Checking off my 'bucket list'

I realize that the title of this post is a bit off-putting, however, I had the opportunity last weekend to check an item off of my bucket list. I have never ridden on a train. You would think that at fifty something years of age, I would have had that experience. Oh, I have ridden on the little trains at the amusement parks when the girls were little, but never a big old huge hulking train with an engine and all the passenger cars.

Last weekend that changed. Leon got tickets for the Cuyohoga Scenic Railway and off we went to Akron, OH to ride the scenic route, pulled by an old time steam engine. It was quite an experience and I enjoyed almost all of it immensely - more on that later. The train pulled us through several small towns, over rivers, through farmland, past a ski lodge and many other scenes; and we were amazed to find that people all along the way were waiting to take a picture of the train as we passed. There were literally dozens of people along the way with all of their camera tripods set up and we saw a couple of guys standing on top of their cars to get the shots. It was amazing, really!!

This is the engine that pulled us the first leg of our trip
This is the engine that pulled us the second leg of our trip - notice that we could have stepped up to view the magnificent steam engine. (for $5 - no thanks)


The train itself was very much like you would imagine, or if you have ridden a train before (unlike me) like you have seen. Cars were fancier the more you paid, so we were in "coach", but it had the seats forward and backward facing so that folks could sit together and talk. Our car was #6 and I also visited the concessions car, where I got us each a bottle of pop. I was imagining the trains that I saw in the old television westerns and also the trains that I read about in books, where young girls would travel by train to another area of the country.

I am glad to have taken the ride on the train, but will probably never do it again, due to the trip back to the station. On the first leg of the trip I was pleasantly seated in a forward facing seat, thanks to Leons advice. However on the return trip, I was in a backward facing seat and oh my, I got motion sickness. I couldn't look out the windows at all and didn't feel better really until the next day. But the experience has been had and I can now say that I have ridden on a real train.

The picture of the lady was our porter and graciously allowed me to take her picture.


One of the things that really touched my heart that I happened to get a photo of is shown below. There was an elderly man there sitting on a bench waiting to board the train. Bless his heart, he appeared to be in ill health and had some definite issues. He was speaking to people going by and was excited to be going on his excursion. I looked over at him later and there was a conductor all decked out and leaning over speaking to him. I quickly snapped a picture and it is my favorite one.


We had a great time, all things considered. Thank you Leon!!!!