Took Amtrak’s Southwest Chief (and the Hiawatha) to visit family in Milwaukee. Some pictures of the journey and my relatives for your viewing pleasure!

Mixed feelings about the trip – was great to celebrate the 4th and see my siblings and their families, also to partake in the summer celebrations in Milwaukee, the main reason I made this particular trip was to join them in burying our parents’ ashes at a cemetery just north of Milwaukee in Belgium, Wisconsin. So, something that needed to be done and a sense of finality with that. I think they would have liked the place we chose (my dad chose the cemetery after my mom died, but not the particular plot, that was left to us) and I think it’s a beautiful and peaceful spot.

Oh Amtrak! Unfortunately the trip home was delayed 16.5 hours because of a locomotive breakdown and then subsequent delays along the entire route. I did complain; I got a voucher to use on a future train trip (like that will be something I’ll do soon – not) but really coincidentally there’s this great story by Justin Fox in Bloomberg which I’ll link to which provides the context much better than I can. I really do enjoy the pace of train travel (it’s not only the Amish!) so I hope they can get their act together before it all goes down the tubes. I’d be very wary of taking one of these long hauls again (anything with a two night overnight, as all trains from the west coast to Chicago or New Orleans seem to be). Anyway, it’s good to be home!