Take a Train Vacation

To me trains have always been a source of wonderment and a source of delight. From my window I can hear the lonesome and magical train whistle as it winds through Turner Valley. There is something about it that takes me to another level and my mind travels along with it to where ever the winds blow.

Traveling by train allows one to relax and the rhythm that the train produces as it glides along the rails puts one at ease, all the while enjoying the passing landscape. You get to see buildings, people, the animals in the fields and beautiful sights of snow clad mountain tops. Wildlife that one seldom sees will be in view, views of vivid colors, and shapes will fill your mind beyond belief.

For a day to remember, schedule a trip on Amtrak's Adirondack that travels nearly 400 miles between New York City and Montreal along the eastern border of New York State and into Canada's Quebec Province. [1]

The Adirondack provides a comfortable seating with large windows for viewing the wonderful scenery. There are three cafe cars to provide lunch, drinks and snacks. It takes about ten hours to travel from New York City to Montreal with eighteen regularly scheduled stops.

You will get to view the romantic Hudson River Valley with its large collection of historic landmarks and architectural attractions. While traveling through the Adirondack Mountains, which is the largest park in the lower 48 states you will see wildlife of all kinds, and scenery that will take your breath away. Keep your eyes peeled for the incredibly beautiful and peaceful Lake Champlain, with its waters and wildlife.

Traveling during the different seasons will provide different views and experiences. During the fall when the leaves are changing will be an unforgettable event, with all the different brilliant colors of leaves. During the winter months, when the leaves are off the trees, you can see the snow clad mountain tops and slopes in all their glory.

Plan your itinerary to include off-train plans to coordinate with the train schedule. One way to enjoy the Adirondacks is to get off at one stop, rent a car and then catch the train a stop further north.

The Adirondack operates once a day, seven days a week, in both directions between New York City and Montreal. Monday through Saturday, it runs a regular schedule with a morning departure and early evening arrival, although on Sunday the southbound train has a later departure from Montreal. Reservations are required and United States citizens crossing into Canada require some form of identification. You should carry a passport, voter registration card or birth certificate, driver's license are not sufficient form of identification.

To experience and explore some of the nation's loveliest architectural treasures, leave the train at the Croton-Harmon stop. Take the tour of Tarrytown's Great Estates. Your first stop will be at Lyndurst, one of America's finest Gothic Revival mansions and one of the best examples of a nineteenth-century estate landscape. Railroad magnate Jay Gould purchased the estate as his summer home in 1880 from William Paulding, a former mayor of New York City.[2]

Next is Philipsburg Manor which is north of Tarrytown and is an eighteenth-century trading center complete with an operating gristmill. The estate has a collection of seventeenth and eighteenth century Dutch, English and colonial American furnishings and household objects that are some of the finest in the nation.

The next majestic home is the Van Cortland Manor; it is restored to the period of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth century. The same family occupied if for nearly 250 years and includes their collections of fine furniture, portraits and Chinese porcelain.

Last but not least is the Kykuit, the country house of the Rockefeller family, build between 1907 and 1913. It is situated on a hilltop in North Tarrytown with a commanding view of the Hudson River and the Palisades. It was home to four generations of Rockefellers, beginning with John D. Rockefellers, founder of Standard Oil Company, next Nelson Rockefeller, the four-time governor of New York and later vice president of the United States. [3]

There is so much to see and do when departing the train at the different stops; you will see the home of Franklin D. Roosevelt, the Vanderbilt Mansion and so much more historical places and buildings. You can plan your train excursion to take as many days as you like, make a vacation out of it. It will take more than one day to experience every thing that the Adirondack has to offer its riders. It will be train ride that you will never forget, a chance to experience the past and history will come alive.

For an adventure trip to really see the wonders of the Rockies, vast forests, mountains and wildlife, book a train ride on the American Orient Express. It has vintage Pullman sleeper cars, dining cars and club cars that will take you back to the golden age of railroading.

Your trip will start at Denver, Colorado, following the Colorado River for 238 miles, making stops at Salt Lake City, Yellowstone National Park and the Grand Teton National Park. It is a seven-day trip including six nights on the train.[4]

Be sure to take your camera along, because you will see sights that will amaze you. The first day you will enjoy the Rocky Mountains, going through canyons and wild country that is mostly inaccessible except by train. The train itself is something very special, it is a luxury train with fifteen vintage rail cars that have been beautifully restored. You will enjoy gourmet foods and refreshments. A welcome reception and orientation is offered the first evening. Dinner is served in the dining car and you will spend your first night on the train at the Denver station, leaving the next morning.

Travelers will see the 14,255 foot Longs Peak and the 14,264 foot Mount Evans, also the 340 foot high Gross Dam and Reservoir, which is the primary water supply for Denver.

A real treat for you will be going through the Moffat tunnel, where you will be in near total darkness coming out to the sudden bright light to a wonderful view of clear blue sky and densely wooded forests of pine trees.

Be sure to have your camera ready when the train enters Byers Canyon, a short jagged chasm that forces the train to screech around the sharpest mainline rail curve in the country. There are many different canyons that offer exciting views and experiences.

Once you get to the Yellowstone National Park you will enjoy the sights, such as Old Faithful, the world's most famous geyser. You will spend a full day at both Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks, a bus trip from the train is provided so you can enjoy nature up close and personal. The last night onboard includes a grand farewell dinner with exiting conversations with fellow passengers about the week's events.

Trains are a big part of American history, in the early days, traveling by a train was the a fast way of traveling; now in modern times taking a train, speed is not important. Take a train for the experience, the relaxed atmosphere, meeting new friends and the wonderful views from the large windows of the cars. In these fast paced times that we live in, take the train, slow down, enjoy what our ancestors enjoyed, closed you eyes, hear the lonesome whistle of the train, a sound that takes you back in time.

[1] Great American Rail Journeys by John Grant

[2] Great American Rail Journeys by John Grant

[3] Great American Rail Journeys by John Grant

[4] Great American Rail Journeys by John Grant