Travel by Train: Part 4 - The Final Leg

The last part of the trip was the part I was most excited about. The historic trip from Sacramento, over the Sierra Nevadas into Reno. Learning that the observation car is much more fun than a seat and because I was surrounded by a family that could use the extra leg room of my seat, as soon as I turned in my ticket, I made my way to the observation car.

Because the trip is historic, they narrate the trip. About every half hour or so, a new factoid is discussed over the sound system. Some interesting factoids included how the City of Roseville got its name (named after the most popular girl in town), how they engineered the path from the mountains into Truckee, and the location of the first Union Pacific robber (Verdi).

The trip was incredible. The Sierras were covered in snow and although I've made the trip probably a thousand times, the new perspective from the train was awesome. We passed Auburn, Colfax, Sugar Bowl ski resort, Truckee, and winded our way through the canyon to Reno. It took approximately 3 hours longer than by car but the view and experience were worth it; worth the whole trip up to that point.

I had lunch in the dining car. I had a hamburger and chips with a beer. A raspberry chocolate cheesecake finished me off. My eating partners included an Australian woman on her way to New York to visit her daughter and a young couple from Denver. The Australian woman was confused about American tipping so we set her straight.

I spent most of my time after lunch back in the observation car watching the rest of the Sierra pass by. I made my way back to my seat about at the time we were passing the famous cabin in the canyon. I began to get a little restless around Verdi and started making sure all my stuff was packed up.

At the station, they brought the checked bags over on a little cart. It took about 10 minutes to wait as opposed to the 20 at the airport (the Reno Airport is way slow). Reno had a nice blanket of snow on it and it was good to be back home.

Any questions about train travel?