7/25, 7:00am CT - After a fantastic, dead-quiet, perfect-for-sleeping night in our hotel perch on the 10th floor, we got moving sometime after 7.  We had another sweat in the workout room, followed by breakfast in the concierge lounge on the 23rd floor, and then headed out for another morning of breakneck museum-going.

10:10 am - We are through the doors of the Adler Planetarium

at opening time and make a quick circuit of the main halls.  At 11:30, we walked west along the Museum Campus road to the Shedd Aquarium.  Again, the CityPass pays off, as we are past a long queue museum-goers, right to the head of the line.  We visited the Shedd in 2010, and it has remained a baseball trip favorite.  Because time was tight, we were through the main exhibit floors in about forty-five minutes.

12:20 pm - Back at the hotel, we played a quick game of 3-way pool

in the lobby, then returned to the room to

retrieve our bags.  Shortly afterward, fully packed like mules, we walk to the world famous Krispy Krunchy chicken joint on Harrison Street.  Normally, I would not allow the boys to buy lunch from a dodgy, no-name C-Store, but they insisted, as KK Chicken was first encountered in Miami on BBT 2012.  Since then, they have expressed almost religious-like zeal for the red barn logo.  $27-worth of Krispy Krunchy in tow, we hail a taxi for Union Station.

1:30 pm - Ensconced in the Metropolitan Lounge in the basement of Union Station, we are seated for no more then five minutes, when the head porter emphatically calls our train:  ”All Aboard for the Nuuuummmmbbbbeeerrr 5 Califoooooooorniaaaaaa Zeppppppphhhhhhhyr.”  Like a 60-year old cheerleader, he implores the assembled group of passengers to affirm their excitement with an... “I can’t hear you.... are you ready????”  Finally, on the third try, the crowd expresses the right level of enthusiasm and he opens the door to the platform.  You won’t see that kind of boarding announcement on American Airlines.  I’ve got to admit, it was pretty cool.

2:00 pm - As if we were in Switzerland, The California Zephyr rolls out of Union Station at the appointed 2:00 departure time, precisely, on-the-dot.  The boys and I settle into our two bedroom “suite” in the third car from the rear.   For a 50-hour journey, I am glad we have the ability to stretch out in two adjoining rooms, each with a bed to call our own.

5;00 pm - The train continues on time, plowing a westerly path across mile-upon-mile of late-July corn.  At 5:30, we cross the Mississippi River into Iowa.  Boys are napping and I am updating the website.  After dinner at 7:30, we moved to the sightseeing car to watch one of our downloaded movies.  Feeling the effects of a long day of  museum-trekking and traveling, we hit the hay.  I remember pulling into the Omaha station, but cannot recall departing.

Friday, 7/2

6, 5:30 am MT - Awake somewhere near the Nebraska / Colorado state line.  As none of us remember any of the stops in the night, we would have to say our quality of sleep was pretty decent.  Around 7am, the train

pulled into Denver, reversing direction outside of the station, and slowly backing up to a temporary facility next to Coors Field.  We stepped off the train for a short while at Denver, refueled the wallet with an ATM inside the station and then headed back to the train for breakfast.  Immediately after departing Denver, the train begins the climb into the Rocky Mountains.  There are two famous switchbacks called “Little 10” and “Big 10” where the train almost loops back on itself.  From our seats in the observation car, we can see both the front and rear of the train as it progresses through these extreme curves up the mountain. 

Next the train climbs through steep canyons along Boulder Creek and passes through 27 tunnels in thirty minutes before entering the

6.2 mile-long Moffat Tunnel.  Soon, we are passing through the Gore Range and along the meandering route of the Colorado River.  Canyon after canyon, the scenery is impressive.  Given the terrain, I can only imagine the engineering feat it must have been to build this railroad line over a century ago. 

Best witty repertoire of the day - We are in the sightseeing car, climbing through the front range of the Rockies.  With available seating scarce, Charlie takes a seat next to a stranger fellow traveler, a woman in her 60s:

Charlie:  Do you mind if I sit in the seat next to you?

Woman:  (In a thick Australian accent) Of course, but my husband will be back in a while.

Charlie making small-talk:  I guess you are from Australia?

Woman:  What makes you think that?

Charlie, without missing a beat:  Oh, your hair color gave it away!

Everyone within earshot has a huge belly-laugh. 

Late-afternoon, we detrain briefly in Grand Junction; the temperature is above 100, though one would never expect such an extreme riding in our air-conditioned cocoon. 

5pm - We cross into Utah, and the scenery continues, but the mountains are now consist of mesas and buttes.  After sunset, we begin the long descent into Provo, then run along I-25 northward to Salt Lake City.  During the hour layover in SLC, the boys stepped off, just to say they had been to Utah.  The porter came and made up our beds.  We are ready for the dark journey across western Utah and all of northern Nevada.  Sierras tomorrow.

7/27 6am PT - Somewhere in Nevada, we woke up to early morning light streaming in from the east.  The terrain is moon-like, with hardly any vegetation.

We head to yet another breakfast served by Vickie the Blackhawks fan, and then take a place at the first table in the sightseeing car for a few more hands of the Mao, a BBT card game tradition.  Because we are seeing the Oakland A’s on Monday, we had

downloaded the movie Moneyball and watched a bit between the frequent PA announcements by the National Park Service guides along for the trip.

After lunch, we returned to the room for

some reading time and to pack up our stuff.  The CZ pulled into Emeryville, CA station four minutes early.  Within 15 minutes, we were on the  extension bus service across

the Bay Bridge into San Francisco.  A ten minute cab ride later, we are in the lobby, quickly checked in

and off to the C-Lounge and pool. 

7pm.  We boarded a #38 bus along Geary street for the quick ride to Japantown in search of Sushi.  We landed at Takara and made quick work of many pieces of nigiri and a few maki rolls.  After dinner, we boarded the westbound #38 to return to Union Square and the short walk to the hotel.  One more swim, and we were ready for SportsCenter and bed.