Well, I am on the final portion of my trip. The trains do not connect well with the ferries or flights to my home island, so I pretty much have to spend one more night on the road. I am now on board a train from Portland, Oregon, to Bellingham, Washington. Tomorrow, I will back-track from Bellingham to Mount Vernon--this stretch of track goes right along the ocean, and I want to see it in the daylight.
My sister stood me up on our get-together in Portland. She has as many mental health issues as I, so I can't blame her for isolating. I had the option of meeting a SR member for a cup of coffee in New York City, and chickened out. But I did meet up with a member of a railroad forum for dinner in the dining car on one of the trains. For the most part, however, I sat alone in my room looking out the window or sat alone in the observation car for special scenery.
Here's a picture of my roomette on the train from Washington to Chicago. It's impossible to get a good picture that shows the whole thing. The roomettes on the eastern (single level) trains have an upper row of windows and a toilet and sink crammed into the room. The trains out west are double-decker, so the rooms actually have a lower ceiling and the upper berth is quite cramped with no windows. There is no toilet or sink in the room, but washrooms and a shower are located nearby--therefore, the lower berth is a little bigger than on the eastern trains.
It was not easy bringing my own pillow along, but I slept better because of it.