My end-of-the-summer vacation was a weekend in Portland, Oregon sandwiched between round-trip segments of multi-day train rides. The gentle rocking of the train was conducive to nodding off and I dozed several times the first day. The second day I accomplished a bit more. Train rides are also conducive to looking out the window and daydreaming; I did a lot of both. No matter how often I travel by train, I never tire of looking at the scenery and getting glimpses of how people live their lives near the tracks.I booked the train for the opportunity to write undisturbed by the interruptions of my normal life. Inspired by the trip, I ignored my pre-planned work agenda and laid out a storyline about a woman who was followed on a train.
