I have been meaning to write a counterbalance to my jaded end-of-train-ride post with something that captured the (more positive) sentiment I had earlier in the ride. Overall, it was a nice trip, and I’m glad I did it! I’d do it again even, but preferably with a sleeper car next time.

The main train that got me back East was called The Zephyr, which goes from Emeryville, CA to Chicago. Props to Kath for recommending it. The beginning of the ride was full of beautiful scenery. I went to the observation car with the intention to write, and then I had to stop writing in order to take photos of something that was so stunning that I thought I’d never see anything like it again, then I would see something even more stunning, and I’d have to take another photo, and so on. Needless to say, I didn’t get much writing done. The Sierra Nevada mountains come to mind as key distractions from writing. Oh, and also the Rockies. This trip is worth it just for the scenery – heck, I’d almost do a round trip just to see these views twice and end up back at home.