Travel Writers Vote for World's 10 Best Trains

North American and European trains prevail on SATW list

The Society of American Travel Writers recently polled its members (including moi) to come up with the “Top 10” train rides in the world in terms of excitement and scenery. SATW listed the world’s “Top 10” train rides in order of the number of votes. The top five of the top 10 include one in my own Colorado, three in two of my favorite countries (Switzerland and Canada) and one that I long to visit (Peru). In fact, every one of the top 10 is in the Western Hemisphere or Europe, which is tad odd considering how widely traveled SATW members are. In any case, these trains offer trips from multi-day rail excursions to a tourist ride of less than an hour.

Below are the Top 10 in SATW's words and a few of my images of trains that take travelers on such memorable journeys.

1. The Rocky Mountaineer offers spectacular two-day journeys through the Canadian Rocky Mountains from Vancouver to Banff or Jasper.

2. The Glacier Express is the famous Swiss mountain railway from St. Moritz to Zermatt, a 7 12-hour railway journey that crosses 291 bridges and burrows through 91 tunnels.

3. Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad (top right) winds through rugged canyons in the remote wilderness of Colorado’s two-million-acre San Juan National Forest. The narrow-gauge train is pulled by a coal-fired, steam-powered locomotive along the same tracks traveled over a century ago by miners, cowboys and settlers of the Old West.

4. The Bernina Express from Chur, Switzerland to Tirano, Italy, makes the highest rail crossing of the Alps, passing from icy glaciers to palm-shaded piazzas in just a few hours. It crosses 196 bridges and passes through 55 tunnels, while winding around countless spectacular switchbacks. You can take the scenic stretch from St. Moritz to Tirano for lunch in Italy in just three hours.

5. Peru Rail, Cusco to Machu Picchu, carries passengers on a spectacular journey through the high Andes. There are three levels of service, from backpacker trains to Vistadome cars to the luxurious blue and gold Hiram Bingham train, named in honor of Hiram Bingham, the explorer who discovered the Inca citadel in 1911. The train passes by lush green fields and colorful villages in the foothills of the Andes and climbs along the Urubamba River through a dramatic canyon before reaching Machu Picchu.

6. The Coastal Classic Train on the Alaska Railroad winds through the wilderness between Anchorage and Seward. Massive glaciers are visible from the track as the train climbs into the Kenai Mountains and travels to the shores of Resurrection Bay for convenient connection to Kenai Fjords National Park, offering whale watching, sea kayaking, tidewater glacier viewing, fishing, and dog sled rides.

7. The Royal Scotsman rolls through the ever-changing landscapes of sweeping glens, towering peaks and mirror-calm lochs as the train weaves through wild countryside and along virgin stretches of coast on two to seven night journeys in the Scottish highlands.

8. The Whistler Mountaineer in Canada is a three-hour ride along the magnificent coast of British Columbia, from Vancouver to Whistler, famous for its views of cities, old-growth forests, deep valleys, snowcapped peaks and seascapes.

9. Mexico’s El Chepe ventures into the imposing landscapes of the Sierra Tarahumara and into Mexico’s famed Copper Canyon, passing through 87 tunnels and crossing 37 bridges. The Copper Canyon is four times the size of the Grand Canyon – and deeper.

10. The Flam Railway is regarded as one of the highlights of the “Norway in a Nutshell” tour. The 20-km-long train journey from the mountain station of Myrdal down to Flam, beside a fjord, takes 55 minutes. On the journey, you have views of some of the most magnificent mountain scenery in Norway with a panorama of tall mountains and cascading waterfalls. The train moves slowly or stops at the best views.

Pilot's Mid-Atlantic Death Results in Odd Reporting

An NPR news report this afternoon indicated the first officer landed a Continental flight from Brussels to Newark after the captain suffered "an apparent heart attack" and died in the air, over the Atlantic. I found it bizarre that the report also included information that the plane "landed safely" with the first officer and a relief pilot in charge.

A CNN report followed along the same lines: "The airline said the crew on the flight included an additional relief pilot who took the place of the deceased man, and 'the flight continued safely with two pilots at the controls.' The Boeing 777 landed safely at Newark International Airport at 11:49 a.m. ET Thursday, the airline said."

The captain's death is certainly news, but why is it news that the aircraft made it to the ground with no other injuries -- or fatalities? Isn't that what co-pilots/first officers/relief pilots are supposed to do?

During the otherwise-normal flight, only a call for a doctor on board indicated that someone might have become ill. The doctor pronounced the pilot dead, acccording to reports, but passengers were not "informed" of the captain's death, and that flight attendants continued service as usual. Pray tell, what benefit would it be to let a plane full of passengers know that due to his untimely and unfortunate passing, the pilot who took off from Brussels would not be the one landing the aircraft in Newark?

