The Night Before

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The night before I was very anxious. There has been only a few times that I've taken the amtrak for more than a day. Both Trips left from Chicago, one to Boston and the other to New York. I was super excited though.

Of course there is a lot more riding on this trip than even I want to admit. I am seeing my mom for the first time in about two years. We have a strained relationship and this trip can be either very good or very bad. Or most likely neutral.

There was a lot going through my mind the night before. Another issue for me was the state of the train. Would it be busy? Would it be full? For how long? Would I have one seatmate all the way through? Would I have many? Would the train be on time?

It was nice to have discovered that the Amtrak is on Twitter. Very comforting as they regularly report on the state of the train. If it is on time or how late it is going to be. You can follow these links:

Amtrak Twitter Official
Surfliner: Travels between Santa Barbara and San Diego

I decided to pack along my favortie stuffed animal Derf after reading a post in the forms about mascots.
Mascot Discussion
He seemed cute enough and light enough to bring with me.
Hopefully he will delight you as you read these posts.

I will continue with my train adventure after this blog.

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Photos

Derf and Bags
Packing for my trip with my good friend Derf.

Merry Christmas
War is over if you want it!