![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV7sWFi-GU9jJRBujH5Dazb_qbVF1WEmVfqxgo09CfK2yp-70WWpRjiNkkF7r59XWR4HlXyrOhxlyHn0RrM5QSOZ0kfgcGjI5KeEVdh1-YLm2eWzz6JPjMuDFGX4TGo5jKlZ_-Mf5dYXRz/s320/union+station+dj+piper.jpg)
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.