Fast,
on a rough road riding high, through the mountains climbing, twisting, turning
further from my home. Young, like a new moon rising. Fierce, through the rain
and lightning. Wandering out into this great unknown. And I don't want no one
to cry, but, tell 'em if I don't survive, I was born free!
-
Kid Rock
There is nothing like waking up to a
spectacular sunrise over a snow-covered desert. Sometime during the night, the
train left the centre of Mormonism, Salt Lake City, crossed the salt lake and
the Utah-Nevada border. By the time I woke up, we were close to Reno, Nevada,
the first big stop of the day. The winter storm that hit Utah dumped a heap of
snow across the western desert, too. It’s strange to see the arid landscape
blanketed in white. A few clouds lingered, giving depth and extra colour to the
spectacular sunrise.
 |
| Snowy desert sunrise |
The countryside here is incredible. I know
I’ve said it before, but I’m going to say it again: you have to take this trip
to see it for yourself. The diversity of landscape, from the Great Plains of
the Midwest, to the Rockies, the Nevada desert, Sierra Nevada Mountains (which
received their own big dump of snow overnight) and the Pacific coastline. Those
who know more about the various rail journeys this country has to offer say
that there isn’t a more spectacular route to take, and I’d have to agree. You
get a glimpse at so many different parts of the American landscape. The country
truly is so many different regions all parcelled together – like Europe, in
it’s way, but without the same national borders.
 |
| The Sierra Nevada's |
After tracking up the San Francisco coast
for the last hour or so of the journey, we arrived in Emeryville, the Amtrak
station servicing San Francisco. Emeryville, where we picked up the car that’ll
take us up to Yosemite and Lake Tahoe over the next week, is actually a suburb
of Oakland, a large port that sits on the other side of the Bay from Frisco.
You take the double-decker Bay Bridge to get across into downtown San
Francisco.
The last few times I’ve stayed in San
Francisco, it’s been down at Fisherman’s Wharf, the tourist hotspot down on the
Bay, where you can rent bikes to ride across the Golden Gate Bridge or take
scenic cruises around the Bay and across to The Rock, Alcatraz Federal
Penitentiary. This time, we’re staying on Union Square, right in the heart of
downtown San Francisco, and a cable car ride on the Mason-Powell Line down to
the waterfront. Union Square is famous for it’s shopping. In the general
vicinity is Macy’s, Bloomingdales and a heap of other similar shops. If you call
yourself a shopaholic, Union Square is where you want to be in San Francisco.
We caught one of the cable cars down to
Fisherman’s Wharf for a seafood dinner. I ate seafood linguini, which was
fantastic. The Wharf is a beautiful spot, right on the edge of the Bay. You can
hear the loud noises of the resident seals and see the twinkling lights on the
far shore. We passed the Ferry Terminal, where cruises go to Alcatraz and
planned our day tomorrow from the schedule.
The late news on TV said that tomorrow
might break a December record for the coldest start, but it wont be that cold –
about 7 degrees above freezing. It’s interesting to see what San Franciscans
think of as being cold as compared to some of the places we’ve come from over
the last few days. The important thing is that the weather is going to be fine
and clear. Can’t wait!
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