This week I’m riding the Coast Starlight to and from my homeplace in coastal Southern California.

I took this trip last year, having almost no idea what to expect. It turned out to be an impromptu writing retreat, as well as possibly the sanest and most beautiful way to make a 1000+ mile journey. If you ever have the chance (and Amtrak has a sale, hence my current good fortune), I recommend it.

Take a book (take eight, if you’re like me, and read just the one), take a notebook and a pen, and spend 30+ hours pretending the internet doesn’t exist.* Treat the experience as a pilgrimage,** if you like, which is my own intention for these days.

Here’s the published version of a piece I drafted during last year’s journey.

I look forward to sharing the fruit of this present pilgrimage. Someday. :)

*This is surprisingly easy, because the wifi on the Coast Starlight is terrible. Thank goodness.

**See also Searching for Small Gods