Recently, I had an occasion to head down near the Orlando International Airport to pick up mom and dad’s new truck, Big Blue and bring it back to my house so my folks didn’t incur some astronomical short term parking fee whilst they ride the upper levels to their South Pacific Hawaiian holiday. Being one for adventure—especially when I can throw some movement into the mix, I decided to hop on my bike, rode a few miles to Altamonte and jumped the 3:23 Sun Rail south for Sand Lake Road.

Having never ridden Sun Rail with my bike (regular readers of this blog or listeners of the podcast will recall a time when I WISHED I would have taken my bike with me), I was a little apprehensive of the procedure and what would be expected of me as a responsible passenger. Sun Rail’s website did not do much to educate me to the processes of boarding with a bike, nor, more importantly, what to do with said bike while the train is in motion. Thankfully, Orlando Sentinel writer Mike Lafferty’s ongoing chronicle of daily Sun Rail ridership includes some information to my point—and is readily available on a Google search of the subject.

After dropping the requisite (and modest) $3.00 fare into the automated kiosk (accepts cash or credit/debit), I grabbed my ticket and waited anxiously for my ride. T-minus 10 min! In that short time, I swear I drifted off into the old West…standing on the stage awaiting that great steel beast—my Schwinn bike now a trusty blanketed Appaloosa, and I a lonely cowboy—drifting from one dusty crossroad to another.

Yeah, no matter how hard I try (admittedly, that’s not too hard in most cases), that little kid in me is always given to dreaming when it comes to trains…or ships…or airplanes. You get the point.

Boarding the train with a bike (I had to ditch my trusty Appy for this one) was a pretty easy task at this off-peak time, although I can easily see where this might turn into a Charlie-Foxtrot around rush hour. Bikes are stored in a space near the boarding doors and secured with a simple tie-down strap and buckle through the front tire. It’s definitely not the most secure of ways, and I did have a beach cruiser topple over onto my bike somewhere just after the Maitland station.

The voyage itself was as easy and effortless as it normally is with Sun Rail, and the cars are still clean and well-kept. As with previous rides, the conductor promptly checked my ticket and continued his rounds, a smile and good cheer about him. This particular fellow wore a New England Patriots hat, and perhaps some of his good cheer came from Tommy B’s triumph in Deflate-gate.

Whether riding the train as part of a bike and ride fitness class, commuting to work or just hopping the rail to relax and listen to some Arlo Guthrie—I find that a commuter line like Sun Rail can have a nice place in my wellness routine by relieving me of some of the stress of driving. Not to go all Al Gore on this one, but using mass transit, like commuter rails, can help us reduce some of our carbon footprint too.

So, the next time you find yourselves wanting a little change from your daily wellness routine, consider the adventure that can be had with a bike, a fistful of dollars and few hours of time.

Here’s hoping that all of your movements are healthy!

Until next time.