Not that there is a bad time to head to the mountains, but the summertime is always a nice time to escape the heat of Sacramento and return to the pine forests this time near Nevada City, CA. I have always wanted to visit the Malakoff Diggins State Historic Park and return to Nevada City, so this last weekend was a perfect combination. Nevada City is located in Nevada County - of course - which is generally about an hour north of Interstate 80 heading to Reno and Lake Tahoe. The state park is very remote requiring deft skill to navigate rural Nevada County without getting lost, especially when the GPS routes you down a steep canyon and a rickety wood bridge!
Main Street of Malakoff Diggins SHP
Malakoff Diggins is the site of one of the largest environmental disasters in the United States. While hydraulic mining - using high pressure water to cut into rocks - had been around for a very long time, the application of it on such a massive scale during the California Gold Rush caused widespread damage throughout Northern California as large volumes of rock and earth washed down into the valley. This damage led to the nation's first environmental regulations which shows how monumental the results.
Restored Saloon Interior
Once a day, the park staff conduct a tour of the restored mining town including several restored buildings. Until 1965, the area was still inhabited by residents who maintained the few buildings still standing. The State of California took over the care and restoration of the area to showcase the historical nature of the Gold Rush - good and bad. The town had nearly everything the miners needed and wanted, although the winter snow made things very harsh. Nevertheless, as long as the whiskey and gold were flowing, everyone was pretty happy!
Restored Drug Store Interior
Many state parks have similar buildings, but the extra care shown to the buildings here is unique. After enjoying the history of the town, I drove further to the actual mining site. It is here where you can see the massive scale of the operations. Pictures cannot do justice to the damage done to the area, although modern strip mining and mountaintop removal sites are still doing a great job of destroying the landscape in other states. The juxtaposition of the environmental scars and natural beauty of the recovered forest is pretty cool.
Downtown Nevada City
After a long day at the mine, I retired to the big city similar to miners of old, but a lot faster with modern transportation. Downtown Nevada City tries to recreate their heyday by restoring their historic downtown with wineries, restaurants, and even a few saloons. I arrived just in time to hit one of the wineries for a nice tasting before heading over to a cute restaurant for some cheese fondue. Before leaving town, I found a neat little ice cream shop selling one of the best ice cream cones I have ever enjoyed - lemon custard.
Delicious Lemon Custard Ice Cream
For some reason, the California Department of Transportation put a real freeway between Nevada City and Grass Valley which is weird for a pair of small mountain towns, but convenient for heading back to Sacramento. Our region was built for good or bad on the Gold Rush, so it is important to understand where we came from. Please enjoy the rest of my pictures below.
Old House in Black & White
Interior of the Livery Stable
View of Main Street
Example of the Hydraulic Mining Equipment
The King's Saloon and Drug Store
Interior of The King's Saloon
High-End Bedroom for the Shop Owner
Restored General Store Interior with Root Beer Barrel
There are only a few cities that I know intimately. Obviously, I know a lot about Sacramento, Phoenix, and Flagstaff after living most of my life in those cities. San Francisco is a popular destination for those of us living in Northern California, and I know it well. Rounding out that list, somewhat surprisingly, is the city of Chicago, Illinois. Now you may ask, why would a California boy know a lot about Chicago? It IS weird and all due to one of my closest friends deciding to move there after leaving Arizona and is not entirely due to the availability of free lodging in one of the world's most interesting cities!
Buckingham Fountain with Chicago Skyline
I have visited Chicago nearly annually since 2004 and have seen everything. I can give tourists directions and make train connections with the ease of a local. Chicago is a classic big city and proud of it. Many large cities are just big small cities, but Chicago embraces its loud and big status as the capitol of the Midwest and the official Second City. The city is alive with youth and energy. Visiting Chicago in the summer can be relentless with the humidity and temperature each leapfrogging each other to ever unbearable levels. However, there is just so much to do when the city puts away the sweaters and snow shoes and takes a summer vacation!
The Field Museum South Entrance
This trip was primarily to experience the Chicago Air & Water Show, but it was a good excuse to see my friend's new condo and hit the sights. I have seen many things in Chicago including but not limited to the following:
If you are looking for a great trip, pick any of the above and book your trip immediately. Chicago also has many world class restaurants and music and art festivals year round - although visiting Chicago in the winter is very difficult to enjoy.
El Station on the Blue Line at Western
After recovering from my long train trip on the California Zephyr, I boarded the El and headed to the Loop for some museums. Downtown Chicago is rich with culture including several excellent museums. The Field Museum was showing a special exhibit on Vikings. Feeling my heritage, I entered the museum and exhibit to learn about my ancestry. The term "viking" described their journeys of exploration, trade, and general mayhem, not the people. Most went home to their farms spending the long winters telling tales of their adventures.
