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I just took a peek at the story of traveling to Ibiza. Great writing, and a topic that interests me for more than a few reasons. I will bookmark and read the rest soon.
I needed to get to Washington, DC, around October 19 to pick up a car from a friend and drive it to Denver, where my niece (who is buying the car) lives. It's also my home, so I needed only to arrange transportation outward.
The short version of the long backstory is that in January 2005 I had an accident in Nebraska that totaled my primary vehicle. For six months I lived without a vehicle at all, and I developed a habit of getting around Denver without driving at all. Buses to concerts in Boulder, biking to my parents' house in Littleton, and most of all walking everywhere within 6 or 7 miles' radius. Turns out, it can be done, and relatively easily. I even managed to get to Green River, Utah, without a car, to meet my brother for a kayak trip. I now have a car of my own, but since that six-month period, I've found it more enjoyable to get around without a car and without flying. And it's not just healthier for the planet -- it's healthier for me.
So back to why this relates to the Guardian stories: To get to DC, I decided to take Amtrak from Denver to Chicago, changing trains and arriving in DC the second morning after my departure. But mechanical problems, harsh weather, and clogged lines through the Rockies combined to make my train about 8 hours late leaving Denver. I boarded at 2:30 a.m. Thursday and, needless to say, fell asleep almost immediately on board.
I woke up to a beautiful, creeping sunrise in Nebraska, somewhere before Hastings. I had some breakfast and dug into a book I'd brought along. At Omaha station, Amtrak brought aboard a customer service rep, who told everyone making connections in Chicago that we'd miss our trains. They arranged hotel rooms for us all, and even gave us free dinner on board. In Chicago, we got vouchers for hotel rooms and $50 cash for transportation and meals until our trains the next day. I couldn't afford to miss more work than I already planned for, so I made a flight reservation leaving the next morning.
Saturday dawned clear and relatively warm in Chicago, and rather than take a train to catch the Orange line to Midway, I walked the mile or so into the Loop. It was early enough that the streets were peopled only with those who made an effort to be up at that hour. I watched sailboats pass the drawbridges on the river, talked with fellow pedestrians while we waited, and got a train out of downtown just as the sun broke through the skyline.
The rest of the trip was more conventional, but despite what seemed like drawbacks and obstacles, I loved that first part of the trip. I wouldn't try to schedule hiccups again like that, but I learned that the detours they provide are part of the trip too.
I look forward to reading those stories in the Guardian tonight.
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