In recent months my daughter has traveled from San Antonio to Taylor by Amtrak early in the week when she has served as bridesmaids in weekend weddings and her fiance would be driving in on the weekend for the festivities. With skyrocketing gas prices, the price of the train ticket was very appealing at just $21, saving wear and tear on her vehicle, pocketbook and nerves.

Chris went to San Antonio with Erin and Rey after the wedding of Kristi Johnson and Frank Smalley. Chris and I decided a train trip sounded like a fun experience.

My only experience with Amtrak was as a chaperone for the kindergarten class, that graduated as seniors in 2000. That trip was from Taylor to Temple, with the school bus to pick us up in Temple and take us to a park for a picnic lunch and playtime before returning to Bartlett. Everything was great until just outside of Temple the train was sidetracked for unknown reasons for a lengthy amount of time with 50 plus kindergarteners and adults who were getting quite fidgety and hungry. The lunches were on the bus. Chris had taken the same trip at Bartlett Elementary in second grade.

My schedule said I was supposed to leave the Temple Amtrak station at 5:13 p.m. on Tuesday, July 22. I arrived about an hour early to confirm my reserved ticket, and the ticketmaster told me the train was running late. I asked how late. He said about two hours. I said so my friend and I have time to grab a bite to eat. He laughingly said, go grab a bite to eat, take a walk and then eat again. So we drove across town to eat, spending extra time visiting.

The train finally arrived just before 8 p.m. and pulled out of the station shortly thereafter. About a dozen people got off and several got on. I travelled through Little River, Holland, Bartlett and Granger during the twilight hours and was able to view farmers harvesting corn and the landscape from a bird's eye view of the upper level of the train. Besides Taylor, stops were made in Austin, San Marcos and the final destination of San Antonio. Chris had called several times, eager for me to be in San Antonio, disappointed to find out I was still in the Temple train station.

I talked to my mother and my daughter on my cell phone, letting them know how things were progressing, and letting my daughter know how late it would be when she needed to pick me up. I enjoyed the scenery until it was too dark to see and then I read a book and worked a puzzle. Not once did I get sleepy, eventhough it was quite late when I arrived.

We had three whole days and nights to visit. Hurricane Dolly also decided to make herself known with high winds, heavy rains and tornado watches and warnings.

On Saturday morning, my daughter took us to the train station about 6:15 a.m. for a 7 a.m. departure. She was shocked to see so many people in the train station. After retrieving our reserved tickets Chris and I got in line with about 70 people in front of us and before it was time to board, there were another 100 people behind us--families, church groups, couples, young and old and singles. The train's final destination was Chicago.

Conductors quickly checked tickets and sent persons on their way to the appropriate cars. On the ride to San Antonio, there had been plenty of vacant seats. My first thought was it's going to be really crowded heading north, but it was not. Chris fell back asleep not long after we boarded and slept for an hour and a half. When he woke, we went exploring, walking through several cars to the observation car which contained the lounge and dining area. He spent a lot of time at the window, taking pictures of construction sites.

Traveling by train has definite advantages. There is plenty of leg room with a foot rest, adjustable leg rest, adjustable back rest, sliding tray table and electrical outlets for recharging cell phones and using electronics, including laptop computers. The aisles are wide. The train personnel are very friendly and helpful. The price is right. And they even served a complimentary breakfast (large blueberry muffin and orange juice) on Saturday morning and provided pillows for your comfort. Eventhough we picked up an additional 100 plus people in Austin, the train was not crowded. Many riders had two large seats to themselves, using them as beds to snooze. It was nice to relax, enjoy the scenery, read and let someone else do the driving, and miss fighting traffic in Austin, San Antonio and all along IH-35. (Once I got lost going into San Antonio, taking the wrong 410 Loop and circling the city, and once leaving, but that was due to a detour because of construction.)

One drawback was the timetable, one departure time from Temple, Taylor or San Antonio per day. Also, delays in trains arriving and leaving, but not a big deal if you are not real limited on time and you have a good novel to read or other entertainment or you want to catch a nap.

One young couple with a toddler was traveling from San Antonio to Chicago and a family--mother, father and four children were headed somewhere. The travelers had the opportunity to move around and not be confined to a cramped vehicle or a gas-guzzling SUV. And even the families, probably saved money, since children three to fifteen travel for half price of an adult.

I think there are more train trips in our future, since mine and Chris' tickets cost less than a tank of gas.