Goodbye Chicago hello Wisconsin, Minnesota & North Dakota.

Day 7 It was with good wishes and a bright out look that I left Lee, Cindy, Gabe, Sarah, Liam & Nikki after the fantastic hospitality they had shown me. My first experience of a warmshowers offer had certainly been a good one. I got the Metro into the city centre for my train ride to Portland Oregon which would take 44 hours to complete not including any delays, but hopefully at least 16 of those would be while asleep and the rest would be compensated by amazing scenery. I seem to be coming across more Amish people now with a whole group in front of me in the queue for the train. I can’t help thinking about the film Kingpin every time I see one of the men. In the film there was a comment that Amish men have to put in that little bit extra than none Amish people when ever they do anything. I have now witnessed this. We stopped in the town of Portage Wisconsin and the train announcer said over the PA that this was the last stop for a long time where passengers could get off and have a walk to stretch their legs. I stepped off the train and was confronted by two Amish men doing a Forrest Gump back and forth along the platform. Weaving through the clouds of cigarette smoke like a pair of oddly dressed Mo Farah’s. They couldn’t just walk up and down like everyone else, they had to go that little bit extra. Those Amish boys are running fools......

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I’ve noticed the kind of subtle humour aboard the train that I enjoy. The conductor said as we left Fargo North Dakota “anyone still on the train who should gave just got off in Fargo, you have now missed your stop”. After lunch the announcement was “to the lady who has just finished lunch, you have left something in the dining area, he’s about 6 feet tall and married to you”.......Two women in my carriage simultaneously shouted....you can keep him!!!!! I’ve always been appreciative of good spray can vandalism. Not so much the really artistic drawings, though they are good. More the simple phrase graffiti like the classic Willenhall one saying “Conrad Wright stirs shit” and “keep it shut Wright” or the one on the Darlaston canal that simply said “Give me my powers back”. Just so you know, in Tomah, Wisconsin there is a girl called Leigh and she talks dirty to midgets.