My wife and I sat at the kitchen table wishing we could see the northern Rockies before we’re too old to tie our shoes and walk upright. A trip to the national parks of Montana, Wyoming, and Utah sounded like a great idea, but it’s over 2,100 miles by car from Waynesville to Glacier National Park and includes the ongoing hunt for motels, restaurants, and gas stations with decent bathrooms. No appeal there, and because of health limitations it is difficult for my wife to travel.

How about a plane flight and car rental? We’re tired of people poking through our luggage, peaking at our bodies, sitting in a cramped seat, paying extra fees, wondering if our shampoo bottle is too big and worrying if we’ll make connections for the next flight.

Instead we went online and searched “Amtrak ...