DAY FOUR

I caught a few hours of sleep before we had to leave to catch the 4a.m. into Chicago at Centralia. The 4 a.m. surprised me by being a double-decker. I believe it was the tail end of the New Orleans to Chi-town run. The conductor asked me if "that was my walking stick." I figured I better not agree with him so I said, "No, it's my cane." Since it was holding me up and kept me from falling in the aisles, I figured it was partly true.

I settled into a coach seat. Being a bit on the drowsy side, I slept in spurts on the way in. I know I moaned once and also my body jumped a couple of times since I wasn't connected to the c-pap machine. I was quickly grateful that I had upgraded to sleepers for Chi to Denver and from Denver to California. The sleepy little towns we passed by were twinkles on the prairie. There were large storage vats and farm machinery which broke up the passing landscape.

Once in Chicago, I changed my tickets to match my upgrades. The woman at the counter was very persistent with the malfunctioning equipment she had to work with. It took a few minutes and she apologized. It was pleasurable having someone who was competent and cared about her work behind the counter.

I checked my bags in the special lounge Amtrak has for folks with sleepers [there is also one like this in Philly and in Los Angeles] and went off to Lou's for breakfast. The specialty there is fluffy omelets served in a skillet. I had a feta cheese omlette which was perfection along with some fried potatoes and some delicious Greek bread. Coffee rounded it out. I declined the ice cream which was included. Stomach was calming down finally and I figured I shouldn't test it anymore than I already was by drinking the coffee and partaking of the feta cheese. That didn't stop me from eating the Milk Duds they give all customers upon getting seated though.

After breakfast I walked along the canal by the Chicago River, watched a flatboat with a tug, listened to a street musician play the sax [he was quite good], and avoided the beggars looking for hand-outs. I sat for an hour or so in the special lounge playing Snood and people-watching until my train got called.

I opted to go in the transport to the train since my one bag is heavy. #5 went real fast and I was glad I did. There was some good-natured teasing back and forth between the skycaps. Once on the train-- California Zephyr 5, I settled into room 10. Facing the front of the train, 10 is on the left. I elected to spread out on the bottom chairs which converted into a bunk. Departure was delayed several times with an electrical problem.


We did get going finally and it was goodbye to the Windy city. A bright sunny afternoon illustrated all of the grime on the train windows. I was able to get off some decent shots anyways and finished one of the train magazines I had picked up in Chicago.

The rest of Illinois was all yellow dirt and cornfields. Iowa was much the same although a few hills began to creep in. Stations came and went with the blowing of the whistle. The sunset was nice though and I had a great view of the Mississippi River which forms a natural border between Illinois and Iowa.

My dinner reservation was at 5pm. I sat with two women who were both experienced train travelers. One of them is a retired schoolteacher from Ukiah, California. Ukiah appears to be the pot smoking capital of the United States. The woman said 'everyone' was rushing out to get a medical marijuana permit. She has two daughters in Campus
Crusade for Christ-- missionaries from there have to raise their own funds-- one in Ubiekistan and a married one in Moscow who comes back to Vermont to birth her kids. This first woman identified herself as a 'Free E.' The other woman is an almost retired title searcher. She is a Lutheran-- Synod. I listened as both of them exchanged pedigrees like prized cattle and I longed for the days when no one gave two shits what church you went to or anything. Those days seem to be gone now which is a damn shame. I prefer that people live their religions rather than announcing them willy nilly.

Dining staff advised that the veggie stir-fry is high in salt so I settled into some baked chicken, baked potato, and carrots. All three of us had the same. The iced tea was good. We all three had the chocolate bundt cake and I had to wonder why the idea of it was so tempting. It was a piece of cake.

I snoozed and took pictures after dinner. I settled down with c-pap and Amtrak blanket for the night. Just before midnight or so we stopped at Omaha Nebraska [of Boys Town fame] and I wondered if Kelly's ex Terri was still in Lincoln [hi Terri if you are reading this, it's spike]. The train station itself was kind of spooky with an old part added on to the new part. We stopped at the old part with its twisted steel structures and rich textures evocative of another time and place when the west was a bit more raw and boots had spurs as a matter of course. I drifted off then, so ending the fourth day.