📷 From Inside the Crossing Gates

Wide view of the observation car with passengers taking photos as scenery blurs past the windows.

My Amtrak journey across the United States

My first long-distance train trip began in Reno, bound for Washington, D.C. I settled into the slow rhythm of rail travel and watched and the landscapes melted from desert into mountains, from plains into forests.

We all know that we miss a lot of this country when we fly. But what struck me most was how much I’d missed over years of road trips using interstates. And on the train, surrounded by strangers all leaning toward the same windows, it felt like we’d slipped into a quiet, collective appreciation project. This photo essay captures the trip in real time—in landscapes, small towns, and small human moments.

  • A dining companion looks out the train window toward a golden sunset behind mountains in eastern Nevada.
    Dinner with a sunset show—eastern Nevada painted in gold behind us.
  • Long exposure image of red rock blurring past the train window, creating streaks of color and motion.
    The landscape blurring into painterly streaks of red.
  • Wide view of the observation car with passengers taking photos as scenery blurs past the windows.
    The unofficial pastime of the observation car: pressing your face to glass.
  • Long exposure of people walking on a Colorado train platform during a brief stop.
    A breath of fresh air and new legs in Colorado.
  • Close-up detail of Amtrak train car number 631.
    My home on wheels: Car 631.
  • Yellow step stool on the platform with a porter standing in the background.
    The humble but essential step stool that helps thousands board each day.

A short stop provides a breath of fresh air and new legs in Colorado.

  • Passengers in the observation car pointing toward views of mountain scenery.
    Strangers sharing a moment of awe.
  • Neon Union Station sign in Denver with its analog clock and the words “Travel by Train.”
    Union Station glowing in the Denver dusk.
  • Decorative curved architectural canopy framing a partial view of downtown Denver.
    Denver framed in unexpected curves.
  • Overhead view from a pedestrian bridge showing the top of the train and Denver’s station area.
    Looking down at the Zephyr waiting patiently below the city skyline.

Denver framed in neon and curves.

  • Western town with wide streets and blue sky, seen from the train.
    A small Western town rolling past in a blink.
  • Mississippi River seen from the train as it crosses a bridge.
    Crossing the Mississippi, the whole train falling quiet for a moment.

Small Western town rolling past in a blink; the whole train stopped to watch as we crossed the Mississippi River

  • Blurred long-exposure of passengers rushing by a “To Trains” directional sign at Chicago Union Station.
  • Wide evening view inside an Amtrak dining car, with four passengers seated at one table and a train employee clearing another table as the train travels across the country.
Naturalist’s Notebook
hand drawn magnifying glass

Notice

Watch how incrementally the landscape changes. Between major changes (like high desert, to canyons, to the Rocky Mountains), there are infinite tiny changes. Can you identify them while they’re happening?

hand drawn magnifying glass

Watch for One thing

Choose something that keeps reappearing— grain elevators, graffiti, backyards, farm equipment—and watch how it changes as you cross the country.

Posted In: United States, Language of Place, Tracks & Traces

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