BC takes the Train
On Board the Silver Star
June 16, 1999 9pm
Getting ready for bed on board the Silver Star
Paul was kind enough to get my bed ready for the night. I took another quick
stroll the Lounge Car but couldn't stand the smell so I made my way back
quickly. My timing was perfect as Paul had just finished making up my room.
Since vertigo and upper bunks are not exactly a compatible combination, I had
Paul make up the lower for me. The comfortable day time chairs collapse together
to form the lower mattress of the bed. Another thinner mattress is laid on top
of the seats and covered in crisp linen. With the bed made, there is only a
small amount of room between the side of the bed and the sliding door. Just
enough room to stand, barely. Sorta.
The dimensions of the berth are: 3'4" x 6'6". While plenty lengthy,
they are not exactly wide. As you can see in the 1st and 2nd photos, there is a
nice shelf near the head of the bed. AMTRAK
provides several magazines in each room and this is a great place to store
things during your trip. In the area under the shelf, is the toilet tissue and
the garbage can. As you can see in the 3rd photo, the toilet is at the foot of
the bed and it is narrower at the foot for this reason. The video display in at
the head of the bed and the lights are easily reached as well if you decide on a
little late night reading. If two people are occupying the room, an upper berth
lowers from the ceiling and the upper row of windows give the second rider their
own view from bed. Lights, audio, and video controls are also readily available
from the upper bunk. However, because of the position of the video display, it
is not visible from the upper bunk.
Changing into shorts and a t-shirt, I settled in for the night as we
continued to move slowly into the darkness of Georgia. More than a little tired,
I drifted off into a restless sleep. I didn't want to miss the sunrise from the
train so I set the alarm on my beeper, just in case. However, this would prove
totally unnecessary.
June 17, 1999 2:30am
I woke up several times in the middle of the
night, unable to get truly comfortable. My hip was bothering me from an overuse
at work during the week. At least I attributed my waking frequently to my hip.
At one point, I realized we were stopped and I was feeling more than a bit
queasy. Gingerly standing, it took me more than a few minutes to get steady on
my feet. Thank goodness, with the door closed, I didn't have to far to fall if I
tipped over. (Yes, I did) Finally steady enough to try walking, I opened the
door and stepped out into the hallway. Making my way to the vestibule, I found
Paul on the platform outside. I asked him where we were and he said Columbia,
SC. I wandered unsteadily back to my room, (thank goodness we weren't moving at
the time) and checked the time. We were more than 2 hours behind schedule. I
tried lying back down but continued to toss and turn as we pulled out of
Columbia.
I dozed fitfully for a while but never really dozed off. I finally realized
we were moving a bit faster than before. Realizing sleep was not readily at
hand, I again took my chances in the hallway. I made my way down to where Paul
kept an assortment of drinks and was pleased to see he had some 7-Up on hand. I
took the small bottle back to my room and took  a
few tentative sips trying to soothe my rolling stomach. I was beginning to think
this was only the beginning of a MAJOR vertigo attack. Trying all my usual
remedies, I finally settled back down to simply wait to see what happened.
Around 5:30 we made another stop and I got up to get another 7-Up. My hip was
also throbbing considerably by this time. Paul assured me there was Tylenol in
the Lounge Car and they would open at 6am. I went back to my room, opened the
curtains and waited for 30 very long minutes. Finally, I limped up to the Lounge
Car. Doing paperwork in the Lounge Car was the Conductor. I asked him what had
thrown us so far off schedule. He explained that just outside of Jacksonville a
freight train had trouble in the high winds and tipped over slightly going
through a crossing, taking out a switch box that controlled the lights and
switches for a 200 mile section of track north of Jacksonville. We had been
stopping and starting all night, going a maximum of 20 miles an hour, slower in
many areas. The trains were being moved without the assistance of computer
backup and they were being extra cautious due to darkness and the rain that
continued to follow us northward. I was told that we were now clear of the
problem area and would be moving at a regular pace. But we would be at least 2
hours behind schedule. I was starting to put the vertigo puzzle together. The
constant stop and starting, the pain, and the fact that my blood sugar was a
little low from switching from a night to day schedule were all adding up to a
really rotten start to my day. I picked up a Danish from the Lounge Car and went
back to my room. As the Tylenol, sugar, and steady pace kicked in, I realized
just how tired I was. After watching the gray clouds lighten, I decided to see
if I could catch a catnap. I did sleep better this time around but only for a
short period. My internal clock was still confused and I was up for the day
around 8am. Paul converted me back to the day time configuration as I took a
brief walk back to the Lounge Car. (I wasn't ready to face the Dining Car yet)
When I got back to my room, I tried sitting in the seat facing the rear of
train. Riding backwards sometimes relieves the vertigo symptoms and I wasn't
taking any more chances even though I was feeling considerably better. Even
though the seat was narrower, I found I still had plenty of room to move around
and was really more comfortable. Before long I was feeling almost normal. We
were moving through some very picturesque towns and I settled in to watch the
scenery and read for a while.
June 17, 1999 11:30am
Since we were behind schedule, I had the unexpected bonus of having lunch on
board the train. Unlike dinner, lunch is an open seating. I shared a table with
a nice couple from North Florida. They were going to Washington on business and
were seasoned AMTRAK riders. As we were
seated, we were offered a choice of soup or salad as an appetizer. I chose their
salad. The luncheon choices included Chicken Alfredo, Crab Cakes, and Meatloaf
as well as an assortment of vegetables. We each had a different selection. I
chose the Meatloaf with Garlic Mashed Potatoes and Green Beans. (The potatoes
and beans being an AMTRAK
specialty?) I was pleasantly surprised at how good everything was yet
again. The fresh baked bread served with lunch was outstanding. While traveling
through the Virginia countryside we were treated to the sight of a doe and her
fawn having their lunch directly beside the tracks as we passed. They never even
moved or looked up. Their lunch must have been as good as ours.
June 17, 1999 1:30pm
Shortly after returning to my room after lunch, we
began to see signs of civilization.  We
were rapidly approaching the METRO Washington area. I gathered the last of my
belongings and made sure I hadn't forgotten anything and eagerly watched our
approach to our Nation's Capital. As we got closer and closer, the skies
darkened yet again. It was still thrilling to ride into town and see the major
landmarks from the train. All too soon we arrived at Union Station and it was
time to head back into civilization. Look out Washington, I'm back.
Amtrak and
other Great Travel Links
Amtrak - The Official Web
Site
TrainWeb.com - A Great
Collection of Train Related Web Sites
Yahoo
Guide to Amtrak - Even MORE Train Related Stuff
Marriott Hotels International
- Find a Great Place to Stay once you Get There
Special Thanks to:
The Great Staff and Crews at AMTRAK - For making the
Dream come true
Tony "The Boss" DuBois - "Do they have
phones on AMTRAK?".
Jack Minard - "What vacation?"
Lucy and Tommy - G/L + C/L - A/D = Headache
The Friendly Staff at the Residence Inn Bethesda - who
understand night audit by Long Distance telephone isn't what it's cracked up to
be.
Kevin and Sunya - Two great "chauffeurs" - Ya
Drivin', I'm Buyin'
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