a straight forward, high speed run up the hill. I was surprised to discover that we would meander our way up in ever widening circles. Slowly.

The trip from Denver to Grand Junction takes about 4 hours by car, 8 hours on the train. If I had to guess, I would say we averaged about 30 - 40 mph. There were times where our passage was not much wider than the train itself.

But what a stunning ride! My eyes did not feel big enough to contain all the beauty that surrounded me. I hated to blink, or use the restroom, or even take pictures because I was afraid I would miss something.

46 tunnels on this stretch of track. Each time you exit one, there is another 'Oh my God' vista.

One of the tunnels is called the Moffat tunnel. 6.2 miles long. It travels under the continental divide. Each time a train passes through, the railroad has to clean the diesel fumes out. Before we entered, the conductor announced that we must remain in the car we are in for the duration of the tunnel (10 minutes). Otherwise the fumes would be able to enter the cars through the doors you must open to get from one car to another, killing us all. A great incentive to stay put.

Next stop, Grand Junction, Colorado!

Still Flooded

Back in June, there was flooding in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. What we didn't hear so much about was there was also flooding in Illinois. It is now August and there are still places flooded in Illinois, such as this farm.

We were not far from the mighty Mississippi when I took this picture. I am not sure what the reason was but we practically crawled through this area. It was kind of a creepy thing since all I could imagine was that the railroad bed was not stable enough for us to move along at 80 mph. The same held true with the bridge over the river.

From Chicago to Denver, it was FLAT. Lots of corn, lots of grain elevators, lots of fruited plain. It was a good area to snooze through.

When we hit Denver we had a bit of a layover so it was a great time to get off the train and stretch the legs a bit. I didn't go into the station but instead walked back and forth on the platform. I found it amazing that there were travelers from different trains greeting each other like old friends. Apparently many people spend a lot of time traveling the US by train. A very lucky group.

Then it was back on the train and the beginning of the ascent into the Rockies (yes, Denver is a mile high. But it still looked like plain!). That section of the trip is what made all of the coach discomfort worth every second.

Home Sweet Home

Here it is, the roomette. About the size of a large restaurant booth. Barely visible, over my foot, is a narrow mirror with a small shelf underneath. The shelf is where you would put your suitcase if you were traveling with a companion. My feet are resting on the other seat.

On the side I am sitting is a small area for hanging clothes (to give an idea of the size, there were 2 hangers there which was about all it would hold.)and the only outlet in the roomette. I switched back and forth between keeping the laptop and the cellphone plugged in.

Overhead is the second bunk. It is sloped up to the ceiling causing the room to be shorter near the window. It is also where they store both mattresses.

The short curtain is the window into the aisle and the longer curtain covers the door which also has a window in it. Some people left their door open but their curtain closed. That lets in more air but it also increases the noise volume.

Shower facilities and the majority of the toilets were downstairs in the car. Soap and towels were provided.

On the top floor (where I was) was the courtesy beverage center for our car. Coffee, tea, bottled water, fruit juices, and ice were available from 6amn to 10 pm.

After traveling from Chicago to Grand Junction, Colorado on Amtrak, I will forever be convinced a roomette is the only way to go! In addition to the wonderful service there were all the awe inspiring sights right outside my window. Such as...

Union Station

The place is huge. As unlike the Maysville station as you can get. The conductor had asked me if I wanted a Red Cap to help me with my luggage and I told him yes. It was taking forever though so I decided to just walk in.

Those walkways are fairly narrow. There are a ton of people hustling to get into the station, a ton of people hustling to catch their outgoing trains, and the Red Caps in their motorized carts honking at absolutely everyone. Pure chaos.

I made it inside. Because I had a sleeper compartment for the next leg, I was entitled to hang out in the Metropolitan Lounge. That didn't mean much to me until I got in there. Close to the trains, free beverages and snacks, bathrooms that were HUMAN SIZED, and a place to drop the bags while I found some lunch.

Upstairs, directly over the lounge, was the Food Court. Exactly like every other Food Court in every mall in America. Still, it was quick and fairly cheap. I only had an hour before I had to board the California Zephyr.

I took my lunch back to the lounge, found a place to sit, and partook of my sweet and sour chicken (for you Judy!). By the time I was done the Zephyr was boarding. I was looking forward to seeing what my roomette looked like.

Onward, to Chicago

I boarded the train in Maysville, Ky at 1:00am. The conductor asked how many were traveling together (1) and where I would be getting off. He pointed me toward a car and told me to "find yourself a friend".

I found a seat that was by the window and empty. After I was settled in, the conductor brought someone to take the outside seat. My seatmate was going to Indy which meant he would be there for 4 hours or so.

I tried to fall asleep but I was so excited about finally beginning my voyage. Of course, the more excited I was, the more I had to use the restroom. Which meant rousing my seatmate. Poor guy.

After he disembarked, I stretched out on the 2 seats and fell asleep. Or tried to. It seems that the train must blow its whistle at every intersection. And there are a TON of intersections on the way to the Windy City.

The dining car opened at 6 am. By that point I was ready for some coffee. One thing Amtrak does very well is coffee. What a great thing to discover!

After a couple cups of joe, it was back to my seat for the final leg into the city. We were running 2 hours late so I had some concerns about making my connection. The conductor assured me it would be no problem.


As the train pulled into Union Station, it passed the home of the White Sox (for any baseball fans) and the Sear's Tower. Then it was into the dungeons of the station.

More Paradise

New month, new Paradise. I am going out to Colorado to see my husband and daughter. This will be my first time in that state. AND my first time on Amtrak. Definitely looking forward to it.