Field Trip...Home School Style

So we took a little train ride last month.

There was a get together at a friend's house we wanted to go to and we thought, "Why not take the train? It'll be fun!"

Just a little train ride.

So we left out of Mineola TX one fine evening, fresh and eager.



See? Eager.



'Round about midnight, we pulled into Little Rock and dropped off a few and picked up a few. The boys slept through that.



Right after dawn, we passed by the St. Louis arch.



Then we traversed Illinois...the long way from bottom to top.



Finally, we got to Chicago.



We got off the train in Chicago and got on the commuter train to Sturtevant WI, which is right outside Racine WI.

Racine WI is where I was born and lived till I was 35. It's right on Lake Michigan and a pretty city during every season but winter...which lasts from October 1st thru May 31st.









We spent the night in Racine, and while there, of course, we visited family- my brother and son and their lovely partners.



And my parents.



And an old friend from high school. Old friend. I'm not sure how he got so old since we went to school together.



And then we got back on the train.

Back to Chicago, where we had time to explore Union Station before our next transfer.



We slept our way across most of the dreariest parts of northern Illinois, Indiana and Ohio and woke up to Cleveland.



Here's where it sorta went downhill. Most of the time Amtrak will run a bit late and by 'a bit' I mean anywhere from 30 minutes to 3 hours late. This is not, as you hear so often, the mis-management of Amtrak. This is because the tracks themselves are owned by the freight companies and the freight companies treat Amtrak like the redheaded stepchild and restrict which tracks they may run on and when. Hence...sitting on the tracks waiting for stupid freight trains to mosey on by, while passengers on the Amtrak train sweat out whether or not they will make their next connection.

So the train went from leaving Chicago on time on the nosie, to an hour late, to two hours late, to "Holy Shit We Are Never Getting to Albany" late.

Somewhere in there our train car was overrun by several Amish families- 22 of them from about mid-thirties down to "I think she had that baby on the way to the train" little. They were delightful. And darling. And very well behaved.

Somewhere in there our train was boarded by several border security (I never think of the Canadian border as...foreign) and they asked everyone where they were from and where they were going. Several rows in front of us were 2 women who spoke very broken English. They conversed to each other in their native language- Russian. They were outstandingly pretty. They couldn't answer the questions. They were smiled at and the security guys moved on to...the Hispanic English teacher from Chicago, who got everything but the spotlight shone in his eyes during interrogation. Eventually they wearied from this exercise in National Security and left.

Finally...four hours late, we pulled into Albany.



And our reason for being there...a few days in a 1700's farmhouse



Surrounded by blueberry bushes in full fruit



And this balm-for-the-soul environment







And good friends.



From there it was just a short trip to New York City, where none of us had ever been, and a prettier route I cannot imagine as it went alongside the Hudson River the entire way.






I was sorta excited to be able to SEE New York City without having to DRIVE or FLY into New York City. Unfortunately, just before the train gets INTO New York City, it goes underground, giving this lovely view all through town.



Once in Penn Station I realized...it's fucking huge. I've been all over the US and we're absolutely comfortable in Chicago and Houston- numbers 3 and 4 in size of US cities, but this? Fucking huge. Luckily, we were met by friends who steered us outside long enough for a photo in front of (within sight of) the Empire State Building. We were outside less than 5 minutes, but can now say we have been IN New York City. Where? Oh, Midtown.



This is New York City.



This is literally ten minutes south of New York City. Looks a helluva lotta like Illinois.



Ahhh...Washington DC, where the capitol building hides behind the congressional offices.



The Washington Monument is covered in weblike scaffolding, appearing rust brown instead of marble white



And just across the Potomac River is the Creepy as Fuck Masonic Temple, proving once again that Separation of Church and State is a good thing...because it could totally kick the ass of any building or monument in DC. I mean...lookit it.



We slept through most of the dirt poor charming Southern Seaboard states and woke up to Atlanta.



This leg of the trip was the longest stretch on the train. Thank God for coffee.



By now Alec had decided he was never getting off of the train and pretty much just carved himself out a lair.



Birmingham Alabama may have some redeeming qualities. Or not.



Rural Alabama is just like you'd imagine it...if you ever imagined it. Camaro up on blocks, something in smoker and kudzo marching in to take it all over.



