Cañon City, Colorado
Our journey to the Royal Gorge Railroad found us traveling to the quaint small town of Cañon City, Colorado in the West. There was a bit more traffic in the town than we had expected. On this particular Saturday, the town was having its annual Music & Blossom Festival. Every park had tents and booths surrounding different music venues. Parking was no problem though. There were plenty of spaces set aside for railroad passengers and they were free. We arrived an hour before departure, not knowing what to expect. Since we had our e-tickets, we had plenty of time to explore the depot, and the happy endings caboose cafe. We took a few pictures of our transportation for the day. A staff member instructed to line up at gate 3, based on our assigned seats. A short time later, the “All Aboard” call was announced and we were on the train.
On the Royal Gorge Railroad Train
Our seats, which had been chosen by the railroad, had plenty of room and were arranged in groups of four facing each other. We were greeted by our friendly car attendant and a menu. Now, it is a time-honored tradition to meet and greet new people when traveling on the train. We lucked out, as the young man sitting with us was not only courteous, he was also the first person we had ever met that worked for the Space Force Branch of the military. He was eventually able to move to another available window seat. This made for some levity as his friends would point to something flying in the sky and ask him, “Is that a UFO?” To which he would reply, “I can neither confirm nor deny that”, with a grin. The train started rolling and we placed our order for lunch.
Views of the Canyon and the Gorge
Outdoor observation cars were accessible by all passengers, so you could move about from your seat to an outdoor area to enjoy the canyon views. The train follows the Arkansas River as it winds through the gorge. When you reach the tallest point of the gorge, you start to see a foot bridge that crosses the canyon high above. We saw goats, rafters and even a fault line as we paralleled the river. The train passed a glamping site complete with yurts and airstream trailers that were located right on the banks of the Arkansas River. The views were outstanding and there was something different around every corner of the gorge. You could see the length of the train as it slithered around each corner winding through the canyon. On the way back, we stopped at the bridge for a moment for what I assume was a picture opportunity.
The Return Trip on The Royal Gorge Railroad
On the way back we noticed some miniature buildings along the tracks. These were props for the very popular Santa’s Express Train taking place during the holiday season. We enjoyed a nice relaxing ride back to the station moving back and forth from our inside seats to the outdoor observation car. The train seemed to have plenty of restrooms on board. We didn’t notice anyone waiting in line at any time. You could have drinks or food brought right to your seat. We explored a bit and found the bar car which had a very friendly and informative long-time employee of the railroad behind the counter. She loved her job and seemed to have a love for the train that she shared with us.
The Cañon City Music and Blossom Festival
After our ride on the Royal Gorge Route Railroad, we took a few more photos. The Cañon City Music and Blossom Festival proved to be too tempting to pass up. We walked through the main street of downtown which was still closed to traffic from prior parade activity. We wandered through a few parks which had hundreds of booths displaying various forms of art and the latest gadgets. The wonderful smells of many different types of regional food mixed with the odor of kettle corn which lingered everywhere. When you go, set time aside to visit downtown Cañon City. You can also take a short drive to the top of the canyon and walk across the foot bridge. Trains run three times a day, except for the longer summer days, when they run four times each day.
Tim by Train, Founder of Travel by Train – email: timbytrains@gmail.com