MIDNIGHT TRAIN TO GEORGIA

You would never believe this story unless it happened to you…

Yesterday I began a 2.5 month trip across country. Commencing in Albany, NY, I drove to Alexandria, VA where I spent last night with a good friend, Andrew, who works for the State Department as an architect. We had a nice morning. Breakfast. Photos of his 2.5 week trip to Africa. And I was on my way. 10:00 a.m. the day before Thanksgiving I pulled onto Route 95 headed south toward Savannah…

The coastal storm working its way up the coast was expected to cause some trouble for the Carolinas. Cautions were extended. “Drive safely” was what each friend said upon hearing of my day of travel.

Live sanely should have been the motto -– because what occurred was anything but sane.

Since you’ve seen the photo I don’t have to tell you that my darling love-of-my-life red VW is now wrecked. What you don’t know is how it came to be that it’s now sitting in a auto dump in Emporia, VA.

Simple story is that a -- READ IT HUGE SUV -- passed me on the right, pulled in front of me, and then within moments slammed on its breaks.

But the simple story is never the most interesting… I suppose what’s most interesting is how bizarre the last eight hours have been since that simple action occurred…to lead me to now sitting in Rocky Mount train station in North Carolina, about to board the 11:54 p.m. train to Savannah.

After the SUV slammed on its breaks, I reacted in turn. My brain said to pump my breaks (as I was driving on wet roads, and my VW unlike newer cars don’t have anti-locks). Well I may have pumped them once, but my instincts took over. I pounded my foot to the floor, grabbed the steering wheel with both hands, braced myself…and closed my eyes. When I opened them, the hood was not exactly where it had been previously (nor was my cup of coffee, my bags, my map, my ipod).

I don’t know exactly when it hit me. I stayed in the car for a while trying to comprehend the impact…literally. I grabbed everything off the floor of the car, including my overturned cup of joe spilling out thru a little hole in the plastic top.

The driver from the other car came over to my window to inquire if I was OK. I think at that point I got out of the car…I’m not sure. But eventually I climbed out of my car and saw the damage… The most distinct visual was all the green coolant gushing onto the street and into the gutter. My two headlights were smashed in, as was my grille, the radiator, my hood.

Earlier today I wondered how I got from the fast lane where the accident occurred, into the center median near the guardrail. But as I write this I am remembering that cars were driving around debris about 100 yards behind me. Is it possible that I don’t remember continuing to drive for that 100 yards and pulling over to the left of the 2-lane highway? I suppose it is. I’ve also wondered how the car got turned off…did it stall out or did I shut it off? I don’t know.

Standing in the middle of highway 95 staring at my poor car, it started rushing over me… My trip. My holiday. What’s to be done? Who should I call? How am I going to travel with all this luggage?

I climbed into the car and called Tom and Lenny. They were driving from Asheville NC to Savannah. “Lenny I totaled my car.” He didn’t believe me until I told him the exact extent of the damage. Could they come get me? No. It would be a 12-hour drive roundtrip. Insane.

The State Trooper showed up. I have to say that I’ve been very lucky with men in uniform. They have always been very useful, on the ball, polite, and handy in a crisis. He asked twice if I was OK. He was “on the case” immediately and “I didn’t have to worry about a thing”. Eventually after some time (and a few phone calls) sitting in my car, he asked that I come sit in his cruiser to answer some questions. Before I knew it my car was up on a flatbed truck ready to be towed. Where to? Little did I know this was just the beginning of my adventure in Emporia, VA.

Ask me about the junk yard dog. The motel lobby I spent 4 hours in. The bartender's friend. The one-armed cab driver. All and all I spent 6 strange hours in Emporia...and I need to blog the entire experience.

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Fast forward. 6;30 am Thanksgiving. Amtrak almost to Savannah.

I’m cold. I’m tired. I’m hungry. I’m sore. I can’t believe the last 15 hours of this trip. How did this come to be -- that I should be on a train arriving in Savannah at 7am on Thanksgiving day?

I’ve only ever owned two cars. In 1986 I bought a four year old White VW Rabbit. I had it for 12 years. Again I bought a 4 year old car, in 1998 this Red VW Golf. Two cars in 20 years. I’m going to miss my baby. She was a beauty. She ran like a top. She loved the highway. And boy was she fast.

Life can change in a second. I should be grateful that I nor anyone else in the accident was hurt. I am glad, but there is a sadness to my loosing the car. And I’m curious about what will be next for me and this trip to CA. Will I buy a VW in Savannah? Fly to Palm Springs? Train or bus it? Or meet a stranger on a craigslist who will offer me a ride? Who knows.

But all I know is that I didn’t expect to ever, least of all today, take a Midnight Train to Georgia.