Coming through Mississippi, kudzo really hit its stride and the True South welcomed us home.



'Round about sunset we crossed over Lake Pontchartrain.



And right AT sunset we came into the train yard in New Orleans...sunset to sunset, 7 days from Mineola TX to New Orleans LA via St. Louis, Chicago, Cleveland, Albany, NYC, Baltimore, Washington DC, Atlanta, and Birmingham.



Pulling into the station, where we got off the train after just shy of 3,500 miles.



Ahhh...New Orleans.







Ward went to Tulane and said he didn't feel like he was really back in New Orleans till we saw this-



So that was our Dixon Family Road Trip...more of a Track Trip this year. The boys found out they like train travel as much as I do as we traveled through fifteen states and ten major cities, crossing two arterial rivers and skated alongside three of the Great Lakes.

History, Family, Friends, Food, Adventure, Culture, Good, Bad, Ugly- America.

Don't discount the train as a way to get from point A to point B, especially if you have small children who would appreciate being able to run around while the vehicle is moving, or if you are traveling alone- I've met one unpleasant person on a train...ever... in over 40 years of train travel, or if you are older and don't really want the killer 15 hour days of a long distance road trip anymore.

The train will rock you to sleep, take you places automobile roads don't go, and do the driving through the big cities.

www.amtrak.com

Tell 'em the Dixons sent you.

Clickety Clack Part One

The sun is setting out of the left side of the train and the clouds reflect it on the right.

We're crossing Holmes Lake, a tiny little blue splat between Marshall and Jefferson TX. Looks funny to see the moving blue orb that is my phone blinking on the iPhone map out in the middle of nowhere- no highway, no road, nothing a car could drive on.

Train tracks are like that sometimes.

Sparky And Gomez are across the aisle- both surfing the web on their phones although Sparky is taking photos with his more than surfing.

We've been to the snack car via the observation car and are pretty well settled into the coach seats for the night- grandmother, mom and very excited 3-ish year old boy in front of us and several young adults in various stages of napping and/or movie watching behind us. The observation car was a melange of older folks playing dominoes at the tables and little kids draped over the lounge chairs.

Other than the train being about an hour late, which is actually pretty on-time for Amtrak, the only snag in our vacation plans thus far was the rental car company calling us while we were eating dinner in Mineola before the train came...so already about 60 miles from home.

They wanted to confirm our reservation and that we needed pick up/drop off at the train station in Sturtevant tomorrow.

Oh. And to be sure I knew that if I want to use my debit card I'll need my most recent pay stub and 2 paid utility bills.

What the hell?

You're telling me this NOW? Less than 24 hours from when I need the car and when I'm 60 miles from home with no way to get that stuff?

Why yes. Yes they are.

Of course I don't need any of that mess if I pay with a credit card instead.

I don't have a credit card.

Joe had taken us to Mineola and started handing me his credit card but she said that as long as the credit card name matches the name of the primary driver, all would be well. He put it back in his wallet in disgust.

I said no worries, we'll just go to an ATM and get cash.

"I'm sorry- we don't accept cash".

What the fuck.

The boys started looking concerned.

"Never fear", I said. "I'll fix it once we get on the train".

Here's what I found out.

Yes, it IS Enterprise's policy but boy they sure are sorry whoever booked the car didn't mention that to me. Too bad they can't help with that. The funny part is that we've rented from Enterprise- recently- and paid with this self-same debit card without issue. Weird, but ultimately unhelpful.

According to the websites, both Avis and Hertz WILL accept my debit card without the bullshit idiocy restrictive rules of Enterprise.

Both open up at 7:30 tomorrow morning and by 8am I should have us a car.

So just a minor glitch. Nothing to fret about.

I know the world is going to hell. My heart is heavy with the current events of the last few days here in Texas and in Florida.

But right now the train is clacking and creaking, rocking along gently; the world's largest cradle. The scenery outside has gone from dusky to navy to turned off for the night. The whistle's blowing and the boys are settling in. I got 4 hours sleep last night and the reclining seat sure is comfortable.

I'll fix our rental car situation tomorrow. Sometimes all I can fix is what's right in front of me.

Sometimes that's all anyone can do.

Dude, Seriously- Where Did You Park the Car?

