Our Train Excursion

Yes, we managed to catch our train.

And by managed I mean, quite literally, managed.

We got on by the skin of our teeth.

Well, maybe not quite that, but it was much too close for comfort.

I knew the train did something at 3 o'clock. It wasn't till we were well on our way that I wondered if it departed at three or if it boarded at three.

It departed at three.

After a harried morning of packing and boys who'd gotten up at 5:30am and trying to button up a few work things, our actual departure was much too leisurely. We have time to check the PO Box, we said. It's been a while since the boys had lunch, and there might not be food on the train. We can swing in at McDonald's for chicken nuggets, we said.

What if the train leaves at three??! we said.

And leave it did, and on it we were.

Thankfully.

The boys were thrilled, Alec especially. We left from Lebanon and headed toward Sweet Home, but an old steam engine doesn't go very fast, and our ride round-trip was only an hour and forty-five minutes long, so we didn't actually get to Sweet Home.

All in all though, it was plenty long enough for me and Sebastian. I still wasn't feeling just the best, and rocking back and forth on a train brought out every bit of pregnancy unwellness in me. Sebastian enjoyed it for the most part, but he knew at some point in the trip there was going to be a motel with a pool, and he was very interested in getting to that part of the trip. 🙂

Alec was surprisingly subdued, but I think he was just taking it all in. When his grandma asked him about it later, the breathy excitement in his answer surprised me. "Oh, it was wonderful!" he said. "The train had the best whistle."

Or something like that. Whatever it was, it was very sweet. And the train did have the best whistle, although it gave me a headache right off the bat. Alec also got his own little wooden train whistle from the counter attendant, and when the big train blew its whistle, Alec would blow his little whistle. 🙂

The engine pulled one open car and three heated cars. One car was a dining car of sorts and had tables set up and a counter where you could buy snacks and drinks. Another car had neat old photos up on the walls, and the last car was all done up in beautiful paneling and had comfy couches. We toured the whole thing of course, but most of our time was spent outside and in the dining car.When we got to "the end of the line," which wasn't the end at all of course, the little steam engine was unhooked from the front of the train, and off it went down the track to where there was a switch. Then it came back on the track next to ours and was reconnected at the other end of the train to pull us back to Lebanon. From the paneled car now at the front of the train, we could look out a little window and see the very front of the engine. We got back to Lebanon around 4:45pm, and while I was a bit sad we hadn't got there early enough to take pictures of the engine at the front of the train, I did take a few of it at the back of the train. 🙂I told Alec he was so lucky that his very first train ride was one that was pulled by a steam engine! It was a really neat experience.And I know it's not a real date when you've got the kiddos along, but we took a selfie anyway. 🙂It would've been easy to just head for home after the train ride, and it actually felt a little funny not to, but I knew the boys would love to go swimming, and it seemed like since we were out and about anyway, we might as well make a weekend of it. I had booked a motel in Corvallis because Dora had told me weeks ago about a park she found that had an old steam engine in it that you could climb on. I knew the boys would love that.

So we headed to Corvallis for supper and swimming. The boys were exhausted from their 5:30am rising time, and by the time we were nearing Ixtapa they were fast asleep. A detour by our motel so Eric could check in got them a little more sleeping time, but we still had to rouse some very drowsy boys at the restaurant. After supper, they finally, finally got to get their swimming in. With arm floaties on both of them, we didn't have to do much other than supervise, which was a rather funny feeling after it being all hands on deck every time we were in a pool previously. Alec had used his floaties before, but they were brand-new to Sebastian, and he wasn't too sure about bobbing around the pool all by himself. He would gingerly walk down the steps into the pool, and then every time his feet would float out from under him, he would quietly say, "Oh no! Oh no! Someone help me!" It was terribly cute and funny. No trip to them is quite complete without a pool and a hot tub. 🙂

The next morning we ate a yummy breakfast at our motel and then headed to Avery Park, where Dora had said the train was. Sure enough, we found it, and it was really quite wonderful to see. An old train in a park. What a neat idea.Overall, it was a wonderfully laid-back, leisurely little trip -- close to home and without too many things to do. Just what we needed. 🙂