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| Amtrak's Saluki Train Departing Carbondale, IL northbound for Chicago |
Road Trip to Carbondale, Illinois, to Ride Amtrak's Saluki/Illini Illinois Trains October 4-7 - I'm departing in a couple days driving to Carbondale, IL, about 200 miles northwest of Nashville in southern Illinois. The purpose of the trip is to spend two days riding Amtrak's Illinois trains Saluki and Illini. Both of these trains travel the same route between Carbondale and Chicago. Two separate trains depart from Carbondale and Chicago in the morning around 8 AM arriving the terminus city around 1 PM, Then around 4 PM, those two separate trains depart from Carbondale and Chicago returning each to its original origin station arriving around 10 PM. So that's two roundtrips each day. So Monday I will ride the train from Carbondale about 2 hours north to Mattoon, IL for a brief 2 hour visit. Around 11:30 AM, I will board the southbound train in Mattoon to return to Carbondale arriving around 2 PM. On Tuesday, I will board the same northbound train and ride all the way to Chicago arriving around 1 PM. After a brief 3 hour visit to Chicago, I'll board the 4:05 PM southbound train back to Carbondale arriving around 10 PM. Tuesday's trip will be in Business Class both directions while Monday will be in coach class. Lots of train riding but I literally love it. Wednesday, I will be driving back home to Nashville/Franklin.
I did this same road/train trip last September 2014 and really enjoyed the adventure. The photo above was from that trip. Since I did not begin this travel blog until this calendar year 2014 you may not have seen my photo gallery documenting my 2014 trip. So check it out:
Here are just a few of the photos in that gallery:
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| Boarding my Business Class Car |
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| Inside my Business Class Car |
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| View from train crossing a rural highway |
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| Arriving Chicago Area |
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| Passing Amtrak's Rail Yard while backing into Chicago's Union Station |
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| Passing another Amtrak engine as we enter Chicago's Union Station |
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| View from train as we exit Chicago |
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| A last view of Chicago skyline as we depart returning to Carbondale |
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| Amtrak's Arrival Back in Carbondale |
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| So long Amtrak--Last view of train as I approach my car in Carbondale |
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.
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.
