Fuel stations. Much like the apparatus to turn on the shower, there is an inexplicable multitude of devices to access fuel.
At most you have to pay for fuel before you lift the pump. This involves either swiping your credit card at the pump (sometimes our cards are rejected due to being non USA cards) or guessing how much fuel you'll need and paying the attendant. If you pay cash, you have to go back in and collect the change once the car is full. If you use card, they take the amount out of the pre-authorisation.
Another issue that I've learnt to deal with is that every hotel will take a bond for incidentals as well as either pre-authorize the room rate or deduct it immediately. Sometimes they don't use the authorized funds, but deduct fresh funds for the room rate on departure. This can all be very stressful if you have only a certain amount on your card as the pre-authorizations can tie up your funds for up to a week later.
Back to the trip....
After our visit to the Kennedy Space Centre (see separate post) we drove an hour west of Cape Canaveral to Sanford, where we boarded Amtrak Auto Train Number 52.
Sanford to Lorton, Virginia, where the train stops, is 1350 km. This would have been two days of driving. It is defintely more expensive to take the auto train, but it gives us both a rest from the concentration and decision making, and allows us to just relax.
Reconsidering, it would have been three nights in hotels to cover the same distance, plus food, so perhaps the train is no more expensive.
We will pass through Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, and Virginia, disembarking just south of Washington.
There are 43 rail cars, over 200 autos, one motorbike, and 448 passengers, making this the longest passenger train in the USA at over 3/4 mile long. There are four dinner sittings, starting at 4.30pm (ours is 9pm!), business and coach lounge and dining cars, and two movie sittings.
We are amongst the youngest on the train, with most passengers looking well retired.
At dinner we sat with a couple who have houses in Florida and Virginia, and are on the train to return to their 'summer' residence in the north. They said that this was the largest train they've been on - very busy.
We're in business class seats, and our carriage is almost empty. There are plenty of bathrooms and there is a 'women's lounge' - extra secluded basins, mirror and dressing area.
The sleeping quarters are full. Some of the cabins are teeny tiny - they were more than double our seat price but I think we made the right choice. We both slept well.
I was surprised that the train was so quiet. No clickety-clack. Most of the passage was very smooth going, with only a few sections of 'turbulence' over less even rails.
We woke this morning to see the sun rise over Virginia. The forests are very different to what we left behind in Florida. The dogwoods are in flower and the trees are in fresh leaf after the winter. The architecture has changed as well. More weatherboard and brick with chimneys and very pretty gardens.
The viewing has been excellent - lovely big rivers, forests, small towns and big, a peek into backyards as we roll by.
We detrained only 20 minutes late to a much cooler and crisper environment, and waited for our car to exit its accommodations. What a great way to travel - thank you Amtrak!
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