#142 Harpers Ferry Train Station to Home
I’ve never been to DC so I want to at least step outside for a few minutes to check out the town from the vantage point of the building’s main entrance.
I’m glad I had the foresight to grab a few things from this morning’s breakfast buffet. The banana and candy bar are from the bicyclists. Not wanting to waste time or money in Union Station D.C., I’m content with my options here. These, coupled with remnants of food left over from the trail, I have plenty for the long ride home.
It’s only about an hour’s ride frim Harpers Ferry to Union Station D.C. in Washington D.C.
Getting my bearings inside the huge train station takes a little time. I have about two hours to kill - I have time. I find the right terminal and get latest information about my departure; now it’s time to explore.
The station is part mall, with stores and restaurants of many stripes lining the halls on three levels.
I’ve never been to DC so I want to at least step outside for a few minutes to check out the town from the vantage point of the building’s main entrance.
One man has claimed one of the many front doors, opening it for people with one hand as they pass through. It’s an honest way to increase one’s financial standing in this world, I put some cash into the cup he’s holding in other hand as I pass through.
Down the road the dome of the U.S. Capitol Building peeks out from behind some trees.
A small tent city is has erected on the front lawn of the station. There are several people lying on many shady flat surfaces.
Tourists and locals alike are milling about, either rushing to their destinations or photographing everything they see.
Back inside, I find a place to sit near my terminal. All the chairs and benches have been claimed so I sit on the floor. Leaning against my pack I sit on my foam sitting pad - much like I do on the trail. When you have all you need for travel tucked away in a pack on you back, inconveniences of life are more easily endured.
Note: In my 2023 travels from the trail I spend a night in this station. That story will be posted in late 2024.
Boarding the crowded train, I seek a seat that will be my world for the next several hours. I must choose wisely. We’ve all experienced choosing unwisely and the difference it makes.
An inner urging draws be back a few rows to an empty seat I just passed by.
I ask the man sitting in the window seat if the aisle seat is occupied. He says he’s traveling alone.
I throw my pack in the overhead compartment after pulling a water bottle and a small bag I assembled earlier in my hotel room, containing a few things needed for the ride.
I apologetically warn him about being on trail for three weeks, and though I’ve taken two showers since yesterday evening and have washed my clothing, there still may be a little stench lingering on me and my gear.
He says he’s not worried about it, that he ran a half marathon this morning and said he may have a little stench left on him as well. I’d hate to be our neighbor about right now.
My new friend lives in D.C. and is on his way to a business conference in New Orleans. He’d never traveled by train before and thought today would be a good day to give it a whirl.
He gives me a personal tour of what can be seen by our train. We are off to a great start. I’m glad I listened to whatever urged me to backtrack to this seat.
From Washington D.C. to Raleigh N.C. we talk nearly nonstop. Conversing on everything from funny things we’ve experienced while traveling to more serious things like the long term emotional effects Covid-19 had on his teenage daughter.
He pulls a small box of wine and a couple of colorful paper cups from his pack. We talk of training for and participating in long distance runs and mud races, bicycle rides, and family.