A Tale of Two Rails: Homeward Bound 30/31-Mar-2023

We rolled out of bed early, got an Uber, and were on the Texas Eagle when it left San Antonio, on time at 07.00, bound for Chicago. We’d waited to board in a light drizzle among a throng of young kids who were GOING ON A TRAIN TRIP!! YEAH!! YEAH!! I can’t say their excitement was infectious but we were certainly AWAKE by the time the train got moving. 🤪

We started north under cloudy skies and in something like fog and this gloom was with us until night caught us just short of Marshall, Texas. So, once again, we crossed Arkansas and Missouri in the dark.

Just south of St. Louis, the Texas Eagle’s route hugs the west bank of the Mississippi River. We reached here right at the break of dawn and, in the rising light, could see long barge tows working their way upriver.

The clouds and fog had dissipated overnight and we crossed the Mississippi River on what looked like the start of a clear day. Such clearness didn’t last but it lasted long enough for us to get a magnificent view of the Gateway Arch glinting in the bright morning sun.

The Texas Eagle got us back to Chicago’s Union Station exactly on time. Since this timeliness has been the bulk of our experience with Amtrak, we have to assume the schedule difficulties we had getting to Chicago earlier were just bad luck. Or maybe Wayne and Diane are cursed? Who can say? 😉

We checked in to our hotel just as dire weather warnings started to circulate. Wayne and Diane wanted to get some of their favorite mints (and a new travel umbrella – good timing on that) at Macy’s (the huge, old Marshall Fields store in downtown Chicago). We were able to make it to the store and back to the hotel before it started raining and thundering.

We’d planned to go out for dinner but the weather “encouraged” us to eat in the hotel (Renaissance Chicago Downtown Hotel). Which was fine, as the food and service there were very good.

The storm had passed (mostly around) Chicago in the night and all was calm as we said good-bye to Wayne and Diane and headed to Midway for our flight back to Minneapolis. They would be staying in Chicago for 3 extra days until they could resume their rescheduled trip on the California Zephyr.

The storm that had just glanced Chicago had wrecked more disaster in the South and northwest of Chicago and had closed Minneapolis airport for a time – flights were canceled. When we landed in Minneapolis everything was covered with a fresh blanket of heavy, wet snow. It was back to winter all over again. 😒

Ground crews were still digging out some of the planes that had been stuck overnight. The deicing stations were all running full blast. Inside the terminal, maintenance people were collecting the sleeping mats the airport provides to stranded passengers. It had been a long night for many travelers. We had missed this excitement by barely 12 hours.

And so another trip ended. This one was totally worth it just to have another adventure (intentional or otherwise) with Wayne and Diane. Still, I think we were all more than a little sad that we didn’t get to do the trip we’d planned on for so long. 😥

Although the scenery along the route of the Texas Eagle probably isn’t spectacular enough to support two visits in four days, I do think we made the best of what we had to work with. And, on the high side, Wayne and Diane got to visit The Alamo for the first time! Hard to beat that! We’re hoping the rest of their train saga proceeds with more scenery and less (or no) drama! 🙄😁

BACK TO BLOG POSTS