I woke up sufficiently conscious to remember some of a dream. As long as I'm a dreamer, I'd like to be able to remember more of them. I have some ideas on how to go about this, and would appreciate any suggestions.

The dream: I was a passenger in an Amtrak-like (it may have been Amtrak) train in upstate New York, and the train was slowly working its way up a steep mountain incline. Since this was a dream, “steep” was defined as “approximately 45 degrees”. Needless to say, although this was a standard part of the route, the passengers in the train were rather frightened for their lives. (I wasn't, because it was my dream and I knew it would turn out fine.) At one point the grade was actually slightly steeper than 45 degrees! Finally, we arrived atop the mountain, where the train stopped for maintenance and to let us walk around in the picturesque small town, surrounding the station, that proved to be well worth the ponderous climb. I think that after about two hours, we boarded the train and continued on our journey.

It was not a nightmare in any way. It was exciting, yet magnificently pleasant. If I were the cinematographer of the film version, I would cast the outdoor scenes in hues of autumn. What makes it strange is that it's the second time I've had this dream, that the first time was a good many years ago — and that I remember this. What makes it more interesting, in this context, is that this time, an old friend accompanied me for the train ride and a memorable dinner at the top.

Can you tell me what all this means?