Our Ancestors Were Smarter Than We Are...

In 1857, the U.S. War Department sent Lt. Edward Fitzgerald Beale on a mission to lay out an official government wagon road from Chicago to California. On April 30, 1926, that original trail became the basis for U.S. Route 66, starting at 17 W. Adams Street in Chicago and ending at the Santa Monica Pier in California. Even today, there are designated landmarks and restored buildings all along the 2,448 original miles that pay tribute to its importance in “uniting” our country. So why, you might ask, does that make our forefathers smarter than us? Because…

They Had the Wisdom to Stop in Chicago

Around 10pm Sunday night, about an hour southeast of Chicago, this trip got really old. If I had any winter clothes with me, I would have gotten off in Gary, IN, and walked home. There are people who can do a run like this with no problem. In fact, my across-the-corridor companion, Andrew, is completely nonplussed about going from Santa Rosa to Boston. Maybe the fact that he’s a retired harbor pilot and is used to cramped quarters makes a difference. But right now, in spite of a shower every morning and evening, I just feel…grubby. Y’know that feeling when you just can’t seem to wash the grime off of you? Yes, the train is clean. Yes, the staff is pleasant. Yes, everything is okay…but there’s an embedded dinginess that comes from age and over-cleaning of surfaces. And it’s not helped by the fact that...

Yes, That’s a Fold-Down Sink and Lift-Up Toilet in my Room

Even with my head at this end, personally I have never slept this close to a toilet (with the possible exception of a couple of college weekends when I passed out after making a call on the Porcelain Telephone).

I’ll Stop Whining Now

The day is brightening. The view out my window is Lake Erie with the sparkling towers of Toronto in the distance. My second cuppa coffee has kicked in. I’m about to reach Niagara Falls. So who knows what other adventures this trip will bring?