Tracking "The Red Candy Caboose"

Last day photos

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Last day photos

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Springdale last day

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The last day in Springdale is one we will always remember. Micki & Kahuna joined in for the festivities. The TLC channel provides a weekly show called Nineteen and Counting. It features the Dugger family in their own reality family program. All three of us fell in love with the Dugger children. They reminded me of a modern day version of the "Waltons." Well mannered, considerate and very articulate. All the children are home schooled which allows the family to travel and include the adventures in their program. Six years ago several TV specials were done on the family which resulted in the current series which has been running for the past couple of years. The film crew told me it may be six or eight weeks before today's version gets edited and run for TV play time. It looked like the film crew was equally in love with the family and has become a part of their extended family.

As I visited the other train cars I was pleasantly surprised by a lady who said she had ridden on my Santa Fe train ride in May. That is the second time during our tour this year that previous passengers have been on hand to welcome us to their home States. The reunion photo is posted above.

I finally got a chance to inspect A&M caboose today. WOW! Leather captain chairs and hardwood floors make this a luxury coach. Air conditioning and a new heating system are soon to be added. This will probably be one of the finest cabooses in the country. Brenda at A&M said they get as many request for caboose rides as they do for 1st class.

We hit the road at 2:30 p.m. and will try to make it back home by tomorrow evening, which will end this years tour.

This month has been one of the best loops yet. We made many new friends and got to visit with old one along the way.

Springdale photos

2010-10-27T18:53:00.000-07:00

Springdale, Arkansas #2

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The Arkansas & Missouri knows how to get the most bang for the bucks when it comes to equipment use. Their train leaves Springdale loaded with three passenger cars and makes a run to Van Buren, AR about 8o miles. Passengers get off for lunch and shopping (about 2 hours). New passengers board for a trip to Winslow, AR (about 40 miles) and back to Van Buren where they get off and the train then reboards the original passengers for a return trip to Springdale. I love the concept of maximum equipment utilization. Brenda their operations manager is also considering Red Candy Caboose storytelling on a static (non-rolling) car to further utilize their cars.

My job of visiting depots and museums finds fun in many places. Today it was highlighted by five beautiful ladies that get together once a year to enjoy each others company and explore something new. Their photo is posted above. Their smiles and laughter made my day.

Thanks to conductor's Larry and David for letting me shadow them for the day. Their expertise and knowledge of local history were as important as the train ride itself.

I don't want to forget to mention the train equipment; everything was in perfect working order and so clean you might think you were riding on museum pieces.

Springdale, AR

2010-10-26T19:05:00.000-07:00

I'll write more about Springdale tomorrow along with photos. We arrived shortly before they closed and had every intention of dropping off books and heading for Oklahoma. Brenda Rouse the Operations Manager for the Arkansas & Missouri RR convinced me to stay for a couple of days. Tomorrow I ride the train as a guest conductor and Thursday they have a reality show (19 and Counting) being filmed and they asked that I go along as part of the entertainment. A&M RR carries passengers as well as freight and makes runs of different lengths on different days. Sounds like fun, plus Micki and Kahuna are invited to participate.

Eureka Springs photos

2010-10-26T18:57:00.000-07:00

Eureka Springs, Arkansas

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Eureka Springs and North Arkansas RR sits on the NW edge of Arkansas in a small town that has been known since cave man days as a great place to soak in healing waters. The depot and railyard I wouldn't call a boneyard, but it has all the charm of presenting itself as a unique find, making visitors feel as though they are the first ones to find the antique treasures of the past. The photos tell it best. My favorite find was a 1951 Chevy wagon used as a Galloping Goose. I've seen and photographed many Galloping Geese, but this one is truly rare, and it still runs. The RR shuts down at the end of October. I would really like to see them offer more seasonal attractions like Polar Express and stay open the entire year. Again the professional period dress of their staff makes for a wonderful experience for the passengers.

Branson photos

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Branson, MO

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No one asked for my AARP card! Branson gives the appearance of being the ideal resort destination for seniors. Seniors in the past have been my largest audience for storytelling, but Branson is probably used to big names like Grandpa Jones, Roy Clark and others who used to appear on Hew Haw. Even though Branson marches to a different drum, it was fun walking around exploring the town, watching their water squirting exhibit shoot to the tune of "Kung Fu Fighting" (the song). They had two cabooses that merited photos. If the train in Branson could steal the marketing person from the train in Lebanon, OH I'll bet they could pack the train with all ages.

Mammoth Springs

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Mammonth Springs, Arkansas

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Bad news & good news. Mammoth Springs doesn't have a rolling train, but they do have a beautiful museum, caboose, & gift shop located on a post card view of a small lake and cascading water over two dams. Even better news, they have Henry. Henry is the ghost of a young man who lost his head while working on the local train. Henry haunts the gift shop, museum, and even the residence of the general manager. My ghost story book "Rail Tales That Haunt Us" is currently sold out, but look for Henry and all of his antics in the next edition that is due out in 2011.

Lick photos

2010-10-25T06:52:00.000-07:00

French Lick (yummy)

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3rd Stop on the 24th….
French Lick is not an ice cream shop, but a very popular tourist destination in Southern Indiana and is also the home of the Indiana Railway Museum. I counted three cabooses that were open for the public to tour; all in good shape. Their authentic antique depot and old steam engines that sit out front definitely cause people to slow down. Their operation is right down town and sits next to a Super Fancy resort called (what else) The French Lick Resort. The mineral springs at the resort and the tourist train make a great combination to fit the needs of all ages. They are open seven days a week and offer a full train experience that includes a 2,200 foot tunnel and forested rolling hills that has made this area famous for its fall beauty.

Connersville Photos

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Opps #2

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2nd Stop on the 24th…
Whitewater Valley Railroad is located in Connersville, Indiana. The WVR is primarily run by dedicated volunteers. Their equipment appeared to be well maintained and one of the best stocked gift shops I’ve run across in long time. I’m supposed to visit gift shops not buy, buy I couldn’t help picking up some caboose items I hadn’t seen before. I should mention both WVR and my stop in Lebanon found all the personnel to be very well dressed and looked the part of real train people. Conductors looked like conductors, engineers and brakemen were properly attired with traditional blue stripped overalls and matching caps. Successful train companies seem to have figured out the importance of dressing to fit the experience provided to their passengers. After all, how many of us would board an airplane if the pilot were dressed in jeans a sweatshirt? Dress adds to passenger trust and professionalism. I would love to see someone address this issue at the next National meeting for tourist trains. I almost forgot to mention that I counted ten cabooses (or cabeese) at the WVR and they offer special caboose rides and runs.

Opps

2010-10-25T06:36:00.001-07:00

24th

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More Lebanon

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Lebanon photos

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1st Stop, Oct 24

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1st Stop October 24th…
Left the Columbus area this morning and drove about an hour and a half to Lebanon, Ohio. Hats off to their marketing director for the Lebanon Mason Monroe Railroad. We arrived shortly before the first train departure for the Pumpkin Patch. I spoke with Jim one of their brakeman as well as Carolyn in the sales and ticket office. I was pleasantly Surprised to find they are making three runs a day with a total of twelve hundred passengers from their small depot. That would have shocked me even if they were in a large town, but check the map. Lebanon is at least an hour and a half from any major city; that is good marketing. I counted eight passenger cars and one open gondola with seats. Many of the train companies I’ve visited are big on special events, but it sounds like Lebanon make every run a special event. I took photos of their caboose and couldn’t pass up the little track-side gas station restored to the 1920’s era.

Photos from The Depot

2010-10-21T15:07:00.000-07:00

The Depot photos

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Log

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I know from time to time I get a little over ecited about a new caboose or train that I've found, but today we hit gold. Micki was poking around on the Internet and found some information about a restored train depot in Columbus. It wasn't in my train book and I'd never heard of it. We took a short drive out past Ohio State University and followed the GPS to "The Depot." The place isn't run as a museum or tourist attraction, but I wish it were. From the moment we walked into the Depot our mouths fell open and for the next two hours stayed open as Bill Korting gave us a personal tour of their collection. The depot, dining car, engine, parlor car, caboose and miniture train rank among the best we have ever found. The fact that is done as a result of a private collector makes it even more amazing.

The facitility is offered for weddings, birthday parties and special events, but is not advertised as a tourist attraction. Bill was kind enough to guide us through letting us take ample time for questions and photos. Their website is www.the-depot.org

This one needs to go in your Train Log as a "must see!"

2010-10-17T14:19:00.000-07:00

2010-10-17T14:09:00.000-07:00

Ohio train stops

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Ohio tour

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Ohio Train Stops

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Saturday's train tour started in Dennison, OH where I got my customary caboose photo and a quick glimpse of the museum and gift shop. I got there early and was disappointed to find the people I had hoped to meet with were not in yet.

It was the drive from Dennison to Orrville that took my breath away. If we hadn't already had plans today I would have repeated the drive. In Orrville I found their caboose, depot and museum all locked. The note on the door said leave deliveries with one of the neighobrs. I went there and they were also locked up. Forty minutes after leaving I got a phone call from their depot and was informed they had seen the Caboosemobile in their parking lot but couldn't find me. Oh well, as you've noticed from my RR costume, I'm probably a hard guy to spot.

The drive from Orrville to Wellington was also beautiful. The train address is listed as Route 18, Wellington, OH. My GPS wouldn't recognize that location and only gave me a choice of two streets for Wellington, OH. I picked one and ended up fifteen miles north of the train in a cornfield. The lady that speaks to me in the GPS isn't always the brightest tree on the bulb (I know you get the meaning.) I resorted to using my Rand McNally and eventually got there. Lorain & West Virginia Railway is the name of the RR in Wellington. It operates sometimes and they have a couple of tables set up in a barn to sell tickets. No museum or gift shop. The train had taken off thirty minutes before my arrival and I got the feeling I was intruding on the ticket person's nap time. I left a book for their future amusement and bed them farewell.

