The Train, The Train! Sunday, 6/28/26

 

Oh yay!  We're here in Chama, NM, arriving Saturday at Rio Chama RV Park, and our campsite is right next to the river AND the train tracks.  It's a nice park, filled with tall shade trees, but everything looks so dry.  The wind has been fierce and still is.  Saturday's drive was no fun with the wind pushing ol' Tergel around like a toy.  I see online that the west is on fire and, by gum, that nasty wind is a real factor in those fires.  Anyhoot, we seem to be smoke-free in Chama.  We are grateful.

This is why we've come to Chama, to ride the scenic train!

A short walkabout at the RV park meant testing the Chama River's water temp.  The short answer is:  It's cold.  Clear, shallow and cold.  I didn't fall in.

After our walkabout, I was talking to Nannie on my cell when we heard the train whistle.  Of course, Jimmy and I ran to the trestle to watch 'er coming 'round the curve.  Here she comes!  We waved.  Oh heck, you know everybody waves!

Chama's elevation is over 7800 ft.  Luckily, we're not having any problem with altitude stuff, as this is our third or fourth day this high.  Living at 3200' helps, too.  I can tell you that moisturizing cream soaks in as though you've forgotten to use any for twenty years, and a half hour later your skin looks dry!

We were ready!  Jimmy sits at the Chama train station (photo op) Sunday morning, awaiting our friends, Sharon and Randy, and their son, his wife, and two little ones.  Our morning was chilly, 45 degrees, but the day will warm, and the sun is a-shining!

Randy had reserved a table for the four of us and a table for the kids in the Chama Limited.  Drinks and snacks were provided, and lunch will be served in Osier, Colorado.  The Cumbres & Toltec Scenic RR has two options.  Our choice is riding up and back 25.7 miles from Chama to Osier.  The other option is riding the train all the way to Antonito and taking a bus back to Chama.  We didn't want to do that.  Randy said the most scenic section is from Chama to Osier.

You'll have to trust me when I say the scenery is over-the-top spectacular.  I took a million pictures, but you only get to view a few.  Hah, as soon as the train pulled away from the station, Jimmy and I left the reserved table for the open cattle car, where we spent all our time.  It was too beautiful to stay inside.

Yes, uphill's produced some ugly black smoke, but the steam train is powered by oil, not coal, mainly due to coal embers being fire starters.  It's America's longest and highest narrow-gauge railroad, the line built in 1880.

We tried several times to line everyone up for a group photo.  Didn't happen.  Herding cats is easier.  I did manage this shot of Sharon and Randy and grandson, three-yr-old Christopher, who's wearing a train outfit and hat.  Randy is a true train buff.  I mentioned in my last post that he's volunteered/worked at this RR for two weeks every summer, for the past ten years.

This guy is another train buff! 

A road of sorts (or maybe more than one) meanders near the train tracks, and occasionally we'd have to cross the road, with the whistle a toot-toot-tootin'!  The tracks wind up, wrap around and over, do an almost complete turn-about, and continue up-up-up.  It was grand!

Till finally we achieved the summit!

Jimmy and Randy and Randy's daughter-in-law in the cattle car.

Look at that sky!

I laughed when I first saw what I called a "little putt-putt car" following our train.  See it, above, on the tracks as the train maneuvered Tanglefoot Curve?  I thought it was cute.  When I found out it always follows the train as a fire spotter, with a water tank behind, I changed my mind about it being funny.  If a spark occurs, the guy aboard the putt-putt car can take care of it immediately.

Randy and his son, Andrew (foreground).

This is one of those places where railroad families used to live through the winter. Fierce winter storms would leave snow drifts of 20 feet or more.  (no thanks)  Mostly no one lives full time up here. 

We were told a family reunion was going on where you see the vehicles upper left.  Jimmy and I couldn't figure out how they got there, although I see a dirt road in this picture.  They'd need four-wheel drive for sure.  The paved road was nowhere in sight.  The water is either Cascade Creek or Rio de Los Pinos.

Dudes.