Big Beef Hot and Wet from Al's Italian Beef
Lunchtime brought me of course to Al's Italian Beef for the iconic Chicago sandwich and namesake. Asking who has the best Italian Beef in Chicago is like asking for the best croissant in Paris, peach cobbler in Atlanta, or best ribs in Kansas City. This beauty was born of convenience due to its location in downtown Chicago, but ordering it wet (extra gravy) and hot (pickled hot peppers) makes it special. The Italian Beef is thinly sliced roast beef soaked in an Italian-seasoned thin gravy and heaped on a roll with peppers and/or cheese. Intense beef flavor and melt-in-your-mouth tenderness.
I also got to see the United States Navy Parachute Team - known as the Leap Frogs - at the restaurant. These Navy Seals were eager to fill up with Italian Beef before their rather unfortunate jump the following day. There was an accident with their joint display with the Army team which ended tragically in the death of an Army parachuter. This is a reminder that these guys do risk their lives daily, except when safe in line waiting for a delicious lunch.
Ancient and Modern at the Art Institute of Chicago
After lunch, I spent the rest of the afternoon lingering at the Art Institute of Chicago with thousands of other art fans - or maybe just tourists looking to escape the heat in the air conditioned museum! This place is truly awesome being one of the best art museums in the world. They were ranked as the best museum in the world and are very humble in placing a giant foam finger near the entrance quietly proclaiming "We're Number One!" Jokes aside, this place is massive and has an amazing selection of art from all over the world across the ages. Their selection of American art may be the best anywhere, and their Impressionist section always hogs my time. They have the famous Seurat painting made iconic by Ferris Bueller's Day Off and Whistler's Mother. This place is an absolute must for any art lover.
Children Enjoying the Air and Water Show at Lincoln Park
After a wonderful night of pizza and the Chicago skyline, it was time to hit the main event - the Chicago Air & Water Show. This massive air show combines aerial acrobatics with the Blue Angels over Lake Michigan along the Chicago shoreline. The free event also includes a lot of water activity, but this requires fighting the massive crowds on the beach, so we made our way to Lincoln Park for a good view. Most of the city braved the heat and humidity to see the spectacular displays. I did not get to see the Leap Frogs make their brave leap, but I am sure it was impressive. If that was not enough, we spend the evening with friends in Little Italy for a local Italian Festival and watching drunk college students play bocce ball. Awesome.
Chicago Deep-Dish Pizza for Breakfast
The combination of humidity and a long train ride ended up taking a lot out of me during this trip, so a quiet last day was spent wandering the local neighborhood playing dog-owner and enjoying the feel of the big city. I was lucky enough to give up my return air ticket in exchange for enough credit for another future adventure. Chicago is a wonderful town, and I highly recommend visiting early and often. Please enjoy the rest of my pictures below.
As a man who loves trains, it was only a matter of time before I finally took a long-distance train ride across the United States. Amtrak operates several long-distance trains that cover much of the same routes of the classic American trains that used to be the best option before the Interstate Highway System forever changed the country. The California Zephyr recreates most of the original route between Oakland, CA and Chicago, IL stopping in Salt Lake City and Denver. This route is considered one of the most scenic routes in the world and absolutely lives up to its reputation.
Free Coffee in the Superliner Roomette
Most people have ridden a train in their lifetime. There are many commuter railroads, intercity rail - domestic & international, and classic scenic railroads with steam and classic options. Few people under the age of 40 have ever spent two days on a train. My trip left Sacramento, CA at 11:00 AM on a Tuesday and arrived in Chicago at 4:00 PM on a Thursday. That's 50 hours! I splurged and had a Superliner Roomette which is essentially two large chairs facing each other in a closet with a large picture window to the world. At night, the attendant converts the room into twin bunk beds complete with sheets and a mattress.
Daytime Seat with Pillow
I was very surprised in the overall comfort of the room. It is extremely small and basic, but its functional layout, including power outlets and lighting, makes it a good option for single or couple travel. The rooms are on two levels of the train with shared bathrooms. I had no major problems with the bathrooms other than a rather awkward shower once the train started moving. Lots of privacy is available in the sleeping car with free meals and lots of coffee, juice, and ice water.
Train Climbing the Sierra Nevada Mountains near Truckee, CA
The first day of the trip involves passing over the Sierra Nevada Mountain Range between Sacramento and Reno. The route roughly follows Interstate 80 - or should I say Interstate 80 roughly follows the route since the tracks were here first! You get a very different view of the mountains from the train, although many sections have views from one side of the train only. It takes about 5 hours to arrive in Reno, but the time seems to slip away as you are mesmerized by the spectacular scenery. You can also have lunch on the train. Food is included with the sleeping car, but is available for purchase for those in coach.
