The California Zephyr is an Amtrak train that runs daily between Chicago, Illinois and Emeryville, California. Traveling through seven states, the main draw for many riders is the amazing scenery. In fact, the train’s schedule ensures passengers move through the most scenic parts of the route in Colorado, Utah and Nevada during daylight hours.

I recently took the California Zephyr from Chicago, Illinois to Emeryville, California (which is near San Francisco). This trip happened to be my first long-distance Amtrak ride. I had such a great time, and I hope reading this makes you want to experience it for yourself (or at least provides a fun read).

Route History

I wanted to get to know a bit about the route and train I would be taking. I knew that trains and railroads in general have a lot of history, and this one was no different. It was a little difficult to keep up with all the ownership and route changes!

I didn’t want to get into the nitty gritty too much (especially since this was supposed to be a vacation after all), so I’ve also included some more “fun” facts. I had a good time sharing some of these tidbits with other passengers, although some seemed more interested than others.

March 19, 1949 – The original California Zephyr (operated by three different regional carriers) was debuted. The first departure was the following day.

1955 – The first California Zephyr baby was born as the train traveled through Colorado’s Ruby Canyon.

1958 – Until this point, a West Coast California Zephyr trip began or ended with a ferry ride between San Francisco’s Transbay Terminal and Oakland Pier.

1966 – Western Pacific applied to discontinue its portion of the California Zephyr after realizing financial losses since 1957. However, the Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) refused after public outcry.

1969 – The Denver & Rio Grande Western petitioned the ICC discontinue its portion of the route between Denver and Salt Lake City citing financial losses in 1968

1969 – The ICC called the California Zephyr a unique national asset.

1970 – Western Pacific is finally allowed to discontinue their part of the service after the ICC rejected multiple discontinuation requests

1971 – The original transcontinental California Zephyr discontinued operations in 1971 when the national Amtrak network launched. One of the regional carriers (Denver & Rio Grande Western) continued their service between Denver and Salt Lake City, calling the route the Rio Grande Zephyr

1980 – Amtrak replaces all the existing single level cars on the California Zephyr with Superliners. It was the second long-distance train to receive them

1983 – The Denver & Rio Grande Western gave up its regional passenger service, and a second iteration of the California Zephyr was created by Amtrak to operate over most of the original route

1994 to 1997 – The western terminus of the station was changed from Oakland to Emeryville in 1994 when Oakland Central Station closed. The route’s terminus was changed back to Oakland when a new Oakland-based station was opened in 1995. Finally, the route’s terminus was changed back to Emeryville in 1997 because the Oakland station required a complicated reverse move along street running tracks

2001 – A recreation of a California Zephyr train and station was part of Disney’s California Adventure Park when it opened. However, it was removed in 2011

2002 – Chugga Chugga Chugga, a children’s show about trains, used Disney’s California Zephyr recreation as the backdrop to their show

2018 – The California Zephyr saw its highest yearly ridership with 418,203 passengers taking the train. It was the second most ridden long-distance train that year behind the Empire Builder and beat the Coast Starlight by 384 riders

2020 – In response to the pandemic, Amtrak reduced the California Zephyr’s frequency from daily to three times per week.

2021 – The route’s daily service is restored after additional Amtrak funding was included in the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021. The route then decreased its service to five days a week in the first half of 2022 due to the Omicron variant and associated staffing and equipment shortages. However, daily service was restored again in June 2022

2024 – The California Zephyr celebrates its 75^th birthday

I’ve also created the timeline for the visual people out there.

Route by the numbers

Here are some numbers for those so inclined.

• Miles Covered: 2,438
• Hours: 52 (without delays, which are common!)
• Ridership Numbers
  • FY18 – 418,203
  • FY19 – 397,793
  • FY20 – 247,535
  • FY21 – 184,667
  • FY22 – 290,424
  • FY23 – 328,458
  • FY24 – 351,155
• On Time Rate (May 2024 – May 2025): 56.9% (well below the target of 80%!)
  • The California Zephyr was the second poorest performing route in the Amtrak network in terms of on-time performance in FY24 Q2 behind the Southwest Chief
• Average Minutes Late Per Customer (May 2024 – May 2025) – 104 min
• Top Speed: 79 mph
• Average Speed: 55 mph
• Load Factor (YTD FY Dec 2025): 62%
• Revenue (YTD FY Dec 2025): $17,200,000

Packing List

Below are some items that I would recommend packing on your trip. These are items that you may not think to pack on a regular vacation but proved helpful on my Amtrak trip.

