The California Zephyr II

Denver and Boulder- August 2022

I didn’t sleep great the first night on the train; it jolted and jerked more than I expected, and I kept waking up every time it changed rhythm. When we finally got off in Denver and sat down at a restaurant, or even just on a bench, I had this weird sensation that I was still moving. Maybe it was the leftover motion from hours on the rails, or maybe my body was just trying to readjust to solid ground—but it was strange.

We stayed with my cousin, which made the stop even better. We had time to explore the city a bit, and it felt especially cool because not long before, I’d read On the Road and remembered the main character spending time in Denver too. That gave the visit a bit of a literary echo.

We also made the short drive to Boulder, where we hiked through Boulder Mountain Park and took in some beautiful views. After so much time sitting—or pacing the narrow train corridors—it felt amazing to actually stretch our legs.

It was time to leave Denver, so we made our way to Union Station and boarded the train for our next stop.

This stretch of the journey felt smoother—I even managed to get some decent sleep. But more than rest, what stood out to me was how much more I enjoyed this leg of the ride. The landscape shifted constantly, from flatlands to mountain climbs, and I found myself gazing out the window for hours.

Looking back, I think that initial stretch out of Chicago—with its almost meditative sameness—created the perfect environment for quieting the mind. It’s not often we sit still long enough to let our thoughts thin out. But the long, flat miles helped clear space in my head, which made the dramatic scenery of Colorado and beyond feel even more vivid.

There were some memorable highlights on this part of the ride: the Moffat Tunnel, for one—almost ten minutes of darkness as we crossed through the continental divide, paired with a bit of train-nerd fascination with its engineering and history. And then there was Moon River—a stretch of water where people float by and moon the train as a tradition.

Next stop: Truckee

Thanks for joining me on this long-awaited adventure. If you’d like to see more short clips from this trip, feel free to check out my instagram 📸🎥 @wanderlust_aku, whereI shared pictures and videos that don’t quite make it into the blog.