Pete Is Not A Toad: On The Road

Wednesday, 2:45 PM. I’m finally on a train! Heading south toward Schenectady after saying goodbye to Connor and Port Henry Hey there’s Connor and the Camry up on the highway. Bye buddy man!

Here are some photos of the beginning of the trip.

Ripton Snow- Better Be Gone By The Time I Get Back

New Sneaks! Watch Out Nob Hill

Sarah Palin- Your Bridge Is Ready

Port Henry Train Station and Senior Center- Train's late, pinochle?

I’ve got Zac Brown in the headphones and a still frozen Lake Champlain to my left. I’ll be flying back in a week and I expect that ice to be gone! I’m traveling with Lisbeth Salander having picked up The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet’s Nest from the Ilsley Library yesterday. Lisbeth and Grandma Ann’s digital camera and all of you.

4:40 PM. I arrived in Schenectady (who decided that was a good name for a town?) on time which meant I had a 4 hour wait for the Lake Shore Limited which I will ride through the night to Chicago. Sat in the train station for a couple of hours and then decided to try Schenectady's finest Burger King. My whopper was just as good as the ones I've had at the Burlington Burger King. Aa Bill Lacey says, I spent a year of my life in Schenectady one weekend.

7:45 PM. We're heading out, bound for Chicago. Still having trouble finding wi-fi, hopefully I'll be able to upload tomorrow in Union Station.

5:00 AM. Sleep last night consisted of several catnaps. A little tough getting a 6'3" frame comfortably into a train seat for 15 hours. The couple in the seats right in front of my decided all night would be a time for a conversation in Cambodian. Not exactly a soothing sing-song language. I also learned that when Amtrak describes the route as traveling along "some of the nation's most beautiful shorelines" they don't mean AT NIGHT, when it is DARK OUT.

8:30 AM. About 2 hours out of Chicago, rolling through Indiana farm country. Hey there's Larry Bird!

1:50 PM. I just had the best pizza in the world! Giordano's deep dish sausage pie. Wow! Here's some pickies: