An exciting ride on the Georgetown Loop Railroad is one of the four trains featured in the Train & Parks of Colorado Tour in July 2022.
“I hear the train a comin', it's rolling round the bend,” so sang Johnny Cash, and we’ll be hearing four trains a comin’ when we board four famous Colorado trains next July as part of a captivating Chamber Travel Club tour featuring trains, historic hotels, National Parks, and good food – not to mention making new friends.
I recently learned two interesting facts – one that there have been about a thousand songs worldwide written about trains and the second is a word I have yet to pronounce correctly – ferroequinologist. That’s what those who passionately study trains are called. Break the word down: ferrum is iron, equus is horse, and logist is one who studies. Now pronounce it!
So, if you are a ferroequinologist or just love the excitement of riding a historic train, consider this great Chamber trip departing on July 9, 2022. We’ll stay in some of Colorado’s most famous historic hotels, enjoy dinner on a canyon rim, drink wine at a winemaker’s dinner, and see incredible scenery.
Led by train historian Mark Warther who states, “I have had a lifelong love of trains and the majestic beauty of Colorado, so I designed a tour featuring amazing trains, breathtaking scenery, fantastic hotels, and great food so travelers could share my passion with me.”
Warther has been featured on PBS and by AAA “Home and Away” magazine.
The journey begins with a one-hour non-stop flight to Denver where we begin our eight night/nine day excursion. No passports, time difference is just one hour, so no jet-lag – that’s all a big plus.
There are 16 meals, eight nights in great hotels including two nights at the Four Diamonds Cliff House at Pikes Peak opened in 1873, originally a stagecoach stop between Colorado Springs and Leadville. With hot springs as one of the attractions, famous guests such as Teddy Roosevelt, P.T. Barnum, Thomas Edison, Clark Gable, and other famous princes and the wealthy enjoyed the hospitality and comfort of this award-winning hotel.
Now for the trains. On day 2 there’s a 2-night stay at the Wine Country Inn featuring a winemaker’s dinner and a ride on the Georgetown Loop RR. The Inn is set among acres of vineyards. Day 3 finds us dining at sunset on the rim of the Colorado National Monument.
Day 4 we check into the famous Strater Hotel Durango and ride the Durango & Silverton Scenic RR, voted one of the “top three most exciting train journeys in the world,” by the Society of American Travel Writers.
Day 6 will find us in Alamosa to chug along the scenic route of the Cumbres & Toltec RR, America’s highest and longest narrow gauge.
Day 7 begins our two-night stay at the Cliff House in Colorado Springs and a ride on the Pikes Peak Cog RR. It’s here Kathryn Lee Bates wrote “America the Beautiful.” Warther calls this ride a “bucket list experience.”
Pulitzer Prize winner Kiowa novelist and poet N. Scott Momaday remarked that the American West – of which we are a part - “is a place that has to be seen to be believed, and it may have to be believed in order to be seen.” Colorado is truly a big part of the American West we should all see.
Between trains, we will see Mesa Verde National Park and Colorado National Monument along with a stop at the Air Force Academy. The cost for eight nights, 16 meals, air from Reno, all transfers, expert guide, luggage handling, all gratuities, and a souvenir photo book is $3,475 per person.
To come see “America the Beautiful,” call the Carson City Chamber at 882-1565 for more details. I suggest an early booking to save your space on this one-of-a-kind bucket list tour that will be adventuresome and romantic. And, join their free Travel Club. I am a member and have met so many wonderful people who share my passion for travel.
At 92, Marilyn continues to travel the world over, but loves to see and learn about the history of this beautiful country.