A passenger told CNN, "four or five fire trucks and a whole bunch of medical emergency teams." Maybe I'm channeling the late George Carlin here, but I wonder what good would several fire trucks and even more medical teams could do for a corpse. Wouldn't a hearse have been more appropriate?

Demystifying Grand Valley Addresses

Visiting farms, orchards and wineries around Grand Junction and Palisade? You need this info

The fruit trees in western Colorado's Grand Valley are blooming. Apricot and a couple of peach species might already be a bit past their peak. Look for the bing cherry, prune, plum and pear trees to be in flower this week and next, followed by tart cherries and finally the apple trees early in May. Farmers are beginning to harvest early produce. And winery tasting rooms are polishing glasses for spring road-trippers, cyclists and art lovers (see below). (Photo courtesy of Grand Junction Visitors & Convention Bureau)

If you've got a specific farm or winery in mind, however, you might be as flummoxed as I long was by addresses, which are an A to Z mystery. How does one find Alida's fruits at 3402 C 1/2 Road or Z's Orchard at 315 33 3/4 Road? The placemat-like Orchard Farm, Farm & Coffee Roastery map issued by the Palisade Chamber of Commerce and the Grand Junction Visitor & Convention Bureau provides an explanation that I have paraphrased here:

Roads Unraveled

Numbered roads run north-south and are numbered east to west in crow-flight miles from the Colorado-Utah state line. That means lower numbers are on the west and higher ones on the east. Lettered roads run east-west and are one mile apart, starting with A at Orchard Mesa on the south end and ending with G just before I-70 on the north. Because both the lettered and numbered roads are one mile apart, many roads between them have fractions or tenths (e.g., 33 3/4 Road, G 7/10 or alternatively G .7 Road). Just to make navigating even trickier, not all roads go through -- and some in rural areas switch from pavement to dirt somewhere along the way. However, in this charmed landscape, getting lost can lead to pleasurable discoveries until you reorient yourself.

Other useful information: G Road in Palisade is also called Front Street, while G 7/10 Road is also North River Road. US Highway 6 between Palisade and Grand Junction runs on a slight diagonal linking Front Street/G Road and F Road. 32 Road is also US Highway 141, beginning at I-70's business loop and heading south through Clifton. In Grand Junction proper, agricultural land is interspersed with growing suburbia, whose street names do not follow the letter/number pattern. Have fun exploring! I sure did a few weeks ago.

Peach Blossom Art Show

If the beautiful image above and the enticement of decoding Grand Valley address inspires you to head there this weekend, be sure to take in the Palisade Art Lover's (PALS) 28th Annual Peach Blossom Art Show in the Community Center at Palisade Memorial Park. Some 125 artists' works will be shown -- many with spring and/or western Colorado themes. The show takes place Thursday, April 17 through Sunday, April 20. The show is free and open to the publicbetween 10:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, and from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. on Sunday. In this recessinary time, it's good know that almost everyone can afford original art, because a bargain room will display works selling for $100 or less. For more information, call 970-255-1553, 970-434-6191 or 970-464-7458,

TSA Crackdown is Smackdown for Passengers

Name on government ID must now match boarding pass/ticket -- or else

I had hoped that sometime after January 23, 2009, the Transportation Security Agency would loosen some of its silly regulations regarding passenger/traveler screening procedures instituted under the previous administration. My hopes were dashed, when the TSA announced recently that names on travel documents and government-issued IDs must now match exactly. This seemed like asking for trouble. And that's what's happening, according to a report yesterday on 9News:

" The difference between Don and Donald and Peg and Peggy might not seem
like much, but it could be enough to give you a big headache. Starting this
summer, air travelers are being required to have the name on their airline
ticket and the identification they use at the airport match exactly.

The change is part of Transportation Security Administration's Secure
Flight Program. It was created to solve problems created for travelers with
names similar, but not exactly the same, as individuals on the No Fly List. By
having travelers use their full legal name, it is hoped that fewer people will
be confused with identified terrorists.

"In addition, starting in mid-August passengers will need to provide
airlines with their date of birth and gender.

"While the new requirements may help people previously confused with
individuals on the No Fly List, they also could cause travel problems for the
general public if you are not prepared for them."

I rarely use my middle name or middle initial, but my passport reads "Claire Margaret Walter" and my Colorado driver's license reads Claire M Walter. When making an airline reservation from here on in, I need to be mindful of whether the trip is international or domestic and book accordingly. I can't tell you how many travel agencies have issued tickets to Claire Walters with an S on my last name, or to Clare Walter or Clair Walter without the I or the E in my first.

