In 2020, I planned a trip to Vancouver British Columbia. It was canceled due to the Covid-19 lockdown. I replanned the trip to 2022. My friend Stacy had taken the Empire Builder from California home during the pandemic. She really enjoyed it. I have always wanted to take a train trip across the country. My first choice was to take the California Zephyr across the Southern States.

This trip will take me across northern states that I may never otherwise visit. My cousin Trish will join me in Spokane. The Amtrak train is not crossing the Border yet so we will have to take a bus to Vancouver. Hopefully, Criss will be meeting us in Vancouver. He notified me yesterday that he has covid.

Tomorrow morning at 8:15 I will be on the Amtrak Cardinal headed to Baltimore and Washington DC before turns up through Virginia to Chicago. I'll get to have lunch in Chicago and hopefully get some Portillo's for the train. Then on to Seattle via the Empire Builder. I believe it will go through Clarendon Hills on the way out of Chicago.

I'm excited and anxious I'm at the same time. But I think I'm ready and I think I'm going to have a great time.