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Monday morning found me in the observatory car on the Amtrak line, the Empire Builder. I decided that a great way to begin a week is to watch the sun rise over the Columbia River Gorge while munching on a four dollar breakfast of Frosted Flakes.

The train is a great way to travel, but I noticed many points in which Amtrak could improve their operation. I understand their Theory of Customer Service Apathy: "People are going to ride our train anyways because we're cheaper than flying or driving, why bother improving?" This is a somewhat revolting ideology, in my opinion. In my mind, Amtrak could raise the price of every ticket by $10, and more than pay for a staff member to be on board strictly to clean up garbage, scrub the bathrooms, vacuum the carpets, and change light bulbs. This would result in a far more pleasant experience for the customers and the staff, which wouldn't be half-bad.

This is from an outsider's perspective. I don't know how they work their operation. Maybe I just had the train with the least customer-minded staff.

Don't get me wrong, I still suggest the train as a way to travel. $140 from Williston to Vancouver. Not bad.

A sharp blast from the train horn mounted atop the engine signaled our arrival. We pulled into the Vancouver train station at 9:25 am.

I'm home, and the adventure is about to begin.