I woke at six to proper desert outside the window, just outside Flagstaff in Arizona – the jumping-off point for the Grand Canyon – then on through Gallup and Albuquerque, where we stopped long enough for me to stretch my legs, before my final train stop at Lamy.
From there it was into Santa Fe – hot, windy desert, with snow-capped mountains in front of me – where I finally met Rob and Ron in person. We set off for Taos with a boot full of wine and cachaça so I can make caipirinhas, and I’ve eaten my first quesadilla.
And then the view: the Rio Grande gorge, snow-topped mountains, and little specks in the distance that are Taos. Gorgeous.