All . . . Aboard! June 27, 2012
Posted by nrhatch in Gratitude, Happiness, Travel & Leisure.comments closed
Instead of retracing the 1200 miles from Florida to New Jersey for the third time in as many weeks, I’ve decided to let Amtrak do the “heavy lifting” for me. When I head back to NJ tomorrow, I’m taking the . . . Auto Train!
English: Amtrak’s Auto Train passing the Railfan platform in Folkston. Jason Trew Photo (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
The train departs Sanford FL (about 3 hours from us) tomorrow at 4 pm. After boarding at 2:30 and getting settled in to my spacious coach seat accommodations, I’ll head straight to the lounge for a Wine and Cheese reception. Bella! After watching the scenery pass by for a few hours, it’s off to the Dining Car for dinner on the rails, followed by a movie in the 2nd floor lounge until the Land of Nod beckons.
After the movie, I’ll pull out my security blanket and pillow and kick back to enjoy a cozy siesta, serenaded by the clickety~clackety~clack of the rails beneath my feet.
Breakfast is served, beginning at 6 am, before we pull into the station at Lorton Virginia (just south of Washington DC) around 9:30 am.
As soon as my car is unloaded from the auto transport car, I’ll drive the last 4 hours to mom’s.
Once back in NJ, I’ll keep mom company until the Memorial Service on July 15th, help her decide what she wants to bring back to Florida with us, and start cleaning out the house of possessions accumulated by mom and dad over the past 46+ years.
I’m excited. It’s been ages since I’ve taken a long distance train ride.
And . . . it’ll be great not to have to keep a lookout for the next rest stop since trains (unlike cars) have bathrooms on board!
Aah . . . that’s better!
Spirit Lights The Way 