One of my goals for this year is to become proficient in using/riding the train and bus system where I live.  I think the bulk of my trepidation regarding this venture comes from a rather miserable mishap I had years ago in college.

One of my dear friends and I worked for an afterschool daycare program about 7miles from our college.  Neither of us had a car but we relished the exhilarating bike rides to and from work.  There is certain freedom felt in getting on a bike and breezing through the fresh spring-flower scented streets and neighborhoods surrounding our school.  The not so dreamy reality was that, while spring was a delicious and captivating time, we did live in Michigan which meant that for 6 or so months out of the year, there would be no jubilant jaunts on our bikes in the snow, sleet, and muck that is a northern winter.

As a result, we decided to try using public transportation.  We decided that this would be a fun and inexpensive alternative to trying to rent a flex car and seemed much easier and dependable than trying to arrange to borrow a friend’s car every afternoon.  We poured over bus schedules and routes and, convinced we had a brilliant plan, we set off to work riding the bus.

We got to work without a hitch and enjoyed a short brisk walk from the stop to the daycare.  We worked all afternoon and when the last child was picked up we headed home feeling pleased with our new public transit savvy selves.  We schlepped through some freshly fallen snow to our bus stop and waited.

And waited.

And waited.

We some how managed to find out that our particular bus stopped running already but that we could catch another bus if we just walked to that stop a few blocks away.  So once again we slogged through the slush and waited.

And waited.

And waited.

Ultimately we realized that for whatever reason things had gone horribly wrong and we would now need to get ourselves home before hypothermia began to set in as it was well past dark on a cold winter night.  And mind you, this was before the universe had cell phones!

We walked and walked trying to keep up conversation so as to distract ourselves from the misery of the cold and the damp seeping into our very marrow.  Just when we thought we might not be able to take another step–probably about two miles from campus–we spotted one of our peers at a gas station across the street.  We ran over to him and begged him to take us home.  He was on his way out for the evening but obliged considering our wretched state.

We finally made it home thawing out over some hot drinks and cozed down under warm blankets.  Needless to say, we never attempted bus-riding again.  We made do with borrowing friends’ and roommates’ cars and rejoiced when winter melted into spring and we could ride our bikes once more.

Now that I live in Southern California the possibility of getting stranded and having to schlep home in the snow is no longer a threat.  But I do still have thoughts of getting lost, getting on the wrong bus, getting stuck some random place where the bus no longer runs.  So my goal this year is getting over my fears and learning to love the freedom of catching a bus or a train and adventuring out into the world; I am to accomplish this by taking at least one bus/rail field trip a month.  I figure this outting will also afford me the chance to return to one of my loves, photography.

I’m pleased to say that I met my goal for January by taking the train and the bus to Venice with some friends last weekend.  We started out at the train station in my town; we missed the train and had to wait an hour for the next one.  The station felt like some movie set ghost town train station.  There was a security guard but he apparently had no concern whatsoever about us playing on the tracks, climbing on old train-cars, and generally running amuck for an hour.  I think we had more fun and took more photos at this empty train station than we did the whole rest of the day!

I did enjoy seeing a bit of Venice–after all, its Venice!  In the end, I loved the freedom to savor the journey as an adventure just as much as the destination was.  Here are some of my favorite photos from that day: