2019/06/06
Day -2
The first leg of my journey is almost over I am the Hiawatha Amtrak heading north from Chicago to Sturtevant, WI. So far, everything has gone as planned.
I forgot how boring international flights can be. Sure there is the inflight movies which are pretty great these days. New, bright screens and streaming service so you can watch any of the available movies at any time during the flight. I could binge watch some great movies but you still get the feeling that you are only watching movies because you have nothing else to do.
My experiences going through customs, security and immigration at various airports was mostly uneventful. At Narita, the security staff took a particular interest in my backpack. I think the shape of the tent and my multipurpose-function bike light/speaker and phone mount made them nervous. They opened up the pack and examined everything I had in there then returned it to me with a thanks and I continued on my way. In Detroit, where I had to change planes, I went through security and customs again. This time the security people weren’t interested in my backpack but my waist pouch containing all of my camera equipment was deeply interesting to them. It was jammed packed with spare batteries, old iPhone-cum-cameras and other assorted cables and peripherals. Really too much stuff. The TSA agent took out each item in the bag and wiped each one down with a tiny cloth. I assume he was looking for explosives residue. When he was satisfied he did his best to put everything back in. I remarked that it was easier to take it out than to put it in. My transfer in Detroit went smoothly and I made it to my gate with time to spare.
The flight from Detroit to Chicago was just long enough that I started to doze off when the plane touched down at O’Hare. The plan was to take the local commuter train to Union Station to catch the Amtrak. There was a train leaving at 5 and a train at 8. It wasn’t really at all likely that I would be able to catch the 5 o’clock train. I got lost in O’Hare airport so wasted a bit of time getting myself straightened out. I eventually found my way to the CTA terminal of the Blue Line. The train ride to Union Station was about an hour. I had about 2 hours to kill before the Amtrak left for Sturtevant. Enough time to buy my ticket, go to the nearest AT&T shop to get a prepaid SIM for my phone, get dinner and find a geocache. The timing worked out just right.
I really enjoyed the train ride from O’Hare to Union Station. At first, I didn’t really feel like I was in the city but after awhile I really started feeling the city. The most impressive thing was the fantastic graffiti. Especially the section between Logan Square Station and California Station. It should be sanctioned as art and encouraged. Most of it was just that good. I also enjoyed watching the other people on the train and wondering about their lives.
A curious incident did occur on the CTA train. I pulled out my phone to queue up a podcast and play a game. An airdrop message popped up. Some device named NSA wanted to transfer a rude picture to me. I declined to accept. I felt that I was now truly in the dangerous city.
The ride on the Amtrak was pleasant and the sunset was beautiful. When I got off the train my sister and her partner were waiting for me.
Day -1
My folks brought me up to Sturgeon Bay after having a fun breakfast with my two aunts down in Sturtevant. On the way, we stopped at a outdoor and sporting goods store called Cabela’s in Green Bay. I only wanted to get some decent rain gear because, based on the weather forecast, it looks very much like I will be riding in rain during at least part of the tour. The store was fantastic. It was like stepping into a museum of natural history. There were taxidermy animals in dramatic tableaus all around the store. And the store was ginormous. I could have spent hours there looking at all the great camping gear. It is a good thing that I kept myself focused on my mission to get decent rain gear, otherwise, it would have been financially devastating.
In Sturgeon Bay I was hooked up with my ride for the week. A Maxim full suspension mountain bike. It has a rack on it and one water bottle cage. No water bottle. I didn’t bring one will me either for the reason I mentioned before. I couldn’t fit a bottle full of air in my overstuffed bags. I installed my multi-purpose iPhone holder/speaker/light onto the handlebars and lowered the seat. I added a motorcycle license plate that I found in Japan while geocaching just for fun. I took the bike for a short test ride down to the end of the block. It will probably take me a few kilometers to get used to the shorter wheelbase and sponginess caused by the suspension. I think I will be okay with it. If not, it is going to be a very loooong week.
Facebook (fake news), too many news websites. I was more optimistic about the world when I was ignorant. I insulated myself from world events by living in Japan. Not being a resident of the U. S. it was easy to ignore events so far away and not able to really participate in local elections, Japanese politics were easy to ignore too. But lately, what I hear on both sides of the Pacific Ocean and in Europe disturbs me. Particularly what I hear about in the U.S. is frightening. It seems like everyone is against everyone else. There is no honesty, integrity or will to work together. It would be easy to blame Trump but he is just as much a symptom as he is a cause. I am not sure I can find a place for myself in America anymore. I have issues with both the Right and the Left, but mostly the Right. I am worried that I have changed too much to find a comfortable place in America. There is just so much stupidity. This trip, I hope, will renew my faith that there are still plenty of people who aren’t raging racists or fanatical anti-fascists. I hope that I will get a chance to have some serious conversations with different kinds of people. I am not generally an outgoing person but I am going to try to find a way to talk to people on a real level.
Photo Gallery
Video
[yotuwp type=”videos” id=”RzTzr6-WD7Q” ]
Home | Photo Gallery | Podcasts | Videos
]]>