Signs & Wonders Blog

During the last couple of years, I’ve mostly traveled the United States by train due to Southwest Airlines adding baggage fees, and airports requiring a REAL ID (unless one is willing to pay an extra $45). One advantage to using Amtrak is you can have up to five pieces of luggage for free when going in between stations that check bags. At the time of this writing, I’m using another USA Rail Pass .  One downside of Amtrak is that their trains are frequently late. This past Monday, I was supposed to leave Saint Paul, Minnesota before 9 a.m. My train arrived over four hours later. As a result, I missed a connecting train going from Chicago to New Orleans (an Amtrak route I hadn’t taken before). That meant having to readjust my schedule.  Another inconvenience was the malfunctioning air conditioning on my train, which made me sweat in my seat for most of the journey. To add to my woes, my cell phone carrier went out of service for several hours. This was due to a nationwide ne...

For the third time in the past four years, I’ve utilized an Amtrak USA Rail Pass . This pass grants a passenger the privilege of embarking on ten train journeys within a 30-day timeframe at an affordable price. Typically, the pass costs $499. However, during the past four Januarys, the pass was on sale. This year, it was briefly reduced to half-price at $250, likely in celebration of the United States Semiquincentennial. I promptly purchased one and meticulously booked segments weeks in advance to minimize the risk of being stranded. A limited number of seats are available for rail pass users. My latest train pass was activated on February 7th in Tampa. From there, I embarked on a journey along the Floridian route to Richmond, Virginia. The conductor initially assigned me an aisle seat. Fortunately, the man occupying the window seat next to mine offered to switch seats. That made it easier for me to catch some sleep during the lengthy train ride. However, the train arrived in Richmond...

I wish train travel was more accessible in the United States. Many Americans are car-centric, and avoid using public transportation. In Europe, I found train travel almost effortless. However, it is significantly limited here. Nevertheless, I’ve enjoyed using Amtrak’s USA Rail Passes . Despite its drawbacks, I’ll be keeping an eye on their website this week for another potential sale, similar to the ones they held in mid-January for the past three years. In the Twin Cities area of Minnesota, where I often spend part of the spring and summer, there are two light rail lines. The blue line connects downtown Minneapolis with the international airport and the Mall of America in the suburb of Bloomington. The green line runs between the downtowns of St. Paul and Minneapolis. Additionally, new stations are being constructed in the southwestern suburbs and are expected to open next year.  There’s also a train called the Northstar Line that ran between downtown Minneapolis and Big Lake, ...

I’m currently using an Amtrak USA Rail Pass for the second time. This allows a passenger to ride the train up to ten times within 30 days at a much-reduced price. Unfortunately, there are drawbacks to traveling on Amtrak. One of the biggest is their trains are often not punctual . This past Thursday, a train I took to Los Angeles showed up in Tucson, Arizona 3½ hours late. It was supposed to arrive at 8:00 p.m. with an 8:15 departure time. When I checked my train status earlier that afternoon, it listed the same departure time. However, an added notice stated they were three hours behind schedule due to freight train interference and unscheduled track maintenance.  My host in Tucson drove me to the Amtrak station just after 5:00 p.m. so I could check in my two larger bags before we went out for dinner. Strangely, the Amtrak employee insisted the train was running on time despite the schedule board stating it was eight minutes late. After dinner, my host dropped me off at the t...

Being patient is something I have struggled with most of my life, but the Lord has done a work on me in this area. Galatians 5:22 says that patience or long-suffering is one of the fruits of the spirit. Still, I get annoyed when my plans are delayed because of other people's actions. Earlier this week, I took a train to Richmond, Virginia, to attend part of Calvary Campground ’s Winter Campmeeting in nearby Ashland. I left the Amtrak station in Tampa, Florida, on a Monday afternoon almost 30 minutes behind schedule. Although the train gradually made up for lost time, it got delayed again because of a tragedy.  Just before 4:30 a.m. the next morning in Columbia, South Carolina, the train stopped again minutes after letting off and picking up passengers. I’m used to Amtrak making frequent stops to let other trains pass or if another one stalled ahead of us. This sudden stop seemed a bit unusual. Soon, I learned there was a fatality on the tracks. A man tried driving his pickup tr...

For almost five years, I avoided using Amtrak except for two free trips available to me through their Guest Rewards program. Too many delayed rides had become a nuisance. Then in January of this year, Amtrak had a sale on their USA Rail Pass. For $299, customers could ride the train ten times (called “segments”) over 30 days. At less than $30 per ride, it was an opportunity to do extensive traveling at a much-reduced price. On March 13th, I took a train from Washington, DC, to Buffalo, New York but bought a separate ticket. I planned on being in Buffalo for two weeks but ended up staying two more. One reason was the Amtrak website didn’t allow me to use my rail pass to book a ride on April 3rd to Emeryville, California. The pastor I stayed with in Buffalo encouraged me to stick around for Good Friday and Easter. Finally, I activated my pass on April 10th. Instead of first going to California, I went to Topeka, Kansas (a Facebook friend there extended hospitality ). I had to change ...

As a missionary who hasn’t owned a car for over two decades, I’ve often used public transportation to get to various places. While living out of a suitcase (à la Corrie ten Boom), I’ve learned a few things I will share in this article. Many of these tips will be helpful whether you are just visiting family for the holidays, going on a short-term missionary trip, or out of the country for an extended period. If you need to use public transportation, keep in mind mask mandates are still in effect (which is one reason why I haven’t traveled as much this year). During recent trips, I brought along a bag of Tootsie Pops. As long as one is “actively eating,” masks can be off your face. You can suck on lollipops for several minutes at a time. Another benefit is a mask cannot cover the stick coming out of your mouth. That allows extra moments to breathe easier. Here are some more tips for these public transportation options… 1) Planes - Flying is a more attractive choice when going ...

As a missionary, I’ve traveled across America and other countries through various means of transportation. Obviously, flying is a more attractive option for longer distances. Because I usually don’t sleep well in moving vehicles, I try to avoid overnight trips. Nevertheless, I’ll sometimes take the long bus or train rides depending on logistical issues and fare costs. Train travel can be an enjoyable experience especially when there’s beautiful scenery to look at. Last year, I used Amtrak to go from Portland, Oregon to my birthplace of Fargo, North Dakota. That route allowed me to see Glacier National Park for the first time. However, the only Amtrak routes going through Fargo arrive in the middle of the night. That presented problems when I wanted a friend or family member to take me to the train station or pick me up there. There are other reasons why train travel is not so great in America. Some cities such as Nashville, Montgomery, Columbus, Des Moines, and Tulsa don’t h...