Stop #4 was Peninula, OH. Micki was raised in Ohio and has lots of friends and family here. I've yet to find anyone who has ever heard of the town, which is terrible. It is the cutest town ever. The sign said they have a ski resort (not open yesterday) and a railroad. As I pulled into the middle of town I couldn't believe my eyes. A line of people appeared to stretch a quarter of a mile along the track waiting to board the train. Most had bicycles. I didn't count the passenger cars, but I would guess that had six or eight. They offer rides of various lengths where you get off and hike or bike back to town through rolling hills and (small) mountains. The fall colors must have been the motivation for getting so many families out. The train is run by the National Park Service. It had the most people I've ever seen waiting to board a train. If you ever plan a fall trip to Ohio, this has got to be a MUST STOP AND DO. Rides vary in price from $2 to $16. The RR name is Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad and their web site is: www.cvsr.com

Ohio

2010-10-17T06:10:00.000-07:00

The rolling hills of the Ohio Valley are a great place to view fall colors while at the same time visiting railroads. I'll post photos later today. The thing I remember most about yesterdays 400 miles plus day trip was the back drop of color with what appeared to be hundreds of Amish black carriages being pulled along two-lane roads. The horses all seemed to have the same brisk gate and the carriage occupants all looked related. Everyone in dark clothes, men with long beards and ladies with homespun dresses and bonnets. I couldn't help but fantasize about how I would fit in their community. I do have a beard.... Maybe I could teach them all to two-step? Maybe they could teach me simplicity?

2010-10-17T06:03:00.000-07:00

Pics @ Little Toot

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Hoot @ Little Toot

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October 7th … Rolled into Flora, IL. A town of 5,100 and the home of Little Toot Railroad. We were greeted by Clint Green. A man who looked like he stepped out of one of the character rolls of The Red Candy Caboose. Blue stripped overalls and matching railroad cap with the appropriate amount of soot made it clear he was a railroad man. I learned of Clint and The Little Toot earlier in the year while visiting the McCormick Stillman Railroad in Scottsdale, AZ.

No doubt, some day Clint’s story and the Little Toot will be the material for a book and movie. As children, Clint and his wife Shelly both rode the scale RR in the town park of Flora, as did hundreds of other children. Like the main character in The Red Candy Caboose, Clint grew up, went away to school, got married and had his own child. When he returned to his home town, Little Toot was gone. The founder of Little Toot had grown older and found it necessary to sell the train. Clint discovered Little Toot had been sold three different times and eventually ended up at a Christmas Tree Farm in California.

Clint’s initial calls to the farm were to check on the well-being of the little railroad. Not long after making his calls the owners called Clint and asked if he would like to buy the train. Clint soon found others in Flora shared his nostalgia for the little train. Many things happened during that year to make Clint’s dream come true. He was able to buy the train plus support trains and equipment from Michigan and Georgia.

The town of Flora is fortunate to have Charlie Brown Park. This is a large park that any town in America would be proud to have. Charlie Brown Park includes fair grounds, arena, community swimming pool, a lake, hiking trails, and even facilities for 75 RV’s with water and electric hook-ups. Charlie Brown Park had been the original home of Little Toot and it seemed things fell into place almost as fast as waving a magic wand. The town struck a deal; they provided the land and Clint provided the train. Running and maintaining the train is a fulltime job, but Clint and Shelly make it happen by contributing endless hours of their own time along with a crew of volunteers that would be an asset to any company.

Clint and Shelly live two hours west of Flora and make the drive every week to keep the little train operating. One of the old steam engines was cranked up for the first time the evening before I arrived. The excitement was contagious as the little engine was put on line and pulled its first load of passengers in many years.

We spent four days at Little Toot starting with a reading and Kahuna/Micki performances at the local retirement home. Clint and Shelly were the perfect hosts, giving a tour of Flora and sharing the history and how the town’s development sprouted around the railroad industry. The beautifully restored depot/museum in the middle of Flora is well worth a stop for anyone with a love of history.

While there we were part of the ground-breaking ceremony which will double the track size of Little Toot. PBS Television was on hand to complete many days of documenting the Little Toot Story and it looks like October 9th was a record breaking day for the train, hauling an estimated 500 passengers.

Before coming to Flora I assumed Little Toot to be entertainment for the local residents, but I expanded my view to recommend it to anyone coming within two-hundred miles of Flora. The community, park, local history and of course Little Toot make it a destination vacation for anyone in this part of the country.

2010-10-15T10:52:00.000-07:00

October 6th… Having a pleasant journey across the Midwest, when the Caboosemobile started sounding like it swallowed a cat. Made it to Springfield, MO and spent the day at the local Ford dealership. A new water pump, and alternator took care of the cat sounds. The bill was large enough to make the service manager feel obligated to buy a copy of The Red Candy Caboose

2010-10-15T10:44:00.000-07:00

2010-10-15T10:43:00.000-07:00

October 1st ….. Micki, Kahuna and I took the Caboosemobile to Albuquerque to attend the first three days of the Annual Balloon Fiesta. Our friends Bob & Leigh Wilson from San Clemente, CA met us there. The Balloon Fiesta is always fun and amazing, but it is twice as good when you are able to view it with friends that are seeing it for the first time.

Son, Judd on caboose, Virg City Shop with engine, Boulder Dam & Camping by lake

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travel photos

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Read from bottom up

2010-08-05T08:29:00.000-07:00

Wednesday, August 4th

Got back on the road late. Thought we would get an hour driving in before calling it a day. The road from Ely to Las Vegas must be the second lonliest road in America. No place to stop, not even a wide shoulder. After 2 ½ hours we hit a rest area. We were thrilled with the beauty of the mountains and were looking forward to a good nights sleep after dealing with the tire. WRONG! Shortly after falling asleep it felt like we were in the middle of a trucking convention. Truckers started pulling in and kept it up until dawn. Why do they let their engines run? During the winter I can understand, but it was hot last night. Each truck seemed to get louder as the night grew darker. If I woulda’ had a gun I could have gone postal.

Made our last official train stop today in Boulder City, NV. The train only runs on week-ends. They have a beautiful setup, but small. They should team up with McCloud, since McClound closes on week-ends.

Drove across Hoover Dam. Our first time. Traffic was backed up for an hour, but it was worth the effort. A lot of construction going on. It looks like a four-lane road will eventually make the connection with NV & AZ.

Tuesday, August 3rd.

Currently sitting in the parking lot of a tire repair shop in Ely (pronounced E Lee) Nevada. Sometime yesterday a tire went flat about a hundred miles west of here. I think the bad tire was a result of the rock incident we had in Yosimite. We spent the night in Eureka, NV. Micki got her hot tub, TV with the Bachelorette and a king bed. Reno to Ely is over 300 miles on Hwy 50, which is called the loneliest highway in America. Almost no stations or hotels. When we realized the tire was shot we kicked back and took it easy thinking today would bring a solution. One emergency tire place was located a few miles outside of Eureka. We sat in their driveway for an hour this morning and no one ever showed up. We spent the day driving slowly (80 miles) to Ely where we found a tire repair shop, but no tires, at least not our size. It is now 6:00 p.m. and our new tire just came in from Utah. Hopefully we will be on the road soon.

Yesterday morning was very productive and fun. We went to Virginia City, NV where we drove up a 15% grade in the RV. What a great fun town. They have a small short-line railroad and a few cabooses. We have three potential retail outlets, one already placed a large order and I believe the other will follow soon. Anyway a great morning, but the 300 mile drive to get across northern NV has been a challenge. The last time I did this road was 1981. It was a challenge back then and doesn’t seemed to have improved since.

Almost forgot to mention the delicious $80 icecream cone in Truckee. Actually is was $8 for the icecream and the rest was for a parking violation. The RV is long enough that it merits two tickets.

2010-08-01T20:26:00.000-07:00

Read from the bottom up.

2010-08-01T17:36:00.001-07:00

Sunday, August 1st.

Didn’t make it to a motel. Did stop at McCloud. They don’t answer the phone because they are out of business. Found a new gift shop next to the old depot that wants to carry the RCC. Not a total loss.

Continued southeast toward Truckee. Stopped at fabulous camping area next to a trout stream. People were walking around with nice stringers of fish. We were warned to to wander off. A mountain lion and two cubs had been seen trolling the area. Leaving this morning we passed a beautiful soaring bald eagle that had just gotten his breakfast of Alvin or one of the other chipmunks. We were enjoying the scenery and beautiful mountain lakes as we headed to Portela to make our next train stop, when out of the shadows leaped a deer. I hit the brakes and swerved, but nailed its hind quarters. I’ve never hit a deer, we were both upset. We turned around and went back and saw her stunned, but walking slowly back into the woods, hopefully she will live. We got a small dent in the front of the RV. Based on the impact we both assumed the damage was much more severe. This was more upsetting than the silver-haired lady that ran into the side of us last week as we were leaving LA.

Got to Portela. They loved the book and story program and indicated they want RCC books, night lights and help with getting a story program started at their location. They own 19 cabooses and 29 working engines. They specialize in caboose rides.

Got into Truckee to witness their Art Festival. The town was packed. Haven’t been there since 1981. Looks the same but bigger and busier. Looks like we now have two retail locations in Truckee. The visitor which is located in the building where AMTRAK stops and a gift shop across from the railroad.

Heading to Reno as I type. Traveling at a snails pace would be an improvement over our current speed. At this rate we will take turns sleeping as we travel.

