This will be a short post, mostly photos. I’m here in Virginia, about to wrap up a lovely week and a half with my parents. (Photos from this beautiful place in the next post!)
But for now, please enjoy these views from Chicago to Washington.
Here in the east, Amtrak switches from the beautiful double-decker Superliner trains of the west to the single-level Viewliners. This is because of old rail tunnels here in the east that cannot accommodate the height of the Superliners.
Understandable, but sad for me, because Viewliners lack the wonderful sightseer lounge car. They do have a lounge car, but seating is much more limited, making it much more difficult to strike up a conversation. The Viewliners also don’t have luggage racks in the sleeper accommodations, so for the first time ever (not sure how I avoided this in my year of travels, since I did take several Viewliners) I ended up having to scrunch my bike into my little roomette with me! Fortunately there was a strap to attach luggage to the wall, so I didn’t have to worry (too much) about it crashing over and falling onto me during the night. (I did check the trailer into the baggage car–no way that would have fit into the roomette!)
Lastly, some Viewliner cars—including this one—have a toilet and sink right in the roomette. This can be more convenient than traipsing down the hall for these amenities, but I don’t really like having that plumbing right next to my seat or bed.
One bright spot: I found the dining car on this train to be more “fancy” and cool than the more modern and streamlined ones on the Superliners. I enjoyed my evening meal and conversation in this dining car.
And I still got lots of lovely views from my seat in the roomette. We boarded in the evening in Chicago, and arrived in DC in the early afternoon.
I love the architecture both inside and out of the DC Union Station. I think it may be the most beautiful Amtrak station in the country.
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Hello from Waterford, Virginia! I am here for about a week with my parents, looking forward to (very low-key) celebrating my birthday the day after tomorrow, on the 8th.
I’ll be sharing photos soon from the scenic train ride here from Chicago, and of course some photos of the homestead here, as well.
But I’m behind on documenting my travels, so today, I’m sharing the splendor of Warrenville, Illinois, about 30 miles (50 km) west of Chicago.
I had visited Warrenville once before, in 2022 during my year of travels. My Warrenville friend Gill had introduced me to her friend Terri, and Terri’s husband Jim, who graciously hosted me for nearly a week back then. This time I was on a bit of a deadline to head east, then south, trying to outrun the chilly fall weather in various regions. So I just stayed for three nights and two full days.
When I was here that first time—in summertime—I found myself enchanted by all the nature preserves surrounding this small city of 15,000. There are beautifully graded and maintained bike baths running through them all. I was doubly impressed when Terri told me that many of these nature preserves had previously been garbage dumps, in decades past. One would never guess it now.
This year, I arrived into town—and later, exited—by way of these paths. I landed in Naperville on the Amtrak Southwest Chief train from Galesburg in the afternoon, which was perfect timing to catch the sunlight through the trees as I pedaled about seven miles (11 km) north to their home. Seeing the paths in the fall season added a new layer of magic to them, and the air temperature was quite pleasant.
The next day, I climbed into the van of my friend Gill and her husband Jeremy, who live nearby, to once again visit the Morton Arboretum, outside of town. The arboretum had some cool displays, including beautiful autumn veggies and an artist’s installation of large sculptures of native animals.
I got a kick out of noticing how color-coordinated I was with the squirrel!
The snail stole the show with its vibrant rainbow coloration. (Both Gill and I identify strongly with rainbows and their colors, so it seemed extra poignant to pose in front of it.)
Terri has volunteered in cat rescue and fostering for many years. I was happy to see that she was fostering two cats during my stay—Angelo and Sasha. Both of them greeted me enthusiastically shortly after I entered their bedroom.
On my third and final morning, I embarked on my bicycle journey to Chicago’s Union Station. The route was to take me 34 miles (55 km) and I hadn’t biked more than about half of that in one day for many months, possibly even years. The route was almost entirely flat, but I secretly worried I might be pretty out of shape, and hoped I would be able to make the journey OK without struggling. Terri generously offered to come and rescue me if I were to get stuck in any way, but fortunately, I biked it all easily, and was thoroughly glad to have undertaken such a scenic ride, along the Illinois Prairie Path. I had made the ride in reverse when I visited them in 2022, but in the fall everything looked totally different.
At one point, I realized I would need a restroom stop. I found a trail map at a resting point with a bench, and it showed that there was a public restroom just about three blocks later.
