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Wishing all a very happy turkey day. Is anyone on a train today? If so, would love to read your report.
Posts: 1530 | From: Ocala, FL | Registered: Dec 2006
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Red Lex will be my "Hoosier State" today to Indianapolis.
Posts: 9975 | From: Clarendon Hills, IL USA (BNSF Chicago Sub MP 18.71) | Registered: Apr 2002
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GBN, I wish I had a magic decoder ring for some of the things you write. I have no idea what that means.
Happy Thanksgiving to all! I hope everyone has a great day, and that you get to eat lots and lots of great food. The best part? After stuffing your face, kicking back on the couch and just going, "Ahhhhhhh". And please, do not drink and drive. I've seen enough carnage to last me ten lifetimes, and I wish we could stop it. Please don't drive "buzzed" either--it's the same as DUI.
Enjoy the day everybody!
Posts: 2355 | From: Pleasanton, CA | Registered: Apr 2007
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Smitty, GBN is saying that his red Lexus is going to be his conveyance to Indianapolis for Thanksgiving instead of Amtrak's Hoosier State.
Posts: 2236 | From: Evanston, Ill. and Ontonagon, Mich. | Registered: Feb 2007
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I can only concur with Andy Smith's immediate thought. Today, I will be met by my Thanx host's 19 year old kid at my hotel (a Holiday Inn Exp in Fishers) to get to their house, which is located on forested hilly and winding roads near Geist Reservior. I'm not comfortable driving those roads broad daylight and needless to say without any of what will be riding down there in the trunk of my auto (hint: unlawful to have such opened in the cabin).
Posts: 9975 | From: Clarendon Hills, IL USA (BNSF Chicago Sub MP 18.71) | Registered: Apr 2002
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My first thanksgiving... amusing to see the supermarkets were like UK supermarkets in the days before Christmas - i.e. everybody panic buying, lines stretching from the checkouts into the aisles.
I have 24 Yorkshire puddings in the oven which currently look more like Yorkshire biscuits. I hope they rise properly. There are also two pork roast joints, all of which will be taken around to my cousin's later. Oh, and some wine.
But no trains.
-------------------- Geoff M. Posts: 2426 | From: Apple Valley, CA | Registered: Sep 2000
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Geoff, as long as they're Yorkshire puddings and not Yorkshire terriers in the oven. My wife has one of those, and I've been sorely tempted at times to "bake him up." I got even, though. I brought home a rescue kitten the other night who is now in a tryptophan-induced coma asleep by my side as I type this.
Posts: 1530 | From: Ocala, FL | Registered: Dec 2006
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smitty, Gil's previous car was called "Lex Noir" (a black Lexus). By the way, I think Gil is a leading economic indicator of sorts; as long as he's still driving a Lexus, I think we're in good shape. If he switches to a Toyota Yaris or something, it's "fiscal cliff" time for all of us.
-------------------- Ocala Mike Posts: 1530 | From: Ocala, FL | Registered: Dec 2006
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Okay, gotcha. I see that Henry and Mike took "GBN 101" in college.
I just bought myself a new car---the first one in 7 years. I replaced my Honda Pilot with an ultra-luxury SUV. I got a 2013 Infiniti JX35. Obsidian Black exterior, and graphite (black) leather interior. This thing has more electronic doo-dads on it then I know what to do with! I paid extra for the "Technology Package" and I can't believe what it does. When I drive around town, or if I'm in rush hour traffic on the freeway, I never have to use the brake pedal. The car stops itself for me, and it also keeps the proper safe distance between me and the car in front of me (same with the cruise control on---it will speed up, slow down, coast, and brake appropriately). It is AMAZING to drive! It has 6 cameras on it, 4 for a "surround view", and two for monitoring the road in front of me. If I start to drift out of my lane, it beeps. If I don't respond immediately, it will apply opposite braking to one or two wheels to immediately bring the car back into its own lane. I suppose I could get on the freeway and set the cruise control, and then just bounce back and forth within my lane for eternity! It also has a 15 speaker, 5.1 surround sound Bose system with 2 TVs in the back with separate tuners so that you can watch different stuff on each screen. The car is amazing---I can't believe I got one. So then what would this be called in GBN'ease? "Inf Noir"?
Is everybody full yet from over-eating??
Posts: 2355 | From: Pleasanton, CA | Registered: Apr 2007
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We are having our "family Thanksgiving" today at my sister's home in the Chicago suburbs. Yesterday was spent just sitting around watching TV at my sister's home and watching her cook and clean house for today.
Since I can't take much of sitting around with my sister any more, I wish we would have had Thanksgiving yesterday -- then I would thankfully be driving home today rather than having to wait until tomorrow.
At least I am not staying at her house -- I am much like Mr. Norman -- I much prefer staying in motels over staying with family or friends. Like Gil says, the only reason I came down here in the first place was "to keep family family or friends friends."