Saturday, July 31st

As Freddy Fender said in his song “Wasted Days and Wasted Nights.” Not only were we late yesterday for the Skunk Train in Ft. Bragg, but we broke out tails getting up early today to be at Eureka when they opened. Hours outside said 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. By 9:15 no one showed up at the Museum. We walked around outside and viewed a couple of lame displays displayed behind glass. Leaving disappointed, we drove like crazy through beautiful hazardous mountain roads to get to Yreka; we didn’t want to be late for another train. We got there to find out they close Saturday and Sunday. Who ever heard of a tourist train closing on week-ends? This one does.

I called ahead to the train located in McCloud, CA but no one answers the phone, so this may be a totally dry day. Micki is driving and planning on stopping at a hotel ASAP (before McCloud). She is ready for a bath tub. RV showers get the dust off but aren’t much good for soaking.

Friday, July 30th

Got up to that beautiful lake just outside of Yosemite and was grateful the dreaded knock by the sleep police never came. After a leisurely lakeside breakfast we pulled out of our hideaway onto the pavement and immediately noticed we were traveling on a square tire, at least that’s the way it felt. I got out and looked; no flat, but the rear tires are duallies and a large rock was wedged between the tires on the right rear. I hobbled down the road to a pull-off and proceeded to try and get the rock out. I came up with the bright idea of running over a larger pointed rock thinking it would dislodge the first rock. Didn’t work; now I had two large rocks stuck between the tires. Convinced I was on the right track, I tried a 3rd rock. You’ve probably already guessed, now I had three large rocks stuck. As I sprawled out under the RV hammering and prying I started to gather a crowd. Soon I had a flock of good Samaritans hammering and prying on my rocks. Finally a guy showed up with a large hammer and saved the day. One by one the rocks got smashed into pieces small enough to fall out. His reward was an autographed copy of The Red Candy Caboose.

Yosemite was beautiful but we were glad to get back on the road. The crowds made it difficult to even pull off the road.

Next stop was Napa, (not the auto parts store) where we got a warm reception and opened another train retail outlet with the Napa Dinner Train.

Heading northwest we got to Ft. Bragg thirty minutes after the train closed. I went around back and found the crew hadn’t left, so I had a nice chat with the engineers and learned a little about the famous Skunk Train that runs out of Ft. Bragg.

Leaving Ft. Bragg we set the GPS for Eureka where there is another train. Got within an hour and half of Eureka and Micki and Kahuna voted for stopping. The drive was beautiful going through the giant Redwoods and following the northern part of Hwy #1, but wives and dogs aren’t crazy about doing a thousand hairpin S-turns in such a short time. We chuckled at the roadside stands proclaiming Big Foot souvenirs, but right in front of us on the road we saw one. Like the famous film clip where the Big Foot pauses and looks back at the guy doing the filming, this one did the same thing. And then two seconds later two little Big Foots came running behind its mother. We were so excited; Micki grabbed Kahuna and held him to the window so he could see. But it was too late. As fast as the came into sight they were equally as fast disappearing. Some people find this hard to believe, but it did happen. Some skeptics have already cast doubt on our sighting saying since they walked on all-fours they were Black Bears. All I know is they had lots of hair and big feet. You can draw your own conclusion.

Wednesday, I think July 28th.

Been on the road for ten or eleven days now. Spent some time in Cupertino and help celebrate our granddaughter’s birthday. Casey was part of the inspiration for “The Red Candy Caboose.” On the way to Cupertino we visited kids and granddaughter Aubrey in Flagstaff and then dropped my son Judd off in LA so he can head to Melbourne, Australia where he and his wife Lisa are moving.

Since leaving Santa Fe we have opened five new locations that are selling The RCC. I think this puts us at about 70 depots and museums selling the book. My goal was 100 retail accounts by the end of 2010. Looks like we will make that.

Plans are already being made for the second printing of RCC. The RCC Theme Song has been such a hit that we have been requested to make it part of each book along with a live reading of the book so kids can follow along. A book distributor has made an offer to take on the book and do all of the grunt work that we have personally been doing. We are considering it for 2011 if they are still interested at that point.

We made a side trip to Yosemite since neither of us have been there. Almost every day during the past week I’ve mumbled “California has too many people.” Visiting Yosemite on a Wednesday seemed like a safe bet that we would be able to hang out with out crowds of people…. Wrong! The place is packed and we couldn’t find anyplace within the National Park to part the RV. We drove an hour and a half and got out of the park and are currently set up by a beautiful mountain lake somewhere above 9,000 ft. It isn’t a camp site and my fear is that some ranger or police office is going to bang on the door in the middle of the night and say “Out!” If that happens that means driving all night to get back to civilization. At least the last two hours have been splendid. Fish are jumping and a few people can be seen and heard around the lake as the silence is broken by the whizzing of their fishing rods. Micki got a chuckle watching a dad wade into the icy water to untangle his daughter’s fishing line.

The Dinner Train in Oakdale, CA is what got us close (2 hrs) to Yosemite. Chris Hart their president was helpful with suggestions for the RCC and asked us to consider helping them market their Christmas Story Book which his wife has written. Like most trains, they do a booming business during the Christmas Holiday Season.

California

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We hit the road again last week. Great stop at Winslow, AZ. One of Mary Colture's crowing achievements in Railroad Hotels. We plan on spending more time there on the return trip.

The little girl mentioned in "The Red Candy Caboose" is named Casey, which just happens to be our granddaughter's name. We got to CA in time to celebrate Casey's 4th birthday.

Wednesday we go back on the road and plan on visiting trains in northern CA and then Nevada.

I'll try to post photos as the opportunity arises.

OPPS

2010-06-17T08:21:00.001-07:00

I hope all those folks in Minnesota forgive me. I just noticed I've been misspelling the name of the lake at Currie. It should have been Lake Shetek. I'll post of couple of photos. Also one of the newly formed lake in Nebraska. Apparently they are trying to emulate Minnesota.

more pics

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trip photos

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Headin' home

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June 15th. Arrived back in Santa Fe and was home for three hours when I handed Micki an anniversary card and asked if the flowers arrived. She said “If you ordered them for our anniversary that’s tomorrow.” Somehow the magic of the Minnesota rain, miles of Nebraska corn, and the Red Candy Caboose Time Machine warped me back one day.
TRINIDAD… My last museum visit was in Trinidad, CO. I met one of the docents, but missed Paula Manini the director. I’m looking forward to getting Trinidad added to the RCC program. Trinidad was the showdown location between Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe RR and the Rio Grande RR. Both railroads were fighting to be the first RR into New Mexico. The Territorial Legislature of New Mexico had proclaimed that which ever RR got into NM first got the exclusive right to pass through the territory. It became known as “The Railroad War.” ATSF even brought in Bat Masterson and a hundred gun slingers to guard their work crews. When the folks in Trinidad learned of the Rio Grande’s plan to bypass Trinidad in order to save time and money, they quickly jumped into action and personally led the ATSF team up the mountain to Uncle Dick Wooten’s cabin and convinced Uncle Dick to give the ATSF the right-of-way to come through his narrow pass. So, Trinidad is rich in railroad history and played an important part in building today’s transportation foundation in the west.
PUEBLO, CO… Southeastern Colorado Heritage Center. It was probably about 1989 when I last drove through the city of Pueblo. At one time it had been a major manufacturing and foundry town. When I visited the city during the 80’s it was sad to see the once beautiful brick and stone buildings waiting to meet the wrecking ball. Since then I’ve passed the city a few times on I-25 freeway, but never stopped. I still held the sadness in my memory from my earlier visits. But, my handy-dandy train manual proclaimed a museum along with cabooses and some interesting engines. What a great surprise to find the city had the wisdom to rejuvenate the old rail yard district. Pueblo is no longer a place to whiz by in route to other points of interest. Pueblo has become a destination location. A beautiful river walk, museum, historic buildings, and a fabulous Union Depot all provide the frame work to entice families to come and enjoy the beauty.
WINDSOR, CO…. It wasn’t on my preferred route, but I made a side trip to Windsor. My train guide book had the magic word “Caboose” in it. Windsor is a beautiful northern, Colorado town that sits near the edge of a small lake. The train tracks pass through the back side of most of the businesses and the town has built a small historic village between the tracks and the lake. The village is complete with an old depot and of course the promised caboose. Unfortunately, it looks like you are supposed to wander around and peek through the windows and perhaps make up your own version of what it’s all about. A sign on the door gave a phone number for additional information. I called the number and got a recording that said to call yet another number. I took a pass on that one. Hopefully in the future the town can round up a few history buffs and complete the task of their heritage museum.
STERLING, CO…. The Overland Trail Museum. I passed through Sterling as I came in from Nebraska. My train book made no mention of a museum in Sterling, but I thought it might be a good place to gas up. I pulled into the station and thought my eyes were playing tricks on me. I put my reading glasses on and took a closer look. It was true almost $3 per gallon. I pulled out without getting gas and noticed across the street was a museum, complete with a fabulous red caboose. Sterling needs to do more with their marketing. I had never heard of the town or the museum. It is first rate and a place you could hang out for an entire day; just don’t plan on buying gas there.
KEARNEY, NE…. You’ve got to be determined in your caboose hunting if you include Kearney, Nebraska. Once you get there you will find they have done an excellent job with their caboose and train displays as well as provide other historic buildings on the property. The location feels like a residential neighborhood and not a place you would easily swing into from the freeway. Driving time from the freeway is under five minutes and well worth the effort.
GRAND ISLAND, NE…. You want to see what big bucks can do? Stop at the Stuhr Museum of the Prairie Pioneer. Beautiful modern buildings, ponds, parks, endless displays, gift shop and a static train display. Obviously they had a lot of money to work with. It reminds of one of those places where the family goes two or three times a year, takes a picnic lunch and spends the day. You might do the same.
FREMONT, NE…. Fremont & Elkhorn Valley RR. Unlike the Stuhr Musem, these folks do it the hard way. Lots of volunteers and dedicated ole’ timers keep the 16 mile train running. Nothing fancy, but they are a local favorite and do a great job making the dollar stretch. I couldn’t help but wonder if a good marketing directory couldn’t turn this into one of the area’s premier attractions. (They need a Gene Short)