I searched for it—heading left off the trail onto a neighborhood street—but couldn’t see any sign of it. A suburban father was removing the cobweb decorations from his house since Halloween was over, and I asked him if he knew where the restroom was. He did not, but he very graciously offered that I could use his.
He held back the large dog, and pointed me to the bathroom while his young children looked on.
Upon opening the bathroom door, I was startled and delighted to see a framed image of King Crimson’s In the Court of the Crimson King album cover on the wall.
What are the odds? You never know when and where you might encounter a fellow prog fan. All part of the magic of the journey…
Thus refreshed, I continued my trek toward Chicago.
It remained a beautiful ride until I got into the city, at which point there was a several-mile stretch that felt dicey, along a busy road whose drivers seemed quite unconcerned with the safety of a bicyclist, perhaps especially a slow cyclist towing a wide trailer. Fortunately, the last segment of the ride was calmer, on downtown city streets but somehow with calmer traffic.
The total ride—including a few short breaks—took me almost exactly five hours. Out of an abundance of caution, I had allotted myself seven and a half hours. Therefore, I had about three rather unremarkable hours to sit and chill in the first-class lounge at Union Station. I was surprised and pleased to notice that my legs and body didn’t particularly feel tired, though I also noticed that my mind did feel a bit overextended and sleepy. I dozed off and on until it was time to board just after 6:00 pm.
Photos from that overnight journey from Chicago to Washington, DC in the next post!
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Do you have your own dream or project, and would like some support or collaborative brainstorming about it? Use the green “contact” button above to schedule a free, no-strings one-hour phone or video call with me!
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Want to support my vision financially? I am in a continual process of manifesting $50,000 per year in lieu of a “salary” for the unconventional work I do in the world. You can make a one-time or monthly contribution, or even become a Fairy Godfunder! (Heartfelt thanks to all my patrons, contributors, and godfunders!)
After that lovely experience in Galesburg’s Stoney Lake Park, I prepared myself for a potentially ho-hum day in Quincy, to the southwest of Galesburg, about an hour and a half on the train. This was the first segment of track on this trip that was new to me, and part of my effort to complete the entire Amtrak map. (I expect the whole endeavor will take me several years.) But I didn’t know whether I would actually enjoy each leg of the journey.
I was so pleasantly surprised!
Leaving my trailer and its contents at the hotel, I headed back to the train station in the morning, enjoying the sunshine, crisp autumn leaves, and several blocks of red-brick street paving.
The train ride was beautiful! Much more scenic than I had feared. I took many more photos than this, but you can get the gist from these.
As soon as I got to the station in Quincy, I looked on the map and spied what looked like an extensive bike trail less than a mile from the station. I pedaled toward it, and sure enough, a beautiful wonderland awaited me! The trail stretches for nearly three miles (nearly five kilometers) most of it paved. I marveled at the skies, leaves, and creek, and learned some things about “hobos” as well.
When I emerged from the forest onto the road south to town, I found my way to the one place in town that was listed on HappyCow as vegan-friendly enough to have vegan waffle fries. I enjoyed a double order of said fries, along with a seasonal drink special called the Drunk Ghost martini ($6!) It was a glassful of effervescent coconutty goodness.
After this repast, I crossed the street to the park on the river and enjoyed the view of the suspension bridge.
Then it was time to head back to the train station, along the same trail in a later light.
When I got back to the station, I found both it and the parking lot next door bathed in magical light.
Back aboard the train, the sky and clouds and light continued to impress me.
Sadly, I discovered too late that a high school friend lives right between Galesburg and Quincy, in Macomb—the one other stop on this Amtrak Carl Sandburg train segment. A visit will have to wait for another time, but this tidbit was a reminder of how small a world we all inhabit.
The train returned to Galesburg after dark, and my bike ride back to the hotel began with a festive nighttime downtown street scene.
I am thoroughly enjoying my travels.
Next up: Warrenville, Illinois!
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Do you have your own dream or project, and would like some support or collaborative brainstorming about it? Use the green “contact” button above to schedule a free, no-strings one-hour phone or video call with me!
Want to be notified of future blog posts? Use the green “sign up” button to subscribe!
Want to support my vision financially? I am in a continual process of manifesting $50,000 per year in lieu of a “salary” for the unconventional work I do in the world. You can make a one-time or monthly contribution, or even become a Fairy Godfunder! (Heartfelt thanks to all my patrons, contributors, and godfunders!)
