When it came time to plan a summer vacation with my family, Mary and I decided we would just do a local Colorado trip rather than fly somewhere.
I researched places that would be within driving distance and came upon Glenwood Springs, a popular tourist destination smack dab in the middle of the Rockies.
They are famous for having the world\’s largest Hot Springs pool and it is a beautiful location.
Instead of driving, I thought it might be fun to drive to Denver and take a train to Glenwood Springs.
So I booked Amtrak tickets for the four of us. The price was just $34 per person.
This morning, we awoke at 5 am so we could get downtown in time to catch the 8 am westbound train.
Upon arriving at the station at 7 am, we were told that the train was delayed till at least 10:15 am.
The gentleman who checked in our bags told me that the train is always late.
My mistake was not calling ahead to see if the departure time had changed.
It was actually 11 am when the train finally left the station.
The coach seats were moderately comfortable, but I wondered how I would feel after a 5 1/2 hour ride.
Fortunately, the scenery was wonderful. Of course, that has nothing to do with Amtrak and it would have been just as spectacular had we taken I-70 to our destination.
The train goes VERY slow. Sometimes it felt like we were riding a snail.
We made a couple stops along the way, but it wasn\’t until we were 30 minutes out from our destination that things became totally agonizing.
We stopped 30 minutes to allow two other trains to pass by. We just sat there… snooze.
Trains don\’t have the same luxury of changing routes like planes do. If you are stuck on the track, you are stuck on the track. And that\’s that.
We left at 11 am and arrived 6 hours and 15 minutes later.
That is TWICE as long as it would have taken us had we driven our own car directly from Loveland.
I really thought it would be fun to take the train, but none of us enjoyed it all that much.
We do have a return trip on the train later this week, but I won\’t be taking Amtrak again.
Next time I fly or drive.
Now it\’s on with our family vacation!