53 Hours from Chicago to San Francisco on the California Zephyr Train

From the towering buildings of Chicago to the foggy edge of the San Francisco Bay, one train winds its way through the heart of America, a 2,400 mile journey across time zones, mountain ranges, and small towns. It's called the California Zephyr and for over 70 years it's carried passengers through some of the most breathtaking scenery in the country. Along this route you'll cross the Mississippi River, the Rocky Mountains, and the Sierra Nevada as you spend 52 hours crossing through the heartland of America. Here's the full journey and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. The journey begins at Chicago's Union Station, an iconic rail hub and historic landmark in the city. Opened in 1925, it serves as a transportation hub primarily for Amtrak. It's known for its breathtaking Great Hall with its massive vaulted ceilings and classic columns. It's even been a popular filming location featured in movies like The Untouchables. I spent about an hour walking around as I was early and it was just so beautiful to explore. If you're traveling in a sleeper car then you have access to the Metropolitan Lounge before you leave on your train. This is a great spot as it has comfortable seating, wi-fi, charging stations, workspaces, and even snacks and drinks. I love being able to grab a couple snacks, get a Diet Coke, and even have a coffee before I left. I spent about an hour just sitting in the seats catching up on some work and relaxing. If you're traveling with young children there was a small area for them that had a show on and there's an area to store your luggage if you want to go explore Union Station. Also if you need to get something to eat there is a food court that's about a five minute walk away and it has things like jersey mics. You can grab some food here and you can actually bring it back to the lounge to eat. The best part about being in the lounge is you don't have to figure out where the train's at and how to get there. They tell you when it's time to board and then you basically follow the attendant down to the train. I have to say I would probably get lost if they didn't do boarding this way. The first thing I noticed is how big our super liner was and I was shocked as I was walking to find my sleeper car. Here we go we are about to head out. I walked about three quarters of the train before I found car 532, was introduced to my attendant, given directions as to where to store my luggage for the trip, and then made my way upstairs to my roommate which was roommate number eight. We have made it to our room for the next 52 hours. I will give you a full tour once we start going. Right on time the train set out from Chicago's Union Station and left the dark underbelly that we were in and emerged into the light. I love being able to see the Chicago skyline fade into the distance. I had an amazing trip to Chicago for St. Patrick's Day so if you haven't seen that video check it out in the description. Almost immediately we were in the suburbs and the train really hit its stride and started moving. Are you ready for a room tour? I think I can probably make it pretty quick for you. So here is the roommate as you can see there are two chairs. Technically you could put two people in this room but I don't think I would want to do that. Then they give you two pillows, there are two water bottles, and there's this beautiful slide out table complete with checkers. Back here we have some sort of storage compartment where you can hang up some shirts or maybe you could put something down there. Up here we have our towels for the shower and then this turns into a bed which I'll show you later. Over here we have our one outlet, we have our temperature control, and then we have a little light for this passenger. And on the other side we have the music control which I'm guessing is for the party we're going to have later. You have another light and then you have a call attendant button and the ceiling lights. In terms of storage this is basically what you have. These three steps that actually lead you up to the bunk at night but I put a backpack right there, I put my snacks right there, and then I have my small camera bag here. My actual luggage is downstairs so if I need something I just go grab it and then I come back up. There's also a privacy screen and there's a locking mechanism for when you're in your room. I'm 6'3 and as you can see I can stretch out pretty good. I can put my feet up like this. I actually feel pretty comfortable in here. I'm not sure how it would be if I had a second person. I feel like I'd be kind of hitting their knees or something with me unless I'm like all the way back this way. But for one person this is actually pretty good. And here is the communal bathroom. It's kind of like a plain bathroom but toilet, sink. There's four bathrooms that are shared between all the roommates. One on the upper floor and then three on the lower floor. And here's a one bedroom. You have kind of the sofa and the second bed that folds down and then you have a