Oh boy, a trestle!  This one is Cascade Trestle, highest bridge on the track -- 137' above Cascade Creek.  Everyone was hanging over the cattle car taking pictures.

Osier, Colorado, elevation 9,637', was our turn-around point.  And lunch -- a nice array of food, with turkey or meatloaf as the main course.  We picked turkey, and the lunch was actually quite good, including the tortilla soup.  Before the RR built its tracks here, a toll road (which was still faintly visible) connecting the Chama Valley with the San Luis Valley ran through this area.  After the RR was built, Osier continued as an important operating facility for coal and water.  And lunch.

On our return, after lunch, we got a better view of little putt-putt and his water tank.  You see he's following the train -- Tanglefoot Curve is quite a feat.  RR builders had to lay track in wide loops to gain 39' of elevation.

Jimmy and I have been to and inside the Donner Pass snow sheds in California.  Above is what's left of the C&T snow shed system.

We saw fields of Corn Lilies in bloom.  Whenever I've hiked in the Sierras, I've tried to catch glimpses of Corn Lilies and I'm either too early or too late.  Here, in all their glory, were thousands of blossoms.

Speaking of blooms -- how about that Yellow Columbine?  Also having a heyday are Green Genetians, aka Monument Plants, above right.  We saw LOTS.  Bottom left is another acre of Corn Lilies and at right are copious amounts of Lupines.  All, except the columbine, were taken from a moving and bouncing train.

I managed a few videos.  Give a listen to the one above and you'll hear how strong the wind was.  But listen to the end, please.

Haha, about the time the docent in the cattle car suggested we hold onto our hats at Windy Point, Jimmy's cap flew off into the Colorado landscape.  I hailed our car attendant and told her (jokingly) that Jimmy'd lost his hat, "and you know what that means."  She immediately went to the conductor and relayed the information so his hat could be picked up!  What I meant was that Jimmy would have to buy a new (RR) cap.

At the Chama station, the conductor approached Jimmy with his found cap!  He nearly fell over.  I think the message was relayed to the putt-putt guy who located his hat in the bushes of Colorado.  How cool is that!

The tall white stalks are the Monument Plants.  At a couple of places, the train journeyed through Aspen forests.  We mused about how stunning an autumn ride would be with golden Aspens decorating the hillsides.  The C&T RR operates from Memorial Day to Labor Day or thereabouts.  That's the other reason we're traveling in summer (not our usual MO).

Crossing the Lobato Trestle, second-highest bridge on the line at 100' above Wolf Creek.

Looking back at the trestle we just crossed.

Two very happy riders.  We did get too much sun, even with sunscreen on.  And we were exhausted when we rolled into the Chama station, probably from the sun and wind.  Randy and Sharon's grandkids seemed to love the ride and were no problem.  I told Jimmy that it didn't matter what else we did on this trip, and he agreed, "It don't get no better than this."  

Hah!  I captured a shot of Tergel just before the station, all snug in the tall trees.  Well, and that was our ride, from 11am to 5pm/ish.  Everything we hoped for, plus seeing friends -- worth its weight in gold.

Monday's jaunt (5-11-26)

 

Back in 2007, when we fired up this blog, we wanted to come up with a catchy web address.  We settled on intrepid-decrepit-travelers.com, thinking we were mighty clever using this funny moniker.  And now, almost twenty years later, we realize we were ahead of our time.  Because some mornings we wake up feeling intrepid (yeehaw!), and then there are days that decrepit is a more apt description for how the ol' bodies feel when we roll out of bed.  On those days, it's hi-ho, hi-ho, up and atem anyway.

I think the best way to coax a resistant body is to head out on the bike.  And so we did, on Monday, driving up to Truckee on a warm and sunny day.  The paved Truckee River Legacy Trail is a gem, and it follows the river as it rushes eastward toward Nevada and its ultimate destination, Pyramid Lake.  Beautiful, above, isn't it?

