We're going to spend a few weeks in upstate New York again this summer. We skipped last year as Mitzi had some international travel planned. We normally drive both ways so we can carry all our crap and have a vehicle to use while we're up there.

The first year that we went for three weeks, we still had Mitzi's Honda CR-V, we also had Schotzie. I wanted to take the Auto Train to have that experience and to mitigate the CO2 emissions. Well, the Auto Train doesn't allow pets. So we did a "worst of all possible solutions," and I took the Auto Train with the car, while Mitzi flew to DC with Schotzie. It did give her another night with her daughter and son-in-law.

Well, I liked the experience and wanted to do it again. Schotzie (Adventure Dog!) passed away a couple of years ago, and I miss her terribly, but it does simplify many things.

It's still expensive, but we have a few things going for us this year. No dog. We're both over 65 so that's a discount of some kind. We're only going to take it one-way, on the return trip from Lorton, Virginia to Sanford down near Orlando. It's just under $1K for two people in the bedroom with bathroom/shower.

The thing that tipped it for Mitzi is that we would avoid driving through South Carolina. The Auto Train is one of Amtrak's most profitable routes.

<blockquote>“The Auto Train, as I understand it, has grown in popularity particularly on that one route because of the sheer congestion that people face on driving down the I-95,” Little said. “A lot of people are prepared to pay for the convenience.”</blockquote>

Bing! It's worth the money to avoid the cruelty of having to drive through South Carolina on I-95. Because it's near the end of our trip on the way home, we have to get as far south as possible on the first day to ensure we get through South Carolina not later than 1:00 PM on the second day. (Close readers of the marmot will note that I used to say 2:00 PM. Then we went to Charleston over the holidays and got stuck before noon.) The longer the day goes on, the worse I-95 gets in South Carolina. The compression waves of traffic begin to build and their amplitude and frequency gradually increase. They're tolerable up to about the early afternoon, after that, you never know. You might escape, or you might be trapped in a three hour backup because of multiple accidents. I have a visceral reaction to having to drive south through South Carolina. Headed north, we're usually through there before noon, so it's not as bad.

Leaving New York, we'll drive to Lorton on the first day, which is way north of where I'd want to be on the first day, and spend the night there. The train doesn't depart until 5:00 PM, but you have to show up a few hours in advance to get your car loaded. So we'll have a lazy day in Lorton, then relax until we get to Sanford. It's a couple hours from Sanford to home, but it's on a decent stretch of 95, unlike South Carolina.

Money well spent, I'd say.

Originally posted at Nice Marmot 10:53 Thursday, 29 February 2024