seating area right here. There's also a bathroom in the room so you can take a shower if you want to without having to use the communal one but it does go right on the toilet which is interesting. The one bedrooms look like they'd be really nice but they're usually almost two and a half times the price of a roommate when I look. After exploring and giving the room tours I grabbed a cup of coffee and just settled in to watch the world pass by on our way to our first stop. If you've been following the channel for a while then you know that this is actually the second trip on the Amtrak. The first one we took the surf liner which you can see up here and basically everything went wrong. We were 10 hours delayed. The dining car had a fire in it so we didn't get to have the dining car the entire time we were on the journey. This one has to be better. There's no way it could be worse. Fingers crossed. I guess I should knock on wood after I say there's no way that it could be worse. Also we were in the family room which was on the lower level of the train and I can already say that a roommate on the second floor is much better. The views are better so I don't feel the need to go to the observation car as much as I did when I was down low and just the overall feel of the train feels a little bit better. We were like right above the wheels when we were in the family room so I'm digging this a lot and I think if I come with Amy again I'll probably just get two roommates right next to each other. For now though just sit back and relax and enjoy the views of Illinois before our first smoke stop. About an hour into the journey we made it to our first fresh air smoke stop in Galesburg, Illinois. Usually these stops are only about five minutes long and you need to stay close to the train as they will definitely leave you if you're not there to get back on. I love these little stops as it allows you to get out and see a new town for a couple minutes and stretch your legs. The only bummer about the first day is this was actually the only fresh air stop that we had until about 11 o'clock at night so we were basically on the train the rest of the day. We are back on the train next stop I don't know but we're gonna cross the Mississippi River which I'm excited about. I chose to have dinner at 6 p.m and so I had some time to kill and decided to go to the observation car to check it out. The observation car has windows along both sides and then smaller dome type windows on the upper part. It's open to all passengers and there's tables and chairs you can sit in in the observation car. They do ask that you don't stay here for too long so that you can switch out and other people can have the views as well. I will say that on this trip I didn't have much trouble finding a spot in the observation car outside of the major view areas such as the Rocky Mountains and the Sierras. About to cross the Mississippi River. One of the things I was most excited about seeing on the first day was crossing the Mississippi River from Illinois into Iowa. This happens near the town of Burlington, Iowa and as you're crossing the bridge you get to look out over the Great River Bridge and the Mississippi River. As with a lot of things on my travels I was incredibly excited about this experience but half of the observation car was empty so maybe other people weren't as excited as me. Also this marked our second state of the trip and there was going to be seven that we visited on this journey. Shortly after that I was called for dinner and I made my way to the dining car. Note that it's communal seating on Amtrak so get ready to make friends and that's one of the things I actually really like about train travel. If you're in a sleeper car then breakfast, lunch, and dinner are included and dinner is a three course meal with an appetizer, main, and a dessert. Plus it comes with one alcoholic drink as well. I started with a stone IPA beer and I got the tempura shrimp as my appetizer. Then I got the famous Amtrak signature flat iron steak for my dinner which was cooked to order and ended the night with a white chocolate blueberry cobbler cheesecake. Overall I found the food on the train to be pretty good and I'll have a full review of all the dishes that I tried at the end of the video. I had a great dinner we were there for about an hour and a half and the sun is now officially set on Iowa and I got to sit with someone who worked on the Apollo program and was traveling with his grandson and then I also got to sit with someone who just finished a doctorate program in Zurich. That's what's so cool about train travel is these new people you get to meet. I'm going to do a little bit of work and then I'm going to show you how the bed comes together. It's not the easiest to get ready with all of your suitcase stuff down here but you make it work. Also this sink attacks me every time I use it. See how intense that water is? Good to go. Time for bed. By the time I finished getting ready my attendant had already turned the bottom area into a bed. All right I am 6'3". I can fully stretch out. I got about