Riding Amtrak train #6 from Reno, NV to Naperville, IL, Part 1 (Reno, NV-Glenwood Springs, CO)

Having arrived in Reno, NV, Jay and I had a couple hours to kill before the "California Zephyr" was due to arrive at 4:06 pm. Unlike normal operations, the train was backed in from the yard, and boarding commenced. We left close to on-time, first passing through the Virginia Range, before dropping into the Lahontan Valley, also known as the "Forty Mile Desert" during the Gold Rush, as it was forty miles of desert without usable water, between the Humbolt Sink, and where water could be found either at the Truckee or Carson Rivers. Overnight, the train continued through deserts, as well as through a couple of mountain ranges, as well as making a 25 minute scheduled stop in Salt Lake City, UT.

Morning found us west of Helper, UT, coming down from Soldier Summit, and after going along the Book Cliffs, on the north end of the Green River desert, and through Ruby Canyon (where we crossed into Colorado), where we picked up the Colorado River, we passed through the Grand Valley, and then through a series of canyons, before arriving in Glenwood Springs.

Between Reno and Glenwood springs, the train travels over Union Pacific trackage, making stops in Winnemucca, NV, Elko, NV, Salt Lake City, UT, Provo, UT, Helper, UT, Green River, UT, and Grand Junction, CO.