It could be worse for my son, Andrew Cameron-Walter and others with hyphenated names. Some computer programs cannot recognize hyphens and run a double last name together as one, while others can and do. I don't remember how his passport reads or what it says on his driver's license.

My belief is that real "evil doers" intent on causing mischief or mayhem in the air will be meticulous about matching their tickets and their IDs, no matter how they obtained those IDs, while innocent travelers will again be entangled in the web of TSA harassment.

I do wonder, however, whether I could be again be permitted through security with a boarding pass with the name Christopher Weber. Click here to read about that wondrous travel experience last December.

US Rolls Out the Unwelcome Mat

American policies make it tough on visitors, weak dollar notwithstanding

I have several Sunday newspaper rituals: the lead story 'Weddings & Celebrations' story in the New York Times, the travel sections of several newspapers (astonishingly, the Denver Post's lead travel stories were about winter in Yellowstone National Park and about nearby Grand Targhee, WY, published during the last weekend of the ski season) and the current exchange rate for the US dollar versus other currencies. The latter is relevant right now, because my husband and I are planning a short trip to England and Scotland, and the dollar now buys only a hair over 50 pence, which is motivating us to seek inexpensive options once we are there.

Meanwhile, with the pathetic dollar, you'd think at least the US would welcome deep-pocketed foreigners to visit and spend here, shoring up our miserable balance of payments. Not so. According to reports, only residents of a small fraction the world's 195 nations may visit the US without a visa issued in advance. (For the record, these are Andorra, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bermuda, Brunei, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Monaco, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, San Marino, Singapore, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. The Visa Waiver program might also be extended -- or perhaps already has been -- to Hungary, Lithuania and Latvia.)

Despite the favorable (to most everyone else) exchange rate, arrivals of overseas visitors to our shores have declined, even though global travel continues to increase. According to figures released at the 2007 Travel Industry Association PowWow, inbound visitation has been declining from Asia and South America and increasing only marginally from Europe.

Back in January, the Times of London wrote, "We would like to apologise for a terrible omission in last Sunday’s feature 10 Steps to a Stress-Free Summer. We forgot to include 'Don’t go to the USA'." Times reporter Matt Rudd went on to detail some of the hoops overseas guests need to jump through and unpleasantness they often have to endure:

"A preflight e-interrogation, epic queues at immigration, thin-lipped questioning from aggressive border guards, and an outside chance of a rubber-gloved rectal rummage are all part of the fun. So, if [Department of Homeland Security chief Michael] Chertoff and co want to tighten Fortress America further, it’s time we considered other more welcoming holiday options. Such as Iran or North Korea. Here are a few sunny alternatives to consider before you book your flight, take your shoes off and try to convince our friends stateside that you’re not intent on the destruction of America, you’ve just come for the hamburgers." Rudd went on to make suggestions for such alternatives: Hong Kong instead of New York, EuroDisney in France instead of RealDisney in California or Florida, Spain's Extremadura instead of the American West, Macao instead of Last Vegas, Australia's Great Ocean Road instead of California's Route 1.

Alert about just this topic, WorldHum has noted that, thanks to our national fear-driven inhospitality, "Humanity is staying away from the United States in droves—overseas arrivals in the U.S. have declined 11 percent this decade, from 26 million in 2000 to 23 million in 2007. This, while travel booms worldwide: It’s the world’s largest industry, worth $5 trillion, growing 6 percent a year, employing almost a quarter-billion people, projected to reach $9 trillion by 2015, when it will be 11 percent of the world’s economy. With the U.S. dollar becoming confetti, you’d think more overseas visitors would be headed this way to spend their pounds, euros and other currencies. Worldwide, international arrivals grew by 52 million in 2007. Not here."

Applying for a tourist visa is an exercise in perseverance. The applicant must visit a US embassy or consulate in person, plunk down $131 Per person and submit to a consular official's “interview,” designed to eliminate potential terrorists or revolutionaries from the mix. The guidelines appear to be fuzzy, and in keeping with its lack of transparency in other areas of our government, as WorldHum put it, "you don’t get your money back if you apply for a visa and are rejected. Why are people rejected? Scruffiness, unsuitability, past contributions to Greenpeace or general uncollateralized ickiness. Read the State Department guidelines—visitors must satisfy consular officers that they deserve to enter. But consular officials do not have to explain reasons for rejection, and they don’t."

