My name is Clayton Emmer, and I’m happy to welcome you to the Amtraking travel blog and video podcast. I’m recording in the wee hours of the morning at a Chicago-area AirBNB at the beginning of a 21-day cross-country Amtrak odyssey, exploring an extensive swath of the US via Amtrak rail lines.
First, a little bit about me: I’m originally from Minneapolis, Minnesota. I probably first caught the travel bug when I was homeschooled: My parents would pack up my brothers and sisters in an RV and take us on school field trips to a number of places, such as: Corpus Christi, Texas; the badlands of South Dakota; the coastline of southern California; and the beautiful vistas of Door County, Wisconsin.
My first trip on rail was during a semester of study in Europe in college, when I traveled alone from Assisi back to Vienna after a 10-day school trip.
My next rail adventure was the following year, during and after a summer of graduate-level study of Shakespeare in Stratford-upon-Avon, England… I had a rail pass that enabled me to traverse England, Wales and Scotland after the conclusion of my studies.
Later, I began traveling by rail back in the US, making several trips on Amtrak’s Empire Builder line to visit family in the panhandle of Idaho. I’ve also taken Amtrak’s Pacific Starliner from Los Angeles to the Pacific Northwest and several short trips to Chicago from the Twin Cities (Minneapolis-Saint Paul).
In this current trip, I’ll be covering a lot of territory, completing a circuit that began in Saint Paul… traveling to Chicago and then on to Los Angeles before climbing the west coast to return to Saint Paul via the Pacific Northwest.
I plan to provide a wide variety of content here:
- how I prepared for, shopped for and packed for my trip
- how I planned my itinerary
- what I’ve learned from the people I’ve met and the experiences I’ve had
- reflections on the meaning of travel and the stories we tell about travel
Additionally, I hope to have some opportunities to engage with some of you who decide to join me (virtually) on this rail odyssey.
The content will be posted in bits and spurts as I make this 21-day journey, so I appreciate both your interest and your patience.
Once again, welcome to Amtraking. All aboard. Feel free to drop by my seat any time to share in the adventure.
Comments
4 responses to “All aboard the Amtraking experience!”
So cool Clayt!
Wish I could drop by your seat for a game of “eye spy”
Enjoy your travels!
See you in Idaho?!
Yes, I spy Idaho, around a few bends in the track. Arrival around the 28th?
May an angel go before you!
Happy and safe travels. I look forward to following your travels. And I am learning too which is fun and useful. Thanks for sharing your travels on Amtrak.