Roll Me Away

RIDING THE RAILS

Friday morning 2:30am came way too soon. I set two alarms because I knew it was gonna' be tough dragging my ass out of bed. But the hint of adventure and the mystery of what the day would hold made it easier than I anticipated. I was on the road by 3am and good thing I had a GPS to help me find the Amtrak station in downtown Pittsburgh. Because I was on my way to catch the Capital Limited with my bicycle to Washington DC for Memorial Weekend and departure time was supposed to be 5:20am. I was told I had to be there at least an hour early to pack up my bicycle in a box they would provide. I parked at the City of Pittsburgh's transit authority parking garage across the street from the Amtrak station, walked the bike across to the train station and realized I left my ticket in my truck! Good thing I was nice and early!

While at the train station, I met a couple who also had their bicycles with them. They had checked them the night before and had a ton of bags. This ambitious couple was planning on off loading their bicycles in DC and hopping on the bicycle trail and riding their bicycles from DC to Pittsburgh! Over 300 miles! And another couple came in with their bicycles...they had just finished that ride and were heading on the train back to DC! So I was feeling a little wimpy about my ambitions.

I have a suite reserved in Georgetown where I will be staying in DC, touring the Capital Mall and museums for the next five days! I sat in the hotel room last night, after checking in at 9pm, and thought, for a few minutes, “What in the world was I thinking when I planned this trip?” I found myself second guessing my ambitions, my reasons for this little adventure. But everything is paid for and I have been telling everybody about this trip, so it was far too late to wimp out.

The train was late this morning. It roared into the station with a startling volume. I felt a lump in my throat as I walked out onto the train platform. I was doing something totally new, by myself, and, at the same time, wishing my Buffalo was sharing the experience. It was a mixed bag of feelings and I had to stifle a tear when I thought about it. And then I was climbing the stairs and in my assigned seat.

At first it wasn't much different than a bus. Somebody had said it was pretty much just like a bus. I was assigned a seat next to a gaunt looking man without teeth who smelled like stale beer and cigarettes. He was friendly enough, and we chatted a bit and I could mostly understand his toothless rambling. He was very familiar with the train travel and said he would show me where to get food and beverages. Once under way, he led me four cars forward and down a set of stairs to a snack bar. I got some yogurt and coffee. He got another beer. I sat down in the snack bar area to eat; my seat mate didn't see me and returned to his seat. I enjoyed the view from that area. Where

Where my beer smelling seat mate departed...

my seat was in the last car on the train, most of the passengers had their curtains closed and were sleeping. It was dark and depressing. I returned to my seat, until after my seat mate departed at his stop. I then wandered back up to the observation deck. A car with wide open windows, half sky lights, lounge chairs and tables, the atmosphere was friendly, inviting. The view was fantastic and I couldn't understand why all those people in the back of the train had the curtains closed and were riding in the dark! I found myself visiting with complete strangers, sharing our origins, stories about our families, our lives. The retired military recruiter heading to Florida to pick up a car he bought and drive it back up north. The college student on break. The grandmother going to visit family for a wedding. The Amish or Menonites who actually have an Amtrak credit card and were traveling for free this trip with the points they had earned from previous train trips! And then there was Jim... a rough, grey beard sorta' biker guy who had lost his wife a few years back and was going to help a friend get his RV running as the guy's marriage was in ruins and the wife was kicking him out. A mixed bag of individuals, much like the people of this country.

The train was delayed multiple times, but since I was on vacation, I didn't stress over it. A lot of folks trying to make connections in DC weren't too happy and close to the end of the ride, the conductor gathered a group in the observation car to explain what they needed to do when they reached DC. I have to say that everything about my train ride here was a pleasant experience, but it surely didn't prepare me for what happened when I got here.

I got off the train with the couple who also had their bikes. They weren't real happy about the delay as they had planned to make a certain number of miles before sunset and had lost about three hours riding time. As we wandered into the train station, looking for the baggage area, there in front of me …

WERE MY TWO SISTERS FROM CALIFORNIA!!!!!!!!!! They had flown out here, stayed the night and rented bicycles and were here to ride DC with me! No words can express the feeling of surprise, joy and love I felt when I saw those two. It was way beyond a OMG moment for sure! 

Putting the pedals back on at the station in DC

And I apologize for the lack of photos... I forgot my camera download cord and will get one picked up today to share more pics with you all in my next post. And for once, I hope you truly are happy you came along for the ride because this one is gonna' be better than I ever could have hoped for!