Beginning our bike ride at Truckee Regional Park, it's about a 10 mile R/T trail.  We parked the bikes whenever we felt like it (no hurries, no worries).  At this point I scampered down to the water's edge.  Yep, it's cold, and ripping along.

Spotted a few clumps of Lupines next to the path.  I thought they were Harlequin Lupines, but, no, this plant is Lupinus arbustus, or Long spurred lupine.  Really pretty.

Yellow Bitterbrush was in full bloom the entire length of the trail.

Da River

Oh boy, we were tickled.  Not long after we began, we heard a train whistle.  Lucky us, two trains crossed here, one headed east and ta'other going west.  Eastbound had nine locomotives -- most we've ever seen!  Later, we heard one more train but couldn't see that one.

Ah, made it to the top!  Truckee and environs elevation is roughly 6000' (+/-) and the gain on this trail is 472'.  We ate our granola bars and shared a drink, grateful to sit here for a few minutes.  Water is provided via a hand pump, which I pulled "on" but couldn't shut it off.  Thank you, Jimmy!

Thoughtful folks installed this bike fix-it "station" at Glenshire trailhead.

Scenic overlook with the river and the high Sierra crest.  We have to cross the bridge over Martis Creek (above the red checkmark) to get up to Glenshire trailhead.  Quite a workout, too, even with battery assist!  Nice spot for a bench.

Between 1868 and the 1920's, ice ponds were created by damming sections of the Truckee River and its tributaries, such as Martis Creek (here) where high-quality ice was harvested and supplied to Nevada's Comstock mines and California cities via the railroad.  Above is a section of the old dam.

Back in town, we rode to the other side of the river and came upon this massive snow removal gizmo!  No longer in use, but I bet it was something to see, flinging deep snow everywhere!

I don't know if you can read this,

but this same machine rescued a snowbound train in 1952. 

And this giant crane rights train cars after a derailment.

Also no longer in use.

Wrapping up our ride, we stopped at Jax @ the Trax for a burger and a BLT, and, by gum, if we weren't in time to hail the eastbound Amtrak!  It stops in Truckee for a few minutes, with its engine idling smack in the middle of a main street, picks up and drops off people, and with a toot-toot of its horn, chugs off down the hill to Reno, and beyond.  We stood outside watching the process, smiling the entire time.  We like trains.

There's been talk about relocating and rehabilitating these historic cottages, but who knows if or when this will happen.  Built 1905/ish, they've been vacant for a long time.  Located between the train tracks and the river, the land must be valuable, but now these old houses seem like safety hazards.  

Surprise!  While poking around the old places (photo above this one), we discovered another walk/bike bridge over the Truckee ... which led to a new one-mile paved trail, which, I believe will eventually be paved all the way to Hwy 89, a great big plus as far as we're concerned.

Overall, we only put 15 miles on our bikes, 15 up/down miles, much of it in full sun, but we returned home happy as larks, albeit tired.  In the evening, we popped popcorn, put our feet up, and watched Remarkably Bright Creatures on Netflix, a lovely story.  (loved the book)

Intrepid?  Decrepit?  Whatever!  Travelers?  Always.  Count me grateful.

A side trip home - to 3/4/26

I'm not sure where I heard about it or perhaps I read something in a magazine, e.g., AARP, but since we were already "in the neighborhood," why not stop by?  I'm referring to Trona Pinnacles, a "unique geological feature" located about 170 miles north of Desert Hot Springs and 28 miles east of Ridgecrest in the Mojave Desert.  While we've been all around this area, we'd never been to Trona or Ridgecrest.  Because it's BLM land, dispersed camping is allowed and I thought it would be grand to camp below one of those tufa spires.

We found it easily.  At the entry, a sign read that the 5-mile-long dirt/gravel road is generally accessible to passenger vehicles (if you're willing to drive on a washboard), but after a rain, the road may be impassable, even to four-wheel drive vehicles.  Rain had fallen two weeks earlier; we figured we were safe. 

