Passengers to the train!
The trip, like time, needs space to draw the cartography not only of an experience, but of an authentic art: that of travelling. The train, considered the most experiential, relaxed and, in a certain way, spiritual means of transport, It was initially the cause of conflicts and, like any new company, of many efforts.
President Abraham Lincoln got Congress to pass the Pacific Rail Act to, a year later, in 1863, begin construction work on the railroad in california , where two months after the Civil or Secession War (1848), depending on who tells it, gold had been discovered.
The newly released state had a small population, so Irish and later Chinese workers were required. Given the great work capacity of the latter, they ended up constituting the bulk of the workers, reaching the figure of 6,000 hired in 1866.
May 10, 1869 At the top of Promontory, Utah, the lines that would trace the Transcontinental were connected, the first and longest of the world's railway lines until several decades later Russia built the Trans-Siberian.
So that, the first transcontinental railroad in the United States is the name of the line that linked the city of Omaha (Nebraska) with Sacramento, linking the rail network of the eastern United States with California on the Pacific coast. One of the many achievements of Abraham Lincoln, completed four years after his death.
The California Zephyr Train
Parallel to this feat, The origin of American watchmaking takes place. It began a few years later, in late 1883, when the railroad industry agreed to divide the nation into four time zones and adopt Standard Time, a move soon followed by the people even though Congress didn't make it official until 1918.
Webb C. Ball devised the system that would make the timetable for trains and clocks used by this industry recognized as the Standard. The precision of its clocks managed to prevent the railway accidents that had occurred to date.
Appointed Chief Inspector of the railway lines, which then covered 75% of the entire route, covering at least 175,000 miles of railway lines (more than 280,000 kilometers), premiered his system in Cleveland, to later extend it to Mexico and Canada.
Today, the company he founded, **Ball Watch,** is a well-respected brand in his country, and around the world, boasting models like the Trainmaster Worldtime Chronograph.
Genesis and chronology aside, the fact is that the train is chosen by romantic travelers who reject the experience of starring in a road movie ' (and local examples are not lacking, although perhaps the most remembered is Ridley Scott's Thelma & Louise) or traveling comfortably and quickly by plane.
Without rushing, enjoying every little detail, turning the trip into a vital experience, in the purest slow style.
The route most chosen by this type of traveler, due to the panorama and the historical significance that it offers of the United States, is that of the California Zephyr from Chicago to San Francisco, that, in connection with the Lake Shore Limited from New York or Boston to Chicago or the Capitol Limited from Washington DC to Chicago travels the country from coast to coast.
Romantic traveler, this is your train
And it is that the route of the California Zephyr, which entered service in 1949, it covers much of the first historic route of the transcontinental railroad.
In addition, it is also the cheapest way to cross the country (unless you're an aspiring novelist, in which case the trip might be free), as the blogger has shown Derek Low who spent 204 euros on the route of this train to which he had to add 207 more to reach New York. To do this, once in Chicago he had to transfer to the services of Lake Shore Limited , another of the most mythical trains.
The cost of the trip varies depending on the needs of the traveler and can reach up to €2,000 , if what you want is to enjoy a luxury sleeping car and a kitchen worthy of a five-star hotel.
It is also possible buy a pass for €369 to make the trip for a fortnight. And it is that the most purist travelers will choose, without a doubt, to make stops to spend a couple of days at each stopover. In this coming and going, it is easy for one to meet Amish travelers who come up in Colorado.
In their wagons you will cross the whole country
The California Zephyr Train route is one of the most extraordinary train journeys in the world and in about 48 hours the journey of almost 4,000 km crosses Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska, Colorado, Utah, Nevada and California.
The Zephyr, which runs daily from Chicago to Emeryville, near San Francisco, regularly uses the transcontinental rail line original from Sacramento to Winnemucca, Nevada.
When the tall buildings of Chicago are left behind, reaches the plains of Nebraska and continues on to Denver. From Colorado's capital, traverse the Rocky Mountains and its incredible canyons until Salt Lake City , cradle of the Mormons. At night it crosses Snowfall , arrives at Reindeer and enters California through the Sierra Nevada to the Pacific coast and the mythical San Francisco.
The California Zephyr uses Superliner trains, whose main attraction is the spectacular panoramic car. Its glass walls and ceilings and its reclining seats allow you to admire the landscape as if you were in a cinema.
In some sections, an expert in history or geography provides explanations about the region that is traversed that, in many cases, will provoke in the traveler the desire to discover it on foot.
The beauty of traversing the Rockies by train
Without getting off the train, or going up and down as we please, in a kind of astral journey, we can trace the nostalgic journey of those inhabitants of the western america or look for the most curious places on a plain where the Zephyr rides.
A small guide for the restless and alternative traveler who decides to get off this centennial train could be made up of these visits:
SACRAMENT
The capital of California is considered one of the best cities to live in the United States , since it is a relatively small region that has managed to grow without losing its charm.
In addition to the ** California State Railroad Museum **, at the center of the days of the Gold Rush, you can visit the place where the American pioneers settled in the California region: the Strong Sutter , which at the time was called New Helvetia (Switzerland), because it was built by John Sutter, a Swiss emigrant fleeing creditors. Today totally rebuilt, in a good start to get into the trip.
SALT LAKE CITY
The capital of Utah is known as the Great Salt Lake or, alternatively, as the Salt Flats. It is the seat of the first Mormon church, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , whose assembly is a jewel of Gothic architecture, yes, built between 1877 and 1882.
Can visit the beehive residence , the home of Brigham Young (president of the church), and experience what life was like in 1856 or listen to the famous Mormon Tabernacle Choir.
Salt Lake City is also the genealogical capital of the world, so a getaway to FamilySearch Center and the Family History Library would be interesting. Although, of course, one can also simply swim in the Great Salt Lake, which with its high salinity and shallow depth always offers a pleasant swim.
Sacramento, one of the best cities to live in the United States
INDEPENDENCE PASS
It is located at 4,000 meters of altitude in the Rocky Mountains. It's the highway that runs from Aspen to Leadville. , through the Central Rockies.
Near the pass is located the ghost town of independence , an old mining town that was abandoned when the miners grew tired of the long, harsh winters and diminishing opportunities in the industry.
WHAT TO DO IN DENVER BESIDES SKIING?
Well, we can think of three alternative plans. To start, **go shopping for luxury stores at Cherry Creek Mall**, the largest in the Rocky Mountain region which, among its 160 stores, includes 40 exclusive boutiques from this region.
You can also visit the p golden mining town , where the bottling plant for the world - renowned Coors beer brand is located . Black Hawk is not a bad option for those who want to get lost in its eternal casinos.
THE MALCOLM X MEMORIAL IN OMAHA
American speaker, religious minister, and activist Malcolm Little , whose full official name was El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz, was born in Omaha in 1925.
The city remembers him with a beautiful square and a memorial at his birthplace , which allows visitors to pay their respects to the human rights activist who, among other things, said: "If you don't stand up for something, you will die for nothing."
** CHICAGO : A BIT OF SURREALISM**
In the Heartland Cafe The first exhibition was held Totems without taboos , of exquisite corpses by the Chicago Surrealist Group –the same ones who denounced the superficiality of the first 'celebrities' of art, with Warhol in the lead-, where people with typewriters told curious stories.
Since 1976, the local serves vegetarian food and organic products , in addition to having a store and offering live music.
They have been serving vegan food since 1976