Another Update
Hi there.
It looks like I haven't made a post on here since May. Kind of crazy. A lot of things have happened over the past few months. I'll try to primarily focus on the positive things first:
Amtrak + Bike = Absolute Cinema (Most of the Time)
In my last post, I mentioned I did a mini trip via taking the Amtrak to Sturtevant from Chicago Union Station, riding my bike to Kenosha, and then taking the Metra back to Chicago. Well, I've done three more trips with Amtrak and my bike:
Milwaukee
This was the first time I've ever visited Milwaukee in my life. Well, last year I did do a ride with my grandmother to Wauwatosa, but I don't know if that counts as part of the Milwaukee metro. I know: it's embarrassing that it took someone so long from Chicago to finally see Milwaukee, but I can cross it off the bucket list!
I would say Milwaukee is a cute little city. I mainly went there to ride on the trails. I was surprised to see the downtown area elevated from the lakefront versus the lakefront and Chicago being on the same level... somewhat.
Ann Arbor
This is the second time in my life that I went to the state of Michigan. The last time I went, it was for doing camping with my mom, albeit I forgot where we camped. I was interested in going to Ann Arbor for the Border 2 Border trail, and I gotta say I wasn't disappointed! The trail is scenic, and I enjoy riding by the riverfront.
Also, the town itself is fun and breath of fresh air. Once again, me living in a flat area ll my life has made me astounded seeing these steep hills all over, and Ann Arbor was no exception. I want to give a shout to the Catching Fireflies gift shop for having cool stuff and a fun vibe, and big shout out to Casey's Tavern for having a really good burger!
The only downside of this trip was the train ride back to Chicago. I already arrived at Ann Arbor around thirty minutes late; that's whatever. The train was already running an hour late, and we boarded from Ann Arbor and arrived back in Chicago more than an hour late. Delays are something to expect from Amtrak, but the next trip I had would be something else entirely.
Quincy
Once again, I was interested in going to Quincy for a bike trail there, and how the town was settled right next to the Mississippi River. I was especially excited for this trip because I had business class on Amtrak for both ways, and I used points for it all because I had a bunch saved from a trip to San Diego back in January and the trips to Milwaukee and Ann Arbor. The real kicker here was the business class car was an Amfleet 2, which is a really rare car to have on the Amtrak Midwest system. The seats were very comfy and I even got a free drink.
The trail at Quincy was very scenic, it went through a small creek and even had some interesting rock formations. The town itself was simple but nice. And once again, my fascination for elevation came back here as the town is highly elevated from the Mississippi; you can clearly see that from the two bridges. I had to walk my bike up and down the hill because it was so steep. I hung out at the public library for a bit there to read and cool off because it was hot that day.
Remember how I said we arrived in Chicago from Ann Arbor an hour late, well get ready for this: We arrived in Chicago more than four hours late at two in the morning. We were already running around 30 minutes late, but it's whatever. We were just entering the Chicagoland suburbs when we suddenly stopped right before Aurora. The conductor said that a passenger train struck someone, and we were forced to wait here until we got clearance. He said an anticipation of about two hours. Luckily while we were waiting, they gave us free snacks and water to take which was good because I was hungry and thirsty and the stuff they sell at the cafe car was too expensive. Eventually, we were told that it was a freight train that struck a trespasser, so we had to wait for them to settle it all. Let me tell you: arriving at Chicago at 2 AM was a pain. Luckily, I got a voucher as compensation and I should get a portion of my points back... I hope.
The World Bird Sanctuary
This would've been another Amtrak trip with my bike, but given how tight the scheduling was and the pricing of the tickets and hotels, this was just a simple road trip. I'd rather not talk about that, just the sanctuary itself.
I had a really fun time there! I'm a total bird nerd, so seeing all these birds of prey I'll most likely never see because of where I live was such a treat for me. I loved seeing the owls; my favorite is the short-eared owl. The best part was that I actually got to handle an owl. It was a little tawny owl. I never felt so happy handling this tiny little bundle of feathers. There were two others that got to handle to the handle, but when I was holding it, it let out a pellet. Sure, maybe it was a coincidence, but I'd like to think it was special just for me. Let a critter dream.
Those were the highlights of what happened over the past few months. There has been some not good moments. I'm still stuck with my abusive family, and my anxiety has started to take a physical toll on my back and especially my neck where I'm starting to see an acupuncture person to help with it. I'll probably talk about that in another post...
So far things are okay. I'm trying my best with writing and reading as much as I can. Stay strong and remember you are awesome, okay? Shine bright like a shooting star.