"I'm sorry- for a minute there I thought you said you were taking the train".

"That's because I said I'm taking the train".

*Stunned silence*

The above is a conversation I have every time I ride the train, unless I'm talking to someone who knows me well enough to know the love affair I have with trains.

When I was little, all the other girls wanted to be ballerinas and fairy princesses. I wanted to be a train engineer.

Of course that's when we were all small and silly. Much later in life (high school) all my friends were aiming for becoming nurses, secretaries or mommies. Thankfully, the aptitude test the career counselor gave us all set me directly on the path of my actual calling- lumberjack.

No, I didn't become a lumberjack, but even at the time I figured it beat the hell out of being a fairy princess or a secretary.

Back to trains.

Here in America, we are addicted to 3 things- the idea that we're Number #1 in every regard (which makes us full of #2), reality TV, and our personal autos.

You can take away most anything but for the love of all that's holy- do NOT take our cars.

Some folks in the more urban areas don't have cars. They use outlandish modes of getting around like "public transportation" or "carpooling" or "feet". But they're not quite right anyway, so they don't count.

No, a REAL American MUST have a car. Possibly even 2 or 3 cars, just in case one of 'em is in the shop.

Because nothing says "I'm no longer a free person" than being without gas-powered wheels.

Of course there are exceptions-

-if you're traveling say, over an ocean, an airplane is acceptable. As long as a rental car is procured within 30 minutes of landing.
-if you're taking a cruise, you may leave your car while you do that.

Otherwise- your personal car will take you wherever you need to go- you and a gabazillion fellow drivers, all going in the same damn direction at the same time.

But how ELSE are you gonna get from point A to point B?

Private jets are too expensive.
Busses are just icky.
Jet packs haven't been invented yet (DAMN that George Jetson!)

What?

I'm sorry. For a minute there, I thought you suggested the train.

We have trains.

Commuter and long distance trains. They're called Amtrak.

I know all the bad press about 'em. And it's very unfair because most of it is not their fault.

Does Amtrak run late? Yes. But only almost 100% of the time. The REASON they run late is because they must wait on freight trains before they can use tracks and switches- because the freight companies own the tracks.

Why does every route go through Chicago? If I'm going from Dallas to New Orleans, I may not WANT to go through Chicago! See above. The freight companies own all the tracks and limit what Amtrak can use.

Aren't the trains old, dirty and smelly? No- you're thinking of the bus. Amtrak trains are very clean and non-odoriferous.

Aren't the seats really uncomfortable and tiny? No- you're thinking of planes. Amtrak seats are large and comfy- they recline and at night the nice conductors come around with blankies and pillows. Seriously.

Aren't the people who ride trains all losers, druggies and felons? Nope- that's the bus again. Overwhelmingly the passengers on a train will be those who can't afford a plane ticket (college kids and families) and those who don't care how long it takes to get there but don't want to drive (senior citizens). I've never been nervous of anyone taking anything on an Amtrak trip, and everyone is friendly- especially the conductors.

Don't they routinely fall off the tracks, crash and burn? Not as often as it seems. And most of the time, that's due to track damage- which is the responsibility of the freight companies.

I've ridden the train from Milwaukee to St. Louis, Milwaukee to North Dakota, Milwaukee to LA, Mineola (TX) to Minneapolis, Mineola to Sturtevant (WI), Mineola to Austin and last week Dallas to Mineola. I love the train.

This last trip was for a conference in Dallas. I found lodging across the street from the train station and 4 blocks (very walkable blocks) from the convention center. If I had driven, the parking would've been $12 per day at the convention center and $16 per night at the hotel. I was there 4 days. The train cost $34 round trip. I mean, seriously.

I get motion sickness at the drop of a hat (Really- watching a hat drop to the floor is enough to make me woozy).

Yet for some reason, I love the train. The coach cars have the seating on the upper level and windows all up and down the sides so there's no claustrophobia. The train rocks back and forth gently, tracks clacking rhythmically, the whistle sounding at each crossing- haunting and familiar. I've never lived out of earshot of a train track.

If the tracks were opened up so Amtrak could actually use them all, the possibilities would literally be endless. We HAVE a form of mass transit that could go north to south and sea to shining sea without changing a damn thing.

