Route through California

 After cruising along the bay and through the delta, we stopped in Sacramento near the Old Sacramento district. Our next stop was Roseville, which has a huge rail yard. At that point the ride got more interesting. The western Sierra Nevada has a number of east-west ridges separated by deep river canyons. The California Zephyr traverses the route that the Central Pacific’s Big Four developed in the 1860s. Within minutes of leaving Roseville, we were climbing up into the foothills – Gold Country! – passing apple orchards, ranches, and exurban dwellings. There are supposedly 22 tunnels or snow sheds on the way up the mountain. They started to appear in the foothills. A very scenic stop was in the town of Colfax, which is very gold rushy.

A shortish, somewhat rotund conductor, who was probably in his 80s, used his big, booming voice to occasionally narrate our climb, for those of us in the observation car. He gave details about the route, identified the Douglas fir and Ponderosa pine outside the windows, and answered questions. With the addition of a full, white beard and a red suit, he could easily pass as Santa Claus. An entertaining addition to the experience.

Many people left the train at Truckee or Reno. The ride between Roseville and Truckee would be hard to beat for a memorable experience.

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