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All in all, it was an ok trip. The trip was from August 25 - 28. I departed Ft. Lauderdale, FL, on time, in my sleeper. Like several of my other trips posted on this board, I had the roomette, also known as the economy sleeper. I found it to be in good but obviously high mileage condition. The weather was cooperative for the most part on the first leg of the trip, the exception being the rain encountered around Tampa. By the time we arrived at Jacksonville, I had already had dinner, and the train was about 20 minutes or so behind schedule. I had a good book, so I was unpreturbed by this tardiness. It was not as if I had to sit in an aircraft for three hours out on the runway, after all. The train remained about 20 minutes late all the way to Washington DC. The weather had improved overnight by the time the train arrived in Virginia. I went and had lunch at the Capitol City Brew pub, which has had some delicious beverages in the past. I then departed on time to Chicago, in the sleeper. By the time the train reached Cumberland, MD, the rain had resumed. Going outside to catch a breath of fresh air was not an option at the smoking stops that night. One bright spot was seeing the Mountains as we travelled west. I've always found this portion of the route to be scenic. Chicago proved to be humid, but thgis was mitigated by spending time at the Field Musuem and the Shedd Aquarium. The train arrived in Chicago about 30 minutes or so late, which did not bother me at all. The train to MInnesota departed on time, and was no more than 10 minutes or so behind schedule as it crossed Wisconsin. I didn't see any wildlife this time around, but I had the chicken for dinner, which was delicious. I also had the misfortune of sitting next to some young women who were quite attractive physically yet had their conceit, narcissism and arrogance nullify their physical attributes. It has frequently been a disappointment to meet people who were so blessed on the outside yet so repulsive on the inside. I couldn't help but look, yet I avoided them as best I could otherwise. They disembarked at Red Wing, and I felt sorry for their boyfriends. The other, older passengers and the crew were professional and polite in their behavior. We were ontime arriving into Saint Paul, and also at Saint Cloud. The weather was good for the trip across Wisconsin, and it was also obvious that Canadian Pacific had done some track maintenance on the route, as the ride felt smooth.
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