{"id":73238,"date":"2023-10-05T03:57:34","date_gmt":"2023-10-05T10:57:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/lilesnet.com\/dailydiary\/?p=73238"},"modified":"2023-10-07T16:42:00","modified_gmt":"2023-10-07T23:42:00","slug":"adventure-day-8-going-on-a-choo-choo-ride","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lilesnet.com\/dailydiary\/?p=73238","title":{"rendered":"Adventure Day #8 – Going On A Choo Choo Ride!"},"content":{"rendered":"
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I should have known; it was Mark’s idea!<\/p><\/div>\n

We arose at the usual insane time of 6:00 a.m. to get ready to be at Colleen’s at 8:00 a.m.\u00a0 While Mary was getting ready to go, I ordered the owner of the Inn two Halloween shirts from High Seas Trading Company.\u00a0 He expressed great interest in the shirts I wore during the visit.<\/p>\n

I sat on the porch, awaiting the kids to arrive.<\/p>\n

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Taking life easy!<\/p><\/div>\n

The kids picked us up at 8:00 a.m.\u00a0 We drove 90 minutes to the Conway Scenic Railway.\u00a0 The drive was lovely, especially after the fog lifted.<\/p>\n

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We drove north from Dover.<\/p><\/div>\n

We had breakfast at a small bakery adjacent to the train station.\u00a0 Mary wore her new sweatshirt for the first time.<\/p>\n

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It was time for breakfast and dressed for the occasion.<\/p><\/div>\n

We have a full tummy and tickets; the day can start!<\/p>\n

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Enjoying the nick-nacks around the bakery<\/p><\/div>\n

Colleen met a new friend!<\/p>\n

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We named him “Bones.”<\/p><\/div>\n

On the way to the station, we saw an older engine used on their longer routes.\u00a0 It’s an F7 EMD engine circa 1950s.\u00a0 It was in beautiful condition for a fifty-year-old engine.<\/p>\n

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Old trains were everywhere.<\/p><\/div>\n

Our train arrived when we entered the station; we were on board in fifteen minutes.\u00a0 No. 573 is a former Maine Central unit; it came on the property in 1995 from the Springfield Terminal.\u00a0 It was named in honor of longtime engineer Gordon Lang in 2021.\u00a0 This unit is typically assigned to the Heritage Excursions.<\/p>\n

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Here comes our engine!<\/p><\/div>\n

Our car was nearby, so we only had to walk about 200 feet to board for the 90-minute excursion.\u00a0 Although we wanted a longer ride, everything was already sold out.<\/p>\n

Halloween was confusing.\u00a0 My parents always said, ‘Never take candy from strangers.’ And then they dressed me up and said, ‘Beg for it.’<\/p>\n

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Our car follows closely behind, a good thing!<\/p><\/div>\n

We boarded and were on our way a few minutes later.\u00a0 I was advised NOT to make my standard choo-choo sounds, so I behaved!<\/p>\n

I wanted to put together this list of funny train puns a while ago, but I kept getting sidetracked.<\/p>\n

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Just us.<\/p><\/div>\n

We went over the water and through the woods to grandmother’s house.\u00a0 It was an eleven-mile journey to the end of the tracks!\u00a0 We zipped along about twenty miles per hour, crossing through several towns and over five highways where the Engineer got to blow the horn.<\/p>\n

We had a fine view of the scenery as it passed by.<\/p>\n

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We all had a super time!<\/p><\/div>\n

You wonder where I am?\u00a0 They got me a special seat to be up close and personal.<\/p>\n