Trains, planes, and automobiles

Grace is into trains. What more can I say? She loves trains. She has gotten into Thomas the Tank Engine, but it really doesn't matter if it is the Island of Sodor and some other train, Grace loves trains.

Last time Michelle and Grace came out to SLC they went to the Railroad Museum in Ogden, Utah. Grace had fun, but she was a little timid around the big locomotives. However, she loves anything about trains and when I told her there was a place with steam engines and that we could get on them she was hooked. So on Saturday we headed up to the Golden Spike National Monument where the transcontinental railroad came together on May 10, 1869. After a long plane ride to get to Utah, we then took the 2 hour drive north and then west to get to Promontory Point, Utah to see the trains. Grace was excited and could hardly wait to get up there.

We chose Saturday to go because the park was having their annual Railroader's festival where they bring out games and motorcars and handcars for people to try. The first thing we saw when we pulled into the parking lot was a shuttle made to look like a train. Of course Grace had to ride on that so we had to add that to the agenda.

We were the first ones to arrive and had to wait for a few minutes before the steam locomotives arrived. This is what Grace had waited for. The Jupiter arrived coming to the sight backwards (Central Pacific Railroad came from California) and then the No. 119 from the Union Pacific arrived. All I can say is that the steam engines have loud whistles. Grace didn't mind. She was so excited. I almost think that for the time being the Jupiter and 119 have replaced Thomas as her favorite train.

It really was a nice day. We only spent a little over 3 hours at the park, but we saw and got on board both steam engines. We rode on a motorcar and then Grace, Grandma, Aunt Christine and I got on a handcar and pumped ourselves up and down the track. That may have been Grace's favorite activity. She wanted to go again, but Harriet and long lines prevented us from doing so. She does want to go back however. She has been asking if we can go back to see the trains again. While we won't be going back to Golden Spike, Grace will be lucky to go to a Day Out with Thomas back in Massachusetts.




We all enjoyed the day's events. The only thing I didn't do that everyone wanted me to was participate in the buffalo chip throwing contest. They were real buffalo chips and I decided to pass. I have enough baby diapers to deal with.