Carbon Trace

I was a child the last time I rode across country on a train. Since that time, I have been on several commuter trains in the corridor between Washington D.C and New York City. I remember that last cross country trip — must have been about nine years old at the time — as a hellish affair. But, then, a lot of things are hellish to an impatient child.

Right now I’m sitting in a very pleasant observation car with my wife and daughter watching what could best be described as the walls of a green tunnel. The tracks out of Washington and into the Maryland countryside run through an unknown landscape that lies just outside this tunnel of foliage. Every now and then the tunnel opens to reveal the shabby backside of some industrial area.

There’s not much to see from the observation car, at least at the moment.

We’re all well aware of the current hassles in air travel. I’m not going to claim, less than two hours into my overnight trip between D.C. and Chicago, that train travel has air travel beat. But I will tell you that, so far, this is really not as bad as I thought it might be. My seat — the one in coach that I’ve temporarily abandoned — is large and comfortable. And the legroom beats anything you’ll find on an airplane. There’s plenty of overhead storage. Really no luggage hassles at all. We’re carrying two items each — flight bags, backpacks, and my tennis bag (doubling as a suitcase).

I imagine there is some kind of security on Amtrak, but I sure didn’t see it. We boarded the first train in Wilmington, Delaware as easily as catching a New York subway. At Washington there was gate door that we had to wait to pass through. But after the train was called, pass through we did without delay. A conductor checked our tickets and gave us seat assignments on the upper deck.

It’s fun to travel and not feel trapped. No seat belts. No emergency briefing. Wander about as you please. Plant your kiester in the observation car. Visit the snack car. Make reservations for the dining car. Relax.

Now if you’re the kind of person who wants to avoid other humans (even while in close proximity), then train travel is not for you. This is a communal affair — especially in the observation car, where conversations are easily entered into and overheard.

An opening in the green tunnel! A river. A hill. Must be getting close to our first stop in Cumberland, Maryland. This is a smoking stop. Get off. Light up. I don’t smoke. But I might get off for a moment. Take a look around.

We passed through Cumberland on our way here in the car I no longer own. Downtown looked bicycle friendly. We ate lunch on a downtown walking mall. Saw many bicyclists.

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