Shower Shoes – This is my number one thing that I would suggest people bring on an Amtrak trip if they are staying in a sleeper accommodation, especially if you’re in a roomette or family bedroom. Just like a college dorm, you will be sharing a shower.

Power Strip – There is only one outlet in the roomettes. If you have more than one device you’d like to charge at a time or someone staying with you, I would bring a power strip to ensure you can plug everything in.

Activities – While some Amtrak trains have WiFi, the California Zephyr does not. Cell service is also spotty. That means that you should be prepared to entertain yourself in ways that don’t involve service. I personally brought a couple of small puzzles and downloaded all the music, movies/shows, and books I wanted on my devices before leaving for my trip.

Day Bag – Unless you like walking around the train with a bunch of loose possessions, I’d bring a tote bag or something similar you can put things in while outside your room. This can be especially helpful if you’re wary about leaving valuables in your room as they don’t lock from the outside. I hadn’t heard any horror stories of people’s roomettes being burglarized, but you can never be too careful. I also used my tote bag all around Chicago.

Medication – In addition to your regular medication, I’d make sure to bring any medication that you think you might need. For example, if you know your seasonal allergies act up sometimes or think that Amtrak food might not sit well with your stomach, I’d bring the appropriate medications. Unlike a normal vacation, there really aren’t that many opportunities to quickly grab that over-the-counter medication, so I’d make sure to pack your own.

Earplugs – If you know you’re a light sleeper, I’d make sure you bring earplugs. Trains are not known for being quiet and you want to be well-rested to make sure you’re enjoying the views.

Cash for Tipping – I am notorious for never carrying cash. Which in general isn’t great, but especially when it comes time to tip someone. That’s why I made sure to drop by the ATM before I left D.C. to ensure I had cash to tip the hard-working Amtrak staff. The amount you tip is up to you, but from what I’ve seen, $5 to $15 per day you’re on the train is standard. Although there’s no pressure because Amtrak staff do earn a regular wage and do not rely on your tips.

Clorox Wipes – I’m not going to lie; the rooms were a little grimy. I think the staff only really focuses on the sheets and bedding, which is arguably the most important part. Fortunately, I knew that was probably coming, so I brought some Clorox wipes to clean everything.

Days in Chicago

Day 1

I arrived in Chicago at O’Hare Airport from D.C. around 8:00 am. The Blue line starts right inside the airport, which made getting downtown easy. After a 30-minute ride, I made it to the Washington stop and tried to get on a bus the rest of the way, but Google Maps was acting up and making it difficult to find the right bus stop. After a few minutes of trying to make it work, I gave up and decided to walk. It was only a mile, which I do without thinking most days. However, I slightly regretted my decision five minutes in as I realized how heavy my bags were and the wheels on my suitcase were not fans of the unlevel sidewalks. But it was too late to turn back, so I trudged on.

A little sweaty, I finally made it to the hotel about 20 minutes later. Fortunately, my room was already ready, so they let me check in early and leave my bags behind.

After I dropped everything off, I made my way over to Wildberry Pancakes and Cafe, which was only about ten minutes away from the hotel. I didn’t have my bags on me, so it was a much easier walk than the one I had just taken from the Blue line. It was pretty busy, but it was only a 15-minute wait for a table for one. The waiter was very attentive (probably trying to turn tables around quickly), so I promptly decided on an iced chai tea latte, blueberry pancakes, and bacon. It was very good, but a massive portion. If you’re traveling with someone else, this might be a good dish to share.

After that, I walked over to Millenium Park. I quickly spotted The Bean, so I walked over and gave it a good inspection. There were no surprises as it was exactly what I had seen online. It was a little warm, but I noticed people were taking shelter under its shade. I joined them, where I saw a cool distorted view of everyone as I looked up. I also walked around the rest of Millenium Park and neighboring green spaces, which was nice.

