an icepick through the keyhole

Lara and I are probably going to Worldcon, though we haven't actually taken concrete steps in that direction.

Unless the routes have changed, Amtrak up the coast to Oakland and across the mountains to Denver would be a really pretty trip -- it's a long afternoon up the coast and then a full day to Denver, IIRC. It might be a bit pricey to get a sleeping car berth, but it's a wonderful experience.