Tracy

2010-06-17T07:02:00.000-07:00

June 13th
TRACY, MN…. Wheels Across The Prairie Museum. I left End-O-Line in Currie late Saturday and thought I would get an early start in Tracy on Sunday Morning. Wrong! I should have done my homework. Tracy’s museum doesn’t open until 1:00 p.m. and according to their brochure they don’t open on Sunday. Not a wasted trip. Anytime you can take the opportunity to tour small towns in Minnesota, it is time well spent. I cruised the town so many times the local sheriff was starting to think I was casing the place and I was developing a phobia about the sheriff. I could always see him a half block away in my rear view mirror. Sunday morning I did my own guided tour of the Wheels Across The Prairie Museum. Again, small towns seem to always rise to the occasion. This multi-facetted museum was established by the skin of its teeth. A land grant almost slipped away due to no building being erected when a local resident donated a barn. A building being erected was part of land grant conditions. The barn filled the criteria, but was destroyed by a storm. Again the community rose to the occasion and rebuilt. Perhaps they should have called it “Phoenix.” The museum hosts a small village, depot and a train complete with the treasured caboose.
Traveling through the border area of Minnesota and South Dakota I saw the largest wind farm I have ever seen and I’ve seen some big ones. Coming up on a knoll I could see wind turbines stretched from my far right to my far left. It looked as if I were going to pass through a gauntlet of turbine blades. I mention this because most things we see end up as paintings or some form of art, I couldn’t help but wonder how this would play out in the mind of some talented artist.

Hurry to Currie

2010-06-17T06:46:00.000-07:00

June 10th – 12th.
I left Santa Fe the morning of the 9th and arrived in Currie, MN on the 10th. Normally Micki and Kahuna travel with me. It is lonely traveling by yourself, but you do make better time. I got to Currie a day early. I didn’t know what to expect of Currie. Approaching the town a sign said “Welcome to Currie gateway to Shetake Lake. I’m not sure what happened next; maybe a blink or a sneeze, but somehow I missed it. I turned around and decided to watch more closely. There it was, a post office, bank, restaurant, ice cream shop and a hardware store that opened only on weekends. Some of my largest events have been small towns and I’ve learned the smaller the community the higher the level of interest. On the edge of town stood a sign made from railroad spikes “End-O-Line.” I drove on by and checked into my RV spot on Lake Shetake. An hour later I drove back to End-O-Line where I met Gene Short, the director of the museum. Gene gave me a great tour which included how the project got started back in the early 70’s by some 4-H girls looking for a community project. The name of the museum is just what it says. This was the end of the line. There is still a working turntable that is so well balanced two people can still turn it while loaded with an engine. I didn’t get to see an engine being turned, but the following day I would witness a bride and groom being swiveled on the old turn table as a photo opp.

I found it hard to believe the museum was so old. I would have guessed that the entire project was less than five years old. The buildings, grounds and equipment were all meticulous. As you know, my passion is for cabooses. End-O-Line has two wooden cabooses dating from 1942 and 1945. Both are beautifully restored. One is a bay-window and this is the first restored wooden bay window caboose I’ve found during my travels. The community of Currie has a right to be proud of their efforts to show the importance of their heritage. While there someone asked me how I would rate the Currie Museum on a scale of one to ten. I gave it a 10! One exhibit or one building doesn’t give testament as to who you are, it’s the whole package and Currie’s community pride shows at every glance. The houses, commercial area and of course the museum all reflect the efforts of people working in tandem to achieve a common goal.
The next two and a half days would be filled with meeting the docents, area residents, radio interview, and a tour of the Murray County Historical Museum in Slayton. The world needs more Gene Shorts. Gene acted as my personal tour guide for the entire time I was in Currie. Slayton is another beautiful Minnesota town a few miles down the road from Currie. With me dressed in my conductor uniform, Gene paraded me through Slayton’s businesses and county buildings. I felt a little like the advance promotion of “The Circus Is Coming.” As the DJ said during the radio interview “You won’t mistake this guy for anyone else in town.”

I need to give a plug for the docents and volunteers at End-O-Line. Although volunteers are an important part of their operation, the docents for the most part are students that get a chance to cut their teeth on all aspects of business. With Gene as their mentor, they learn people skills while giving museum tours, retail experience as they help run the gift shop, and an appreciation of all the hard work it takes to make a successful business. I couldn’t help but notice how versatile these docents were; one minute helping tourist, the next cleaning the grounds, cutting the grass, or setting up displays. At some point in the future they will no doubt look back and say “That’s where I learned and grew.”

Most of New Mexico gets eleven to thirteen inches of rain a year. If you want beautiful rolling hills of lakes, farm land and trees, then you’ve got to take a little rain with it. It felt as though I got an entire year of rain during the week I was gone. Gene joked with me suggesting I bottle some water and take it home. That didn’t happen, but as I cleaned out my RV I did notice I smuggled in a large amount of rich Minnesota top soil.
That rain was making me nervous for the open house event scheduled for Saturday. The morning started out with a steady drizzle and almost no one showing up during the first hour. But, the rain let up and the sun came out along with people from towns all over southwestern Minnesota. Gene’s work getting newspaper publicity and radio spots paid off. For the next five hours we had a steady stream of visitors coming to End-O-Line. I spent most of the time in one of my beloved cabooses, spinning yarns and listening to tales from others who had railroad stories to share.
Since returning home I’ve received several e-mails from folks I met in Currie. They have been generous in sharing their photos of not just this event, but cabooses that have passed through their lives.

I’ve rambled on more than usual about my Minnesota experience, but my love of that area, the people and of course End-O-Line merit a place in my travel blog. A big THANKS to Currie and of course Gene Short for helping to create a great memory.

Kahuna

2010-06-07T17:14:00.001-07:00

Mooooore Chama

2010-06-07T17:00:00.000-07:00

That is David Morrell in the photo taking notes as I give him some helpful hints. The other photo is our dog Kahuna. I noticed David takes my helpful hints about as well as Kahuna.

The old school bus on train wheels is another examplel of a Galloping Goose, although this goose has been cooked beyond its prime.

The Chama train passing on the trestle is where we parked our RV.

More Chama

2010-06-07T16:48:00.000-07:00

The Caboose Mobile (RV) is back with illustrations from the RCC plastered to the sides and back. Dawn Phillips was the illustrator for The Red Candy Caboose and her name is now being drug across America. I hope Dawn approves.

That is me standing over David Morrel

Chama

2010-06-07T10:42:00.000-07:00

As many people have told me "There is a gap between your blog postings." Yep, I've noticed. I try not to write much about cutting the grass and eating breakfast. And many days that seems to be the featured events.

Last night we got back from Chama, NM. Friday started off with a radio interview at FM 96.1. If you are interested you might be able to pull it up on their web site. They started the interview by playing our RCC Theme Song and wrapped it up by playing it again. Chama being a tourist train town, the song is expected to get more local air time.

David Morrell wrote First Blood, better known as Rambo along with 36 other books. David has sold over 18 million books. His booking schedule is full of places like New York, Chicago & LA. Who woulda' thought he would show up in Chama, New Mexico. He was our key note speaker for the event and gave talks on Friday and Saturday. David hung out with the other NM writers for the entire week end. Few people have touched me like David Morrell. He was inspiring, kind, down to earth and a pleasure to hang out with. When I got out of high school I worked in a factory as a press operator, punching out auto parts from raw metal. My sleep was frequently interrupted by waking up drenched in sweat and searching the bed for my lost hands and arms.

My first inkling that I liked this man was when he told of his experience right out of high school of being a press operator in a factory and the terror that came with it. I wish I could say our lives continued to parallel each other as we aged. Unlike me, David went on to get his PHD in literature and has become one of the best writers in American in our current culture.

After seeing the first Rambo movie I never had much desire to read David's work. However that changed this week end when David spoke of the true characters that inspired First Blood and the battle with the movie industry to keep some integrity in the movie that would attempt to shadow the book. I now have appreciation of authors who write good books that frequently get made into movies that often fail to mirror the intent of the original creator.

I'll try and post more photos later of the event. My camera is sitting in the motorhome on the other side of town, but I did receive the poster today that shows Micki, our good dong (supposed to say "dog") and me at the book fair.

We did sell some books while in Chama and more importantly established a retail outlet directly across from the train ticket office.

While Albuquerque and Santa Fe had temperatures hovering around 100 degrees, Chama was comfortable and we got to park the RV by the Chama River which was rapidly flowing with fresh snow melt from the mountains.

We kept asking each other "Why don't we come up here more often?" A riddle we soon hope to solve.

We leave Wednesday for Minnesota.

opps

2010-05-12T15:51:00.000-07:00

I got my geese mixed up. Dawn in front of the white Galloping Goose is in Silverton, CO. All the others were in Golden.

Most of you have seen trucks with steel wheels that lift up so they can also travel on the highways or railroad tracks. Don't you think it is time to come up with a car that would do the same? We could kick back, read, have breakfast, or even take a nap. Isn't that what the engineers do?

Santa Fe

2010-05-11T20:43:00.000-07:00

The top photo is me in front of an old snow blower in Chama and Dawn is with another Galloping Goose in Golden, CO.

The Colorado trip was a little shorter than I planned, due to many of the trains and depots not officially opening until Memorial Day. The good news; the packets I left at the closed depots has kept the phone ringing. Several new accounts have come on board during the last 48 hours.

