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8/17/00
We had breakfast with a man from Japan. He's a middle school teacher touring America to improve his English. He will return home to teach English to his students.
The girls played with their friends most of the day. We continued on and were about 3 hours behind.
8/18/00
About an hour outside of Chicago our train stopped. We hit a deer, which went under the train and somehow had hooked a brake line, causing it to rupture. We finally arrived at 3:45 PM, the same time our connection was scheduled to depart. We rushed to the next train only to find out it would be delayed by a half hour. Three hours after that, we left.
The children were excited that we'd be in a sleeper car for the rest of the trip. They are hard to reserve. The sleeper was adequate. The music/radio in it didn't work and the beds were about as comfortable as the coaches. Food was included!
8/19/00
We arrived in Washington, D.C. at 7:40 PM, 5 hours late. We walked from the station to the Capitol and from there to the Washington Monument. The city is beautiful at night. By 9:30 PM we were back at the station.
The AMTRAK representsative was exceptionally nice. She gave the kids hats and directed us to a nice waiting area in a first class lounge. The train left exactly on time.
Our sleeper was fantastic. It had a working closed circuit TV and radio and also its own bathroom. We watched "Return to ME" and some Nickelodian cartoons. The staff was great. Our entire ride down the East Coast was excellent.
8/20/00
Everyone slept in until 10:30 AM! By Noon we were in Jacksonville, FL....ahead of schedule. We spent much of the afternoon playing cards, listening to music, and eating complementary Ghirardelli chocolates. Marissa is now an expert at POKER. By 8:30 PM we were home! (on time)
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Parting Comments We really enjoyed the trip. I'd definitely do it again. Outside of a few delays, the train ride was great. One can meet many people and really see the country. It was well worth it.
Special thanks to Boyd and Eileen for EVERYTHING, Eileen from school for the kids games, Stephanie for making perfect pillows for us, Satish for watching over my lawn, Jim and Pam for watching over our house, and anybody else I've forgotten.
Check out the links and photos on the next few pages. |
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Travel Log 8/5 Deerfield to Orlando 4 hours 229 miles
8/5 - 8/8 Orlando to LA 64 hours 2764 miles
8/8 - 8/9 LA to Flagstaff 12 hours 595 miles
8/11 - 8/12 Flagstaff to LA 12 hours 595 miles
8/12 - 8/13 LA to Seattle 36 hours 1389 miles
8/16 - 8/18 Seattle to Chicago 48 hours 2206 miles
8/18 - 8/19 Chicago to D.C. 18 hours 764 miles
8/19 - 8/20 D.C. to Deerfield 22 hours 1128 miles
Total Train ride 216 hours 9670 miles
Car/Jeep Rental 681 miles
Total trip 10,351 miles |
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