Denver CO

Going through the Cascades yesterday

Also from yesterday's blog ...
Wild mustangs in the hills just past Sparks, Nevada

After a nice breakfast we settled in to see the view and experience going through the Rockies.  The first amazing experience was going through the  Ruby Horsethief Canyon. The reds are incredible!

Ruby Canyon

Going through Glenwood Canyon

We eventually climbed up to where we ran into snow again and at our stop at Fraser, Norm got off for a leg stretch.

Can you believe it?

We experienced some trepidation when a couple of hours outside of Denver came THE announcement.  We were coming up to the Moffat Tunnel and were told multiple times in varying degrees of severity that once in the tunnel no-one could leave the car they were in for the 10 minutes it takes to get through the tunnel.  The reason why was two-fold:  first the train fumes could enter the train if a door was open; and second, the coal soot which coats the tunnel could also enter the train should a door be opened.  Yikes!  (We actually had the experience of smelling the diesel fumes on a previous long tunnel we went through.)

This is the 3rd largest tunnel in the US at 6.2 miles.  It was opened in 1928 and the apex of the tunnel is at 9,239 feet.  Not my favorite experience!



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