Back in Santa Fe I received news that two wonderful people from the Santa Fe Southern Railway are moving on. Ray one of our engineers is retiring and Leah our front desk and girl Friday is going back to school. Next week is a dinner and roasting for the two of them. I don't think I have it in me to write or say something funny about their leaving.

June 5th I've been invited back to Chama for a book fair. I've never done one. I suppose I just sit there with my train uniform on and look like I know what I'm doing.

I almost forgot. Wednesday morning (tomorrow) I'm doing a TV interview on Public Service TV. They tape tomorrow. I don't know when it will air. I'll try to post a U-tube copy, unless I come across to dorkey.

2010-05-09T12:01:00.000-07:00

May 8th – Got into Canon City last night and the Royal Gorge RR was already closed. Dawn had her first experience camping in the parking lot of a Walmart. They had a nice little grassy spot with a couple of trees so I pulled up close thinking it would give us a nice park-like setting. Sometime during the night the sprinklers went off, one of which was right next to our door. I was sound asleep but the noise was too much for Dawn to handle so she got up and moved the RV. She didn’t know that I had slept through the sprinkler and the move. She spoiled the surprise by mentioning it before I stepped outside. We both regretted me not getting the full affect of my new surroundings when I stepped outside. Next time she will wait for my reaction before she says anything.

We were on the door step of the Royal Gorge RR when they opened this morning. They purchased both books and we are hoping to be part of their future storytelling program.

Dawn is driving as I blog and we just arrived in Alamosa. They were expecting a big Mother's Day week-end, but mechanical failures required they close for the holiday.

Next we went to Antonito, which is the other end of the Chama RR. They too were closed due to winter not being over in the mountains. At that point we made the decesion to head back to Taos and return after Memorial Day when the remainder of the depots will officially open.

As you can see we even met an alien.

Cabooses

2010-05-09T11:50:00.000-07:00

The Lookout in Silverton, CO

Caboose photos from Leadville, Georgetown & Golden, CO.

Day 3

2010-05-09T11:47:00.000-07:00

May 7 -- Woke up this morning by a small lake in Leadville, Colorado. It was seventeen degrees and snowing. Dawn has one of those sleeping bags that keep you warm even if it is a 140 below zero, so she wanted to keep the furnace turned off. My last phone conversation to Micki last night was “Pipes freeze? Not a possibility.” It did, but no damage. Waking up to a frosty morning called for an extra good breakfast at the Golden Burro. Leadville like all of the old Colorado mining towns has done a great job of creating tourism from the foundations of ghosts towns.
Again we found that the Leadville RR won’t open until Memorial Day, but we were able to leave a RCC packet. Small railroads seem to be the ideal location for both my books.
Last night I thought we were through the worst of the snow when we crossed Monarch Pass. But leaving Leadville took us across Fremont Pass which was under siege with snow. This area apparently pays no caution to calendars proclaiming the proper seasons arrive. The road was dotted with hard core skiers leaving their cars on the shoulder while they hiked to the tops of hills and mountains only to return in a fraction of the time it took to make the trek. I’m trying to remember if I ever loved anything enough to exert that much energy to get such a small payback.
Next we made it to Georgetown, CO. I’ve got Georgetown earmarked for a return trip. Everything about this town and railroad demands more time. Don’t stop here unless you can spend the entire day (three would be better). The citizens have done a first class job restoring the old mining town, the railroad offers one of the most beautiful rides you can imagine and the gift shop is the best I’ve seen to date.
The Colorado Railroad Museum was one of my first customers to stock “The Red Candy Caboose.” We stopped by and left them a supply of our new RCC theme song CDs and a copy of “Rail Tales That Haunt Us.” We finally got to tour their museum. I never dreamed they had such a wide selection of rolling stock. We took photos of lots of cabooses and normally I don’t shoot other train cars, but I couldn't’t help it. Their collection of Galloping Geese is awesome. If you don’t know what a Galloping Goose is, take a look at one of the photos. They were built originally to haul people, at the same time cut overhead by not using a full train crew. Normally they were old buses converted to operate on a RR track. They are so cute. I would love to have one in the front yard.

Day 2

2010-05-09T11:41:00.000-07:00

May 6 -- Started the morning in Durango, CO. Got suckered into the wrong RV park last night. Pulled in and the office was closed. The sign on the door said pick a spot and pay in the morning.. When they don’t post the rate, don’t do it! I did and paid double what it should have been. Live and learn.
The Durango Silverton RR is the Gold Standard for tourist railroads. It is one of the most popular tourist railroads in the country. Many RRs have done as well, but Durango did it first and did it with class. They normally sell out weeks or months in advance. Today was no exception. They had a full train with lots of happy passengers. They won’t go all the way to Silverton until next week. Word has it they will soon be offering a return trip from Silverton by bus for people that want to see a little different view.

I have ridden their train a couple of times in the past, but have overlooked their museum. If you go, include the museum. They have done a great job and even let me hang out their caboose window, just like Coop.

We met the gift shop manager and left her with a supply of our product line. When you are in Durango (or any RR) be sure to ask them where they keep their RCC books.
Silverton was our next stop. After driving though snow-packed mountains we were surprised to see that some people had actually stayed the entire winter in Silverton. A real feat considering the road in and out is closed a great deal of the winter. The train is another week from making it into town, but all the merchants are preparing for the start of the season. We circled town six times gawking at the store fronts and old miner shacks when Dawn said “We should stop at the Look Out Shop, they look like the kind of store that would carry “The Red Candy Caboose.” By that I assumed she meant “Classy.” We stopped. They now carry both books and the RCC night light, and I now own a telephone that looks like a train engine and does a train whistle when the phone rings. Dawn thinks I’ll have to hide it from Micki (not because Micki wants her own train phone.)
We programmed the GPS for Leadville and headed North.
Dawn is an excellent driver and even drives professionally, so half way I asked if she would drive while I took a nap. I woke up for a photo opp in Gunnison and then sat on the edge of my seat as we headed through Black Canyon and then up Monarch Pass. Somewhere near the top of the pass I realized I wasn’t breathing. I had been clinching the arm rest and holding my breath without realizing what I was doing. The road was narrow with no guard rails and vertical drops that went beyond what I could see. Worse yet, the snow kept getting more dense by the minute. Just past the summit I asked if I could drive. I figured clinching the steering wheel had to be better than clawing at the upholstery.
This is well into spring, how do local people tolerate this? They must travel with seal skin coats and snow shoes.

2010-05-09T11:35:00.000-07:00

May 5th -- Arrived in Taos to connect with my daughter Dawn. Micki wasn’t being able to make this trip, I invited Dawn to be my co-pilot. The last time Dawn and I made an RV trip was 1981 when I took Dawn and Judd on a trip to the Smokey Mountains in a motorhome. She didn’t speak to me for the entire trip. She was 15 and resented being pulled away from her first boy friend. She is now married and older than I am, so I’m expecting better results. I know she has matured in many ways. People seem to doubt that I have.
My fantasy is that we can spend lots of time talking about the old days as well as dreams of the future. Dawn is a person of many talents; one of which is being a professional driver and having a CDL license. I’m looking forward to being a passenger for at least part of this trip.
A few minutes out of Taos we made our first caboose sighting. I pulled over and sat on the stone fence while Dawn operated the camera. Part of the fun of traveling is spotting cabooses (or cabaseese) and logging them into “Red Candy Caboose” web site. I wish I had time to chat with each caboose owner. I can’t help but wonder why someone living on the outskirts of Taos would have an old wooden caboose setting in their front yard. Could this perhaps be the famous lost “Red Candy Caboose?”
Next stop was Chama. One of my all time favorite train rides. They were closed, but we were able to meet with one of the local merchants and a brief meeting with radio station 96.1. They plan on playing the RCC Theme Song and having me come back for a live interview. I’m starting to be a ham! Maybe I always was….

Cabooses in Williams

2010-04-28T13:15:00.001-07:00

Not So Fast

2010-04-28T12:46:00.000-07:00

April 23rd. Decided to make a fast trip to Arizona to see Jon, Kendra & Aubrey as well as call on the Grand Canyon Hotel & RV Park and the Grand Canyon Railway. I worked on the Santa Fe Train during the day of the 23rd and we left as soon as I got off the train. Pulled the RV into a rest area a little more than half way there and caught some sleep. The next morning one mile East of Holbrook I blew a tire. First time that has ever happened to me. Wow, that is exciting; not just the rock & roll of the RV, but the noise and stuff flying everywhere. The tire blew completely off the rim taking out a sewer line, gas tank neck and a mud flap.

Holbrook being only a mile away we were able to boost their economy by buying four new tires. Even though all the tires looked new the RV came from AZ where the sun does a great job of baking rubber. The salesman convinced me that if one blew they all might go.

Once there we had a great time. I'm always pleased to see the town of Williams doing so well. Thirty years ago the only Williams business that appeared to be surviving was the lumberyard. Selling plywood to board up the doors and windows in the commercial district seemed to be the best business in town. Now a combination of the Grand Canyon Railway and the town's historic committee have pulled the small town from the jaws of decay and turned it into a beautiful family destination for sightseeing and train excursions.

The train is one of the better restorations I've seen. The employees are all professionally dressed and educated in what it takes to make a day-ride fun and entertaining. They offer different classes in their coaches and allow passengers to change their class at the half-way point. The train stops right at the edge of the Grand Canyon. I always get a chuckle watching first time tourist walk from the train to the edge of the canyon. Their mouths usually form an oval and they get a slight bend in their knees. I still remember my own first experience of having my pulse jump rabidly and a slight tear form in my eyes.

As you know, I'm out promoting trains this year as family entertainment and this trip is one I highly recommend.

