Woooooh… Wooooh. The very sound of the Amtrak train horn is among the most evocative bits of Americana. It conjures up images of giant locomotives, ploughing their way across the country. With romantic names like „The Texas Eagle,” „The Silver Meteor,” „The City of New Orleans,” and my home for the next week, „The California Zephyr.” The train is America.

The day did not start well. Lightning, thunder and torrential rain poured down over Bloomfield, Iowa, where I had come to watch a civil war reenactment.

In my American Quest I am visiting states firmly for President Barack Obama (Illinois), those strongly for Mitt Romney (Utah) and some, like my next train stop, which can’t make up their minds. Colorado, is one of these „undecided” states, which have become crucially important.

The headline in the Chicago Tribune left no one in any doubt. „Obama Solid in Illinois.”

Amy Cuddy says it you pose like Wonder Woman, even for a few minutes, you’ll feel a greater sense of power