I've always loved riding trains, and after contemplating it for a while, I decided to book a trip to Chicago on Amtrak. I originally wanted to plan a much longer trip across the entire country, but then I thought to myself, it would probably be better to try a smaller trip out first, and decide if it really is something I want to do. There's nothing worse than being stuck on a trip that you don't enjoy. I finished the first leg of my trip yesterday, and I'm glad I opted to test out a shorter trip first, because there's definitely things I wasn't prepared for. Sleeping on the train is quite difficult, and although there's plenty of leg room, the pillows that are supplied aren't nearly cushy enough. Also, they don't provide blankets, and it can get quite cold in the train. As a result, I didn't sleep very well last night. I ended up staying up and playing Unblock Me on my iPhone, and listening to the audiobook version of Never Let Me Go most of the night. All in all, I'm glad I did it. However, I see now that a sleeper car isn't really an option. It's a requirement for long trips. Here's some photos that I took along the way. Most of the scenery were of farm land.