We had enjoyed an absolutely stellar vacation, but it was nearly over. Everything had gone right, and we had even had a few serendipitous extras that were highlights of the trip.
The ride home was also a part of the vacation. We always enjoy riding the Southwest Chief. It has great views, it's a big, spacious train, and the vibe is the best of all the trains we have ridden.
That's no idle observation. Lorna and I have ridden virtually all of Amtrak's long-distance trains: the Lake Shore Limited, the Sunset Limited, the Crescent, the Empire Builder, the California Zephyr, the Coast Starlight, and the Southwest Chief. We have ridden a number of them several times, and we agree the Southwest Chief is the most fun to be on. This trip was no different.
Of course the Dining Car, as on the west-bound trip, was more for socializing than for gustatory delights. The people were interesting, and the food was, ah, ummm, er, "interesting". So we followed our usual routine of something light in the dining car and then a proper light supper afterward in the dining car, like the one shown here.
I must note here that we obviously took the Lake Shore Limited west and then east, and the Southwest Chief west and then east. The post about the Lake Shore Limited has information and photos from both rides, and this one includes photos and information about both rides. This way if you take an interest in riding one of these trains, you need read only one post.
We rode east through eastern California and Arizona in the night and then through New Mexico and Colorado during the first full day. The scenery is like nothing here in New England. There's a lot of real nothing out there, but the Red Hills of New Mexico, the mountains between NM and Colorado, and some other places provided plenty of scenic viewing. All the same, the distances are so great that even I am glad I did not have to drive those miles.
Our train dinners were also a great opportunity to recap our California foodie discoveries. There were some, like the legendary Russian River Brewing Pliny the Elder Imperial IPA that I had to reserve for friends, and some like the rare and matchless Lost Spirits Leviathan II that I had to reserve for me (I had every intention of bringing it to my club, but Richmond and I sampled it and that plan was discarded...)
This dinner includes a Cowgirl Creamery nettle-wrapped St Pat with California prosciutto and Sequana Russian River Valley Pinot Noir, somewhere in western Kansas.
Sleeping on the train can be a challenge, so I usually prepare something for a nightcap. But the lounge car fare is strictly mediocre, so I got a cup of ice and retired to my coach where I had another artisanal California treat to explore: a premixed, barrel-aged Fluid Dynamics Brandy Manhattan made with California-made Vya sweet vermouth. That went very nicely with Henry James' chilling novella The Turn of the Screw.
All good things come to an end. We had explored much of the huge state of California, driving over a thousand miles while we were there. We had dined wonderfully well all up and down the coast, we found interesting new things, fresher produce of types we never see in New England, sampled new wines, beers, and of course all those gins, and we traveled 7,000 miles by rail. Nothing went wrong, and there were a number of unexpected serendipitous discoveries like the Jack London Ranch and the Queen Mary. We were lucky with the weather, the people, and just about everything. It would be folly to try to reproduce it and expect the same great luck, but we have the photos and this log to keep our memories alive. I am glad we could share it with you!
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