From Denver to Salt Lake City, it’s about a 15-hour train ride. The scenery is naturally gorgeous. And given that for most of my peers rail travel is mainly something that happens on children’s shows and on the way to Hogwarts, actually doing it feels slightly surreal in a delightful sort of way. This is not my first train trip, but it is the first one my husband’s been able to accompany me on. In his words: “I’m in Magic-Land!

Train travel comes with a certain amount of unpredictability. You have to be OK with being late–an hour late, seven hours late, you never know. I found a helpful site that can tell you the on-time stats for the past three weeks of any Amtrak train you like, and I checked it, and Train 5 has shown a measley 40-minute-late average over that time period.

Today we set the curve. Today, a rock slide in some gorge or canyon up ahead has shut down rail travel, and we’re told we won’t leave Granby until 7:00 PM. Our scheduled departure from Granby was 10:37 AM. You have my permission to do the math.

So. Welcome to Granby!

Granby is about three fourths of a mile long from east to west. The Amtrak station is at the east end; the Java Lava Cafe, which can has internet, is at the west end, about a five-minute walk along Railroad Avenue. We had lunch at the Columbine Cafe, a friendly place with perfectly adequate food. A bit before that, I spent some ill-advised sum at the Fabric Nook, a cloth/quilting/sewing store with a small selection of knitting, crocheting, and tatting supplies. Now I’m trying to remember how the second half of a tatting knot goes. Also enjoying the soft leather armchair with the big wooden arms in the back seating area of Java Lava.

All in all, travel delays don’t get much better without going away entirely. So. Hello from Granby, and see you next week!