Before getting on to the train experience, a shout-out to Lou Mitchell's Diner. Best breakfast in Chicago! And the exact start of route 66. We're gonna try and get to the destination in LA too, hopefully.
To get to our next stop in San Fransisco, we're taking the train all the way from Chicago. This takes fifty-one hours. It's a bloody long way. We just booked seats rather than a sleeper for money reasons, so it hasn't been a luxurious journey, but oh my days, the SCENERY.
Going through the Mid West, we take in the plains of Iowa, farmlands in Nebraska, the Rocky Mountains in Colorado, desert in Utah, more desert in Nevada and the Sierra Nevada and forests in California.
The train has a large windowed viewing car, making for beautiful photos. We saw the sunrise on both days and some stunning sunsets too.
Interesting people aboard this, what eventually becomes, little community on train tracks;
* a massive group of bona fide Amish people. Speaking Pennsylvania Dutch and dressed very Puritanically. So amazing to see in real life! ( they were all wearing Skechers trainers though...?!)
* a real douchebag, wannabe Republican senator. Generally mouthing off offending everyone by his loud phone calls and oily manner, not to mention his despicable views on things socially and politically. I had to angrily move out of the carriage he was in in order to get away
* the awesome snackbar attendant who interrupts tannoy announcements from the driver to constantly tell us when he's going on his breaks
* strange families bringing masses of blankets, cushions and cool bags, and the douchey dad who plays his mandolin, leaving the mum to chase after the kids
* the sassy-to-the-point-of-being-scary carriage lady
* a patronising hipster telling us what espresso bars are like in Italy and how to order a beer in the US and how he wants our trip to be.
* some nice people we chatted to over dinner, middle-aged couples, mostly
* that weird older guy in a hairy jumper telling some kids to call him 'Grandpa'
* the pretty Polish backpacker, meaning we are only the second most exotic foreigners on this train
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