maybe two inches to spare down there. This is not bad. I've slept in way worse places than this. We'll see how I do with the movement of the train. And that is it for day one. We'll see you tomorrow. As I was going to bed they had a fresh air stop in Omaha, Nebraska. It's 10 45 but I wasn't asleep yet so I figured I'd get off and check out Omaha and then go to bed. This is Omaha. After stepping out for a couple minutes it was back in the car and off to bed. We'll see you tomorrow. Well that was a really rough night's sleep. It got hot in the room and I probably got three to four hours but I'm gonna go get breakfast and watch the sun come up and then we'll be in Denver soon. Breakfast opens between 6 and 6 30 a.m. and you can head there whenever you want. You don't have to wait for a specific time. So I headed there right when I woke up and I grabbed a spot to watch the sunrise and eat my french toast. I know people love the french toast on Amtrak but I actually like the omelet more than I had the second day. I got to watch the sunrise as I ate and then I headed to the observation car to watch us pull into Denver. This is a unique train station and we actually had to back in to get to the platform. We made it to Denver and we have about an hour to explore which means 45 minutes as you don't want to risk not getting back on the train. I'm gonna go check out the Union Station. Arriving here meant we were in our fourth state of the trip as we spent the entire night going through Nebraska. Denver's Union Station was originally built in 1881 and then rebuilt in 1914 after a fire. It's an awesome and historic building to explore that just went through a massive renovation in 2014. Inside you'll find a waiting area, restaurants, coffee shop, an ice cream shop, and even a hotel. The coffee shop especially looked good and it was popular with lots of people getting pastries for breakfast and coffees to go. I took the opportunity to go see the exterior of the Union Station and downtown Denver just a little bit but I didn't want to travel too far as I didn't want to risk the train leaving without me. If your train's early that's a beautiful station to explore. You can get coffee there, you can even get ice cream in the afternoon. But now we're heading back to the train. Alright we're back on the train and the next section is supposedly the most beautiful landscape of the entire trip. So before we jump into that I figured we should talk about our sponsor Element. Element is an electrolyte drink mix with everything you need and nothing that you don't. It has no sugar, no coloring, no artificial ingredients, no gluten, and no fillers. I've been using these electrolytes for a long time on my hikes and I just got into bringing them on my travels as well. They also have hot drink mixes and it's so easy to be able to grab a cup of coffee, pour the chocolate salt mix in, and start the day hydrated. My favorites are the mango chili if you like a little bit of spice or the watermelon if you don't. Honestly I love being able to have both versions. Whether you want to drink coffee or water you can stay hydrated either way. Right now Element is offering my viewers a free sample pack with any order which has eight of these single serving packs by clicking the link in the description. If you're interested go to drinklment.com slash through my lens. I will put the url right here or you can click the link in the description. Looks like we're taking off let's head to the Rockies. After taking off we stopped for a little bit as they were worried about high winds further up on the pass but then they eventually gave us the go-ahead and we started the journey up into the mountains. This train is fully booked so the observation car was packed so I'm just staying in my room for this section and I'll probably try to go to the observation car for the next section. The route from Denver to Salt Lake City is one of the most popular with those looking to just experience train travel and see some of the best views. As you begin to climb up the hill you'll head to one of the first points of interest the Big Ten Curve. This massive horseshoe shaped railway curve allows trains to gain elevation gradually as they head into the Rocky Mountains. It was built in the early 1900s and without it trains wouldn't be able to maintain traction on the steep grade. In the 1970s they installed windbreak cars along the route. These cars were filled with concrete and placed along the edge of the track to stop the winds that ripped through the mountains. They're still here today and they're popular for photos as you make the climb into the mountains. During this section we're in we have 27 tunnels in 30 miles with the longest one being the Moffat Tunnel at the end which is 6.2 miles. Entering our first tunnel and already back out again 26 more to go. For the first section of the Rocky Mountains it doesn't really seem like it matters if you're on the left or right side neither one of the views are expansive but they are beautiful as you continue to climb up. I did a lot of research about which side of