Over the Thanksgiving holiday my partner and I chose an often overlooked conveyance: We took the train to my hometown of St. Louis, Missouri.
While enjoying our complimentary wine and newspaper along the California coast we spotted whales. Inland we were treated to views of canyons, mountains and prairies, much of this landscape inaccessible by car. We saw horses and cattle as well as a flock of several thousand Canadian geese who paralleled our train.
We read and relaxed without having to worry about traffic or gas prices. When we got tired of the scenery we slept on the bunk beds in our own private “roomette.” At meal time we ate with real knives and forks at a table with a tablecloth and real flowers.