Thurs 7/6 6987 steps
Once through the Rockies, about midnight we started approaching Salt Lake City. The lights in the surrounding area go on forever and I eventually fell asleep. The sun rose early and brought another day of awesome scenery – vast expanses of barren desert, spotted with small villages.
About midmorning, you are face to face with the Sierra Nevada range. I imagine the only thing that kept the early pioneers going forward, was the thought of going back.
The track ends at Emeryville, where we transferred to a bus to take us into San Francisco.
We stayed at the Hotel Zephyr, a trendy hotel close to Fishermans Wharf, and took a stroll around pier 39. Bit of a tourist trap, but very pleasant.
Chuckle: When we got on the train, we were greeted by a big burly man, bit like “the Rock”, who introduced himself as our sleeper car attendant. At the sight of my luggage, his immediate response was “Hell no, I ain’t lifting that, it must weigh at least 50 lbs.” True enough it did, so I managed my own luggage as one should when one travels. However, when we transferred to the bus in Emeryville, our pint-sized Chinese bus driver would not let me put my bag into the luggage compartment. He lifted each and every bag on his own, making sure it was exactly where he wanted it. What a contrast, I guess it is true that dynamite comes in small packages.
What I learnt: In 2004, inspired by Tony Bennet’s song Ï left my heart in San Francisco”, uniform heart sculptures were painted by different artists and installed at different locations throughout San Francisco, for the public to enjoy, before being auctioned. Proceeds exceeded all expectations and the tradition continues.
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Kim's journey 