Motorcycle Diaries....sort of

I love trains. I love the deliberate-ness of their motion. We live in such a fast world anymore these days that it's nice to slow it all down ocassionally. You leave Florida and BAM! you're in Philly in 2 hours. PinF is tired of this quickness. Although my body may arrive on time, my mind has missed the flight; the reason being is it's still back at the gate where I was kissing my sweet daughter good-bye. It's almost like people have forgotten how to relax, slow down, and take our time. It seems life has to always be about how fast something is. To this ends, I am combining the two things I love; one fast, and one slow.

PaynterinFlorida will be embarking on his own Motorcycle/Train Diaries, courtesy of none other than Amtrak's Autotrain. That's right I'm leaving the driving to them; well sort of anyway. PinF will embark from his humble abode in Florida and travel north on I95 to Sanford,Florida just east of Orlando; from here I will load my VStrom 1000 on board. The train leaves the station at 4pm and is scheduled to arrive in Lorton, Virginia the next morning at 8am; essentially eliminating 800 see-nothing, boring miles of torture for yours truly. Instead of driving all night through squadrons of mosquitoes in Georgia, and South Carolina, PinF will be sipping a Johnnie Walker Black as he cruises the rails doing 70 MPH. Instead of dodging semi's and smokies, PinF will be relaxing to a wonderful sit down steak dinner in the restaurant car, with a nice glass of Pinot.

Have I grown lazy? Old?...no. I've grown wiser. About fourteen years ago me and the Flashman made a bike trip from Philly to Florida and back. My trip was highlighted by a near fatal occurence at 80MPH when my engine threw a rod right through the crankcase narrowly missing my ankle, this in turn created a catastrophic loss of oil nearly creating a fatal accident. Suffice to say I was trapped in "twilight zonish" Mayberry-esque, NC town for about three hours until such time as I could hawk the remains of my bike to a dirt farmer, grab a twelve pack, and head back the rest of the way courtesy of none other than AMTRAK. So this time I plan on using AMTRAK only this time it's on my terms. I have the necessary items: great book, Ipod, bottle of Johnnie and a notepad. I am totally psyched to S L O W L Y arrive at my destination....I am tired of the immediate-ness of airplanes, and need to slow it down for this trip. 2005 has been a year of incredible change and tumult, so it is with great anticipation that I begin my journey home.

And so as I now begin the journey, I can report that the bike is loaded, good-byes have almost been said and my adventures await. PinF intends to traverse several "states", both physically and mentally. I plan on seeing old friends, attending some good shows, and chilling on some familiar beaches. All of these things allow one to reconnect to their inner purpose and recognize that life isn't about all work, it's about enjoying time for yourself, with family and good friends. For me the best part of the trip is the solitude and the anonymity that train travel affords; no phones, no mail just the open rails and roads that await PinF. I'll be posting as I go......