The one and only time I passed through Ruby Canyon was on my way west aboard Amtrak’s California Zephyr. It was on my trip to start a new life in California in May 2013. Located on the Colorado River on the Colorado-Utah border, the only access to the canyon, other than the passing through on the Union Pacific Railroad lines that Amtrak uses for the Zephyr, is the river(i.e.rafting). It is a marvelous site to behold.
The canyon is roughly 25 miles long and derives its name from the red sandstone cliffs which line the canyon walls. Pictures of the canyon do not do it justice. Beholding it in person is awe-inspiring. It is one of the few pristine areas of the Old West left today. The magical color of the rocks is dazzling in the late spring sun, especially since earlier that same day, the train had passed through the Rocky Mountains outside of Denver where a full-fledged snowstorm covered everything with a deep blanket of snow.
Viewing the area from the observation car of the train, it is easy to imagine that you could catch sight of a band of Indians or a detachment of US Calvary riding across the area. It was as if we had somehow gone back in time to the 19th Century and were part of the great migration west(or at least, part of a classic John Ford western film).
It was a place which brought a calm peaceful feeling to my soul with its rugged, simplistic beauty. A place that I hope to experience again for more than a few fleeting minutes like I did in 2013.
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