I then made my way over to the Chicago Cultural Center, which is where things took a turn for the worse. The center itself was interesting, and it had some cool tile work on the walls and floors, which I really liked. However, as I was leaving the center and admiring the last of the floor tiles, I missed the last step on the staircase I was walking down and took a big spill in the lobby. Fortunately, I broke my fall with my forehead. It was very dramatic and a little embarrassing, not to mention extremely painful, so I decided to cut my afternoon short and head back to the hotel. When I got back, I asked the front desk person for ice, and she quickly produced two ice packs for me (talk about customer service!). I then went back up to my room, iced my right eyebrow (which had become very swollen), and researched urgent cares in the area. I’m on my mom’s health insurance for five more months and by God, I’ll use it when I need it.

Fortunately, I felt ok and passed all my self-administered concussion tests, so I skipped the urgent care visit and headed over to Wrigley Field in the evening to watch the Cubs play the Guardians. Nothing like nice weather and overpriced ballpark food to make any situation better. I walked around the riverwalk a bit before making my way over to the game as I was going to be passing it on my way to the Red line anyway. It was pretty busy, with lots of riverboats and personal boats making their way down the channel.

I was prepared to be extra focused on navigating since I’d never been before, but the sea of Cubs merch got me to where I needed to be. My ticket was much more expensive than a Washington Nationals ticket, so that could only mean that this team was actually good. I paid extra attention to the steeper than usual steps up to my seat so as to not black out my other eye.

During the game, I noticed people keeping their own score on paper scorecards. This isn’t something exclusive to Cubs fans as I’ve noticed it at Nationals Park as well. I don’t quite get it – it’s like they think the actual game score keepers will miss a play or a home run and frantically come over to corroborate. I was also frequently asked baseball game rule questions by my seat neighbor. I don’t know what made me look like the expert, but to her credit, I did know all the answers. Maybe she thought no one would come to a baseball game alone unless they were a super fan. Every time I’d clarify a rule, she’d quickly turn over to the people she came with and relay the information. I’m glad I could help.

I ended up leaving after the top of the eighth because I wanted to beat the traffic that was going to be hitting the Addison station. I’d never seen a baseball game that busy, so I knew trying to get back to the hotel would have been a nightmare if I left when the game ended. Besides, the Cubs were up anyway, so I didn’t feel the need to see it out.

Overall, it was a very fun and busy day. I’ve added (and will continue to add) pictures of my adventures each day. If you’re curious, you can click on each picture as I added some additional context to most of them.

Day 2

I started my day by dropping by The Drunken Bean Coffee & Wine Bar, which was about a ten-minute walk/stair climb from the hotel. I ordered an iced vanilla latte with oat milk and a lemon blueberry muffin, which was really good. It had plenty of seating if that’s what you’re looking for (that’s what I usually look for anyway), but I decided to take it back to my hotel room.

After scarfing down my breakfast, I headed over to the Starbucks Reserve. It was about a 20-minute walk from my hotel, and also right on the Magnificent Mile. To be completely honest, it was a last-minute decision to go, so I didn’t think to get breakfast there instead of the coffee shop I had visited earlier. Starbucks pastries don’t usually do it for me, but they all seemed to be prepared fresh on site at the Reserve. Plus, I’d never seen most of the food items they were serving.

It was quite the production inside – there were five floors, each one with their own thing going on. Unfortunately, the fifth floor was closed this day, so I didn’t get to go up to the roof terrace to see the views of Michigan Avenue and other parts of Chicago. However, that wasn’t too upsetting because I knew that I had 360 Chicago coming up.

After grabbing an Arnold Palmer, I made my way up the rest of the Magnificent Mile/Michigan Avenue to get to 360 Chicago, which is an at least 94 story building that offers amazing views of the city. While a little on the expensive side (tourist prices…), I’d say it’s worth it, especially if you take your time up at the top. They had some general information about Chicago and its neighborhoods as you were waiting for your turn in the elevator up. It almost felt like one of those Disney rides where the company tries to make the waiting part less painful by decorating the waiting line area within an inch of its life.