And yes, I drove to Vernon Hills on Wednesday rather than taking AMTRAK and Metra, even though I had to drive through 50 miles of the densest fog I've ever seen, then be onslaughted with wall-to-wall semis on I-94 through Michigan, Indiana, and Chicago.
Posts: 2428 | From: Grayling, MI | Registered: Mar 2002
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The drive to Fishers IN on Thanx was just fine and the return today almost same. However gas mileage was bad (23.6mpg) owing to the stiff headwind today.
The only problem encountered was that there was a "brand switcheroo". I found on Thanx that what had been the Holiday Inn Express there had become a Baymont and the Indigo across the street was now the Holiday Inn Express. Apparently HIE has now set parameters that any property, built or converted, must have three floors. Why? HOONOS.
Apparently Indigo is a full service Intercontinental brand that simply "wasn't making it" in this Indy suburb. That brand specifies there must be a full service restaurant and a bar. The desk clerk who had been there while it was an Indigo said there were all to many nights that there were zero guests in the restaurant and that they could never keep a bartender account no tips. Anyone else here who regularly stays at Express knows the decor could best be described as "functional". But this place has an array of "contemporary" lobby furniture and this dark Indigo Blue motif. But it did the job (comfortable mattress; no "mystery lights" in the room), and my friends got to "crash" for a comp breakfast with me (would have paid if anyone said something). I of course suggested to them to bring some metal flatware as I always do when I have an Express on my itinerary (unless flying of course).
All's well that ended well; friends DO beat family on Thanx; "been there done that" no more.
Posts: 9975 | From: Clarendon Hills, IL USA (BNSF Chicago Sub MP 18.71) | Registered: Apr 2002
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Now THAT is planning ahead--bringing your own cutlery! It's true that HIE only has disposable plastic cutlery at their daily breakfast, and there are times I wish I had regular silverware.
I really enjoy their breakfasts---they have improved greatly over the years. A few weeks ago I stayed at a beautiful HIE in Ukiah, CA and the main dish for breakfast were bagels sliced in half, then loaded with cheese and bacon bits and eggs, and put under a broiler. They were extremely tasty!! I find the HIE brand to be an absolutely outstanding value. Especially for me if I'm staying on a weeknight---they give a gov't discount of $79/night.
Posts: 2355 | From: Pleasanton, CA | Registered: Apr 2007
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Arrived in Rochester NY on the Lakeshore Limited on Thanksgiving morning ON TIME ,! We head back to Mikwaukee & Elkhart Indiana on Saturday night. NOT looking forward to Chicago Union Station on Sunday - sure to be long lines everywhere! Happy travels, all!
-------------------- My new "default" station (EKH) has no baggage service or QuikTrak machine, but the parking is free! And the NY Central RR Museum is just across the tracks (but not open at Amtrak train times. . ..) Posts: 337 | From: Goshen, IN | Registered: Jun 2006
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As a matter of fact, we were on a train Thanksgiving Morning. Train 712, Emeryville to Fresno. 6 cars, fairly full. Just after leaving Emeryville announcement to not occupy two seats as there was going to be 400 passengers. Arrived right on time in Fresno after being down about 10 to 12 minutes after leaving Stockton.
Posts: 2808 | From: Olive Branch MS | Registered: Nov 2002
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I stayed at the Holiday Inn Express in Vernon Hills, IL -- I too enjoy HIE. They have a good free continental breakfast in the AM, which was fairly crowded all 3 days I was in town, even on Thanksgiving morning. My room was comfortable and enjoyable. And of course they offer free wi-fi.
I left Vernon Hills yesterday morning in cloudy cold weather with no snow -- when I got home, we had 2 inches of snow on the ground! And more is falling today! It's been several years since I have had to drive in snow, so I'll have to readjust my driving habits this winter!! Gee, where's that AMTRAK train from Chicago to Grayling? (hah!! just kidding.....)
Posts: 2428 | From: Grayling, MI | Registered: Mar 2002
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quote:Originally posted by George Harris: 6 cars, fairly full. Just after leaving Emeryville announcement to not occupy two seats as there was going to be 400 passengers.
That's a lot of "bums on seats", in UK parlance. (Rear ends, asses, bottoms etc).
I took the family to see some trains* on Saturday afternoon in Cajon Pass. I-15 from Las Vegas was crawling, even worse than the usual Sunday evening rush. Maybe everybody thought to leave Vegas early to beat the rush - and instead participated in it.
* - Yes, I was surprised too. Maybe they just wanted to escape the house for a while. In the end we only saw two trains, one en-route to the pass, and then one in the pass. We waited for the en-route one but it didn't turn up after half an hour so we gave up.
-------------------- Geoff M. Posts: 2426 | From: Apple Valley, CA | Registered: Sep 2000
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And please, do not drink and drive. I've seen enough carnage to last me ten lifetimes, and I wish we could stop it. Please don't drive "buzzed" either--it's the same as DUI. 
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