I love to travel. It’s in my blood and personally, I find it essential. Not just to feed my adventurous spirit, but to feed my soul. Meeting new friends, enjoying a meal together, drinking local wine, and breathing in the beauty of humanity makes me feel truly alive.
Dawn and I just returned from traveling to the outer islands of the Bahamas, where the locals were very happy to see travelers supporting their local economy.
Like us, they have been devastated by the lockdowns.
I’ve always felt fortunate to travel, but this time, the water looked even more blue, the flowers were more brilliant, and our interactions with locals felt
more important and memorable too.
Celebrating the joy of meeting new people from around the world has always been a part of the Royal Gorge Route First Class Lunch and Dinner experience. Honoring the long tradition of railcar dining, we’ve paired guests in parties of two with complete strangers, allowing new friendships to form while riding the train through the Royal Gorge.
Of course, we’ve always offered the option for a private table, but most of you preferred taking a chance, secretly looking forward to sharing an experience with entirely new and interesting people.
I don’t want to lose that. In this masked world we live in at the moment, we all miss seeing the smiling faces and expressions that offer clues as to how that bad (or good) joke really went over… Our eyes now offer silent clues that communicate our feelings.
We’re happy to say that we’re bringing First Class Dinners back, complete with white linen table cloths, real silverware, and the great service and fantastic food you’ve come to expect, but only with related parties. Heck, you’ll even be able to place your hands on real salt and pepper shakers!
This is a big step in the right direction — but we’re eager for that next step. Aren’t we all??
The demand for riding the Royal Gorge Route has remained strong throughout this crazy time, and I thank all of you for your support. We are all truly humbled. We promise to continue keeping everyone as safe as possible while providing an extraordinary experience..
Travel is vital. As human beings, we dream of travel and revel in the joy of travel. We marvel at our beautiful world and are refueled by spending quality time with one another in new places. Travel is how we heal and where we find true joy in living.
See you on the train!
-Mark
