Train Trip to Fort Worth

Last Saturday morning, Sophia and I, along with our friend, Kristen and her daughter, Emma caught the 8:32 a.m. Amtrak train in San Marcos bound for Fort Worth.  The seats recline, the legs come up, and it is easy reading for hours.  There is an outlet for each seat so running out of juice is not a worry.  The coach area is quiet with most people napping, so nothing to disturb us except the occasional announcement by the conductor.  We ate lunch in the dining car, despite our better judgment.  We paid excessively for food opened from plastic bags and reheated in a microwave.  Nevertheless the travel was easy, inexpensive and convenient with bathrooms available throughout the train.  No need to pull over for a potty break.  We arrived in Fort Worth at 1:50 p.m., about the same amount of time it would have taken to drive that distance.

We rented a car from Enterprise which has an office in the Fort Worth train station.  We checked into our hotel, then headed out for some fun.  We did LOTS of walking over the weekend.  We visited the Log Cabin Village, watched the cattle drive and did the maze at The Stockyards, giggled at the baby gorilla "Gus" at the Zoo, watched a show on our solar system at the Planetarium, climbed the Water Gardens, strolled the Botanic Gardens, and hunted Pokemon on Pokemon Go.  We were very fortunate to enjoy perfect weather while there.  Despite the hours of activity, we were asleep by 9:30 each night and slept in each morning.  IT WAS GREAT!

Our return trip on the train departed Monday afternoon at 2:10 p.m. and brought us back to San Marcos at 7:30 p.m.  We learned from the earlier trip and brought our dinner on board with us from Montgomery Street Cafe, a destination all its own.  Yummy pork chops, butter beans, yeast rolls, and peach cobbler. Yum!  I finished reading Last of the Mohicans traveling down the tracks.

Three days, two nights of very pleasant company and a nice diversion from the routine.  I highly recommend this trip to anyone with kids or grandkids, or a good traveling buddy.