Roaring Camp Railroad

We got some free tickets to the Roaring Camp Railroad in the Santa Cruz Mountains. We went on Saturday and had a good time. The railroad has been around since 1875!

Here we are in front of the covered bridge entrance to the park.

We left plenty early just in case there was a lot of traffic, which there was, so we had some time to get a treat before the train ride. Andrew really liked the shaved ice and he was able to finish almost the whole thing.

To start off, Claire DID NOT like the train whistle. It was a bit loud and they seem to blow it a lot. Then Andrew didn't like the whistle either and they were both asking to get off. We told them it was too late and we covered their ears for a while. They soon got used to the train as we ventured off into the forest. Along the way, the conductor gave us a history of the railroad and we learned about the giant sequoia trees.

At the summit, you can get off the train for about 10 minutes to walk around and take pictures. Andrew thought that this tree was really cool because it was taller than he is.

Once again, it is difficult to photograph Claire. She liked being able to walk around in the woods.

I think I took 10 pictures of the both of them together, and believe it or not, this is the best one!

Here is Andrew in front of the engine. He was definitely more interested on the way back, probably because he knew it wasn't scary. The ride was an hour and 15 minutes which was perfect for the kids. It was really beautiful riding in an open top train car through the redwoods. Unfortunately, the moment we arrived home Andrew threw up. I think he got car sick, which is a first for him. The kids still had fun, and next time we'd like to try the train ride all the way over to the beach.