the train I should sit on for which section of the journey and luckily my room was facing the south which is the better overall way to be facing. That being said there's still tons of amazing views towards the north and during this first section the north is actually better as the views are a lot more massive looking that direction. If I wanted to see something out the north section of the train and I wasn't in the observation car I just walked to where the one bedrooms were and there were lots of windows facing the north that allowed me to see those views. What's crazy about this section is that when you leave Denver you're at around 5,000 feet and then when you top out you're at around 9,000 feet so that's about 4,000 feet of gain. That's why you can see that the forest that was surrounding us is starting to give way to a more snow-covered landscape. We've now made it into the Moffat Tunnel which is 6.2 miles at about 10 minutes of darkness so there are basically no lights at all in this tunnel. Check this out it is pitch dark. You're not even allowed to go between the train cars because of the fumes that are in here and they can just cause some allergies and issues. This is interesting 10 minutes in a tunnel. While we're inside this tunnel we're over 9,000 feet above sea level. After 10 minutes light came into view again and we exited the tunnel right next to the Winter Park Ski Resort. One of the things I really connected with when I was on this journey is just the ingenuity it took to build this line. When the Moffat Tunnel opened in 1928 it cut off the treacherous route over the Rawlins Pass and around 175 miles of difficult mountain train. Made it to Winter Park. It is chilly and I wish Pops was here so I could throw a snowball at him. We only had about seven minutes at Winter Park but I took the opportunity to run up to the front of the train so I could get some shots of the engine. It was also amazing to see the beautiful snow-covered mountains that surrounded us in every direction. I have to imagine that this would be a pretty great city to explore during the winter. I had no idea booking this trip in March there was gonna be this much snow. It's like a winter wonderland up here. Also that last stop was Amtrak's highest station in the United States. For me once the train left Winter Park the next four to five hours are something I'll never forget. You guys this is blowing me away. It is so beautiful up here. I decided to just eat lunch in my car as I didn't even want to leave the view at all. When I made this statement I thought I was in the good part and I had no idea what I was about to see in the next hour. It doesn't look like much but that's the Colorado River right there we're connecting with and we're gonna be following for the next 230 miles. This is another thing I had no idea I was going to experience on this trip. Being able to see the Colorado River as it changes over the next 230 miles. Leaving Granby Colorado this is also where we entered our first of many amazing canyons and I have no idea what this one's even called. After leaving Granby you definitely want to be on the south side of the train for the next few hours. The canyon views are on this side and the other side is steep cliffs. Just got my lunch delivered to the room but I mean can you blame me look at this view. And then for today's lunch we got the patty melts, we got a diet coke, and we got the butter cake. I had the patty melt one day and the burger the next and I would say I probably like the patty melt better. Cheers. I don't know if you can see it but up ahead that canyon right there is Gore Canyon. It's supposed to be one of the most beautiful parts of this entire train trip. The thing that really makes this canyon amazing is that it's only accessible by a train too so the only way to really experience this is to hike I guess or to take the train. Gore Canyon is one of Colorado's most rugged and remote canyons famous for its intense whitewater rapids, scenic beauty, and railroad history. Carved over thousands of years by the Colorado River its steep cliffs can rise over a thousand feet above the water. Built in the early 1900s it was a difficult section of the railroad to construct and required tunnels and bridges to navigate the landscape. I still can't believe that I'm eating a hamburger just looking out at this view. This is worth the price of admission right here. As I look back on this again while editing it I have to say this was probably my favorite part of the entire trip and something that train travel really gives you the opportunity to explore as there's no other way to see this unless you're on the water. Rounding the last bend and saying goodbye to Gore Canyon I saw some fishermen floating along the river below us and even with how cold it was I was a little bit jealous. There was still one major point of interest for us to see before the day ended so I decided to head to the observation car and luckily I was able to find a spot. Bitch the observation car gonna hang out here for about an hour and see Glenwood Canyon. While I loved being