Madison, WI

Over Memorial Day weekend I took an Amtrak connector bus north from Chicago to Madison, WI. Two friends from my old Americorps NCCC team live there and hosted me during my stay. Not having seen a singe one of our original 12 team members since leaving the Corps in 2002, this reunion meant a lot.

I'm not supposed to tell you what a great place Madison is. I shouldn't say that it's a walkable, clean, friendly college town nestled between two beautiful lakes. Or mention the progressive politics, the amazing microbrews, the cheese, or the fact that bike paths seem to connect the whole town... Nope, why would anyone want to come here? It freezes up for like 10 months, routinely gets past 30 below, and some folks have to ice-skate their way across the lakes to get to work. Who could put up with all that?! I braved the warmer weather, anyways, and here are a few shots I snapped along the way:

A huge farmer's market encircles the capitol building each weekend; nice weather had everybody outside

Teammate Jen and myself

Frank Lloyd Wright designed the convention center in Madison; it looks over the lake and was one of his last projects.

Looking out over lake Monona

Inside the capitol building

A vertical shot from underneath the capitol dome

State Street is the main avenue connecting the capitol to the University.

Sailboats on lake Mendota, at the University docks

I mean, it IS wisconsin...

Apparently I timed my trip just right: "Bratfest 2009" was underway throughout the weekend. Part country fair, part carnival, and 100% bratwurst celebration festival, this Madison tradition was a new one for me! Above, notice the tractor-trailer-turned-bbq-grill... this little wonder can supposedly cook something like 4,000 brats at a time. Apparently, 99.5 of 'em are consumed each minute during the festival. ...Yikes?

Jason, another Americorps teammate, prepares to order

Jason, carnivore, consuming a double-brat sandwich in front of his disapproving (and very vegetarian) girlfriend, Jen.
J and J stylin' in front of the famous wienermobile

A little spin on the tiltawhirl... never to old, never too old...

Apparently the semi truck-size bbq wasn't enough, so Madison enrolled dozens of volunteers to cook more bratwursts on this gigantic grill stage. They claim a world record of nearly 200,000 brats consumed over 4 days... making Madison the brat capitol of the world.

Later that weekend I met some distant relatives who also happened to live in Madison. An impromptu family reunion is always a nice surprise

Jen, Jason, and I went to a botanical garden

Moments later, this little bird attacked our party, pecking Jason's head while hovering mid-air. It was like a Hitchcock film but unfortunately I couldn't get the camera out in time to capture the raid.

Team Blue Six reunited!!!

Thai pavilion in the gardens

I have strange and wonderful friends ;-)

USA by Rail 2009 - SF to Chicago

It's May, and that means time to hit the road! Or in this case, the rails. A 5 year dream is finally being realized as I begin a cross country tour of the USA - 100% by train. I have 45 days to ride an Amtrak USA railpass anywhere the rail network allows throughout the lower 50 states. My plan is to travel across the country and back as I visit old friends and make new ones... I hope you enjoy following my journey.

The first leg of the trip began May 20th as I boarded Amtrak's California Zephyr in Emeryville, CA. The Zephyr has been called the most scenic rail route in America. Covering over 2,400 miles from San Francisco to Chicago the train follows a route very close to that of the historic transcontinental railroad, originally completed in 1869. I'm a sucker for the railroad - and the Zephyr was the original reason I decided to travel this way. I hope you enjoy the photos I snapped during the 56 hour journey from the sf bay to the windy city.

Old mining town in the Sierra Nevada foothills

The American River Canyon

Approaching high country

Into the Sierras

Skiing, anyone?? The train climbs to nearly 7,000 feet before beginning its descent towards Reno

Donner Lake, near Donner Pass

The Vista Car- Miles and miles of great views... and you don't even have to watch the road! Train people are good people, and its easy to make new acquaintances. You'll chat for hours and feel like old friends before you know it. Over the course of my trip, I met a restaurant owner from San Francisco, a semi-retired couple from Pleasanton on their way to a wedding in Illinois, a Danish businessman riding to Chicago instead of taking the airplane ("for the views"), a blackhawk helicopter pilot with the army national guard in Colorado, a retired gas-utility worker from Grand Junction, a nice kid from Des Moines who recently completed his HVAC certificate, and a police dispatcher from New Zealand who simply loves to travel in the United States.

An old aqueduct of some sort

A short break in Reno

The train passes beneath several casinos

Open range in Nevada

Winnemucca! I just love saying that word. And it's in a johnny cash song. And the train station is about the size as a bus stop...

Nighttime in Elko, Nevada. Sleeping in coach class takes practice, and earplugs (sometimes)

Next morning, I awoke early to beautiful cliffs in Utah

Another western town

Eastern Utah... this could be a john wayne film

The Colorado River

Colorado is breathtaking! My first time through

Snowmelt and rain have the river near floodstage as we begin our slow ascent into the Rocky Mountains

If you look closely on the left you can see the front of the train

Picking up new passengers in Glenwood Springs, CO

Next time, that should be me!

Often the rail goes places no automobile will ever see... The Rocky Mountains are stunning by train. The highest pass is 10,000 feet

Class V?!

A break somewhere west of Denver

Descending from the Rockies, approaching Denver

Night fell just after Denver, and we passed thru Kansas during a nighttime lightning storm. I somehow was able to sleep, and upon waking early the next morning found the lush green landscape of Iowa. Spring means green!

Corn and Soy seem to be King in Iowa. Grain elevators were dime-a-dozen (and probably a billion dollar industry)

Quaint, simple homes watch over well-manicured lawns

Downtown Burlington, Iowa

A bit of Railroad past

In the Burlington railroad yard I lost count of the number of "corn syrup" cars. That's your soda-pop, your breakfast cereal, and your candy bar!

At Burlington we crossed the Mighty Mississip' into Illinois

Miles of farmland before finally, finally.....

Chicago!!! Three days and 2,400 miles later, I stepped foot off the California Zephyr and into the great city of Chicago. The process of arriving by train is wonderful. I felt like I earned it; all those towns, all that scenery, so many miles. It's a journey, not a trip; and there is a difference. I was surprisingly energetic as I waded through crowds to catch an Amtrak connection up to Madison, WI....... (more on that later... and don't worry, I'll be back to Chicago...!) Peace