With Smartie in tow, Tergel started down what used to be a dirt road, transformed into a dried mud (like cement) track, with deep, irregular ruts.  We made it possibly a quarter mile before crying Uncle!  Then we had to turn around and make our way back toward the entrance.  Truly, that was an awful experience for Tergel, Smartie and us.  Nearer the entrance we found level ground and, since camping was allowed, we decided to stay where we were.  Too bad we were still five miles away from the pinnacles.  And we said, ain't no way we're walking that far!  Well, at least we could see them.  

Tergel sits all by herself with the pinnacles in the distance and train cars parked on a siding.  (Can you see her?) We'd taken Smartie for a spin so we could check out the ghost town of Trona.  Not much to see there.  The town is still functioning, but only barely.  A huge chemical complex closed down years ago, and we all know what happens then.  A new outfit is pulling sodium and potassium minerals out of Searles dry lake, but Trona is floundering.

This train was moving toward Trona (at a snail's pace),

going to pick up some raw material?  Flashy cars.

We went for a walk to the siding with the rail cars,

looking, examining, supposing ....

Toward dusk, I climbed a ridge behind Tergel and found a treasure trove of wildflowers.  The bottom two are Brown-eyed Primrose and Desert Five-Spot.

I took this picture of the pinnacles from atop the ridge.  Isn't it fantastic?  I'm glad we stopped here even if we couldn't get any closer.

In 2016, the BLM designated Trona Pinnacles as part of the California Desert National Conservation Lands due to the area’s significant scientific and ecological values; this means that the area will be managed to protect those values and will be permanently protected from development.  Good.  (They could work on that road, however!)

This pic is from Wiki.  As you see, people were closer to the spires.

There's Tergel/Smartie (and my shadow where I stood on the ridge).  Being camped here was extra-special, and with no one else around the silence was pervasive and so welcome.  Aside from the pinnacles, the area isn't particularly scenic, but we appreciated both the vastness and the tiny wildflowers at our feet.  I didn't fret that we couldn't camp at the base of a monolith tufa, nope.  Just happy.  Period.

And the sky!  We saw the breath-taking full moon rise above yonder mountain -- what a sight!  We didn't expect this which made it even better.  For sure, we wouldn't see many stars nor the Milky Way, not with the super bright moon filling the sky.  Alone as we were, there wasn't any need to close our windshield curtains.  We watched the moon climb in the sky.  I got up once in the night to look around, and it was like daylight out there.  So quiet.

The next morning was cool and sunny, blue skies all 'round.  Whoa, I looked out our dinette window and saw this black smoke.  We didn't hear anything, but China Lake Naval Weapons Station is beyond the hills.  The smoke continued and spread eastward in the sky.  It looked like a plane had crashed, but, like I said, we heard nothing.  Just about the time you think you're alone in the world, bang, a reminder you're not.

We left the site after breakfast, heading for Tehachapi (the -ugh- wind tunnel) and eventually I-5.  It didn't take us long to reach Hwy 58, the road to Tehachapi.  Meanwhile, we were treated to mountains and flats blanketed with blooms, the yellow you see on the peak above.

And here!

Yellows and purples and masses of white,

but hard to get a great photo at 60mph!

I'd also hoped to stop at Red Rock Canyon, but the entrance came upon us too quickly and we missed the turn in.  Nowhere to turn around!  Well, okay, two for two: we came, we saw, we almost conquered!

From the road, the place looked stupendous.  Maybe next time.

We moved on, with a headwind in our face, through Tehachapi, down to Bakersfield and on to the Baker Museum in Coalinga, a Harvest Host site we used a couple of years ago.  After a delicious meal at Los Reyes Mexican Grill, we enjoyed a peaceful night at the museum.  No dinosaurs disturbed us.  We shared our site with one other camper, a lady from Oregon named Eileen.  Always lovely to meet fellow travelers, especially when they become friends!

On toward home the next morning, we endured a vicious headwind, the kind where you feel like you may as well simply pour gasoline straight onto the road. ** sigh **.  We made it home late Thursday afternoon in one piece, glad to see the homestead still standing, having sustained no damage from the snowstorm.  

Five weeks away, loved it all.