T-minus 2 days: Getting there is half the fun

After weeks of planning and a few days packing and unpacking I am ready to start my Epic Bike Ride 2016 edition.  But before I get out on the trail I need to get to my destination.  After a lunch with my wife and daughter I boarded a west bound Amtrak.  Final destination my hometown of La Crosse Wi. 

I boarded the train (Pennsylvanian) in Paoli PA and after finding a place to stow my luggage and somewhere to sit we were on our way.  The weather was nice and the scenery as it passed outside the window of the train was very relaxing.  The train is a daily commuter train and only has a Cafe car for dining options.  So I brought some snacks on board to help bide me over and had a light supper consist I spent quite a bit of the daylight hours in the observation car or 

My first stop was Pittsburg PA where I had a 4 hour layover before the next leg of my journey.  There’s not much to do in Pittsburgh on a Wednesday night but thankfully a former student and her husband took time out of her schedule to hang out with me for a couple of hours.  

  After eating at Tonic (the French Dip was good) we took a stroll around the downtown cultural district. They dropped me back off at the train station and before midnight I was on the train (Capitol Limited) on my way to our next stop Chicago IL. This portion of the trip is all over night and we’ll be in Chicago around breakfast time.  the train came preloaded and was filled to capacity. With it being dark outside there isn’t much to scenery to enjoy so I try my best to get some sleep.  I hope my snoring doesn't keep anyone awake.