USA Rail Journey: Day 8 — Glenwood Springs to Salt Lake City
Today was a very interesting day. I was pretty much free the whole morning and decided to use the time to do my laundry. My AirBnB host was pretty considerate and let me use the washer and dryer. I put my clothes into the washer, walked into the kitchen, poured some granola and milk into a bowl and started my breakfast. The host couple were also having their breakfast and we started talking.
The couple, it seems, moved to this place in January 1992 and since then have set up the organic farming business. So, basically, I was 3 months old when they started! We started talking about organic farming, and how it was back then. The couple started out with growing tomatoes and now they grow lettuce, kale, carrots, and all the culinary herbs like basil, etc. They sell their farm produce to Whole Foods and local markets. We spoke about how orders were made by phone back then and now, it’s by email.
As we spoke, I got to know they like tea. Me, being a ‘Chaivinist’, offered to make some masala chai for them. The kitchen was all mine and I served hot cup of masala chai.
We then spoke about Yoga, Indian mythology, Mahabharata, Bhagavad-Gita, etc. They follow Yoga and are disciples of Paramahamsa Yogananda Ashram. It was interesting how well they knew about Mahabharata and Bhagavad-Gita. We spoke about different characters of Mahabharata, their impact on the story and how we can relate those principles to the modern world. This was the most interesting discussion I have had in this journey so far.
Sitting in a farm house on a mountain in Colorado, sipping hot cup of masala chai while looking into the valley, and deep philosophical and mythological discussions, was an excellent experience.
I bid them good bye and came to the railway station. I got on the California Zephyr to Salt Lake City. This journey was also quite breathtaking. The train continues its journey along the Colorado river and then crosses onto Utah. I could see the Utah — Colorado divide! Here are some of the pics from today’s journey:
Because the temperature was high, the train, interestingly stopped at Grand Junction in Colorado for an ice-cream stop!
I have now reached Salt Lake City and checked in to my AirBnB house. I will tour around the city, hopefully see the Salt Lake and get on the California Zephyr to San Francisco tomorrow.
