The Autotrain

Yeah, I'm not really in love with the autotrain, but maybe if I write about it, I will find something to love.

When I visit my daughter in Florida, I am dependent on her for transportation.  That's not really a problem on short visits, but if this winter up north is anything like last winter, I plan to spend more time in the Sunshine State.  So I decided to move my trusty old Jeep south.

Of course, I could have driven it there myself, but my lower back got into an argument with me about that plan and won.  So the autotrain it was.

The autotrain departs from Lorton, Virginia (south of DC) at 4:00 in the afternoon and arrives in Sanford, Florida (near Orlando) at 9:30 a.m.  If you need some help with the math, that's seventeen and a half hours.  On a train.  Through the night.  Sitting (in my case) next to a stranger.

They start boarding cars at 11:30, so I decided to get there by noon.  There were already tons of people there!  (When all was said and done, there were 425 passengers on board and 240 cars.) You're given a number, but if you think that number has anything to do with the order in which cars are deboarded, you would be mistaken.  For that, you can pay $50 for Priority Deboarding.  Now in my world, that $50 can buy five bottles of wine, so I passed.

They start boarding people at 2:30 and the train pulls out at 4:00.  My seatmate was a woman close to my age with a hard luck story and a heart of gold.  Nita became my best friend for the duration of the trip, despite her sleep apnea and heavy snoring.  It was nice to have someone to go to the dining car with.  Yes, dinner is included, and it actually wasn't bad.  There's also a lounge car where one can purchase beverages.

Now, last year, I spent a total of 25 hours on three planes to get me to Australia.  The longest leg, LA to Melbourne, was a challenge, especially when you fly economy (which I call steerage).  In contrast, the seats on the autotrain were large and roomy, reclined fully, and had more legroom than I could use.  There are sleeper cars, which cost more, of course.  I would imagine they provide a more comfortable ride, but I did not see inside the sleeper cars to tell you anything about them.  But for what it is (which is over 17 hours on a train, for Pete's sake!), the autotrain makes it a tolerable journey, even if you're trying to sleep in a seat surrounded by a lot of people who snore.

So what did I fall in love with?  I fell in love with the fact that I was able to make a friend on this trip, one who helped pass the time with conversation and laughter and good will.  Nita and I did not exchange phone numbers or emails, as it was unlikely that our paths would cross again or that we would sustain our "friendship" after our vehicles emerged from the auto cars.  But for seventeen and a half hours, I was not alone on my journey, and that was a lovely thing.