RE: O/T: A Trip On The Train

The subsidies provided by Illinois to Amtrack do allow Chicago college kids to get to most of our Universities.

Reply to
Markem
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If Illinois wants to subsidize rail, let them pay the whole Magilla. OTOH, Illinois is bankrupt, so...

Reply to
krw

OP: "The boat is pulled by houses, "

That one is a special edition and only runs occasionally. However the one pulled by horses is always available.

Reply to
Keith Nuttle

Keith Nuttle wrote in news:moeq4r$g4l$ snipped-for-privacy@speranza.aioe.org:

Where's Metamora, IN?

Houses, huh? Well 10/10 for style, but -1,000,000 for practical thinking!

Puckdropper

Reply to
Puckdropper

What Illinois subsidies are you speaking of Markem? Hadn't heard of them or are you speaking of a student discount ticket? Is it paid by the UofI system towards student's tickets or a general infusion of cash from our "always in the red" general fund. If it has the word Illinois in it, there is nothing that will ever pass the smell test.

Reply to
Unquestionably Confused

If that was not a rhetorical question, Metamore is about half way between Cincinnati and Indianapolis several miles north of I-74.

It was a port on the Whitewater canal that ran between Lawrenceburg Indiana on the Ohio river north to east central Indiana near Richmond. I believe it was active from the 1830 into the 1860's

Reply to
Keith Nuttle

Keith Nuttle wrote in news:mog4av$1fp$1 @speranza.aioe.org:

I should have looked it up instead of asking... Looks like it might be worth the detour if you're traveling on either I74 or I70.

Speaking of water rides along I74, there's the Spirit of Peoria paddle boat in Peoria, IL. Their normal trip takes you just a few miles up Peoria Lake. (The Illinois River flows through a couple lakes.)

On the other side of the river, there's a Bass Pro Shop.

Puckdropper

Reply to
Puckdropper

Great story, Lew.

My favorite mode of transportation since a youngster riding alone to visit my grandparents for the summer, have ridden trains all over Europe, the UK, and in Australia.

Have never been on an Amtrak run train, mainly because to go North out of Houston since Amtrak you have to take a damned Amtrak bus to Dallas.

(right, Leon? LOL)

Although I could walk to NOLA almost as fast, might have to do the Sunset Limited one more time, though it wasn't Amtrak the last time I rode it ... that's how long it's been.

If you really like train travel and get a chance, read some Paul Theroux (start with The Old Patagonian Express).

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Thanks for sharing.

Reply to
Swingman

Unquestionably Confused wrote in news:jTDqx.159319 $ snipped-for-privacy@fx06.iad:

He's speaking of the law (passed during the Bush administration) that requires the states to cover most operating costs for Amtrak services other than the Northeast Corridor and the transcontinental trains. In Illinois, services to Carbondale, St Louis, Quincy, Moline, and Rockford/Dubuque are state funded.

In general, figuring out who pays for what between operating costs and capital costs for Amtrak is complicated.

John

Reply to
John McCoy

Swingman wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@giganews.com:

Love watching trains go over the Huey P Long bridge (either of them). Hate driving over the Huey P Long bridge (either of them).

John

Reply to
John McCoy

There are a couple of bridges that have a driving service for people that will not do it themselves. I did drive this in the rain the first trip and the metal grates when wet keep you slowed a bit.

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Reply to
Ed Pawlowski

I've crossed it three times. The first I was a little kid and had read about it and was excited for a while until I realized that there was absolutely nothing interesting going on. The other two I was driving and the only road that tops it for boredom is the Pontchartrain Causeway.

Reply to
J. Clarke

"J. Clarke" wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@news.eternal-september.org:

What a weird looking bridge. It looks like the designer purposefully tried to use as many different styles of bridge (two designs of suspension, two types of truss, etc) as he could in one crossing.

I nominate I-70 across Kansas as tops for boredom.

John

Reply to
John McCoy

--------------------------------------------- What you don't find rolling irrigation systems with Milo growing in the corners of the fields that don't get watered interesting along with at least one pizza manufacturing plant?

Drive across Texas on a line from Austin thru San Angelo.

If you look North you have miles and miles of miles and miles with an occasional building.

If you look South you have miles and miles of miles and miles.

Lew

Reply to
Lew Hodgett

John McCoy wrote in news:XnsA4DCB9E3BA6CDpogosupernews@213.239.209.88:

US40, which runs just under I70 is worse. "Fastest way to Colorado Springs" said the sign. It also should have said "Most boring road in America."

Puckdropper

Reply to
Puckdropper

"Lew Hodgett" wrote in news:55ac5511$0$29437 $c3e8da3$ snipped-for-privacy@news.astraweb.com:

BTDT. It's actually quite pretty until you get to Llano, going thru the hills. More boring once it gets flat, altho the occasional ostrich farm or other oddity provides a little of interest.

Some day I'd like to find out why Goodyear put their test track in San Angelo.

John

Reply to
John McCoy

Puckdropper wrote in news:55ac8ecf$0$18631 $b1db1813$ snipped-for-privacy@news.astraweb.com:

Now see, I don't think a US numbered route is ever as boring as the parallel interstate. You go thru little towns, maybe there's a railroad running parallel, stuff to make you wonder why people went there, and why a highway was built.

John

Reply to
John McCoy

...

Heck, there's a lot of stuff in that part of Texas...try Lubbock to Midland/Odessa...

Reply to
dpb

40 isn't really boring at all; it _is_ quickest way from the east if are than far north to get to a (distant) view of Pikes Peak and the mountains; there's virtually always antelope and all for entertainment and, best of all, not too much traffic to be in the way...it helps, of course, if one does really _look_ at things other than the majestic, but I find that true of virtually all who aren't from the High Plains or similar areas--they just don't recognize there _is_ something if it doesn't slap 'em up the side the head. :)
Reply to
dpb

---------------------------------------------------- Don't know either but you are in the heart of rattlesnake country.

You learn in a hurry why cowboy boots exist.

The 8 mile track was just sort of cut thru the brush.

Driving an 18 wheeler around that track at 55 MPH for a couple of hours at a stretch gets a little boring.

The drivers put up a 4' x 8' sheet of plywood on the wall along with a hammer and a box of 16d nails in the office shanty.

As the day would heat up, the rattlesnakes would come out of the brush and crawl out onto the asphalt to sun themselves.

For a little diversion, the drivers would run over a sun bathing snake, stop the truck, get out and cut off the rattle, and return to driving the truck until break when he would nail the rattle up on the plywood.

The were on the 2nd sheet of plywood when I was there.

Getting an armadillo was a whole different game.

The object was to pop his shell.

Driving from town to the test track at 80+ MPH at about

6:00 AM creates a whole new opportunity.

The tarantulas are out on the blacktop at that time.

A quick left-right-center of the steering wheel would cause a double wide tire track and improve your chances of squishing a tarantula.

Boredom can sure get the creative juices flowing.

Lew

Reply to
Lew Hodgett

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