I made sure to spend some good quality time up on the 94^th floor when I got up there to make sure I got my money’s worth. Besides, I have a tendency to not take things in fully and I didn’t have anything to get to immediately after. I took a couple of laps around the floor, stopping periodically to look deep in thought (and charge my phone). The views were spectacular though; I especially liked the view of the Chicago shoreline meeting Lake Michigan.

In fact, I liked that view so much that I decided to visit. After deciding I was done at 360 Chicago, I walked over to the shoreline and walked along the Lakefront Trail. I’d seen it several times on my various social media pages, so I’m glad I was able to stop by. However, I didn’t make it over without falling victim to the uneven sidewalks and twisting my ankle, which was also already sore from the fall I had taken the previous day.

But the show must go on! I walked it off and made it over to the Lincoln Park Chess Pavilion. I sat there a bit to give my poor ankle a break, but also to take in the views I had just seen at 360 Chicago from another angle. There were so many people out on the beach enjoying the weather. They were even swimming in the lake, which I didn’t realize was allowed. I guess I’m used to avoiding the Anacostia and Potomac River water at all costs. If I were to do the trip over again, I would have considered bringing a swimsuit.

I then made my way the other direction and walked about two miles to Navy Pier. I continued seeing people out on the beach enjoying the weather. I walked by 360 Chicago and wondered how many people up there were looking in our direction at that very moment.

I finally made it to Navy Pier and dropped by Chef Art Smith’s Reunion for lunch. I ordered a lunch special, which involved a caser salad, fried chicken, and mashed potatoes. I then spent a little time wandering around Navy Pier but decided to go back to my hotel a little early for some extra afternoon rest time as it was crowded. That’s one of the great things about solo travel – you can change your plans on a whim whenever you want and don’t have to worry about disappointing anyone.

After resting up, I made the 15-minute walk over to the Ogden Slip (which is right next to the Riverwalk) to make my 5:30 Chicago Architecture Tour boat. This was definitely one of the main things I was looking forward to on my trip, and it didn’t disappoint. The tour guide was very knowledgeable and pointed out buildings I wouldn’t have even looked twice at. We even passed the Amtrak yard where I tried to spot the train I would be boarding the next day.

After a full day of activities and my heavy lunch, I headed back to the hotel and picked up Sun chips and Swedish Fish (dinner of champions).

Day 3 (Chicago)

This was my last (half) day in Chicago. Which I was sad about because I was having a great time (besides nearly breaking my ankle and giving myself a concussion). I decided to pick up breakfast at the coffee shop/restaurant in the hotel lobby to save some time as I wanted to get to the Chicago History Museum sooner rather than later.

After finishing my breakfast, I checked out of the hotel and headed over to Union Station to drop off my bags. It was an easy bus ride over, but one thing I will mention is that if you’re navigating to Union Station in Chicago and planning on taking the Amtrak, make sure to put the specific address into Google Maps or Apple Maps or whatever you’re using. I just navigated to “Union Station”, which took me to the Metra part of the station. I then had to walk around a bit to try and find the Amtrak part, which wasn’t fun with all my bags. I would also suggest making it clear to the Metropolitan Lounge attendants that you are just looking to self-store your bags, not check them. I didn’t make that clear when I first asked, so they sent me to the baggage check line, which would have meant I would have forfeited my bags for the duration of the trip. This is not what I wanted as I had all my clothes in there.

I then caught another bus to the Chicago History Museum, which was about two miles away. I wanted to get there early so I had a decent amount of time to explore the museum without worrying about missing my train. However, I really only had 45 minutes there, which I didn’t feel like was quite enough. I saw the things I was most interested in, but I would suggest making sure you carve out more time to see everything if you plan on going.

After the morning’s adventures, I jumped on my last Chicago bus and headed over to Lou Mitchell’s for brunch. It was right next to the Amtrak station, and I had heard it was kind of an institution. This was perfect as I missed Giodano’s the night before.

I was sat at the bar next to this very chatty, older woman. She didn’t seem to be quite all there, but it was interesting to talk to her, nonetheless. She talked about all sorts of topics, ranging from family and her daughter that takes care of her to the cleaning business she ran in her younger years. I got a little concerned when she insisted I take down her address and phone number in case I wanted to stay with her the next time I visited Chicago. I knew that I wasn’t going to be tracking her down afterwards, but now I worry she has a tendency to give that information out to anyone she chats with.

