With no international travel on the immediate horizon, I was on a mission to make this semi-annual wintertime trip to Michigan just a little more adventure-like. So we leave tonight on a red-eye flight from Honolulu, spend a day in Los Angeles poking around Olvera Street, then hop aboard Amtrak for a cross-country ride on the Southwest Chief.
The train ride takes over 40 hours total, but we’re hoping for fun, relaxation and some scenic oohs and aahs. And maybe an on-board upgrade, too, since we’re traveling coach and that means no sleeper-bed options (we’re armed with pillows instead). We’ll stop in Flagstaff to peek out at the Grand Canyon before continuing on to the City of Wind.
After a few days in Chicago visiting with friends, we’ll rendezvous with incoming fam and once again make the dip south of Lake Michigan to Kalamazoo. Actually we’ll be staying in Portage, a small, suburb-like town next to Kalamazoo, but Kalamazoo is so much more fun to type because I always think of that old song they made us learn when we went to elementary school there… k-a-l-a-m-a-z-o-o, oh, I gotta gal, in Kalamazoo, zoo, zoo, zoo, zoo… er, yea, LoL.
We’ve shipped gifts ahead in an attempt to travel carry-on only, but with the bulk of my winter coat, wool pants, sweaters etc., I’ve ended up taking a small suitcase as well–but still only one pair of shoes (hiking boots), which is a coup for me. I have to admit I’m bothered by the lack of stylishness inherent in hiking boots, but given the weather reports I’m getting from the Midwest (cold, sleet, ice, snow, wind), looking cute will have to take a backseat to avoiding hypothermia. Unfortunately for me, I cannot find my silk long underwear–I think I left it in Alaska–so I’ll probably be shivering a little more than usual.