[MSCW list] MSCW 2026 Excursion Drive #1 - Key West via the Amtrak Auto Train - Late March 2026

[Timothy Metzinger]

Our first excursion trip for 2026 will take us south - WAY south, to Key West, FL - if we go any farther south in the USA we'll be swimming. We'll take 5-6 days in late March to head to Florida on the following rough schedule:

  *   Saturday 3/28 - Board auto train in Lorton VA for a 4 PM departure. The one-way fare for the car is around $300 and the fare for a person depends on whether you get a coach seat (~$300) or something where you can sleep (~$500-1200).
  *   Sunday 3/29 - we'd arrive in Sanford FL around 9 AM, and from there we'd drive south for about 5 hours to the Homestead/Florida City area. We'd spend the night there and catch up on our sleep.
  *   Monday 3/30- - we'd take US1 south to Key West (2.5 hours), and plan on spending one or possibly two nights there.
  *   Tuesday 3/31 - We can leave Key West in time to get back to Homestead/Florida City area for an overnight, or spend the night in Key West and get an earlier start on Wednesday morning.
  *   Wednesday 4/1 - From here folks can head home on the Interstates for the fastest ride (2 moderate days) and a visit to "South of the Border", folks can head back to Sanford to catch the 4PM train to Lorton (slightly cheaper return trip), or folks can follow me on US Highways (2 LONG days, possibly 3) with more things to see (including some time on the Blue Ridge Parkway).  Basically everyone can make their own choice on how to get home. on the 1st.

Thursday 4/2 or Friday 4/3 folks will be home (depending on route and weather). Saturday the 4th would be the latest day I'd get home.

Getting your train ticket(s) and finding lodging/camping and booking it is your responsibility.  I strongly suggest you book early and book so that you can get a full refund if plans change. I'll arrange a common meeting point in the Homestead/Florida City area for us to assemble for the drive down US1.  Please don't sign up until you've booked your lodging (and perhaps the train ride down as well).

Logistics:
Assembly - We'll assemble at the Lorton Amtrak departure point at 2:30 PM on 3/28.  I may lead a drive through the Clifton backroads to Lorton and will pass those details along.
Departure - 4:00PM.  I'm sure Amtrak (https://www.amtrak.com/auto-train-experience) will give you plenty of info on how to prep your car for loading.
Time/Distance - The drive from Sanford to Homestead is 275 miles, and the trip on US1 is 250 miles round trip.  Basically you should plan on putting a couple thousand miles on the car, depending on if you take the train back or drive back.
Fees - I'll look into tolls on the roads and bridges we take and will update folks who are signed up in February.
Food - I'll update this with planned food stops as the trip gets closer.
Car limits - ten (10) cars initially, though more slots will be added if folks want to go.
Weather - This will be a rain-or-shine trip. If the whole period in Key West will be awful, we'll cancel.
Technology-  I will bring extra Midland GMRS radios.  If you want to bring your own GMRS radio, we will be using Channel 30 on Midland Radios, or 462.7000 MHz frequency and CTCSS 17 (118.8 Hz) for the privacy code.  In Glympse, we'll use the !mscw_cruise tag to keep track of each other.

RSVP via signup genius at https://rebrand.ly/mscw2026-ex-01.  Don't use Facebook to indicate you're going.  The signup will close on March 1, 2026.

Visit www.midatlanticscenicdrives.com<http://www.midatlanticscenicdrives.com> (In January 2026) for maps and GPS files.

Drive safely and HAVE FUN,
Timothy (Tim) Metzinger
Scenic Drive Coordinator - Mazda Sport Cars of Washington, DC
Current drive list - https://www.midatlanticscenicdrives.com/mscwdrives.html
Guide to our group drives - https://midatlanticscenicdrives.com/downloads/MSCW_Group_Drive_Guide.pdf
tim.metzinger at outlook.com<mailto:tim.metzinger at outlook.com>
703.963.3015