Upon Leaving Iowa

Vacation: Day 1 Friday, September 26th, 2008 Even with a 365 day advance notice of my vacation dates, I still managed to leave most of my packing until the very last minute. And, what with traveling via Amtrak this year, I knew that I was severely limited on the amount of luggage that I could take. Hence, less stuff, less packing time. Wrong. After filling my two allowed 28" x 22" x 14" fifty pound limit bags, and my one carry-on bag, a massive pile of clothing, books, shoes, personal items, etc., loomed ominiously off to the side, asking, "Ha. So, where ya gonna pack me?" I unpacked and started over - a few times. Two beach towels, an extra set of bath towels, sweats, books, blow dryer, jacket, and numerous clothing items went into the discard pile. I was now down to the essentials and fervently praying that the washer/dryer at the cottage was in working order.

(Luckily, Chris and Katie were driving, and had volunteered to carry down a huge bin of non-perishable food stuffs, paper products, the Yahtzee game and laundry detergent, as well as 3 beach umbrellas, none of which would have made the trip if not for them. None of these items would be making the return trip to Iowa.)

Bugs & I had decided that we'd leave home around 12:30 p.m., arriving in Chicago by 4:30 at the latest, giving us plenty of time to find our way through Union Station to catch the 7 o'clock train. Due to my packing dilemma, we didn't leave until nearly 2 o'clock.

Not terribly concerned about our late start (never had it taken over 4 hours to reach downtown Chicago), we merrily motored along the toll way at a goodly rate of speed. Then it happened ..... the dreaded Friday evening rush hour traffic. Vehicles crawled at a snail's pace as far as the eye could see. Precious minutes were ticking by as our panic welled. Finally, at a bit after 6, we saw our turnoff! Whew! We'd make it! Then we got lost. After navigating our way through the mess that Chicago calls its street system (mostly all one-ways going the wrong way), we sighted Union Station off in the distance. After a few attempts we were finally able to find the correct one-way that actually bordered the station. It was now after 6:30, I still hadn't picked up my ticket, the overhead announcements stated my train was currently boarding and I was nearing tears. Bugs & I dragged my bags through the station, too late to check them. I grabbed my ticket, kissed Bugs goodbye and dashed (or at least attempted) through the throng of fellow travelers, trying to keep my 100+ pounds of luggage in control. Once on the underground boarding platform, the diesel fumes, heat and humidity hit me like a rock. Oh no! The tell-tale wheeze of an oncoming asthma attack! Within seconds, a full blown episode was upon me. Gasping for breath and rummaging through my purse for the inhaler, I asked an Amtrak employee for assistance. His reply? "Step out of line until you feel better." Gee, thanks for nothing, asshole. To be continued tomorrow .....