May 15, 2001 (Day 69)

May 15, 2001 (Day 69): Amtrak Lake Shore Limited, en route to New York – 10.15pm

Morale:  Good

Health:  Good

According to the calculations, this is the day and the location where our path crosses that of Fogg’s. Sixty-nine days into their journey, Fogg and Passepartout board a train in Chicago bound for New York. I took a careful look at those waiting in the departure lounge but did not see anyone who met the description of “English Gentleman” or “Valet”. If the California Zephyr, in from Omaha, was on time today he may have caught an earlier train. Perhaps the flood aftermath delayed him as well and he will need to catch a later train.

Then again, our traveling compartments, while comfortable, would perhaps not really be his cup of tea. He may have booked into one of the larger sleeping compartments near the rear of the train.

Will keep an eye out, nonetheless.

Another easy day. The temperature rose overnight and the sun was out. With the humidity, it did not take long to work up a sweat. We chose to do a bit of shopping since it took us from one air-conditioned locale to another. We browsed the books at Borders and I found a sports jacket and tie at Marshall Fields that should give me a few more options in the coming days.

Our carriage on this train is a slightly more modern version of our on the Empire Builder. It is not a bi-level carriage, like the Empire Builder. It is more like trains we have ridden in other countries. Our cabin is another cozy two-berth compartment; a bit more room than our Empire Builder digs and with a few more built-in creature comforts. It is a marvel of molded plastic inspired by Scandinavian minimalism. This 6 foot by 4 foot compartment is loaded with features. There is more headroom, storage space over the door (like on the Trans-Mongolian), an upper bunk that moves along a track instead of a hinge, upper and lower windows, an air-conditioning unit with an incalculable number of vents, built-in cup holders, a small sink, and a TV running movies. The Legend of Bagger Vance is on now – although I joined after the scene where Will Smith gets concussed by an errant golf ball while fighting with the gopher from Caddyshack. Also playing is Finding Forrester, but I think they edited out the F. Murray Abraham versus Sean Connery slap fight.

Despite all these wonders, I am less thrilled by the in-cabin toilet. While having to use a public lavatory can be a drag, it is more uncomfortable to ask the other person to step out if you need a little “private time”. But it is only for one night.

We have collected Anna’s parents, who will be joining us for the leg to New York. We were on the train by 7 PM, but the train was held for about one hour and twenty minutes waiting for trains from the east. Because of the delays they opened the dining car for us, so we were able to eat most of our meal before the train left the station.

We lose another hour tonight so at this point rest seems like a good choice. Tomorrow: NYC

Excerpts from Anna’s journal included

• ChasingFogg15
• Chicago
• Minnesota
• Travel
• USA