able to sit in my room and just look out at the views there is something amazing about being in the observation car and experiencing both sides of the train and experiencing all the people enjoying the views with you. During this section we also passed the California Zephyr that was heading eastbound and that was cool to see. It was also amazing that we spent the entire morning in snow and that the snow is basically gone now since we had lost so much elevation coming down from the Rockies. Here the landscape seemed to stretch out more in front of us and we even saw cow pastures something that we hadn't seen before this. This was also the first time in two hours that we had had cell phone reception and I can't say I missed it. From here we entered the last major point of interest on this section Glenwood Canyon. This canyon is one of the most spectacular natural and engineering marvels in Colorado. It combines jaw-dropping scenery with impressive infrastructure. The 12.5 mile long canyon was of course carved by the Colorado River and it has cliffs that tower up to 1300 feet above the water. Construction of I-70 through here was one of the most complex highway projects in U.S. history and crazy enough it was actually completed in 1992. It's really unique how the highway was designed to blend in with the natural surroundings including elevated sections and many different tunnels and I would love to come back here and drive this section myself as I think it'd be pretty impressive to see by a car. It's amazing that the highway only got here in 1992 considering that the railroad has been here since the 1800s. This canyon is difficult to travel through though as it is prone to rock slides. After leaving the observation car I took the opportunity to head back to coach to see the Here's what coach seat is like. I can do this for 50 hours. It's not bad though it's way better than an airplane. The coach class had been packed the entire time I was on the train and this is the first time I saw empty seats there. I would say it takes a good five to seven minutes to walk from one end of the train to the other and by the time I got back to my room we were arriving in Glenwood Springs another fresh air stop. I took the opportunity to quickly walk into the downtown area during the stop and it looked like a lot of people were actually getting off here. This looks like a cool town to spend some time but all aboard we're back on already. From Glenwood Springs to Grand Junction the landscape changed dramatically. Where we had snow-covered mountains and forest it gave way to an empty terrain with almost no visible trees and much more reminiscent of the American southwest. And before you know it we arrived in Grand Junction, Colorado one of the longer fresh air breaks on the trip. One of the best things about this stop is the preserved Grand Junction station. While it's no longer open for you to go in the building itself was opened in 1906 and it's a historic train station that was once a vital stop along the railroad. This is cool here's a picture of the original California Zephyr and here is a picture of people in front of the same station. It's right there still. There's also a small store at this stop that has all sorts of different snacks and medicines and drinks if you want to pick something up. One of the coolest things for me has been seeing the different train stations. That train station and Union station in Chicago and the one in Denver is so cool. There was no time here we basically get off look around and we are immediately back on. From here we are officially saying goodbye to the Colorado River and we're actually going to be saying goodbye to Colorado soon as well. As you make your way to the Colorado-Utah border you enter Ruby Canyon which is known for its vibrant red sandstone cliffs, peaceful river bends, and the fact that it's only accessible via raft, kayak, or train. If you're looking for stunning views and rock formations this is one of the best sections for them. And be sure to watch on the right hand side for text painted up on the rocks noting the Colorado-Utah border. From here we said goodbye to the last views of the Rocky Mountains and embraced the flat landscape in front of us. Plus it was time for my dinner reservation where I was sat with a crime novel author and a speech therapist. I started with a stone IPA and then decided to go with a baby brie salad this time and then I took the recommendation of another passenger and decided to try the salmon. And in an effort to try everything I possibly could I went with the chocolate cake which is usually not what I would choose for dessert. After finishing dinner I headed over to the observation car one more time to watch the final rays of sun pass over the mountains out in the distance. Made it back to the room the sun is almost fully down we're gonna test out the shower and then I'm gonna see if I can fit in the upper bunk before we call it a day. So it's a little bit different than a co-star like yeah it's definitely a little bit tighter. Not bad but a little bit tighter. What do you