As we were leaving, she asked for my leftovers so she could feed them to the animals that roam outside her house. I’d never been asked for my leftovers before but didn’t really have any qualms doing so because I was going to be throwing them away anyway. After she took them, she then told me she was instead going to offer them to the homeless man outside the restaurant because if he was really hungry, he’d take them. I didn’t love being a part of that, but at that point, I didn’t feel like I could immediately take my half-eaten pancakes back.

We both went up to pay at the same time. I paid first, which I felt like I lucked out on because it meant I could run to Union Station before she gave me her social security number. Since I was in a sleeper accommodation, I was able to spend my waiting time in the Metropolitan Lounge, which had ample seating, snacks, and drinks, which came especially in handy as our train was delayed an hour.

Days on the California Zephyr

Day 3 (California Zephyr)

Ok, this is where the train adventure finally began! If you’re reading this, this is probably the part you’re most interested in.

Before I knew it though, we had been boarded and were leaving Chicago Union Station. I got settled into my roomette before checking out the observation car. It was already pretty packed even though we hadn’t even come close to the scenic part yet. I sat down for a few minutes, met a few fellow passengers, and decided to go back down to my roomette.

A few hours later, it was time for dinner. One of the sleeper car attendants had come by a while earlier and scheduled me for the 6:30 dinner reservation. Because I was a solo traveler, they sat me with other people, which was a father and his daughter (and grandchildren in the next table over), as well as a solo male passenger. The father was the most chatty, and we discussed all kinds of things. He was an experienced Amtrak passenger, with multiple trips along the California Zephyr and east coast routes under his belt. Apparently, his other daughter has a phobia of flying, so train traveling became a necessity. I didn’t see the other daughter, so I assume her phobia also kept her children from flying. Their plan was to travel from Chicago to Denver, where the daughter with the flying phobia would pick up her kids/his grandchildren.

I ordered the Pan Roasted Chicken Breast, which came with mashed potatoes, green beans, and carrots. The carrots are the circular orange things, which I had seen several times on other people’s travel videos but was never explained. I think they were Parisienne carrots. The chicken also had these crunchy potato things on top. For dessert, I got the chocolate spoon cake, which was much more normally shaped. Overall, it was a good dinner and I highly suggest getting it if you find yourself on a long-distance Amtrak trip.

After dinner, I went back down to my roomette to spend the evening looking outside my window. Though not the most scenic part of the route yet, it was still interesting to see what was out there. It was mostly cornfields, but not completely flat. There were a few cars that drove next to us, and sometimes the drivers and passengers would wave at us. That was a common occurrence throughout this trip. I also kept jolting my head to look at the roomette next to me as there was a kid staying in there wearing a neon yellow shirt, which for some reason, I thought was exclusive to my youngest brother. Every time I saw the aggressively yellow shirt out of the corner of my eye, I would turn my head and realize it wasn’t him.

Soon enough, it was time for bed, so the car attendant came over to set up my bed. She unfolded(?) the seats to be completely flat, put a mattress topper that already had sheets wrapped around on top, then gave me a blanket. I then made my way over to the shared shower room and got ready for bed.

Day 4

This was the only full day on the California Zephyr, and in most people’s opinions, the most scenic. I could feel people’s energies as we all waited to get to Denver, which is where the scenery the trip was most known for was going to be starting.

Well, energy might not be the right word. I know I had a difficult time sleeping the night before because of how rocky the train was. I was waking up pretty much every hour. I thought I might have just been too used to the nice hotel room, but everyone I talked to seemed to have the same issue. But what are you going to do, no one rides the Amtrak for the best night of sleep. The smell of the coffee my room attendant had prepared helped though.

The first thing I did after getting dressed and ready was run up to the observation car. This proved not to be necessary (at least at that very moment) as there were plenty of seats. It was really only after Denver I needed to worry about. The scenery was nice but could not be compared to what we would be seeing later.

After sitting in there a little bit, I walked over to the dining car to eat some breakfast. I was sat across from the same father and daughter, but minus the grandkids. Apparently, their plane fearing mother was waiting for them in Denver with Dunkin Donuts, so they turned down the dining car breakfast. I, however, didn’t have someone waiting for me with Dunkin Donuts, so I ordered the Continental breakfast. This included oatmeal with brown sugar, raisins, and strawberries, as well as yogurt and a croissant.