2010-04-21T05:10:00.000-07:00

wrap up

2010-04-21T03:58:00.000-07:00

Monday we woke up in Kingman and headed for the cemetery. The motel owner said it was the best place to walk dogs. He was right. We tried a couple of others on the way home, and they are perfect; well fenced and quite.

Anita Cheature at the Santa Fe, Depot in Kingman was the person who made contact with us and asked us to include Kingman in our tour. I told Anita that we were hers for the day. Boy did she keep us hopping. Three elementary school groups, a retirement home and then back to the station by 4:00 p.m. for another reading.

Anita is a one-man army determined to keep railroad history alive in Kingman. She has personally done a great deal of the building restoration at the depot. She admitted to hiring skilled help for the electrical and plumbing, but tackled all other aspects of the restoration. Anita works a regular job at Dollar General, but spends all of her awake hours at the depot working on the building and assisting tourist that stop in. I don't Anita will mind me mentioning she is 71, but has the energy of two thirty-year olds.

One thing I forgot to mention about Topeka. I was shocked when a man and his wife walked into the first storytelling session and showed me my RCC business card and said "I saved your card. We rode your train in Santa Fe and when I saw the promotion for you being in Topeka I told my wife 'We've got to go down there and see him." I can't tell you how touching that was to have a connection reach across multiple states.

The whole purpose of the book tour is to promote family entertainment that erases generational boundaries. There are very few forms of entertainment that allow five generations to participate at an equal level. One of my inspirations was the lady who celebrated her 100th birthday on our Santa Fe train. They filled an entire car with family members. At that point I realized that no other activity would have provided that family connection.

We made half the drive back to Santa Fe Monday night and wrapped it up Tuesday. We are back home for a couple of weeks. I will do the local train run once or twice while here and then head to Jackson, Missouri for National Train Day. They have an old steam engine that runs through the mountains. There are three tourist trains in Minnesota and we've been asked to do a Minnesota tour Father's Day week.

A big Thank You to our loyal followers who hang out on the blog while we bounce around the country.

2010-04-18T20:16:00.000-07:00

2010-04-18T20:12:00.000-07:00

Great Overland Station

2010-04-18T19:41:00.000-07:00

Great day at Great Overland Station. As I mentioned previously the community has turned the Great Overland Depot into the most beautiful train depot we have run across so far. It is large and spacious and allows for the building to be used for many different events. Friday they were hosting a community luncheon, Saturday a wedding and today was kids day at the depot. Today's event had a trolley ride in one exhibit hall, an activity room, toy train city and our story telling in another wing. I had my picture taken with Dollar Dog and was filmed by three Topeka TV stations during my storytelling.

The event went from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. I did four back-to-back RCC stories with four different groups of kids. A professional musician started each session with a sing-along followed by Micki and Kahuna and then me doing my stuff. The kids were great. Both of us left with smiles on our faces.

The four-hour drive to Kingman, Kansas was injected with frequent laughing as we would recall some of the kids and their humorous remarks.
When did we loose that natural sense of honesty and simplicity?

Kingman is a long ways from everywhere. Once there it has the illusion of being a Kansas oasis. We have checked into one of the two motels in Kingman and are anxious to explore their depot and community tomorrow.

2010-04-17T18:39:00.001-07:00

2010-04-17T18:33:00.000-07:00

katsup

2010-04-17T14:53:00.000-07:00

April 14, 2010

We did our final reading in La Plata this morning. The group was larger than yesterday, we were expecting a few distractions. The kids were perfect. I’m starting to think it is something in the Missouri water. We got lots of hugs, especially Kahuna. Leaving left us a little sad. In three short days we developed a true fondness for the community and its people. We both agreed it is a place we would like to re-visit. Maria Snodgrass and her staff at the Depot Inn did a fabulous job of steering the storytelling event. They made all of the arrangements for us as well as the school children.

We set our GPS for Topeka, Kansas but agreed we would keep an eye peeled for special attractions along the way. I’m starting to feel like the spirit of Charles Kerault (from the 70’s On The Road series) has crept into our motorhome.

A few miles down the road we started seeing signs for “Marceline,” Walt Disney’s Hometown. We took the exit and three miles off the main highway we came across the charming town of Marceline. My first impression was “This looks like the movie set for the movie ‘Back To The Future.” It seemed to be frozen in time from a period where Main Street in small town America was the heart beat of every community. It is complete with a 50’s café, hardware store in the middle of town (not a sprawling Home Depot miles from the historic area) an ice cream shop serving homemade ice cream, and an old theatre that still has the 1956 movie “The Great Train Chase” plastered across it’s marquise.

In its prime Marceline boosted eight-thousand people. Then the railroads quit stopping at their depot and RR men moved to other locations. Now the town consists of 2,500 citizens who are determined to show community pride at every opportunity.

We pulled across from the museum dedicated to Walt Disney and I was thrilled to see the museum had made its nest in the town’s historic railroad station. It is a beautiful two-story brick building with a grass and garden area that lets you know immediately this place is maintained by people who care.

Inside we were greeted by Deanna Lisac one of the museum’s volunteers. Deanna is a walking encyclopedia of Disney history. Having grown up as a mouseketeer I thought I had a pretty good handle on my Disney stuff, but I soon learned there are loads of things about Disney and his family that I did’t know. A large portion of the museum is dedicated to train memorabilia. I did know that Walt Disney was a train nut and I even read recently were the ¼ scale train from his back yard is now being displayed in the California Bay Area.

Half way through our tour we were joined by another volunteer Inez Johnson. Inez is one of those people I mentioned above that keeps the heart of the community beating to a healthy rhythm. Disney kept an ongoing relationship with his hometown up until his death, making contributions to the town and the town boasting Walt’s name at every opportunity. I loved Inez’s story of how Walt stayed at their house during one of his early visits. No hotels were available in town and Inez had the only home with air conditioning. Being a new house it hadn’t been properly furnished. The entire town got involved bringing in furniture, silver ware, and china; they even hired a chef from the train to do the cooking. Inez chuckled and said it wasn’t necessary, Walt was as common as the rest of us. His favorite dish was chili. Inez maintained a personal relationship with Walt and his brother Roy until both brothers passed. My guess is that Inez along with the rest of the town grew to love the Disney’s so much they were determined to keep the memory alive. The memory as told in Marceline is far different than the Hollywood Disney legend.

So, when Charles Kerault creeps into your subconscious, don’t fight it when you find yourself taking that exit off Hwy 36 into Marceline. Come early and stay late.

Evening April 14th.

After leaving Marceline we set the GPS for Independence, Mo. Home of Harry Truman. I read where they have a railroad depot. Anyway, thirty miles shy of our destination we pulled off at the exit for Wallace State Park. What a treat! I think this is our first State Park experience. Their official season starts tomorrow, but we were allowed to register and check in tonight. RV sites are nestled in the woods with miles of hiking paths and a small lake that belongs on a post card. We headed out with Kahuna and Roxie for a hike around the lake. Both dogs love to chase squirrels, ducks and geese. Fortunately they never catch them. Roxie is now four-months old and still a little clumsy. Along the way Roxie decided to get a drink from the lake. She leaned over a little to far and her back end went over her front end. The good news is; we now know she can swim. (Roxie is traveling with us until she gets her new home with Cherie, Micki's sister)

Next we get to the other side of the lake and Kahuna spots two Canadian Geese (I could tell by the accents they were Canadian). Kahuna hates water, but loves Geese. Reeds and grass were growing in the water and my guess is Kahuna thought it might be a little damp, but not over his head. He saw the geese walk from the shore and continue through the reeds. Without hesitating Kahuna flew after the geese and within seconds was a good twenty feet into the lake and had to paddle back to shore. He got a bath in the lake and a shower when we got home. Not a good day for a dog that hates water.

April 15th

Arrived in Topeka this afternoon. On the way we stopped at the large and beautiful Union Station in Kansas City, MO. The building is great but was a huge disappointment as far as train memorabilia. Many of the small towns we’ve visited have done a far better job of preserving history for their communities. The best part of Union Station is the Fred Harvey Restaurant that still projects the look and feel that Fred built in reputation on.
In Topeka we took a drive by the depot where we will do readings and book signings on Sunday. I can’t speak yet to the rest of the building, but it is the most beautiful train depot we have seen to date.

4/17 (I think) Saturday

No Internet service for three days so I cut and pasted to catch up. It looks like the daily events come up backwards....

This was a free day. We drove to Abilene and photographed a couple of cabooses. Didn't know it until we got there, but their train doesn't start running until May. O' well, nice drive. Abilene is the home of Dwight Eisenhower and the Greyhound Dog Museum. Few old towns can rival Abilene when it comes to community pride. Lots of restored mansions from the turn of the century and the old downtown district still has a shine. The main streets are filled with mom and pop stores that appear to be holding their own. My only complaint is their lay-out. The town is divided into four quadrants. I was looking for 500 5th St. You can find 5th street in four locations. They should at least leave markers or drop bread crumbs to mark the way.

Tomorrow is a big day at the Great Overland Station here in Topeka. Their phone answearing machine has been touting us for a couple of weeks. When kids show up we seem to always have fun. Micki has been warming up Kahuna for his part in the show.

2010-04-14T06:21:00.000-07:00

2010-04-14T06:13:00.000-07:00

2010-04-13T19:02:00.000-07:00

Micki woke up this morning without black eyes. The show went on as scheduled. Kahauna and Micki both did a great job as the opening act. 50 of the best behaved kids you could ask for sat and watched Kahuna show his stuff. They were so good I thought my book reading might fall flat. However, they responded well and to our surprise we sold a lot of books. Several people bought multiple copies of both books as gifts.

I managed to get in a couple of photos with the kids at the Depot Inn, which I'll try and post tonight.

