The Journey

Day 1, January 3rd (and the adventures of the day before):

The sky was mostly black, only a few twinkling stars could be seen in the sky. As I walked in the house, I could smell the seasoning of what my family had eaten for dinner. Everyone was bustling around, and the sound of many voices could be heard as they were starting to clean up the meal. My mom and dad met myself and my roommate at the door, ready to embark on an hour-long drive to take us to the train. In the car, it was dark, the soft glow of our phones and the radio were the only lights until we got to the interstate. The radio was softly playing, my dad on the phone, and the rest of us talking about what our trip would hold. When we arrived, the train station was empty. The smell of metal and grease was evident as we neared the tracks. After we boarded, we settled in and attempted to go to sleep. The soothing sound of the train engine was helping with the relaxation, but the whole sleeping-in-a-chair thing was less convenient. However, because I was so exhausted from the day, I got the job done and slept for 8 hours! The next day, I was a little disappointed to wake up to a dreary, gray sky. When you think of going south, you think of sunshine, not more clouds. We precariously attempted to walk from our end of the train to the viewing car. We did this successfully, but the movement of the train as we tried to walk with it was difficult and it made us feel a little self-conscious as we would lose our balance and fall into the seat of an unsuspecting passenger after hitting a bump. The viewing car was breathtaking as we could see everything as if we were outside in it. I could see the green and brown landscape rushing past, smell the coffee that the passenger at another table was drinking and taste the chocolate chunks that had been in the granola bar I ate for breakfast. I could feel myself moving while sitting still and my favorite, I could hear the infectious laughter of the children enjoying the trip and of the 2 elderly ladies at the table next to us playing games.


Stay tuned for a post about our first night in New Orleans!

 

A house seen from the train

Champaign Amtrak Station