Amtrak Steak with Baked Potato and Vegetables
Speaking of food, this is one of the less interesting part of the trip. On a multi-day trip, you will eat a lot of meals. Amtrak has a standard menu of breakfast, lunch, and dinner with only a few items. The food is just OK, nothing really special, but you can join your fellow passengers for a nice conversation. Alcohol is available on board for purchase, but make sure to bring lots of cash. On my trip, the dining car did not accept credit cards the whole trip and ATM are very rare on the trip. Most of the passengers are older, retired couples with most of the younger passengers eating in coach so be prepared for conversations about Social Security and grandkids!
Sunrise in Southern Utah
Sleeping on the train is a challenge. Some people can sleep like a baby while under fire rolling in a tank. Others like me need a nice bed and a quiet dark room. The train is a noisy and jolting experience. The motion of the train can be both soothing and jarring as the wheels hit joints in the track or pass over switchers. You will hear and feel everything, so you may have sleeping problems if you are sensitive to this. Needless to say, I did not get much sleep on the train alternating between hot and cold from the weak HVAC system and being pushed to either side of the bed all night long. Fortunately the lower bunk is long enough for most tall men, but the top bunk is really for the shorter companion.
Crossing the Rockies following the Colorado River
The second day of the train is just absolutely spectacular! I slept through most of Utah even though the train stopped to exchange several passengers in the early morning hours. Interestingly enough, most of the train's passengers do not go the whole route. Many use Amtrak to go between cities or to connect from smaller cities along the route. This was also a nice excuse to get off the train for a "fresh air break" or "smoke break" depending on your habit.
Most of the day however was spent gawking at the awesome scenery as the train followed the Colorado River on its long and windy path up into the Rocky Mountains. Be warned, there are many people on the river rafting and fishing and some of them really enjoy mooning and flashing the train as it slowly but surely chugs its way up into the heavens.
Far Left Outfield of Coors Field in Denver, CO
The California Zephyr uses the Moffat Tunnel to make the last six mile journey under the mountains at a top elevation of 9,239 feet. A not insignificant part of the journey uses a single track, including the long tunnel trip, which can lead to some impressive delays waiting for a freight train to pass. It is common to stop on a side rail for some time waiting on freight trains as they have priority on the rails. Amtrak is given certain slots and delays can quickly cascade causing sometimes insurmountable delays. This is the main reason efforts are underway to build dedicated high-speed rail for passengers and add additional capacity to eliminate bottlenecks. Freight usually does not care about delays, but people do.
Corn Fields between Denver and Chicago
After leaving Denver, the train journey changes drastically. I was able to sleep - or attempt to sleep - during the whole state of Nebraska. I saw Omaha and Des Moines last year, so I did not miss anything new. After breakfast, it is just a long flat ride through hundreds of miles of corn and coal train delays. Yes, that wonderful coal that not only is polluting our air and warming the planet is also clogging up the railroad. Boo coal! After two nights rolling around the bunk, I was fortunate we were only about an hour late arriving in Chicago.
Finally Approaching Downtown Chicago
I now understand why we stopped using trains. The railroads really only care about freight and are able to maintain a basic system with lots of delays and rough rails because coal and ethanol do not complain about the trip. This cavalier attitude convinced the United States to invest in Interstate Highways as an alternative. What about the airlines you say? They did not destroy the rails nearly as much as subsidized interstate trucking and long-distance family car trips. Airlines grabbed a decent amount of the market, but without the lucrative intercity passenger and high-value freight, our rail system has disintegrated into a bargain basement system for slowly moving low value freight long distances.
Rural Colorado Ranches and Mountains
I really did enjoy my long journey on the California Zephyr. It is a rather unique vacation and an excellent way to appreciate the raw beauty of the American West. The segment between Sacramento and Denver is really the only part worth taking. One night on the train is enough, and dealing with the motion is really difficult. I was spinning for the entire night upon arrival in Chicago. Bring cash, booze, and lots of snack and you will be OK. Stop in Denver; you might as well get your "land legs" back at a hotel in Denver than wasting a day traveling through endless fields of corn. Please enjoy the rest of my journey below.
Rafters on the Colorado River
Entrance to Trains at Sacramento Valley Station
Staircase and Coffee Machine in Sleeping Car
Hallway in Sleeping Car
Hallway to My Roomette - Last one on the Left
Angus Burger with Swiss Cheese and Chips
Dome Car during the Day
Underground Train Station in Reno
Dome Car at Night
Roomette Bed at Night
French Toast Breakfast with Meat Included
Union Pacific Switcher Locomotives in Grand Junction, CO
