Bubbles here, we are 40 minutes from Elkhart Indiana. We have gone through Massachusetts, New York, (maybe a bit of Pennsylvania I haven't looked at the map) Ohio, and now Indiana. I woke up this morning thinking about what I might blog about, it is very fun that MaryAlice has turned the keyboard tapping over to me, I might get used to this task. It is Winster Solstice and I will be spending most of the day on the Lake Shore Limited. It was really cool early this morning in that soft light at the beginning of the day we were traveling right next to Lake Erie, I mean there was nothing but the railroad track bridge and the water at times. It was beautiful and a little scary. I was glad that I was not too close to the window, it made my stomach have little hiccups. After we got on dry land we went for breakfast, I got to go along with MaryAlice and she took this really nice picture of me at the table. We had to walk through our sleeper car and one more sleeper car to get to the dining car. Last night we walked the other way from our little roomette and found out that we are the LAST car that you can go to on the whole big train. We had a good breakfast, and I think that we'll get some coffee to take back to our room soon. We are now going to get into Chicago a little before noon, it wll really be 1 pm for us, but we get one more hour of the longest night because we have taken the train all the way through the eastern time zone.
When we went for breakfast we did not sit with anyone, that is unusual because most of the time you get to sit with someone you don't know, last night MaryAlice sat with Kendra who was from Worchester Mass and she was getting off at Buffalo and the train was late and her parents who are kind of old, have to pick her up and then they drive Niagara Falls. I bet that the Niagra Falls are really beautiful right now. The thing about being on the train at night is that there is a lot you can't see. The lights are beautiful as they whiz by and there is the clickity clack clickity clack, but it is a much smoother sound than what I can type. We were riding along the water a lot last night but there were too many clouds for the moon to show us more of the water. That is why this train is called the Lake Shore Limited (not sure what is limited - maybe being on time!). Now I think we won't see any more great lakes, because we will be just going past the very bottom tip of Lake Michigan and the train is too far south.
I am getting excited because we are going to take a really quick walk, after we check in our luggage, and go to State Street (that great street) and look at the Christmas windows. There were a few times when MaryAlice was little that she went to see the windows with her brother Bob. Now I get to go see them, I know that Myah has gone, and I remember thre were a few times when Myah and her Gramma were together around the holidays in Chicago and they looked at the windows and then would go to get a hot chocolate and brownie at the Palmer House. We are going to go to the Palmer House next year. Isn't that fun to talk about next year? It just means a couple of weeks, but it really will be next year.
Here is a picture of our sleeper car. We had to move when we got to Albany, NY and we didn't get a picture of that one. I think that it looks just the same. After we see the windows and get some lunch we will be getting on the Empire Builder, that train goes all the way from Chicago to Seattle Washington, and wow that is a ride anytime but in the winter it's something. I am glad that we are getting off in St. Paul. This will be the first time that I get off at the totally renovated old train station that is now new. Most of that trip will be in the dark because we leave on that train at 3pm, so not much light. We will be going through Wisconsin and then ride along the Mississippi River into St. Paul, we will go past Myah's Tribal reservationk, Prairie Island.
I think I have said enough about my trip for today. There is a little more snow, and it is very flatk, very very flat here. I am still seeing the back side of lots of things and it is pretty interesting and sometimes a little boring, but it doesn't matter I am going along for the ride, and I just saw an Amish buggy going down a back road. You never know what you will see, I am gong to keep my eyes open, except for when I might get in a little snooze. Happy Solstice, honor the dark, and be the light.
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