Everybody loves the sound of a train in the distance...

It's that time of year again. Everyone at work seems to either be on vacation, leaving for vacation or returning from vacation. And as much as I would like to be good and responsible with my money, I am itching to have a real vacation of my very own. House payment be damned!

So, in my dreaming mode, I searched airfares. I looked into renting a car. $$$$$ And then it occurred to me that I was completely overlooking one of the best forms of transportation (and one case where the Europeans have it right) - RAIL! Until very, very recently (as in when I checked the Amtrak website last week), I had no idea how many places were served by passenger train. It's amazing! I could travel from Cincinnati to Chicago to Seattle down to south California and then back to Cincinnati by way of Texas all on Amtrak's system. You might say that you'll get to your destination much more quickly via the air, but if getting to your destination is half the fun, then what's the rush? You might say, wouldn't travelling by car be more convenient. Well, sure, in some cases. But last time I checked, sleeping and reading and drinking while you are driving a car is frowned upon in most states.

I don't know about you, but I'm ready to climb on board, pop in my earphones and watch the landscape of the west roll on by.