Trains

Raleigh has filled up in the time I have been away. There is a convention in town and the streets are thronged with people with lanyards around their necks. Most are in a holiday mood, but they move in groups and I feel unaccountably lonely. I resolve to move to Charlotte in the morning. I catch the 1150 train. From Raleigh to Cary, then Durham. About 20 minutes after we pull out of Durham the train slows and then stops. After 20 minutes we are told that the train been involved in a "pedestrian strike." The Sheriff's men and Paramedics make their way up the line, sweating in their gear. It takes an hour before we are released. The pedestrian is dead. Then comes Burlington, Greensboro, High Point, Salisbury and Kannapolis. The country is wooded and I spot a number of deer in the woods watching the train as it speeds by. We pull into Charlotte at 1610. By the time I get to the hotel and go for something to eat, the day is gone. On the way into town to eat I pass the NASCAR Hall of Fame. It has no interest for me, but it is a big building, futuristic and filled with fast, macho looking cars. I note it for a visit if things are quiet tomorrow.

Jason's Deli for pizza and cheescake, and a Dr Pepper. Then back to the hotel for admin, emails and preparation for the week ahead.