A lady in attendance today asked us to stop by and visit the company she works for. I was shocked to find it is Train Parties.com They have a huge Internet presence and do business all over America. What a surprise to find they are based in the small town of La Plata. We left them books and may work out a program for them to help with our marketing.

We also got a tour of a new gallery opening in town called the Silver Rail. Again a big surprise to find a class act in such a small town. I've got to be careful of my false assumptions. And, I should pay more attention as we travel through rural America.

2010-04-12T13:52:00.000-07:00

Wow, how time flies. I just noticed Feb 7th was the last RCC posting. First the excuses: I went back in for more cancer surgery. It was a day thing and I got to go home that night, minus a large chunk of my right arm and another road on my head map. A few days later they did a core biopsy just above my heart. No one wanted to call the shots on that one, so I get retested in six months. So much for the sick thing.

I met with Santa Fe Southern Railway and they asked me to write a living history Billy The Kid drama that takes place on the train. Most of that has now been written and will be acted out in July and August as part of Santa Fe's 400th anniversary.

March 22 was a fun day. Several months ago I wrote a jingle about The Red Candy Caboose. We have been waiting for the scheduling to come together for the singer (Ellie Dendhal) and the musicians. Originally I wanted the song to sound a little like Johnny Cash. Ellie has a beautiful voice, but no way does she sound like Johnny Cash (much better). So, flying by the seat of our pants in the recording studio, Micki said can we toss the idea of a Johnny Cash sound? Westin the banjo player along with the guy in the studio doing a two-fingered key board laid down a new background sound. Ellie steps in the sound room and hits a home run. The recording studio couldn't believe the whole thing came together in one hour. I left to run a few errands and when I returned the whole thing was mixed and ready to go. I have sent copies out to the railroad stations selling the RCC book and they all love it. If you would like a free copy, just send me an e-mail @ redcandycaboose@gmail.com

Our second book "Rail Tales That Haunt Us" finally got sent to the printer and is now out.

What else? I worked a few days on the Santa Fe train spinning yarns. My son Jason and Sierra our granddaughter came for a visit. Way to long between sightings!

When we returned from Texas and Arizona in Feb. we immediately put the travel trailer up for sale and sold it withing two hours. The trailer was great in many ways, but both of us get stiff backs when we travel all day, so we sold the trailer and my pickup and bought a small used motorhome. April 7th we left for the National Transportation Exposition in St. Louis. Traveling is much better when one of us can take naps and read along the way. I'll let you know how it really is when I get a turn.

The exposition was beautiful. It is a huge museum that encompasses trains, planes, boats and cars. Four authors were invited to attend. We were honored to have top billing and top sales. Dirk Whales, author of Lucky Dog had the booth next to us. He is a delight and has a terrific sense of humor. With over 30,000 Lucky Dog books sold sense its release Dirk is virtually in every book shop I visit.

We left St. Louis the evening of the 10th and drove a few hours and decided to sleep in the motor home. We stopped at a mom and pop RV park that was wooded and had a small pond. The dogs loved chasing each other around the pond. Geese now have put the word out "No Longer Safe For Geese." It was the first week-end of good weather so it took several trys at sites before we found one without broken water lines.

Missouri is in full bloom. Trees, flowers and beautiful green grass has made us quickly forget the heavy snows of just a couple of weeks ago.

4/11 Arrived in La Plata, MO at the Depot Inn. Tuesday and Wednesday I will be doing story telling for the local school children and Micki and Kahuna will do dog tricks. Actually Kahuna does the dog tricks and Micki hands out treats for his efforts.

La Plata is a small town of 1,400 people. It has a train depot where Amtrak stops twice daily. It also has about 80 freight trains per day. This is the only place I've ever found that you can turn your TV on in the hotel and watch the trains live as they pass through town. The restaurant next door has a path going out the back that meanders through the woods and ends at a little viewing house on a hill that overlooks the tracks. Some people order their food to go, take it down the path and watch the trains as they dine. People who aren't into trains take the dinners to the barber shop and watch hair cuts.

The other activity in town is the short drive west to a small Amish settlement. The hotel staff said if I went out there not to tell anyone that I learned of it from the hotel. They prefer to be left alone and aren't interested in being commercialized. So, after breakfast we took a drive over to see what we weren't supposed to see. It was just like the movie with Harrison Ford "Witness." People dressed in black with little buggies pulled by single horses. After three passes down the road, I finally noticed a small sign on a fence post that said "General Store and Variety Store" or something similar. The last pass I pulled the motor home next two one of the buggies and got out to see the store. the outside looked more like a farm house than a store. The first hint of it being a store was the sacks of onions setting by the front door (like I've seen at the Farmers Market). Walking inside was a treat. Little ladies dressed in bonnets and long dress (all black) were having their goods weighed and rung up at the register. There were five locals in the store plus the lady at the register, who also dressed like the customers. They didn't speak English to one other, but something akin' to Pig Latin (at lease to my untrained ear).

Micki and I wandered up and down each isle and were in awe of the wide selection of merchandise as well as their very reasonable prices. Eatable things like candy and raw popcorn were in generic plastic sacks with simple labels. The shelves gave the appearance of being stocked by the tossing method. Toss here, toss it there or toss it on top of something else. And it worked. I had to wonder if modern stores got it all wrong. This little store arranged their things so that I wanted to pick up the merchandise and examine it and see what else was there.

Only two people were in front of me at the register, but it took a half hour to get my turn. I was smiling inside wanting to say "Can you open another register?" One of the little ladies in front of me laid a roll of weather stripping in front of the cashier and said something in Pig Latin. The cashier opened the package (probably a roll of 15 feet) took out a yard stick and measured two feet and cut it off for the customer. What a novel concept, "Buy what you need!" I immediately thought of the two half packages of weather stripping lying in my garage.

As it came close to me getting a turn at the register a group of five people walked in, dressed like ordinary people. It looked liked a woman in her late forties with two teenage boys and two teenage girls. Their laughing and giggling broke the atmosphere like someone throwing a stone through one of the windows. One of the boys walked up to an Amish man standing to the side and said "I'm from Tennessee and we don't have anything like this where I live." The man politely responded with "And I hear it is warmer where you come from. They say summer rushes in." That was my first inkling that the Amish spoke English.

When I stepped forward with one onion, a bag of licorice, raw popcorn, and sesame seed treats the lady behind the counter said "That will be seven dollars." I was surprised that her English was perfect with no hint of an accent and I was surprised that my small purchase came out even. Unless you are using a vending machine, that just doesn't happen.

Micki is currently in bed with a bag of ice on her head. We took a walk down the path to the train overlook. While chasing the new dog (Roxie) Micki ran into a sign and knocked herself almost out. She is concerned she will have two black eyes for tomorrows dog and pony show. We might call it the dog and racoon show.

I'll try and keep the blog up to date. Thanks for checking.

Ron

2010-02-17T13:42:00.000-08:00

2010-02-17T13:08:00.000-08:00

I think we made the decision this morning to pull up stakes and head up to Clarksdale, AZ where they've got another train (Verde Canyon RR).

Yesterday we visited the train exhibit in Scottsdale, AZ (McCormic & Stillman RR) where we not only got to photograph 5 great cabooses (Three full size and two 1/5th scale), but we also got a personal tour of their machine shop. It was amazing to see that two dedicated men maintain their 1/5th scale train operation, but also do the actual manufacturing and milling of replacement parts.

Book orders from places we've visited continue to come in on a regular basis, as well as request for personal appearances. One of our clients in southern Missouri called today and asked if we could spend National Train Day (May 8th) with them. They plan on doing three caboose rides that day with me doing storytelling between rides.

Wickenburg, AZ has been a great place to hang out. The weather has been consistently in the mid-70's and it is close enough to Phoenix to allow us to make side trips for business and visit friends in the area.

We've been living in a 19' travel trailer for the past month as we've worked our way through New Mexico, Texas, and Arizona. 19' didn't seem that small when we started, but it now feels like shrink to fit jeans. It is so small I have to go outside just to change my mind.

2010-02-11T15:12:00.000-08:00

2010-02-09T18:33:00.000-08:00

2/9/10 I’m sitting next to the pool in Wickenburg, AZ (with three layers of clothing) catching up on e-mail. The pool is the first area that hasn’t kept bumping me off the Internet since I left Santa Fe.

Wickenburg has got a really cool engine and caboose display right in the middle of town at the Chamber of Commerce. Actually the COC is using the old depot for their information office. Someday in Santa Fe I’ll get all the photos posted.

We didn’t know it before arriving, but this is the town’s biggest celebration of the year. Gold Rush. Everything is sold out. We stayed in the driveway of an RV park last night and moved today to a better spot today, but have to move to a parking lot on the 11th for what they call “dry camping.” We’ve been caught up in the local hype of carnival, rodeo, and parade, so we plan on hanging out until the shine wears off.

Nights are cool here, around 50, at least no snow and now pipes freezing.

Tomorrow I fly to Albuquerque just for the day. I should be back tomorrow night. Unavoidable business….

2/7/10
Tonight we are in Deming, New Mexico. We checked into an RV park that promised cable TV and high speed Internet. Cable Yes, Internet No. Again, I’ll post it later when I can get connected.

Saturday we left San Antonio and ad headed for San Angelo. San Angelo turned out to be a delight. We passed through the Texas hill country in total awe. It was beautiful and the small towns were something that would have stopped Norman Rockwell in his tracks. Frozen in time from times past, the little towns left us longing to come back to hang out and capture a bit of Americana.

