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The Stranglers once said “No more heroes anymore”, they were wrong. Yesterday I trecked to the train station around 3 and a half miles away, in soaring temperatures (about 35•C), with a huge bag on my back and a fever all the while. I expect the Foreign Legion to be in contact shortly hoping to garner some endurance/survival tips. Forget Will Smith, I am legend.

So now it’s just after midday and I’ve been on the train since the previous evening. It took 2 hours to get to San Anton (that’s what the locals call it) from Austin, then we had an 8 hour layover while the staff got some kip. I’m due in Tucson at about 11ish tonight and touch wood we’ll be on time (we are at the moment) otherwise I may have some trouble checking into the the hostel and have to park bench it!

I love these trains, they are completely geared up to enjoying the landscapes on offer. Plenty of room in reasonably comfy seats (though sleeping is still difficult, an hour here and there) that the staff spin round for you so you’re facing the right way when the train changes direction. There is even a viewing lounge with couches and huge windows that allow you to take the vistas in panoramically.

I’ve met some interesting, nice and cool people here; a lady named Petra from Brighton who is mates with I Am Kloot (possibly my favourite band), an American/Egyptian/Italian freight train jumper named Oggy and another Yank train jumper (and also a beat-boxin’ guitarist) called Kenny. My bourbon went south pretty quickly.

I’m listening to Vetiver on the iPhone and to my left I can see the sort of terrain that you could imagine Butch Cassidy being tracked by Texas Rangers in. I can see it raining over a ridge many leagues away and further to the right in the distance there is a cloud of smoke flying high above what could be a canyon. Magical.

The states are clocking up for the trip overall too, I’ve been in at least a dozen so far. I think by the end of my journey I will have visited maybe half of the 50 on offer. Now there’s a good excuse to come back and take care of the rest eh.

I’m a bit smelly no doubt and as a consequence of persitent sleep deprivation I’m starting to gain a passing resemblence to Keith Richards but I don’t mind as the scenery conquers all.

This Saturday I will be picking a car up from Tucson airport and driving to Flagstaff (via a spot of lunch in Phoenix). The following morning I’ll head to the Grand Canyon and ultimately over the Hoover Dam to Vegas baby. I’m a bit nervous as I’ve not been in charge of 4 wheels (supermarket trollys excluded) for quite some time, add automatic gearing and the wrong side of the road to the mix and it poses quite the challenge. Oh for a 2 stroke engine and an Italian frame.

Oh dear, there is a bridge down a few miles up the track apparently which means an unwanted 2 hour delay. This is big trouble in little China for my accomodation plans. Oh well, all an adventure eh.

On the plus side I’m currently participating in an Amtrak run communal trivia quiz while watching mini sand twisters on the plains, hawks in the sky and a great fork lightning storm going all around. As a teenage mutent ninja/hero turtle might well say, awesome.

A while later and we’ve just been through El Paso and am now about to cross the Rio Grande, with it leaving Texas and entering New Mexico. It’s going to be very tight to make the hostel in time but all is not yet lost readers.

Several more hours later and good news, the train is in Arizona and it’s more or less back on schedule so everything should be top banana for the hostel. The folks staying on heading over to California have a layover in Yuma to look forward to.

All in all I’ve been impressed with the setup, a good way to travel. The scran isn’t too bad either and is relatively cheap (relative to UK trains). I’m not that arsed about the several 40+ hour trips I’ve still to make with Amtrak, though maybe I’ll bring 2 quarter bottles of Kentucky bourbon next time round.

Okay, finally in the hostel (which seems nice) now. I fell asleep and the train got in to Tucson slightly early, luckily I’d had the foresight to set an alarm (that went off just as the train pulled in) otherwise I may well have woke up in LA. Crikey.

Sleep.

PS I seem to have neglected to mention that on my odyssey to the train station in Austin, I stopped halfway for a cheesy bacon cheeseburger with fries at TGI Fridays. What? Heroes gotta eat too you know.