Off On An Adventure, Rail Explorers Style


In our house, we have the best birthday tradition. Danny does the planning for my birthday surprise, and I just have to go along for the ride. It is the most fun I've ever had because he always picks something different and interesting. This year he took me to Boone, Iowa, to go on Rail Explorers, and it was amazing.


The Boone & Scenic Valley Railroad is one of the great Iowa tourism destinations, and they've added these pedal-assist railcars to their arsenal of fun. As soon as we pulled up to the parking lot, I knew by the logo where we were.


Designed for two or four people, the seat on the right runs the motor while the passenger twirls the pedals and makes it look like she's helping. I'm very good at that part. The looking like she's helping part.


Large groups of people can go at once, leaving three railroad cars' length between each car. Most of the time it felt like we were the only ones on the tracks, which was a cool feeling.


The track they use is beautiful. There are cornfields, bridges, rocky outcroppings, a YMCA camp (?), and tons of wildlife. We saw birds, butterflies, two chipmunks, a squirrel, and a deer in just one trip out and back.


For anyone who doesn't know, I have vertigo, so Danny was a little concerned about the first bridge. It's over 150 feet high, and there's nothing on either side of the track. Talk about becoming one with nature - it could happen very quickly out here!


The first time across was a little unnerving because I was surprised, but I was able to take pictures and actually enjoy it on the way back in. Look at this picture and try to tell me that Iowa's landscape is boring. Go ahead, I dare you!


The second bridge is much lower and shows off the river. The undercurrents on the other side were no joke, but again, the landscape was absolutely gorgeous.


While the guides were turning the cars around at the halfway point, we all had a chance to rest, have a snack, and watch the river go by. It felt like summer camp, and it was so quiet and peaceful.


In no time, we were back on the rail and ready to take the route from the opposite direction. I was ready this time and took tons of pictures.


My favorite one!


Danny wanted to take our official picture at the end of the trip, with looks of victory and joy in our accomplishment. The Rail Explorers at Boone & Scenic Valley Railroad was the perfect birthday surprise. Please go if you have a chance. It's an up-close-and-personal way to see Iowa in a unique and memorable way.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Holland Creme - That Amazing White Stuff In Donuts

Image
I remember going to the grocery store every Saturday morning when I was growing up, and my favorite place in the entire store was the donut case. All the glazed, powdered and filled baked goods drew me like a magnet. My favorites, far and away, were the ones filled with that beautiful white, fluffy creme. At the time I didn't know it was called Holland Creme - I just knew it was the most amazing concoction ever. Ever. Here is my version of this sweet treat. You can make your own fried donuts and fill them, or like I did here, you can cut a crevice into store-bought donuts with a knife and fill them with creme in a piping bag. Either way, you're going to love it. Ingredients: 1 cup sugar 1/2 cup water 1 cup vegetable oil 1 cup shortening 1 cup butter 1 Tbsp vanilla 7 cups powdered sugar 1. Make a simple syrup by combining sugar and water in a sauce pan over medium heat until boiling, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and allow to cool complet
Read more

Recovering An Old Card Table And Making It Usable Again

Image
This card table recover project has been on my to-do list for months. I've been using it as my workspace in the craft room for quite some time, and it sees a lot of abuse. Here it is now, with a neutral cover on it so I can take better pictures for my tutorials. There were dents and dings in the old blue covering from metal tools. And yes, I've used my embossing heat tool on it several times, leaving pretty good scars. The padding underneath the blue cover also made it difficult to keep paper crafts flat when adhering them together, so it was time for something new. That's where a simple vinyl tablecloth comes in handy. The process to recover the table is pretty simple, but I learned a couple of lessons the hard way. I share them with you now. First, don't do this on any surface but a carpet. I tried it on the deck int he sunshine to get better pictures, but all it did was tear up the cover. Second, get a second pair of hands to help you kee
Read more

Crafts For Teen Girls To Make

Image
In our teen girls Bible study, we're studying our way through the Proverbs 31 woman and it's been such a blessing to me, as I hope it's been to them. Every month we spend an afternoon or an evening together studying Scripture, making something amazing in the kitchen and creating something that corresponds to the verse we're in. Choosing the crafts each time can be a challenge for several reasons. It needs to be something they can completely finish (or do most of) because once they leave they're probably not going to work on it themselves - that's just the nature of teenagers. Remember? It also needs to be a project that keeps they're attention, is age-appropriate and is cool enough that they'll want to keep it or give it to someone special. But hey, no pressure on the Bible study leader, right? Here are just a few of the projects we've done together in the year we've been meeting. * This month's craft will be the adorable cross stit
Read more