train time

The train moves across the barren land that is the Midwestern United States. Rows of corn still remain in many locations, too wet to be harvested from the muddy fields. Throughout this journey, I have not seen a place that was not in some way, touched by human modification, either in the form of garbage that litters the edges of the tracks or in the establishment of homes and factories. I have come to prefer this mode of travel over that in the air. There is more leg room, outlets to plug my technology into and lounge cars that let you look out over a greyed landscape dotted with green conifers here and there or harvested fields. I imagine this would be a beautiful ride in the fall. Maybe at some point I’ll take the train home in the fall. I wish I would have brought my journal.

At union station, I boarded the California Zypher, train No. 5 bound for Lincoln. A much larger train, with two levels and overall, much less stable than the train from East Lansing. It’s been a dreary day to travel and I’m thankful that I haven’t been driving, even though it would have been something to do other than writing.

Time certainly flies when you're sleeping, as I found on my way back to Michigan. Not soon after I left Lincoln, I found myself in the Great Hall of Union Station and then back in Michigan once again to start the end of my first semester at MSU. While at Union Station, I couldn't help but notice the beautiful architecture.