WISH CHOO WERE HERE

ROCKY RAILROAD ADVENTURE IS ONE WILD LUXURY RIDE FOR ED ELLIOT

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RAFTERS on the Colorado River have a cheeky way of greeting rail passengers. As the majestic Rocky Mountaineer train meanders through rugged canyons on a route renowned for spectacular scenery, my eyes are instinctively drawn to a more risqué sight.

"Mooning is against the law," smiles affable onboard host Mike Hannifin, gleefully teeing himself up for the punchline. "But it's hardly ever prosecuted because what are they going to do - a lineup?"

I am in the southwestern US to experience the expansion of one of the world’s great railway journeys.

Precisely when flashing bare buttocks at passing trains became a tradition here is unclear, but anecdotal evidence suggests it was long before the Rocky Mountaineer first rolled through in 2021.

From April, the existing two-day, 378-mile Rockies to the Red Rocks service between Denver, Colorado, and Moab, Utah, will be available as a three-day option, extending an additional 218 miles to Salt Lake City. Trains, which are set to depart westbound on Tuesdays and eastbound on Fridays, will be renamed Canyon Spirit, becoming a sister brand to three routes in western Canada.

My American adventure begins on Antelope Island. Accessed by a seven-mile causeway, the state park is surrounded by the vast Great Salt Lake which gave its name to Utah’s adjacent state capital, founded by Mormon pioneers, led by Brigham Young in 1847.

Burrowing owls peer across the prairies, while four pronghorn - colloquially known as American antelope but most closely related to giraffes and okapis - shelter from the intense sun under trees.

In the distance, a 500-strong herd of bison sets the tone for an epic train trip with backdrops straight out of a John Wayne Western.

Red carpet is rolled out the following morning as I embark eastbound on a test run of the new leg from Salt Lake to Moab.