That Wasn't So Bad! (Getting to New Zealand, parts 1 and 2, introduction)

The first two parts of my journey to New Zealand are now complete. My Dad and I departed North Bay, ON on Sunday and spent the night in Goderich, ON, with my aunt and uncle. Monday was a long day of driving, all the way from Goderich to Chicago, with a quick stop in Valparaiso, IN for a visit with two other relatives who I was meeting for the first time as an adult. We spent that night in Chicago with my aunt. After a day of sightseeing in Chicago, we left the Windy City at 2 PM on Wednesday afternoon and began a 54.5-hour train journey to the Bay Area, which we completed only 3 hours ago. You can imagine how tiring this whole thing has been, so please forgive me if I save the verbal description for later. Here are some photos to whet your appetites.

The Mt. Pleasant, IA train station. Pretty much as I expected it would be.

The Colorado River, probably my favorite part of the ride.

The sight I woke up to on the last day of the ride. Somewhere in Nevada.