A little more than a week ago, Robert and I traveled to New York City via Amtrak for his high school reunion. As we pulled out of the Albany-Rensselaer train station, our conductor notified us that representatives of Amtrak Trails & Rails were on board.

This partnership between Amtrak and the National Park Service was founded in 2000 in order to “educate travelers on the heritage and natural resources of a specific region while traveling by rail”. The volunteer aided venture started in New Orleans and has expanded to trains across the country.

Our local upstate program is based in Poughkeepsie, New York, and it is run by volunteer coordinator Joe LaLumia.

A short while into our trip, Don Coe walked through our car, and he entertained us with some interesting stories including the tumultuous history of our next stop, Hudson, New York.

What a great idea! For more info on this worthwhile program including what trains the volunteers visit, click HERE.