After finishing breakfast, I ran back over to the observation car to see that it had filled up noticeably more. I knew I was right to get there early! I found an open seat and sat myself down until Denver. I definitely wanted to be one of the first to see the changing scenery.

However, I made a mistake. Denver was a fresh air break, so I quickly ran outside to get some fresh air and look at the station. I didn’t go far or spend that long out for fear of losing my seat, but when I got back, someone else had already taken it. Fortunately, there was another seat open I grabbed, but I did realize how competitive the observation car was going to be.

The conductor knew what he was doing though. After we dropped people off and picked others up at Denver and started moving, he came over the loudspeaker and set some ground rules. Most of the rules he stated were common sense (like not trying to flush diapers down the toilet and wearing shoes around the train), but the main point he wanted to drive home was that there was a two hour time limit for people in the observation car as he wanted to make sure everyone got a chance to see the scenery. I was already planning on doing this as I had heard about this rule from my research, but I appreciated him explicitly telling people to be fair. He also reminded us several times that there were 300 people on the train, but only 60 seats in the observation car.

Soon enough, we approached the Rocky Mountains. We began climbing, and everyone pulled out their phones (and professional cameras) to take pictures. We were all snapping away for a bit. Whenever one person would raise their camera, six others did the same thing because that one person must have seen something especially camera worthy. I took some pictures but then decided to put the camera down for the most part to make sure I was enjoying the moment.

Before the Moffat tunnel, I decided to go back to my room. I was informed by another passenger that the best scenery for the next part would be on the left side, which was where my roomette window faced. Besides, my two hours were nearly up, and I was not about to be the one to deprive someone else of their reason for catching this specific train.

For those of you who don’t know, passengers are not allowed to walk between train cars as the train goes through the Moffat Tunnel as fumes get caught in the closed space and can travel through the doors if they’re open. The conductor told us this several times in the half hour before we went through the tunnel. However, literally as we just pulled into the tunnel, the conductor had to interrupt his “Welcome to the Moffat Tunnel!” spiel with a stern “SIR DO NOT OPEN THAT DOOR!”. I don’t envy him, getting people (mostly adults by the way) to do what they’re supposed to is hard. He did end up commending us on our observation car sharing abilities later in the day though, so we weren’t totally lost.

After the Moffat tunnel, I went up to the dining car for lunch. I was sat across from a different father and his son, as well as the quiet guy from the dinner before. The quiet guy was much chattier this afternoon, I suppose from all the excitement. The father and son were pleasant as well. They had flown in from Arlington, so it was cool that we had that connection. Their reason for being on the train was that the son wanted to take the Rovos Rail in South Africa, but the father wanted to make sure that he actually enjoyed train travel on a shorter, less luxurious (expensive) ride. I had a feeling though that this ride was only going to get the son more excited though.

I spent my afternoon relaxing in my roomette, taking in more of the scenery. I did a puzzle, which I was happy I brought to break up the afternoon. I also took a nap, which was much needed after the less than impressive sleep I had gotten the night before. I was worried about sleeping through the scenery, but decided it was more worth it to be fully awake looking at most of it than half asleep looking at all of it.

I woke up for my 5:00 dinner reservation, which was early, but better than the 8:00 I was also offered. Because our car was the first to choose times the day prior, we were the last to choose times this day. Amtrak does seem to have all their ways of making things as fair as possible, and they do not take it lightly. I was sat across from the same father and son from lunch, so we continued our conversation. We discussed all kinds of things, but the most memorable was us talking about how we were both confused about how people would even want to walk around the train barefoot. But apparently it was an issue because the conductor kept on giving us reminders over the loudspeaker.

After dinner, as you could probably imagine, I spent the rest of the evening taking in the scenery. There was a pretty dramatic shift as we passed into Utah in the early evening. The tall mountains covered with trees and other greenery gave way to a dryer, little flatter environment. There were still mountains (or hills? I don’t know what the designation is), but we weren’t traveling directly between them. These hills/mountains kind of resembled anthills in their textures. The evening light was also hitting the environment in just the right way, making getting good pictures easy. This was my favorite part of the route, but I seemed to be in the minority because the observation car was pretty empty. Maybe the others were recovering from the Rocky Mountain scenery earlier in the day.

