Our train starts at Chicago and goes to Washington DC. We get on at Toledo. Train was about an hour and some late. Not so bad really. LAst year it was four hours late. This time there no waiting for connecting trains and weather was not an issue. On the other hand, this year and last, the return westbound train was dead nuts on time. Most delays are due to freight trains having priority on the track.
Toledo station is a nice restored Art Deco building - pretty modern for 70 years ago. Bathroom was clean. Free parking across the street. My car was fifty yards from the train. Watching the station agents working. life ain't too hard. The pace is liesurely. Now and then throw a few bags on the baggage car, and sell a few tickets. I could do it.
Train gets there midnight, so we wanted to be there early enough to get comfy in the waiting room. I had thought about taking the long way down and driving through Morenci. See if I could spot any Michikids, or vice versa. But that would have us cruising around a small town at 10PM, and we figured the local police might take an interest. SO maybe in the spring when we start driving around.
The train is cool. Pulls up right outside the door of the station, a few minutes before it arrives we all gather on the platform. Quite a few of us in fact. Three large coaches, a few sleepers, and diner and lounge cars. AS we filed on the train, we stash our suitcases by the entry and proceed up the tiny stairs. These are two story cars. Coach seats up top, and down below are the bathrooms, train equipment (DANGER 480 VOLTS), a few seats for handicapped.
Up top, and the train is full. We went all through the three coaches with the conductor and there were no two seats together. A bunch of folk were asleep taking up two seats. For some reason the conductor was not into waking anyone up to get them back into one seat. They eventually assigned us seats one here and one over there. Fooey. Stash the bags and head for the lounge car. it was closed that late - well the counter in the lower deck was closed anyway. SO we just spent the trip in the lounge car. Maybe not as comfy as the reclining seats would have been, but not bad. By dawn, there were maybe 8 or 10 people crashed out in there. Oh well, it WAS Friday before three day Xmas weekend after all.
We had asked if many would be getting off anywhere soon. The conductor said they were adding at least 15 at Cleveland and who knows where they wil sit. He was not happy his train was oversold. Looked like a lot more than 15 on the platform...
6AM the dining car opens. One car up, and we are there. We were in the Pittsburg area. breakfast at dawn on the train, watching the Monongahela flow by. A bit pricey, but hey. Omelet, taters, toast, fruit cup, coffee $8-9. The crust on the french toast was resisting, I heard. Trains have limited table space, so they seat you with strangers. it was us and a pair of nice older ladies. One took a look at the menu and refused to pay those prices. Our coffee was included. She found that if you sit in the diner and don't order food, you pay for each cup of coffee. I was tempted to hand her two bucks. "Here is the difference from a land locked diner. Eat."
Then off to the lounge car again, for a couple of very loud bloody Marys. Not long before a nap made sense. I took my shoes off so as not to soil the seat cushions, but a junior conductor strolls by and tosses a curt "Hey, gotta have shoes, buddy" my way. Screw you too pal. Can't find me a seat with my wife and you won't wake up the seat hogs. Bite me.
But that was the only gripe. We got the best scenery during daylight. ANd down towards the DC I got to see scenic Harpers Ferry WVA, where MD, VA, and WVA all meet, and history is still remembered there. My Grandmothers old home in Brunswick MD a few miles down, and then the classic station at Point of Rocks MD.
Also from Harpers Ferry on down, right along the tracks is the old C&O canal built in the early 1800s. The old tow path is still popular for hiking.
WE get off one stop before downtown, in suburban Rockville. 17 miles out by train. Off the train, down the stairs, into the car. Oh yes, had to wait for my sisters to retrieve the pennies they put on the track. SOme young father had also put pennies down for his little kid, and they were all trying to sort out whose were whose. Same thing last year. Those trains can really flatten pennies alright.
All in all a great trip down. Far better than driving and flying with all our stuff would have been silly. We could walk around, spread out and sleep, pour bloody Marys, walk down to the potty, have meals, all without stopping or getting my shoes Xrayed. (unless they did that while I slept)
Xmas at the family was fun like always. My brother in law trying to fathom why I would give him an air matress, until we finally coaxed him into opening it. Sweatshirt inside the matress box. And he's known me for what, 35 years?
Tuesday afternoon 4:30, back on the train. This time we were only the first stop out of the origination of the train, and we bolted upstairs to find nice pairs of seats waiting. SO most of this flight we spent in our seats. Though the dining car opened for dinner a half hour later, we waited for the 6PM seating. A nice young man was seated with us. He was a military type on leave. His accent sounded Nigerian to me, but was just a touch. Said he had done two tours in Iraq so far. We wished him well in that. My pork chop was very good, and the wife's cod tasted OK to me when I had a piece. (Make up your own codpiece joke here) For $18 it had better taste good.
At least my crisp green beans were actually cooked. What is the deal with the damn green beans these days? REsataurants serve them raw but hot. Still have that damned chlorophyll taste. Note to cooks: there is a place between raw and cooked to mush that you can stop. Cook them until they taste cooked but stop before the texture collapses. I can do it at home, why can't you?
By HArpers Ferry the light was gone, so after dinner we read and made another bloody Mary. I poured a good 3 ounces into that drink, and a solid shot was left in the bottle. The wife declares, "Well you might as well finish it off." Ernk? Sorry dear, I need room in the glass for the mixer. besides, is there some compelling reason to turn my double into a triple? Perhaps a nap now...
The train sways as it rides. I find it soothing and peaceful. EVery now and then we cross rough track or some switches, and the train careens a bit - something I am used to when the wife drives. We look at each other and say "turbulence." We are such fun.
CLose to midnight as we pull into Pittsburgh. Always scenic, lovely at night as we roll along the river bank, cross into the downtown station, and back across th river to continue. The Monongahela and the Allegheny rivers join there to form the Ohio river. Lots of city light reflecting off rivers.
A whole, well, trainload of folk boarded at Cleveland, and started looking for seats on a fairly full train. I felt sorry for them since it was 2:30AM. But this conductor and crew were waking people up and moving them to clear seats. Good to see. You pay for a seat, it ought to be there, not under someones feet.
Ohio at night is not much from the train, though with out mountains and curves we go a lot faster. A littel after 5AM we walk off the train and across th street to the old truck. A stop near ANn Arbor for Bob Evans and we made it home in time for daylight. The cat missed us.
If you plan to travel, they tell you it is OK to use your personal computers and other personal electronics. Apparently it will not disturb the train's navigational equipment. Quite a few folks had their lap tops and DVD viewers. There are 120 volt outlets in all the sleeper compartments, but only a couple in the coaches. A few more in the lounge car. SO there were a couple extension cords going on.
Another great trip for the Enzo/Wenzo team.
