An American icon, the California Zephyr traverses much of the North American continent and has become one of the greatest train journeys in the world. First established in 1949, the Zephyr has undergone many upgrades over the years to earn its name as one of the greatest transcontinental lines. Running from Union Station in Chicago to Emeryville in California via Illinois, Denver and Nevada, this three day train journey offers much to see.

Passengers aboard the California Zephyr are spoiled for choices when it comes to seating. The spacious coach seats are extremely comfortable while the roomettes and bedrooms in the Superliner sleeping cars are the pinnacle of train luxury. The Dining Car serves full a la carte meals while the Café Bar offers casual meals like sandwiches, snacks and beverages. There is also a Sightseer Lounge Car with large picture windows and movie screenings for adults and children alike.

The journey itself involves an amazing three-day sightseeing tour of American history and landmarks. The first day winds through the historic trail of gold prospectors and carpetbaggers from the Gold Rush days in Illinois farming country travelling through quaint rural townships, across the majestic Mississippi River and into Iowa. The Zephyr chugs along patiently while time seems to stand peacefully still in the mid west.

By day two, passengers aboard the Zephyr will have arrived in cosmopolitan Denver. The skyscrapers of the ultra-modern metropolis are dramatically imposing against a backdrop of the massive Rockies in the far, far distance. For a city of its size, Denver is remarkably unpolluted and the air is refreshing. Passengers have a change to stretch their legs while the train refuels and is cleaned before taking off again onwards to the Front Range of the Colorado Rockies where foothills jut from the sweeping plains. Plunging deep river valleys littered with pine trees and ochre hillsides are laden with bubbling streams.

The views from the train windows are extremely captivating, especially those of the Sightseer Lounge Car. The stunning landscape is usually uninterrupted by man-made obstacles apart from glimpses of the Zephyr itself as it snakes its way along the river courses and valleys. Passing through the Moffett tunnel, the Zephyr meanders the nine-mile long tube of darkness to emerge from the other side. Suddenly, the dramatic display of rivers, mountains and pines dominate the view as the train returns to freedom and continues to chug along its path.

By the third and final day, the Zephyr is in the Nevada flatlands and is well into California. In the High Sierras passengers are treated to a never-ending procession of dramatically beautiful views, broken only by the occasional bridge or mountainside itself. The Zephyr passes by Alpine Donner Lake in its serene valley of sweeping ranges.

When the Zephyr finally arrives at the Emeryville terminus, shuttle buses running to San Francisco are ready to meet the passengers. The no-rush journey and unparalleled scenery of the North American continent now seems a distant memory, but one clear and inspiring and to be recalled often with a smile.