All this being said, I was a little worried at the beginning of this trip that I had spoiled the scenery for myself because of all the videos I had watched and blogs I had read. However, that could not have been further from the case. It’s impossible to capture even half of everything the nature on this route has to offer through a camera. I tried my best though, and I’m pretty happy with most of the pictures I got.

Day 5

I woke up early again. The scenery was similar to what we had seen the night before. Fortunately, I had a much better night of sleep as the tracks were much smoother. I think the train might have even slowed down a bit, but somehow, we made up all the time. So, at this point, we were scheduled to arrive 25 minutes early.

I moseyed on over to breakfast, where I was sat with three other people. This group was less chatty than everyone else I had been sat with before, which I somewhat appreciated. I had the french toast with bacon.

After that, I moved back to my roomette. The scenery was pretty much the same on the left and right side, so I didn’t feel the need to grab an observation car seat. However, after about an hour or so, I decided to move up to the observation car just to have a change of pace.

And boy was I glad I did so. Not to say that the scenery out the left hand side of the train (where my roomette was located) was bad, but there were more of the hills/mountains that I had seen the evening before out the right side. And again, the observation car was pretty much empty! I even ran into the father and son from Arlington and the father asked me how long I had been in there and if the scenery had changed much in a way that I could only assume they were not big fans. I can understand why most people preferred the more woodsy, mountainous areas, but I wish they didn’t sleep on the Utah and Nevada environment as much as they did.

I asked the Arlington father and son how they had slept the night before since I knew that I had slept much better. However, apparently they did not sleep well at all again. I asked the son how he would survive a 15 day Rovos Rail trip if he slept so poorly on this one, and his solution was that he was going to be drinking a bunch of Coke. I don’t know what that would achieve (caffeine maybe?), but he seemed sure that would solve his issues. I should have suggested melatonin or something instead.

After a morning well spent in the observation car, we finally made it to Reno. There wasn’t much to see at the station itself since it was built sunken in, but it was nice to get the fresh air. I talked to a woman and a man about their experiences on the rails thus far. The man had actually come all the way from the U.K. to ride this train!

Not wanting to even cut it close to missing the train, I hopped back on board. I sat in the observation car for a few more minutes, but then went to the dining car for lunch as the french toast I had for breakfast wasn’t really holding me.

I was sat with a mom and her two kids this time. They had boarded the train in Granby (I think) and were headed to Emeryville. They were then going to be making a transfer to the Coast Starlight to head up to Seattle to see some friends or family (the details are a little fuzzy for me here but it was something along those lines). Apparently the mom had promised the daughter a train trip after she had gotten the lead role in Matilda… two years ago. But the important thing was the promise was kept.

As we started lunch, the train made its way up the mountains again. I couldn’t help myself but listen in to the mom pointing out the aqueducts and geographical features to her kids, it was nice hearing someone else’s perspective on what was going on. I also felt like another one of her kids for a moment, which is weird as a completely unrelated 25-year-old. But her mom energy was too strong.

I only had time to eat my burger and chips before realizing the observation car was probably filling up because we were going up the mountains again. I took my buttercake to go and quickly grabbed a seat in the observation car. The scenery was beautiful, and before I knew it, we were at Donner Lake. Everyone rushed over to the right side of the train to try and get a look. The seat I had grabbed was on the left, but I could still see the lake by standing up.

And this is when someone was not following the two hour and no seat saving rules in the observation car. It was especially irritating as it was happening in a part that everyone was waiting for. I wasn’t about to start a fight with the guy, but I talked about how irritating it was with another woman.

As we were discussing how rude this was, a guy came by and sat in the empty middle seat. Apparently, he had been on every single Amtrak route, with the exception of the Auto-train and maybe two stations along the Texas Eagle. I asked him if he writes up his experiences anywhere as that is something I’d personally like to read, but he said he didn’t because he felt he needed to stay of the internet for his own sanity. Which I can understand.

