California Zephyr Sunrise Spectacle: East from Helper, UT (Amtrak Train 6 POV)
My wife Tina and I think you can't find a better place to watch the sun rise than the observation car on the Eastbound (number 6) California Zephyr as it heads East just past Helper, Utah. It is well worth getting up for. Grab your coffee and watch this video as you plan your trip to go see this for yourself.
We recently completed our second 6,000 + mile trip on the Zephyr and several other lines.
Both of these trips cost us zero dollars, we traveled using our points. We have a Amtrak Rewards master card from the First National Bank of Omaha. If you are interested in how we pulled this off, just leave a comment and I will put together these trips in a video on what to do so you can go on a trip like this and do it on points. As a disabled Army veteran, who has previously had 2 heart attacks and open heart surgery (all
service connected) I need to deal both with anxiety issues that come with these issues, and I have to travel inexpensively. Traveling on points, and putting relaxing music with it helps with both things. When I can't sleep and my mind is spinning I can relax to one of these videos as I get to relive one of the best times in my life. Knowing that other folks enjoying the videos will help my wife if I die before she does of a non-service connected issue gives me peace of mind. This can often let me drift back to sleep.
The last trip had us riding the Missouri River Runner West from our home in St. Louis, to Kanas City, MO. There, we boarded the Southwest Chief to LA. At LA, we switched to the Coast Starlight, which we rode to Salinas, CA. We rented a car there and drove to the Navy Postgraduate School in Monterey. We stayed there for 2 weeks and rented eBikes. I videoed our rides, and they are now here on our channel. You can see them here:
• Virtual Bike Rides Monterey, Carmel by the...
After our 2 weeks in Monterey we dropped our car off in Emeryville and hopped on the California Zephyr. The Zephyr is our favorite train and I particularly like the sunrise on the first day when you just get past Helper, Utah. The landscape there reminds me of the Roadrunner and Coyote cartoons. As you roll along the sun just comes up, and comes up and then comes up some more.
I am a 100% disabled Army veteran, so Tina and I stay at a lot of military Moral, Welfare, and Recreation (MWR) lodging sites. A word of warning, eligibility can vary by service or base, be sure to check with the base you want to stay at to make sure you will be able to access the base/post.
https://www.poppinsmoke.com/military-...
Veteran Travel Guides:
Check out this map of places visited that offer special access for qualified veterans.
👉https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/vie... Stay tuned for more MWR content, and a playlist. My wife and I have stayed in Coast Guard light houses (Wisconsin), and bases (Florida), Navy bases (Florida, California), Army bases (Redstone, and Campbell).
Explore More Rides & Journeys:
🚂 Check out train journeys: • AMTRAK, 6,061 Mile Trip, for FREE!
🏞️ Full playlist of 30-minute virtual rides: • 30-Minute Virtual Bike Rides for Studio Cy...
🛣️ Longer version of this specific ride: [Link to longer video]
🗺️ The Amtrak California Zephyr playlist: • AMTRAK's California Zephyr, Scenic Train
🚲🌳Katy trail adventures: • Missouri's Katy Trail: Scenic Bike Rides &...
As residents near the KATY Trail in Missouri, many videos are planned for different seasons. Subscribe so you don’t miss them!
Let me know in the comments what you think about this sunrise, and what what other train or trail videos you would like to see us do next.