We're planning an upcoming vacation around train travel- taking the train from big city to big city and using public transportation while "landed". There's only one segment we'll need to rent a car.

It's going to be an adventure of the best sort. Of course, all of ours are- just being together makes it so.

Getting There From Here

I love trains.

Not freight trains, although some of them have car after car of totally kickass graffiti treating folks stopped at railroad crossings to an ever shifting mural of urban life, dreams and imagination.

Passenger trains- generally Amtrak here in the US, are the trains who hold a near and dear place in my heart.

I cannot step foot on an airplane without massive debilitating panic, I cannot step foot on a boat without puking my toenails up, but I can ride sea to shining sea in the rocking clickety clack embrace of a train.

The cheap seats are the best seats in the house- the private sleeper cars are tiny and cramped, and would make my heebie jeebie claustrophobia tip into overtime- but in coach, there are windows on both sides from front to back to see out of- to enjoy the scenery in seats that are mightily more comfortable than any airplane seat I've been in.

I've ridden the train from Milwaukee to Chicago, Milwaukee to South Dakota, Milwaukee to St. Louis, Milwaukee to Los Angeles, Texas to Minnesota, Texas to Chicago and Texas to Austin (Texas).

I've ridden the train as a child and with children.

And here's the coolest thing about the train (in my opinion anyway).

When you fly, you're going the fastest (supposedly) way from point A to point B. There is no scenic or relaxing benefit to any part of the flying experience.

When you drive, there is scenery aplenty- but the driver is limited by having to watch...the ROAD, and the passengers keep messing up the schedule by insisting on stopping to go to the bathroom every few hours.

When you take the bus...eww.

But the train is different.

Train passengers are those who want the scenery while not stopping to pee. They want to get from point A to point B but aren't in a terrible hurry to do so.

People on trains tend to not be in business suits, or in a rush, or crabby.

People on trains tend to be college students, retired people, families.

Boarding a plane feels a little like a cattle call- herded up the ramp like so many steers after leaving your luggage to (hopefully) be loaded onto the same plane going to the same destination.

Boarding a train is an Event- the train thunders up, whistle blowing, steams to a halt, and the conductors shout the age-old "All Aboard!" and ceremoniously help passengers up into the train- leave your carry on luggage on the first floor and up to the coach seats on the upper level- it's the TRAIN- no one will bother it. Really.

Once aboard, there's no "Please remain seated till further notice". You're free to wander up to the observation car (where they show movies), the dining car during mealtimes, or downstairs to the bathrooms. Whenever you want/need to.

Kids love the train. They're not strapped into carseats and their ears never pop. Everyone sleeps better on a train than in a car or plane- if it's raining that's an added bonus- the rain sings you to sleep while the train rocks you.

Now that everyone's worried about peak oil, and the cost of gasoline, mass transporation is finally and for real coming to the forefront here in this country- the "rugged individualism" of the US has kept us stubbornly clinging to our "one car per driver/go where we want when we want" mentality.

I know Amtrak gets alot of bad press- the routes are weird, and they generally run late- hours late in some cases.

But here's the thing.

Amtrak uses trains. Trains use train tracks.

All the track in this country is owned by the freight companies, who allow Amtrak to use certain tracks during certain times. That's the problem. Amtrak needs free rein to all the tracks all the time and they could put together routes that serve the entire country and would run on time.

I hope we reach a point very soon where the above can be reality and I hope that once it does, riding the train catches on.

I have yet to see a happy child get off of an airplane, or unfold out of the backseat of a car after thousands of miles of fast food, being poked by siblings and hollered at by parents.

But my son has met new friends on every train trip we've taken, has slept soundly snuggled in the seat next to me, and considered the train ride an integral part of the trip instead of "the icky part before getting to the fun stuff".

And I'll never forget the look on the faces of a grandfather and grandson we met on our Texas/Minnesota trip- a trip just myself and my not-quite-two-year-old son took (something I'd never attempt via plane or car).

If I had to guess, I'd guess their ages at 6 and 66. This pair of adventurers was wearing matching striped railroad hats, and had been on the train almost a month- they were riding all Amtrak routes over the summer with short stops every few days to shower and sight-see.

They were happy, they were excited. They were reveling in just being together for a summer neither one would ever forget.

And that's the magic of Vacation- it's not the destination, it's the company.