After a while, I decided to head back down to my roomette where I spent the rest of the trip. I took another nap but made sure to be awake for the last couple of hours. At some point, we had gotten stuck behind a freight train or two, so we were running about two hours behind.

And before I knew it, I was in Emeryville! I had heard people talking about getting off at Richmond (the stop before Emeryville) because there was a BART station nearby that could take them into San Francisco, but I had made it this far and needed to take the WHOLE thing. Amtrak also offers a shuttle into San Francisco, which is completely free. I hadn’t even made a reservation for it prior as I had just set my ticket to end at Emeryville, but the bus driver let me on.

I sat next to the U.K. guy on the shuttle, where I tried to explain to him the cultural significance of In-n-Out Burger. He didn’t seem to completely understand but was excited that I was excited about being able to get a burger from a California In-n-Out. I worked at a couple of stores in Texas in high school and college, so it only felt right. This was also really the only California thing I had time for as we got into San Francisco late and I had an early flight the next morning.

Final Thoughts

As mentioned before, I LOVED my trip. It was everything I expected and more. The scenery was great, the staff was amazing, and I couldn’t have asked for a better experience. We were two hours late, but I had been prepared for that, and I would hardly consider that a lengthy delay. I’m already planning my next long-distance Amtrak trip. I’m thinking about taking the Empire Builder next, but we will see.

Also, at different times during this trip, I found myself thinking about a Profs and Pints lecture I had gone to a week prior. For those who aren’t familiar, Profs and Pints is a group that brings college professors into venues such as bars and coffee shops to host lectures on topics the general public might find interesting. They’re based in D.C. but have a presence across the country.

The lecture I most recently went to was called “The Great American Roadtrip” and was hosted by historian and professor of Global Affairs at Trinity Washington University Allen Pietrobon. Even though we think about roadtrips as getting in a car and driving, I learned that the idea of the roadtrip goes all the way back to when Europeans first came over. Americans have always been interested in what exists outside their current immediate surroundings and looked to try something new.

He touched on when Americans traveled out west in search of gold and other opportunities and what kinds of documentation we have of their adventure. What surprised me a bit was how he said women were the ones documenting the experiences and sharing them. This was because while the men were walking outside the wagons and taking care of repairs and whatever else had to be dealt with on a trip like that, the women were inside the wagon and had time to document. However, women’s travel writing dropped off after that as they ended up staying at home more.

I think what stuck out to me most was when he said that men traveling alone were seen as introspective and finding themselves while women traveling alone were just seen as alone, which came with its challenges.

However, this has fortunately changed over the years. I was far from the only female traveler on this trip, which was cool. Several other riders were still a little curious about why I had chosen to travel alone but seemed to understand my reasoning after I explained it. I also still had to take certain precautions. Extreme example, but if you’re familiar with the YouTube channel “Miles in Transit”, you’ll know that he tends to walk around at all hours of the night just to avoid taking Ubers, sometimes by himself. That is just something I’d never do as a solo female traveler. At one point, he even hitchhiked, which gives me hives to even think about doing.

That said, I found the timing of that lecture kind of funny. As a woman traveling alone out west not searching for gold or accompanied by a husband and children, I doubt anyone in 1848 could’ve imagined why someone like me would do this. Sure, my trip had its share of trials and tribulations (mostly related to that spill I took in Chicago), but it’s nothing compared to what people faced heading west before the railroad.

Trip Report Videos

I spent an excessive amount of time watching trip reports on YouTube before my trip. They really got me excited about the journey, so I thought I’d include a few of my favorites. Besides, watching someone’s trip vs reading about it are two different experiences.

Miles in Transit – I love this channel in general, but especially appreciate the trip reports. They took the California Zephyr from Emeryville to Chicago (the opposite way from me) and did it all in coach. As implied before, I do like how chaotic it is compared to some of the more “polished” vlogs.

Chloé and sometimes Ludvig – This channel always has well produced trip reports, and her California Zephyr video was no different. It was also very detailed and informative, which I appreciated for preparing myself for staying somewhere new for a couple nights.

Sojournies – A shorter video for those who don’t want to sit through a super long video. I also learned a lot about how to prepare for my first overnight train trip from her other videos!