As luck would have it, my only ride on the Rio Grande Zephyr would be Westbound on April 14th, 1983. Surprisingly, even at this late date in the history of RGZ, few passengers rode West of Grand Junction; those of us that did received a BIG surprise April 16th in Salt Lake City when we were told of the Thistle Mudslide the evening before. A few SLC railfans bought one way tickets for the detour back to Denver via " SCENIC " ( ??? ) Sherman Hill on Union Pacific. The dining car ran out of most food items due to this detour, as Rio Grande's only commissary was in Grand Junction.
Since my round trip began with Amtrak's Desert Wind from Fullerton, CA., I was therefore sentenced to THREE rides over Sherman Hill in one week. Thus I have still not experienced the ride DOWN the Front Range to Denver.