Our meandering drive caused us to arrive in San Angelo a littler later than we had planned, but once in town we found the San Angelo Train Museum to be well worth the drive. If you read “The Red Candy Caboose” and remember Fast Freddie, then you can appreciate Harold who works at the San Angelo Museum. Harold is a perfect “Fast Freddie.” Harold informed us he was born in 1926 and started railroading in 1947 with a career that lasted 39 years. Harold was proud of the fact he was the only man on the roster that was able to spend his career with no demerits. Harold teamed up with another museum docent Dave Wood. Between the two of them I don’t think there is any question one could ask that couldn’t be answered. Dave has spent countless hours creating beautiful miniature train displays that replicate actual Texas towns. This wonderful duo was complimented by a beautiful lady by the name of Jimmie who was in charge of the gift shop. It should be noted that Jimmie is married to Harold. With a team like this it is no wonder the San Angelo Museum has been so successful in persevering Texas train history.

Next we made brief stops at Fort Stockton, Van Horn and Sierra Blanca where we were able to get additional caboose shots even though no one was around. Sunday seems to be a sleepy day for train museums.

2010-02-02T19:56:00.000-08:00

As bad as the Internet service was in Dallas it is worse in San Antonio. I’ve given up. I’m posting this in my computer and will transfer if I ever get connected.

Before leaving Dallas we spent Saturday (1/30) at the Dallas Convention Center with our budding star friend Ellie Thurston. Ellie tried out for “America’s Got Talent.” She won’t know the results until sometime in April.

It was really a kick to see over a thousand people lined up to have a three minute shot at launching their career. Spectators can’t be in the judging room, but there was ample entertainment as people practiced and gave impromptu performances in the large waiting area. People came in from hundreds of miles away, waited six to eight hours and had one brief shot to impress the judges.

Sunday we left a cold Dallas and headed southeast. We visited trains in Rusk and Lufkin, Texas. Both places had cabooses to add to my caboose gallery. We then set up camp in the parking lot of Sam’s Club in Lufkin. Micki was embarrassed to stay in the parking lot, but after seeing the one RV park in the area she voted for Sam’s Club.

Tuesday we headed south to Diboll, Texas and met with their local museum. This is a small museum that encompasses the towns logging history and railroading as it relates to logging. Saying the museum is beautiful is a great understatement. This small town has a first class facility (Including a train with a caboose.) that any town would be glad to have. The folks in the museum encouraged us to stop by their local library and check into their storytelling program.

The library was another big surprise. Not just a library, but set up to give a warm cozy feeling like you were in someone’s private estate setting. The library was very welcoming and I posed for a unexpected photo shoot in their entrance as I held a copy of the RCC along with their librarian.

Monday evening we arrived in San Antonio chased by the cold wet weather. Folks here said it’s the coldest they have seen in over ten years. We are currently in a super cool RV park. It has got everything you can imagine, except the Wifi is down. They call the place an RV Resort. Cable TV, hot tub, heated pool, play grounds for kids and dogs, and a daily activity program with different events each day of the week. We would stick around longer, but with no Internet service we are going to hit three train museums in the area and then head out.

I have to be in Albuquerque on Feb 10th for a fifteen minute consultation with my doctor. We are planning to leave the trailer in southern Arizona and I’ll fly to Abq., for the day and meet up with Micki that evening.

2010-01-27T08:23:00.000-08:00

A combination of good weather and our friend Ellie Thurston flying in for Saturday's "Amerca's Got Talent" try-out has caused us to hang for a while in Dallas. I have to confess, I've been goofing off and doing tourist type things like rodeos and two-stepping.

Sunday we will head to S.E. Texas for more serious work.

2010-01-24T05:14:00.001-08:00

Wow! I said I was learning to do the blog thing. I didn't know people were posting comments. I just found that door. What a fun surprise to find all the loving comments. What a great way to start the day

2010-01-24T04:48:00.000-08:00

Texans do love their cows. The Ft. Worth Stockyards is a beautifully restored historic area with great restaurants, shops full of cowboy stuff, and museums.

I had no sooner parked the car when a cowboy came riding down the main street on a giant long horn cow with a saddle. He stopped and allowed the tourist to climb aboard for photos. A few minutes later they ran a cattle drive of long horn cows down main street. When that was over they had a typical old west gun fight where just about everyone gets shot.

To our disappointment the train was down for maintenance. However visiting the Cowboy Hall of Fame and having lunch in the historic old hotel made the visit worth while.

If you are ever in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area, I give the Stockyards a "Thumbs Up" for a tourist attraction.

Connected at last!

2010-01-22T18:14:00.000-08:00

My fantasy was to log on every day on tell of our travels and show pictures of trains. I thought every RV park and coffee shop would have quick Internet access. Wrong... We signed up for a week stay at the only RV park around Dallas. I also enrolled in a week of WiFi access. Last night after three hours of logging on and getting bumped off they gave me a refund and suggested I go see AT&T. After finding out the phone companies wanted a 2-year contract in order to provide traveling wireless for the next three weeks, I came back and humbly requested that we try again.

I found that if I'm patient and type in one or two words at a time Tengo (name of the RV wirless) will not bump me off line. Tonight I'm working on two computers. One for routine paperwork and the other for extracting molasses type words to place on the blog. Personally I'm of the opinion Tengo should be Nogo.

Yesterday was a travel day with no stops. Today we drove in to downtown Dallas and visited a beautiful display of trains at the Museum of the American Railroad. They are crammed into a small site with so many trains that you can barely walk around. The good news is that later this year they are moving the entire exhibit to Fair Park, Texas where they will have five times the space.

This museum has two great cabeese that date back to the days of wooden cabooses. One has three bench seats for passengers and an old wood-burning stove. It is the first caboose I've seen that was designed haul passengers rather than crew.

Tomorrow we are scheduled to spend the day at the Ft. Worth Stock Yards. This is restored cattle feeding and shipping area that now houses lots of ole' time stuff including an operating steam engine. They claim to get over 2 million visitors a year. Either it's something to see or Texans just like to look at cows.

2010-01-20T06:43:00.000-08:00

Wednesday morning: We hit rain in Socorro so we turned left and landed in Alamagordo. We stopped by the Alamagordo Toy Train Museum. They have a beautiful red caboose sitting at their entrance. Better yet, just down the road, Micki spotted an old caboose sitting in the field of a salvage yard. I didn't have wheels but was sitting on dollies that looked as old as the caboose. As a kid I was always bringing home lost pets, now I wish I could take home all of the old abandoned cabeese along the way.

I'll try and post photos later.

My train tour book didn't have much to say about the Museum in El Paso, TX, so I almost didn't stop. Glad I did. Met up with Prince who works at the museum and he turned out to be a Prince of a man when it comes to train information. Prince explained to me that Texas is divided into historic zones and his team in El Paso travels west Texas and part of New Mexico helping towns do living history expositions featuring trains. Prince suggested I come along with them this year, which I plan on doing. Their first event is in March.

The El Paso museum has also requested I assist with setting up a storytelling venue using "The Caboose Club" similar to the one in Sacramento, CA.

I hope the next edition of the Train book gives better coverage to the El Paso museum. It is a beautiful facility and their staff is dedicated to family entertainment and education.

Prince loaded me up with lots of Texas train information that I hadn't found through other sources. With new data in hand, we headed east and landed somewhere near the intersection of I-10 & I-20 last night.

Prior to stopping we attempted to get a late night glimpse of one of Prince's suggested stops. We pulled off the freeway and into the twilight zone. The exit dumped us in a black hole. It was so dark and dusty that our headlights were of little use. We followed a railroad track about a quarter of a mile and ended up in the parking lot of of what looked like one of those big cement factories, but the sign proclaimed "Talcum Factory." It seems hard to believe one could get lost in an open area right off the freeway, but the obis was so dark and dusty that we couldn't regain our bearings. After circling and making some wrong turns we finally got back on the freeway and decided to bookmark that one for another day.

(Side thought) Camping when my kids were growing frequently consisted of me taking them into the wilderness with sleeping bags (sometimes a tent) and foraging for frogs, fish and anything we could find to eat. I was convinced that learning to live off the land would be character building. (Must have worked, because they all turned out to be characters) After two nights on the road with the travel trailer I was upset that Internet service was lousy and cell phone reception unpredictable and then I flashed back to the days of having bears and mountain lions come into our campsites. My kids don't recall any outing with me that didn't end up with them coming close to being offered up as a human sacrifices to the God that oversees the naive and green-horn campers. Even with those reflections I would still appreciate better Internet service.

Charles Karault made it look so easy.

2010-01-17T11:47:00.000-08:00

It is Sunday afternoon and packing is nearing completion. Kahuna always gets nervous when he sees suit cases.

It took me ten minutes to get into my own blog. Now I need to figure out how to post pictures. My friend Penn says he can't get into my blog; well I can't either.

Twenty years after I was born they started adding something to the water so that young people are born with the ability to do computer things with absolutley no effort. People who were born without that water aditive do great damage to themselves as they attempt the unnatural . As Micki says "You can't make a cat bark."

I can do a pretty good meow and bark, but neither of those seem to help with computer knowledge. Maybe I'm barking up the wrong tree.

If you see any neat cabooses in your neck of the woods, be sure and send them to me at redcandycaboose@gmail.com

Red Candy Caboose

2010-01-16T14:05:00.000-08:00

Red Candy Caboose: "Blog Posts"

All Aboard!

It is Saturday and we pulled the travel trailer out of storage. We leave Monday at noon-ish, so we are busy craming food and clothes into a 19' space that will be our home for the next month.

The plan is to beat the snow and rain forecast for Monday night as we head toward Texas. We have a list of trains and museums for Texas and Oklahoma. If the weather stays good we will try and visit as many as possible. If the weather gets cold we may hang a right turn and head to southern Arizona.

We have never blogged before, but we will make an effort to write, take photos and hopefully plug into the Internet daily. You are welcome to join us in our travels and forward your suggestions on places to see along the way.

Ron & Micki