The pain with the train....

This past Saturday, I went to Ft. Worth for Olivia's bachelorette party. I rode up there with Susan since we both live in Austin. But Susan was going keep driving to East Texas after the party for work. I made the horrific decision of riding the train back to Austin on Sunday. I should've known it would be a nightmare after I talked up the benefits of the train to all the girls and convinced them to come visit Austin via Amtrack.

First, the train was supposed to arrive in Ft. Worth at 2:40pm. My parents were sweet enough to take me to the train station. They probably regretted being so kind two hours later when the train finally arrived. Mom, Dad, and I stood outside in the afternoon sun next to the train track for TWO HOURS. We heard several times that the train would arrive in about fifteen minutes. WRONG WRONG WRONG. Two hours later when the Houston girls were probably home and unpacking from our weekend, I was boarding the train.

Second, the train was packed with people headed to Austin, San Antonio, and other surrounding cities. I finally found a seat towards the back of the train. I was relieved to find a seat in a quiet area. Quiet and smelly. I quickly started to smell a very sour smell. I looked around and realized that someone from a previous trip had thrown up in a seat behind me. The train staff had taken measures hailed from our elementary days and sprinkled sawdust on the puke. That is what I smelled from Ft. Worth to Austin.

Third, I was hoping for a seat to myself, with no one sitting next to me. Wrong again. A father with two teenage daughters across from us sat down next to me. I figured I could make this arrangement work because he'd most likely talk to his daughters. When was I going to learn? WRONG. I learned about his job, how he does his job, his kin, his next-of-kin, his travels, his schooling, his catfishing hobby, etc. I became so exhausted by the talking that I pulled out a sleep mask that Dad had given me that day. That was my saving grace. I put it on and pretended to sleep. When I woke up from actually dozing off, Chatty Cathy had gone with his daughters to the snack car.

Fourth, in the middle of a cornfield only fifty minutes from Austin, the train suddenly came to a stop. The lights went out, the A/C went out, and the conductor announced that a freight train was passing us and that we'd need to "sit tight for a few minutes". It felt like I was never going to get off that smelly train.

Fifth, ten minutes away from the Austin train station we stopped again to let another train go by. This was torture because we were in North Austin very close to my home. I knew exactly where we were. It took everything I had not to scream "ENOUGH" and get off that train and walk myself home.

We finally rolled into the train station and I've never been so happy to see that gorgeous Austin skyline. By the time I got home, it was 10:15pm. I was originally scheduled to arrive in Austin at 7pm. I guess it figures. The blog gods needed a good laugh at my expense. Hope they got it because it will be quite a while before I step foot on the Torture Train again.