We were out of the hotel at about 5am this morning for a quick ride down to the local Roanoke Amtrak station. This one was essentially just a single long platform so it was much easier to board the train. At the platform we put our panniers in our duffels, my new big one from Walmart is a winner, it even had backpack straps which is a game changer.

The train pulled in nice and early since it was the first stop of the day. We had plenty of time to board and get our bikes squared away this time. For some reason, for this leg business class was cheaper than coach so we got a foot rest, slightly more room, and free coffee and soft drinks in the cafe car.

We were only on this train for a couple hours back to Charlottesville. We had to get prepared for a quick disembarking with our bikes this time and then we had a few hours to kill in town before our next train through to Cincinatti.

We decided to store some bags at the station and walk on down to the University of Virginia and see the Rotunda that Thomas Jefferson designed. Although we had planned a restful afternoon in Charlottesville back when I was having bike problems but never really got to explore, so it's nice we got some time to walk around.

After lunch, we grabbed some sandwiches to take on the train and headed back to the station. This time we had to check our bikes in at the luggage car before boarding, which is a bit easier than squeezing it on the train ourselves. We settled in for a long train ride back through the Blue ridge mountains and the Appalachians.

It took us a surprisingly long time to start passing the landmarks we had seen earlier, so we didn't feel like biking was too slow. But boy did it take a long time to get through the Appalachians. The landscape was mostly similar to the rest of mountainous Virginia but it's a huge region. To be honest, I think I preferred zipping through it on the train since we want to see some new terrain. We rode past some beautiful rivers and forests, and saw a few coal mines and factories all along the Ohio River.

The sun started setting and we drifted off for a bit of a sleep. This train ride went for about 13 hours so it was a long haul, but much more comfortable than any plane ride I've been on. The seats had adjustable leg rests and foot rests, and other than the horn blasting, the train was pretty quiet.

We woke up before coming into Cincinnati at about 2:30am. We attached our bags and rode out to our nearby hotel. We ended up being a touch later than I had called up to notify them and they had nearly marked us as a no-show. The night auditor was nice about it though and offered us a noon check out and free breakfast, which we gladly took.

Long day of train traveling, but I think it will go a long way to making this trip enjoyable and successful. We have a few days to ride down to Lexington, KY and I think we'll try relax there a few day before Natalie flies out. Then I'll hit the road again, back on the TransAm route.