I have used Amtrak before as part of various trips, but this journey in 2018 marks my first true American Rail Adventure, where I relied exclusively on public transportation and used Amtrak to travel from state to state. This trip also jumpstarted my fifty-state quest by marking Alabama and Mississippi off the list and bringing the total over the 40-state mark to 41. This trip combined with the prior month's New Jersey excursion marked the first new states since 2015. Though the organizing idea behind this trip was to reach AL and MS, I also spent time in Atlanta, New Orleans, and West Virginia (all locations I had visited before). This trip may have been the kick in the pants the quest needed, as it presaged two trips in 2019 which would bring the total up to 44 states.