think? Got about an inch and a half maybe. Close curtain, adjust shower head, turn knob, and adjust temperature. I think I can handle it. Nothing wrong with that shower. It got warm at a decent pressure. It stayed warm. The only problem I think is if you're taller than 6'3 it might be a little tight for you. But for a shower on the train no complaints. Not gonna lie I'm excited to not be in a tiny bathroom tomorrow night. All right here is the moment of truth. Can I fit in this bunk? So you have to use these stairs right here and then you climb up. Not as agile. There you go I can. All right so here it is with my head laying against the wall and my feet have about an inch. I could totally sleep up here. Well I could totally lay up here. Sleep is a different thing. All right that's it for today. Fingers crossed I sleep better and we will see you in the morning. I slept great last night so I figured I'd just keep the relaxing morning going with some coffee watching the sunrise before heading to breakfast. When I woke up we were somewhere in Nevada and a lot of the train had actually got off the previous night in Salt Lake City. So it felt a lot more empty as I made my way to the observation car to take in some of the stunning views before breakfast. For breakfast you just show up whenever you'd like during the breakfast hours and then they'll seat you and usually it's only with one other person. I decided to go with an orange juice and then an omelet I saw someone get the previous morning. I got all of the veggies inside of it and bacon and salsa on the side. Not many people in the observation car this morning but beautiful views of Nevada. I took advantage of the lack of people up this early on the train and not having to fight for a spot in the observation car and I spent the better part of the next hour or so just looking out over the Nevada landscape. It really was beautiful with flat land but big mountains out in the distance and then eventually we made it to our first stop of the day Reno, Nevada. It's crazy how intense these sinks are I've been on the train for multiple days already and this still happens to me every time I use them. Made it to Reno, it's nice to get off but there's nothing to do here we're kind of in like an underground cement area so I'm gonna head back on the train get a spot in the observation car for the Sierra. Believe me there's nothing to see at this stop it's just cement walls on both sides of you and the next portion is supposed to be one of the best on the trip so it's a good time to get a spot in the observation car. From here we follow the Truckee River all the way to the town of Truckee and the views of the mountains on both sides are incredible. I sat on the right side but the left was the best for the first 20-25 minutes as that's the side that had the river and then it switched over to the north side. This portion of the route follows the river in the beginning and then follows both the river and the I-80 as you continue up into the mountains. Some of these views with the river, the snow covered mountains, and the road were just incredible and it's during this section that we crossed over from Nevada into California our last state on the trip. Plus with the elevation gain we started to see a lot more snow as they had just got some the previous day. Again I highly recommend being in the observation car for this section as the views out the right and left side of the train are both great and you don't want to miss either one. After that we arrived in the town of Truckee let a few people off and added a few people to our train and then we continued up into the Sierra Nevada mountains. One of the major points of interest on this entire train route is coming up and that's Donner Lake and so you definitely want to be able to see out the right side of the train as that's the side the lake is on. After we climbed a series of switchbacks and went around a bend Donner Lake came into view and this was the most people I'd ever seen in the observation car. It was standing room only with everyone jostling to try to capture a view of the beautiful lake. It really looked like we had left California and we were in the Alps or Switzerland or something with a snow-covered landscape and the reflecting lake down below us. There are only a few great views of the lake though as a lot of it's obscured by trees and a couple tunnels that you have to go through so definitely keep your eyes peeled on this one or you'll miss it. As you say goodbye to Donner Lake the train heads into tunnel number 41 also known as the big hole. This is a single track tunnel that's around two miles in length and was built in 1925. Our conductor told us that it's the third longest train tunnel in the United States and we spent about four minutes in total darkness. Now's a good time to show you the cafe car which is right below the observation car. This can be utilized by anyone on the train including coach passengers and it has breakfast lunch and dinner and snack options that you can purchase. I should also note that when we enter that tunnel we cross