Train Trip West - Day #1

I have been putting off blogging about our 15 day train trip because I want to be able to write about everything that happened and that is going to take a long time but if I don't get started it will never happen and I know that people want to hear about our trip and I want a record so I decided to start today and only do the first day. If I blog one day a day eventually our whole trip will be written about. So here goes day 1.

Glenn picked up his parents, Steve and Debbie Maas, at the Amtrak station on 8/2 and we enjoyed a couple of days in Syracuse with them hanging out and showing them some of our favorite haunts including the Erie Canal Museum downtown and Buda's. I also spent a lot of time packing because I think that I was kind of in denial that this trip was actually going to happen. Ultimately the 5 of us only packed 5 backpacks for carry-ons (containing each person's personal: blanket, sweatshirt, flip flops, pillow and stuff to entertain themselves), 2 carry-on sized duffle bags with all of our clothing (glad it was summer!), 1 bigger duffle bag (that contained our swimming stuff, dirty clothes bags and was usually pretty empty except when the girl's booster seats were in it), and a wheeled luggage full of food, as well as two soft sided coolers that would probably fit about a 6-pack. I didn't think that was too bad. I think that the only pic of our luggage may come up on day 14 so you will have to wait.

Hanging out with Grandpa and Grandma at our house

The cross country travelers getting ready to get on the train.

On Thursday, 8/4, Glenn took the 7 of us to the Amtrak station and we checked boarded the Lake Shore Limited at about 10pm. We got seats relatively close together, two here, two there, etc. Abigail sat with Grandpa (and asked TONS of questions), Lydia sat with Grandma and Caleb and Hannah sat together. Being the odd person out I usually sat with the stranger. (My stranger got out in Cleveland so I stayed half awake being afraid that I wouldn't wake up for him to get out or would lean over on him in my sleep.) We eventually settled down (probably much to the other passengers' relief) and got some rest in our coach seats (that really were not that bad comfort wise). The only other note in my journal is that at 11:26pm we arrived in Rochester left @ 11:41pm and that I was surprised that the Genessee River was so low. It was really too dark to see much of anything.