It has been five years since I last rode Amtrak. It has been ten since I really rode Amtrak. Five years ago, my husband Andrew and I took a relatively short (in train time) trip from the Twin Cities to Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The longer trip, five years prior, was from Washington State to Connecticut. Yes, I rode Amtrak all the way across the country.

At this point, I could interject about my flying issues, but that’s not what this blog is about, so I won’t. I will say, however, that I have flown in recent years—Atlanta to San Francisco and back, New York, Washington, Minnesota, Texas.