The Portland Not-Exactly-Express Trip

So it looks like it might be time for another trip. I haven't taken too many trips since I went to Iceland back in March, but I haven't been completely idle either. Aside from a short weekend trip to Myrtle Beach and another weekender up to the Cherokee, NC area the only real trip of note I've made was a whirlwind trip to visit the supposedly world renowned oddity that is the House on the Rock. The trip took me to the tiny town of Spring Green, WI by way of spending the night at Mammoth Cave in Kentucky and St. Louis, and then driving 18 hours straight through to get home in time to go back to work.

The upcoming trip, which is coming up in exactly a week now, is another meandering journey across the United States - this time by train. The ultimate goal and supposed justification for this trip is Portland, Oregon. Unlike the last two big trips this has nothing to do with my book. In fact, the book is finished. Well...writing it is. Editing is ongoing. No, this trip is a combination of making up for a trip I never took 2 years ago (the Portland) and pure whimsy. Below is a trail guide of the stops I'll be making on my way there and back. Once I hit DC, I'll follow the route counter-clockwise until I hit Charlottesville to come back south.

Click to enlarge

Deciding where to stop on the trip was somewhat complicated. Each stop counts as one ticketed trip and if I paid for each stop individually the cost of the trip would be completely unacceptable. To do things at a more reasonable cost I'm using a Rail Pass that allows you to make 12 segmented trips in a 30 day period. To at least get out to Portland requires a stop in DC and Chicago, which equals three stops. Which means a minimum of 6 round trip. Since I decided that I didn't want to retrace old steps on the way back, I opted for the southern route which means going down to Sacramento and across. That path means I use up a minimum of 7 segments round trip, only leaving 5 optional stops. Adding to the logistical issues is that on most of the routes, each train only comes by in a given direction once a day which means every time I get off I'm off for the day. If I really had a whole month's worth of vacation to spend taking this trip that wouldn't be a problem, but since I don't I have to pick and choose a little more carefully. In the end, to try and get back home in time for Christmas I only elected to make 3 optional stops at Devil's Lake, West Glacier (at Glacier National Park, which may be completely inaccessible due to weather), and Salt Lake City. This will leave me with 2 more segments I can take the next weekend I'm off, which will just barely be within the 30 day window. However, if I looks like I won't make it back by Christmas, I may burn those 2 segments as well.

Hopefully I will have some time before I take the trip to outline some of the things I plan on doing and seeing, but I wouldn't hold my breath on that one.