I awoke to the sights of the backyards and parking lots of small towns in Indiana. I didn't sleep very much so I was awake a little before dawn. One of the benefits to getting up early is that if you're paying attention you can see wildlife out and about. I saw four deer in the field and another two by small streams along the tracks. It was nearly four hours before I started to see the back of Chicago warehouses and businesses as the train made it’s way to downtown area of Chicago IL. The delays were because of a freight train that was ahead of us on the same track but going much slower. I had a 4 hour layover in Chicago, but I was able to check my luggage through so I only had to carry my backpack around the city for a few hours. I love to wander around Chicago and was looking forward to getting out and stretching my legs a bit.
As luck would have it I arrived in Chicago for their annual Windy City Rubber Duck Derby (http://www.duckrace.com/chicago), which should've meant I was able to find stuff to do and food to eat while supporting a good cause. However I couldn't find the event, and I had to make due with regular touristy stuff. I walked down to the fountain and the lake side. I walked past the art museum and almost went up in the Willis Tower. I decided I want to share that experience with Olivia so I took a pass. Big cities always have interesting eats and Chicago is no exception. A string of food trucks tempted my taste buds. In the end I went with Da Pizza Guy... And their Chicago Style pizza. It was fantastic. The weather was hot and I was not interested in getting sunburn so I stayed in the shadows as much as I could and headed back to the depot early.
By 3:00pm I was back on a train (Empire Builder) onto my way to La Crosse. Seeing the scenery of Illinois and Wisconsin is always a welcome sight and being able to see it without the distraction of being the driver is so much better. I spent most of my time in the observation car.
I'm hoping to get a good nights sleep tonight. And then tomorrow's is the start of the Epic Bike Ride : 2016 Edition
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