The train ride ... an adventure in itself!

Pamela's train was to leave PA at 8:37 a.m. Thursday morning and arrive in NC at 4:03 p.m. at a nearby station. Around 11:00 a.m. she called to in a panic to tell me that she had missed her train, she was headed back north, and her luggage was on the other train headed south. It just so happened that the train had stopped in Washington, DC for a 30 minute break so its passengers could stretch their legs. When she attempted to board her train the attendant that was directing passengers directed her to the wrong train. She was now headed north to New Carrollton, MD.

When she arrived there, the Amtrak people said they would put her back on a train headed to Rocky Mount, NC at 3:05 p.m. They were also going to call the train and have her luggage dropped at the station in Rocky Mount so we wouldn't have to drive down to the original destination to retrieve her belongings. She should arrive in Rocky Mount at 7:29 p.m. now, and I could finish out my normal work day, there should be no more problems. WRONG!

After work I headed to the train station, and when I arrived, the train was delayed 1 1/2 hours due to a faulty engine. On top of that, her luggage was now in Raleigh, NC as the conductor had forgotten to drop it in Rocky Mount, and that station's baggage area closes at 9:30 p.m. The attendant suggested that I go ahead on to Raleigh to retrieve her luggage and they would send her on to meet me there since that was the final destination for that train. It made sense to me so I headed to Raleigh.

Thank goodness my boyfriend was at home and could access his laptop for directions to both train stations and our return trip home via a shorter route. When I left town from work, I accidentally left the directions to Rocky Mount on my desk, so it was sweet of him to be my personal GPS. Who needs to pay for such a gadget when you have an engineering boyfriend?

Back to the adventure, I arrived in Raleigh at 9:00 p.m and found my way to the customer service desk to inquire about the luggage. The attendant there was expecting me and after confirming my identity, she delivered the luggage into my custody. I have to say that both station attendants were more than helpful throughout the entire ordeal.

All I had to do next was sit and wait for the train to arrive. It had reached its destination on time in Rocky Mount and then headed to Raleigh. Around 10:20 p.m. the train stopped short of the station. They were waiting clearance from the station to proceed as they were anticipating there being a repair train there at the same time. After nearly 20 more minutes the train pulled into the station and as Pamela stepped down from the train she spotted me coming in her direction. At one point she broke into a jog and as we embraced her tears flowed, she was finally home.

We said our thanks to the attendant, hopped in the van, drove to a nearby gas station to fill the tank, grabbed a meal-to-go for the trip home, and headed out of Raleigh. For the next two hours Pamela would talk with me in a effort to keep me alert. As we entered the final fifteen minutes of the trip she dozed off, she said the road was too boring ... LOL ... I guess so at 1:15 a.m. and after her exasperating experience today!