cuisine of Chicago Union Station

The grandeur of Chicago Union Station is out of sync with its lack of good food choices. For dinner I was forced to have overpriced bags of pistachios and cashews, purchased from a newsstand.

arriving in Chicago

...as seen from the train.

Galesburg, IL

...as seen from the train.

Fort Madison Bridge

This bridge across the Mississippi River takes the train from Fort Madison, Iowa to Niota, Illinois. When it was built in 1927, it was the longest double-deck swing-span bridge in the world. If a ship needs to pass, the middle section (or swing span) pivots and becomes perpendicular with the rest of the bridge - thus called a swing bridge. (Bottom photo courtesy Abeling Photography).

Old Fort Madison, IA

An early outpost on the Mississippi River which at one time was the American Frontier. The original fort was built around 1808; this reproduction of it is a museum. I noticed geese and dark objects heading downriver - probably logs and not whales (which they resembled).

Fort Madison, IA part 2

"BPOE" stands for "Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks".

Fort Madison, IA

A beautiful station in a blazing hot historic town.