near Donner Pass which is infamous for the story of the Donner party that got snowed in here in 1846. They faced non-stop blizzard conditions for months and it's one of the most haunting stories of westward expansion with almost half of the party passing away. As we continued going through this winter wonderland we also passed through the immigrant gap. This was another notorious part of western expansion with terrifying terrain that the pioneers had to deal with. This section has been one of the best of the trip. I still think the Rockies got it by a little bit but man with all this snow it is incredibly beautiful. As we continued on we began to lose elevation and the green trees came back and the winter wonderland of snow went away. This is also when they called us in for lunch and I got to sit with two Chinese students that were studying in Illinois and I decided to go with the burger and the brownie to try something new for my last meal. Alright I got my last cup of coffee and I had my last meal on the train. Let's talk food. Overall you're not gonna have much to complain about. The food on the Amtrak is pretty good. For breakfast I liked the omelet more than the french toast. Order it with everything in it and get some salsa on the side. For lunch I liked the patty melt more than the burger and I definitely recommend the butter cake. It's by far the best dessert. And then for dinner I had both the steak and the salmon which are both good but I think the steak edges it out a little bit. In terms of appetizers salad or shrimp you can't go wrong with either one. I liked the brie in the salad but the shrimp is very nice. And then for dinner dessert the cheesecake was my favorite but people loved the chocolate. I'm just not a huge chocolate dessert fan. Really not much to complain about with the food. I like being able to hang out have that communal atmosphere and it's nice that it's included in the price of the sleeper car. Alright we are heading to Sacramento now and then a few more stops after that and we will make it to the end of the line. Once you head down through Sacramento the view seemed anticlimactic after what you'd seen the previous day. Our train was making good time and was early so we had to stop in Roseville for fresh air which they don't normally have. Check it out Chicago San Francisco that's our route right there. On the Coast Starlight Amy and I had a family room which is this window and then I have an upper roomette on this one which is this window up here. You can see how much better the view is having a window up here than it is down here. After leaving Roseville it wasn't too long until we reached Sacramento which was our last fresh air stop of the trip and we only got out here for about five minutes. Can't go see the Union Station as we only have five minutes here but it does look like it would be pretty cool if you could go see it. Almost done with this trip. As you leave Sacramento on the left side you can see the Sacramento River and the Tower Bridge out in the distance and then you actually have some nice marsh views as you make your way towards the Bay Area. All right let's chat. If you've seen my first Amtrak video and if you haven't you can check it out up here. You'll know that I've done two train trips one terrible and one amazing and I guess that's the reality of travel. You can plan all you want but sometimes things go wrong other times everything falls into place just like this trip. The key takeaway for me I guess is that one bad experience doesn't define an entire way of traveling. If I'd written off trains after the first trip I would have missed out on the second which was an amazing experience through some truly beautiful and untouched parts of America. Hopefully if you do something like this yours is just as amazing as mine is but do know the delays are a part of an Amtrak trip because they don't control the rails. All right next stop Emeryville and the end of our California Zephyr journey. One more point of interest to look out for if you're a fan of bridges like me is that as you're going into Martinez you'll cross the Union Pacific Railroad Bridge and it's a cool historic bridge that was built in 1930. You can't really see it as you're on it but you can see the reflection of the shadow in the water and it looks out at the car bridge across from it. And with that it was time to grab our luggage and get everything out of our room to be ready to disembark in Emeryville. I know I said the train goes to San Francisco and that's technically what they say as well but it actually ends in Emeryville and if you want to go all the way to San Francisco they have a bus that you can connect with that'll take you there. And just like that we've made it to Emeryville the end of the California Zephyr 52 hours and we're actually a little bit early. Let me know if you have any questions about this trip in the comments and we will see you on the next one. The price for this trip was $1,050. Let me know if you want to see more train travel videos in the future. Thanks for watching and we will see you on the next one.