Me, running full steam with backpack and overloaded day bag slung over my shoulders, making a mad dash through downtown Chicago. A delay on the subway had turned my "45 minute" commute into an hour and a half - and I had literally just minutes remaining before the train would leave the station. Huffing and puffing, I somehow managed to stumble rush into the coach, just as the train was sounding the horn and the conductor was yelling "All Aboard!!!" The train pulled out truly just seconds after I sat down.
I love travel by train. It just seems so "civil" compared to flying or driving. Although the Chicago to St. Louis trek is not the most scenic in the United States, it still has it's moments. First, history buffs may enjoy the fact that the train follows the once-popular "Route 66" for almost all of the journey into Springfield. Auto enthusiasts may enjoy catching the sight of an antique roadster or motorcycles making their pilgrimage down this historic highway.
But mostly, the view is of never-ending farmland, punctuated by the occasional glimpse of wildlife (such as the badger - or was it a beaver that I saw scamper out of the woodlands?); or kids inner-tubing down the Sangamon River; or the very "Huckleberry Finn" scene of a boy in overalls fishing from a log in the river.
To me, these are the simple rewards of traveling by train.
I hope this is just the first of many train travels I enjoy during this journey.
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