I haven't checked in a while.....

And I think I've only traveled by train in the USA one time! BUT...every so often I get the urge to take a trip by rail, like you described, and I have always found it to be exorbitantly expensive. I don't understand why that is. It's really too bad because travel by rail would seem to me to be a very good solution to the growing problems we have with public transportation and environmental concerns. - JamesJM