Once a visitor actually has arrived in the US, Department of Homeland Security officers take the visitors' picture and fingerprints -- just as if they had been arrested for something more severe than a speeding violation. In other words, America treats the rest of the world's citizens as if they were criminals. Embarrassing, isn't it? My husband and I will get on a plane in Denver, disembark in London and spend a bit over a week trying to stretch our pathetic dollars. But we aren't going to be photographed, fingerprinted or put on the UK's most-unwanted list.

Great Deals at Hills Health Ranch

British Columbia spa resort rewards guests for pounds lost -- and other values

With the publication of my new book on Nordic Walking (defined as fitness walking with specially designed poles), I am looking at fitness-oriented spas and resorts that offer Nordic Walking and might be interested in carrying the book. One that came to mind is the Hills Health Ranch in British Columbia. I know of the resort because it is well known for its exemplary cross-country skiing, comfort, service and excellent year-round spa.

In summer, they offer a variety of spa/fitness/weight loss packages (including a three-night basic walking package and a three-night deluxe variation). Among the staff are outdoor fitness specialists to lead walks and hikes, but alas, no particular Nordic Walking program. This in a way surprises me, because Canada has been far quicker to jump on the Nordic Walking bandwagon than the U.S.

What I did find, however, are some amazing deals this summer in the wonderful heart of British Columbia. The Hills Health Ranch is offering four nights for the price of three. You need to book the 3-4-4 package by June 19 and use it by July 14. Getting to Vancouver is a snap from many places in North America, and he resort also can book special Vancouver-Williams Lake air fare for $198 roundtrip, plus $60 roundtrip shuttle. If Kamloops is a more convenient air connection, the resort now arranges shuttle service from there too.

Finally (and I love this), guests on the weight loss packages get a $20 rebate for every pound lost during their stay of six, 10 or even 30 nights. I'm into hiking and mountain walking for weight loss right now. I went on the two longest hikes of 2009 this weekend in Colorado (and not at a high elevation either) and weigh 3 pounds less this morning than I did on Saturday morning!

The food is great, spa menus are available and the wines from the Okanagan Valley are renowned, though anyone there for weight loss probably will lay off the wines. In addition to the spa and fitness programs, other activities include horseback riding and water sports.

The Hills Health Ranch has various kinds of accommodations (lodge rooms of various sizes and bed configurations and private three- bedroom chalets). If you look at the prices, remember that they are quoted in Canadian dollars, which currently gives about an 11 percent advantage to paying in US dollars.

The Hills Health Ranch contact information is Box 26, 108 Mile Ranch, BC Canada V0K 2Z0; 250-791-5225 and 800-668-2233.

Frontier Files for Chapter 11

Denver-based carrier still flying, but...who knows? Plus, what to do if your airline goes under

Frontier Airlines has filed for protection under Chapter 11 of the Federal Bankruptcy Act. It is currently still flying, paying its employees and vowing that it will emerge "stronger than ever." Well, maybe. That's what Aloha claimed for a few days just before it ceased operations.

The carrier is saying that First Data, which processes credit cards for tickets, is withholding an excessive amount (to Frontier anyway) of money, resulting in cash-flow problems. Frontier, like other carriers -- is already strapped with a recessionary economy, rising jet-fuel prices and passengers' expectations of low fares. With this scenario, something has got to give, and as it did for three American carriers within a week, it is an airline's viability. Frontier operates more than 20 percent of the flights at Denver International Airport, and 5,000 out of its 6,000 employees are based here.

Protective Measures

Meanwhile, people who paid for airline tickets by credit card have been assuming that the card issuer will refund the cost of unused tickets. This could become a less reliable fallback too. As claims increase to credit card companies for services paid for but never rendered, those refunds could become harder and harder to obtain. Experts advise travelers to dispute charges and file claims immediately.

Meanwhile, also read your travel insurance policies -- if you buy them -- closely to be sure that such contingencies are covered. If your flights are booked as part of a tour package or cruise, the operator or cruise line should be handling arrangements for you. And some savvy travelers are returning to travel agents to make airline reservations, even if a handling fee is involved, because agents have a more direct line and more clout with airlines than do individual passengers

In addition, passengers who are when an airline on which they are ticketed suddenly ceases operating could be really stuck. Once upon a time, federal laws (Aviation and Transportation Security Act of 2001, Section 145) mandated that airlines carry stranded passengers on a space-available basis, but the same feds who passed the law in '01 did not bother to renew it when it expired in 2006. Now, it is technically up the goodwill of remaining carriers to help stranded flyers. With the aforementioned higher fuel prices, their own high load factors and probably no assurance of remuneration, airlines' motivation to help out will likely erode.

Greyhound anyone?