As I hadn't made it into the mountains during my days in Denver, I decided to alter my plans a little bit. Rather than travelling directly to Las Vegas by Greyhound, I was going to take the train up to Salt Lake City, and get the bus from there. This was because I had read that this portion of railway wound slowly through the mountains and it was very picturesque. As the ticket only cost $75 I counted it as a small tour in itself.
I made it to the train with a little difficulty, as trains were departing from a temporary station as Union station (the main one in Denver) was having major rebuilding work. The train itself was worth the wait however. I had a huge seat with masses of leg room and some excellent reclining features. Nothing like what is on offer in the U.K. This may however be due part to the fact that the train travels from Chicago to San Francisco over 4 days so luxury is necessary. The best part of the train though were the large observation carriages, offering large wall and ceiling windows, enabling you to take in the beauty of the journey.
The trip itself was as beautiful as they say. We spent hours winding slowly through mountain passes, over bridges, crossing rivers, under tunnels, and around woodland. I took many photos, which I have put on Facebook in the Colorado section.
After about 10 hours of this, we crossed over into Utah in which the scenery changed to a more dusty and earthy landscape, though still gorgeous. Eventually, after 15 hours in total on the train, we arrived at Salt Lake City station. Unfortunately, my greyhound to Vegas was not for another 10 hours meaning I had to spend the night at the Greyhound terminal. There wasn't even a chance to go to a bar and wait because... you know... It's Utah... Church of the Latter Day Saints and all that stuff. I did manage to get some sleep but it was a pretty uncomfortable night sleeping on a concrete floor with the lights on brightly and nothing for a blanket.
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