Finale - Road Trip to Carbondale, Illinois, to Ride Amtrak's Saluki/Illini Illinois Trains

Metra Commuter and Amtrak Rail Yards in Chicago

Finale - Road Trip to Carbondale, Illinois, to Ride Amtrak's Saluki/Illini Illinois Trains - Tuesday, I drove to the Carbondale Amtrak Station and boarded the 7:30 AM Amtrak Illinois Train bound for Chicago. I rode in business class for the five plus hour trip to Chicago.  We arrived almost on time about 1:15 PM.  After checking into the Metropolitan Lounge for sleeping car and business class passengers, I walked outside crossing the Chicago River past the Willis(Sears) Tower and on to the Garrett Popcorn shop a few blocks away.  After purchasing a small bag of caramel popcorn, I walked back to Union Station to purchase a Chicago style hot dog for a late lunch.  I took the hot dog to the Metropolitan Lounge to eat while waiting for my 4:05 PM Amtrak Illinois train returning to Carbondale.  We boarded thirty minutes before departure and departed on time.  I did a lot of e-reading on the return trip.  We arrived Carbondale right on time at 9:40 PM.  I stopped at Burger King to pick up a Whopper hamburger on the way back to the Hampton Inn.

Wednesday morning I stopped at the nearby Cracker Barrel Restaurant in Marion, IL, for breakfast.  After breakfast I drove almost non stop home on I-57 and I-24 stopping only at the Tennessee Welcome Center near Clarksville, TN.

I have updated my Reagan's Photo Galleries to include two photo galleries in the sub Folder

2015 Amtrak Illinois Train Trip October.

Check out both of those galleries as you have time.  Meanwhile, here are just a few photos from the Tuesday trip to Chicago.

Boarding Amtrak train in Carbondale, IL

Rode Business Class from Carbondale to Chicago

Arriving View of Chicago Skyline

Arriving and exiting train at Chicago Union Station

Willlis(formerly Sears) Tower

Passing another train as we depart Chicago

Sunset somewhere in Illinois

A Touch of Tennessee in Illinois

Back Home in Tennessee - "The Soundtrack of America"

You can click on any of the small photos in this blog to open a full size photo. Also, click on the "blog title" at the top to view this blog on the web.

All my photos are available to view on Reagan's Photo Galleries website.

Next Travel Plans for Me -

Christmas in Louisiana December 22-29-  I will be driving to my Louisiana home in Shreveport/Bossier City/Benton to spend the holiday with my sisters and family.  My sister Pat continues to rehab and recover from her shoulder surgery late August and is doing very well.  My brother-in-law Bobby needs open heart surgery for several blocked arteries but needs to lose much weight and get healthy enough before surgeon will do the surgery.  Doctor has challenged him to do this and return early December for evaluation for the surgery.

2016 Travel Plans -  

Winter Amtrak Rail Adventure January 11-17 - Repeating my January 2015 Winter Amtrak trip except in reverse direction.  I will fly Southwest Airlines to New Orleans January 11 and ride Amtrak's City of New Orleans to Chicago where I will connect to Amtrak's California Zephyr traveling through Denver and Colorado Rockies and on over the Sierra Nevadas to Emeryville, CA, arriving January 15.  I will fly American Airlines from San Francisco to Nashville January 17.

Costa Rica February 9-23 is definite and American Airlines flights are already booked.  I will be visiting my friend Charlie Doggett who moved to Costa Rica in December 2014.  He is already planning a few overnight side trips and I'm hoping to experience some of his normal daily life in his town, Atenas and nearby San Jose.  

Via Rail and Amtrak Trip to Canada and Albany, NY, May 28 to June 15 - Traveling by Via Rail in Canada to Toronto, Montreal and Halifax, Nova Scotia.  Returning to USA via Amtrak for visits to Albany, NY and New Orleans, LA.