The Ten Most Scenic Train Rides
[Reprinted from the Hobo Times, $21 sub/dues in NHA. POB 706 Nisswa MN 56468.]
The following routes were compiled from a survey of hobos. There are many other scenic rides throughout North America.
1.) The LAMOILLE VALLEY (L.V.R.C.) and MAINE CENTRAL (M.C.) between Sheldon Junction, VT and Portland, ME. Ride over the Green Mountains and White Mountains of northern New England, especially beautiful during the colorful autumn.
2.) The NORFOLK & WESTERN between Hagerstown, MD and Knoxville, TN. Roll through the Shenandoah Valley, alongside the Blue Ridge Mountains, then over the Appalachian Mountains and alongside Great Smokey Mountains National Park.
3.) The FORIDA EAST COAST RR between Jacksonville, and Miami, over three hundred fifty miles of coconut, cltrus, and palm trees as the train passes through St. Augustine, W. Palm Beach, etc.—right on the Atlantic ocean.
4.) The BURLINGTON NORTHERN between Fort Madison, IA and Memphis, TN. Snake along beside the mighty Mississippi River, where remnants of Mark Twain’s vivid characters, riverboats, barges, and bridges paint a pretty picture.
5.) The DENVER & RIO GRANDE WESTERN between Pueblo, CO and Glenwood Springs, CO. The magnificent Rocky Mountains provide a boundless backdrop as the train rumbles through Royal Gorge—along the Arkansas River.
6.) The BURLINGTON NORTHERN between Cheyenne, WY and Laurel, MT. The original flavor of the Wild West still exists in all its splendor on this trek past prairie dogs, herds of elk, cowboys, and the Big Horn Mountains and River.
7.) The BURLINGTON NORTHERN between Spokane, WA and Cut Bank, MT. Climb the Continental Divide, passing Sandpoint (on the Pend Oreille River), Whitefish (with crystal clear rivers and lake), and Glacier National Park.
8.) The UNION PACIFIC between Sacramento, CA and Klamath Falls, OR. Cross the American River in California’s state capital, then head north up the rushing Feather River canyon, into the evergreens of the Sierra Nevada Mountains.
9.) The UNION PACIFIC between Colton, CA and Salt Lake City, UT. For three or four weeks during the spring, this stretch of barren desert transforms into endless peaks and valleys of colorful flowers. Rugged purple mountains/awesome vistas.
10.) The SOUTHERN PACIFIC between oxnard, CA and San Luis Obispo, CA. Catch a magenta sunset as it dips below the expansive Pacific Ocean. One hundred miles of uninhabited beaches make this trip adventurously unique.
