Greeetings. The better half and I travelled perhaps 1100 miles this weekend to
visit my mom, siblings and their spouses, assorted nieces and nephews and their
spouses, uncles and aunts, and other unclassifiable relatives. It is a T-day
tradition we have not been able to participate in very often. The significant
point of it is that we made the trip by train, specifically Amtrak from Rt128
Station to Ashland Virginia and back. We took business class because it
provides guaranteed seats and also 120v outlets at those seats so we could
watch movies or run my computer the entire trip. Alas, my laptop decided to
break down (Sharon's portable DVD player ran like a champ!), but the rest of
the trip was awesome.
It took about 10 hours each way. By comparison, the fastest we've ever driven
it was 10 hours and the slowest was about 14 hours. It was entirely stress
free except for the first few minutes when we weren't sure we could get seats
together. Compared to air travel, ah, there was no contest. None at all,
zippo. No hassles, no strip searches or even removing shoes, no long lines, no
putting tray tables and seat backs in their full upright and ocked positions.
No seatbelts or seatbelt signs. Just a smooth, quiet ride on welded rails,
stopping occasionally but generally running fast and arriving on time.
Ashland, where one of my brothers lives, is a "quaint" and quiet town. The
double tracks run right down the middle of the old town. Indeed, when you
board the train there you have to listen for its arrival, then look down the
tracks to see which set of tracks it is coming in on. Otherwise you could find
yourself on the wrong side of the train and unable to get around to the open
doors.
LBC content: As we were going south through some place just north of NYC I saw
parked in a little parking lot a beautiful TR6. Red, I think. Was one of
yours perhaps? (I had to ask.) One the way back I spotted the hulk of a
Spridget sitting all alone in a junk yard in or about New Rochelle, NY.
When my family holds these T-day get-togethers they make a big deal, all in
fun, about who is bringing what kind of pie. The pie-to-person ratio is known
by everyone. It hasn't quite reached 3.14 yet, but it certainly is irrational.
Transcendental too.
It was a magical trip in so many ways.
--
Jim Muller
GT6, Spitfire
jimmuller@rcn.com
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