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California Zephyr, Part One

© Lynne A. Williams

The history of the California Zephyr is synonymous with that of the transcontinental railroad itself. The Central Pacific Railroad designed and built this train and laid the tracks over the soaring peaks of the Sierra Nevada and Rocky Mountain ranges, mountains that most people believed were impossible to cross. Much of the current Zephyr route travels along the western segment of the transcontinental railroad, which was joined to the eastern segment with a golden spike at Promontory, Utah, in 1869.

Although I have taken the Zephyr numerous times between San Francisco and Chicago, my favorite segment of the route is San Francisco to Truckee, in the high Sierra region. This route echoes the wagon trails of the early pioneers, the train tracks of the first transcontinental railroad and the Native American trading routes. The best time to experience the vivid scenery in this region is fall and winter, although anyone whose train has been stuck in a snowstorm might disagree. To my mind, the late fall foliage and the winter's stark, snowy beauty make this train ride one of the country's best.

As with other Amtrak trains that have San Francisco as a terminus, the train actually departs from Emeryville, a short bus ride from downtown San Francisco. Traveling along San Pablo Bay, northeast of San Francisco, the train follows the shoreline for many miles. Travelers can spot egrets, and other waterfowl, along the marshy banks of the bay.

The train stops in Martinez, a charming town with a beautiful shoreline park, tucked in among the reeds and sea grass of this area. Across the Carquinez Bridge from Martinez, travelers can see Benecia, the capitol of California in 1853 and 1854, before Sacramento became the capitol. At this point, the train is still traveling along the marshy shoreline, affording the traveler wonderful vistas.

As the train turns inland, it stops at Davis, known as the "Bicycle Capitol of America," because of its miles of off road bicycle and walking paths. This is truly a pedestrian friendly town, with a downtown featuring theatres, restaurants and cafes, and small shops. Davis also has a branch of the University of California, with all the cultural opportunities that a university town affords. The University of California at Davis specializes in agricultural studies and veterinary medicine, and if you look outside the left side of the train (going east), you will see some of the school's llamas and pygmy goats. The Davis train station, built in 1913 from adobe, is a historic landmark.

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