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We can’t say how far we are going to travel
But we know we still have a long way to go
We’re not sure whether we will see you or not
We have to go, even though it’s hard to say goodbye, Chicago.

– Raj Kumar K.C.

After a week-long stay in Chicago, we headed towards San Francisco by train — Amtrak.  The clock at Union Station had almost struck 2 in the afternoon as our train slowly started to move on the tracks. For me it was a rare opportunity to travel such a long distance of 2,422 miles by train.

My eyes were glued to the scenes outside almost all the time. Everybody else was restless. My WPI colleagues tried to adjust themselves in the little compartments in the train. I looked out the window, gathering scenes of the vast stretch of land in my mind. At the same time I tried to compare the hills and valleys in my country with the landscape of the United States. In almost every place, the roads ran parallel to the railway tracks. It revealed what a strong transportation network the United States has.

The California Zephyr from Chicago to San Francisco offered a rare and exciting opportunity to travel across the United States by land. — photo by Matthias Bernold

At 4 p.m. our train stopped for a few minutes in Naperville, Illinois, and then continued. It moved steadily. As the sun sank slowly below the horizon, we crossed the Mississippi River, entering the state of Iowa and leaving Illinois behind.

The train stopped for almost 15 minutes in Omaha, Nebraska, where we all got off to breathe some fresh air. When we got back on the train it was 7 p.m. and dark. I continued to look outside and to think about the vastness of this nation.

I wondered how the USA has been so successful, becoming the richest and most powerful country in the world. Perhaps it’s because of its hard-working, creative people and natural resources. And every piece of land was utilized. I thought that was the lesson I learned from the WPI fellowship. Besides that, the frankness of the people and their love of work and for their society were other features that I realized.

The train entered a big tunnel near Lincoln, Nebraska. I was amazed that we traveled under the hills. It took nearly five minutes to go through the tunnel. Then somebody announced it was time for dinner.

All nine WPI fellows along with Program Director Kris Mortensen gathered in the dining car of the train. It was full of passengers. The train continued to move. By the time we finished eating, it was already 8:45 p.m. We were heading towards Denver. After dinner, I went to the train’s observation car to have a wider view of the land outside.

WPI 2005 fellows Daniela Tuchel and Matthias Bernold found time — and just enough room in one of the train's litle compartments — to do some photo editing.

The moon was shining. Except for a few other passengers nobody else was there. By 10 p.m. it was getting cold in the observation car. I returned to my compartment. Matthias, my roommate, had already gone to bed. We were tired, but we still had two days to go on our journey to San Francisco.

I stretched out on my bed and tried to sleep. But for me it was impossible to sleep on the moving train. I had no alternative but to watch the moon. And I could see the land in the moonlight. I don’t know what time I fell asleep, but when I woke up it was around 4 in the morning. I had no idea where we were.

At 7 a.m. we were having breakfast when we heard surprising news: “Rock slide occurred in the Rocky Mountains last night.” Our train stopped for nearly one hour in Denver before we were rerouted through Wyoming.

Most of the WPI fellows were not happy. They wanted to see the Rocky Mountains. By 8 a.m. our train was making its way through Wyoming. That meant not only missing exciting views in the mountains but also a one- to two-hour delay.

Our train moved ahead across hills and plateaus. These plateaus looked different from Tibetan plateaus. As our journey continued I saw buffalo and antelope. The more we progressed toward our destination, the more elevation we gained. I was really surprised by the geographical diversity of the country.

By the time we reached Reno, Nevada, it was almost 7.30 in the evening. Somebody called us for dinner.

After dinner I went to bed and quickly fell asleep. Around 3 in the morning, I woke up. I could not figure out where we were.

Later on, after breakfast, I again went to the observation car to see the view. Our train had already left Nevada behind. Donner Lake in California was marvelous. The lake was surrounded by green hills. I was mesmerized by the majestic view of the lake and the trees.

We traveled through the Sierra Nevada Mountains, and through hills and forests and lakes. Around 4 we reached Sacramento, the capital of California. Sacramento was really beautiful.

Finally, around 6:45 in the evening, we reached Emory, California, and the end of our train journey. By the time we collected our luggage and transferred to a shuttle bus, it was already dark. The city of San Francisco was dazzling in lights. After a half-hour drive, we reached our hotel, the King George at 334 Mason Street.

Certainly the three-day train journey was interesting. We saw lots of things and realized the geographical enormity of the United States.

A day trip to Napa Valley

When Kris, our program director, talked about visiting Napa Valley, California, I had an image of wine factories along a busy street in my mind. But my presumption was totally different from the reality I discovered when we actually reached Napa Valley.

It was 9 in the morning on a Friday when we hit the road, driving through San Francisco’s tall buildings in our van. We crossed the Golden Gate Bridge and headed north toward the hills. As we neared the valley it seemed as if the vineyards on both sides of the road greeted us. We could sense a sort of pleasantness in the air. After an hour and a half of driving we reached the town of Napa. I was fascinated, I don’t know why. Perhaps it was because of the town’s tranquility and simplicity.

The small buildings, wide avenues and greenery of the surrounding valley added to the beauty of Napa. After exploring the town center for about an hour, we headed towards Catacula Lake Winery.

The winery, almost 1,000 feet above sea level, was situated in the Chiles Valley District. After 45 minutes of driving, through innumerable hairpin turns in the road as we climbed the hills, we arrived. It seemed that Catacula Lake Winery was waiting for us that day. We were immediately welcomed by a gentleman in the winery.

After a picnic lunch in the sunny yard, we visited the grape processing area and a 15,000 square foot wine cave. We heard about various ways of processing red and white wines and learned how to taste wine.

For our next visit, we drove back down the valley to the Reynolds’ Family Winery, where we found the wine-making process to be a bit different. My WPI colleagues said the taste of the wine was different, too.

By then the clock had struck five. We returned to the town of Napa to drink coffee. It was the birthday of one of our fellows that day. A lady at the coffee shop brought a cake with candles on it. Later on we learned that Kris had ordered the cake. It was really a great moment for all of us. We lingered for a while and then got back in our van to return to the madding crowd of San Francisco.