I went on an inaugural journey across the spectacular Rocky Mountains
Canyon Spirit carving its way through the dramatic red rock route
He followed us for days across the high mountain desert.
We would come out of a long bend and there he would be, standing on a rock or the back of his pickup, camera in hand and long lens firmly aimed in our direction under the hot sun.
We were on the inaugural journey of the Canyon Spirit train from Denver, Colorado, to Salt Lake City, Utah, travelling across the spectacular Rocky Mountains and the high desert plains of the American Southwest.
As train spotters go, this man was in a league of his own.
After more than a day passing through beautiful canyons and along gushing waters in the Rockies, we entered the arid but flatter landscape of eastern Utah, several thousand feet above sea level.
And then we began to notice the photographer standing patiently at isolated crossroads where the rail tracks crossed empty, dusty roads starved of all traffic.
We would wave at him or lean out the windows in greeting, marvelling at how he managed to keep in front of us, knowing the best spot to stand for the ideal shot.
Staff on the train even put together a small package of train mementos just in case we should meet our intrepid follower but we never did.
I hadn’t seen anything like it since my boyhood when determined young lads — they always seemed to be boys, never girls — would stand at the end of windswept platforms with their log-books marking down the locomotive numbers of all the steam engines which were rapidly disappearing and being replaced by diesel.
Memories are the power that long- distance train journeys hold over many people. There’s a romance to boarding a train that captures the human imagination.
At the end of our trip, a video blogger asked each of us in our compartment to sum up our three-day adventure in one word.
One woman said simply: “Nostalgia.” (Mine was a jokey “trains-formative”). And there is something magical about travelling at a slower pace across 600 miles (965km) of dazzling, dramatic scenery.
The minute I revealed I was going on a rail journey across the American Southwest, on a train with glass-dome windows, friends were fascinated and envious.
Westerns they had seen as kids probably sprang to mind. Countless cowboy movies were made in this region in the golden age of rail travel.
Now the Canyon Spirit is ploughing the same furrow but in luxury style.
The train is owned by the Armstrong Collective, who created the famous Rocky Mountaineer trains in Canada, offering “endless views, exceptional service”. The Canadian trains have been running since 1990 and recently they expanded into the USA with their Rockies to the Red Rocks route from Denver to Moab.
But this year, for the first time ever, they have extended that two-day route to three days, finishing in the Utah capital of Salt Lake City. And we were on the very first run.
The train only travels by day, so passengers do not miss the spectacular scenery along the way. The price of a ticket includes luxury hotel accommodation in Glenwood Springs and Moab and also the starting and ending cities of Denver and Salt Lake City if required. (The route can also be travelled in the reverse direction.) It’s a slow-travel experience with a top speed of 60mph (96.5km/h) but the Spirit often saunters along at 35mph with stops to allow other trains pass by. Here nobody is in a hurry.
The glass-domed carriages mean the views are magnificent and staff give talks on the significance and history of what passengers are seeing.
The service prides itself on its gourmet meals, much of it sourced locally along the way and prepared in its kitchens, served at your seat. There is always choice, including vegetarian options, with wine pairings adding to the experience. Complimentary beers and cocktails are also available all day in the adjoining lounge car where one of our group led a sing-along on a piano.
From the start, we were full of anticipation when we checked into the five-star Crawford Hotel whose lobby is in the beautiful concourse of Denver Union Station, built in 1881 but modernised in 2014. The hotel rooms are all individually and stylishly designed.
We only had to step out the door to platform 5 the following morning to catch our train. A red carpet was rolled out and USA and Colorado state flags hung from the door.
Each carriage holds over 50 passengers but there were just 15 in ours, allowing us great space. Tea and coffee were offered as soon as we got onboard and the staff lined up to introduce themselves.
As the train pulled out of the station, office staff and company officials were on hand to wave us away on the first-ever Denver-Salt Lake City run.
Within minutes, our hosts were handing out glasses of Buck’s fizz for a welcome toast before a hearty breakfast of frittata, sausages, and fried potatoes.
Soon we were heading west and up, up, up. Denver is known as “the mile-high city” at 5,280ft (1,609m) but we were heading towards the Continental Divide which averages 10,000ft.
In the “tunnel district”, we passed through 28 tunnels in 17 miles but most were short. The longest, the Moffat Tunnel, named after the railroad pioneer David Moffat, stretches 10km under the Divide. (The following day, we would only pass through two.) Shortly after, we saw people still skiing in Winter Park resort.
Then we hit spectacular canyon country, travelling alongside the gushing waters of the Colorado River which carved out these great valleys over millions of years.
The walls of Upper Gore Canyon are 1,000ft tall and we all tried to get the perfect shot of the train rounding a curve while train manager Keith Cooper said: “I challenge you to find a more beautiful trip in North America.”
Lunch was served, a choice between lemon and herb roasted chicken with peach demi-glace, citrus herb rice and seasonal vegetables, or Colorado trout with sweetcorn and bell pepper succotash with roasted yam and goat cheese mash with citrus-dressed rocket and sunflower seeds.
The gourmet menu was to continue throughout the journey.
In the afternoon, a Wild West World of Whiskey bourbon-tasting turned us all into experts while we passed by Roundup River Ranch, a Paul Newman charity resort for sick children, similar to our own Barretstown.
Our first night was spent in the lovely spa town of Glenwood Springs and the historic Hotel Colorado where president Roosevelt spent time earning the Victorian hotel the title “the Little White House of the West.” The hot springs are the biggest in the USA.
Next day saw us pass into Utah through wild rugged country made famous by Butch Cassidy and his outlaw gang, and the ghost town of Cisco, immortalised by Johnny Cash’s 1967 song Cisco Clifton’s Fillin’ Station which predicted the death of the railway town due to the then new Interstate 70.
The funky and busy town of Moab was our base for the second night, where we sampled its lively restaurant scene and the bar of Dewey brewery.
Before joining the train on the third day, we had a minibus trip to the spectacular Arches National Park just outside Moab. The famous Delicate Arch is a state emblem and is on car registration plates, while the Double Arch, which we walked under, is just as beautiful.
Back on the train, and approaching the end of our journey, we had a sing-song in the drinks lounge with a colleague on the piano on a very relaxing afternoon before pulling into Salt Lake City and the stylish Asher Adams Hotel in the old Union Pacific Depot.
Its stunning lobby has murals and stained-glass windows depicting the story of travel from wagon trains and the Pony Express to the modern railway.
After watching some of the world’s greatest scenery pass by our window, much of it inaccessible by car, our adventure was almost over. But not quite.
Having travelled all the way to the USA I suspect most Irish passengers would stay on for an extra week or two, which is what I did.
If so, a trip to beautiful Park City, less than an hour’s drive from Salt Lake City, is a must.
The home of the Sundance Film Festival, it is also a mecca for skiers in winter and hikers in summer and has one of the most picturesque main streets in the west. I got a comfortable apartment from Park City Lodging.
I also took in three more of the state’s five national parks — only Alaska has more — Zion, Bryce Canyon, and Capitol Reef.
Only now I had to drive!
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