There is a list I keep a mile long of things I’ve wanted to do my whole life. At the top of the list (also for my entire life) are MULTIPLE entries under Monkey.
1. Get a monkey
2. Pet a monkey
3. Hold and play with a
monkey
You get the idea.
Ask any human on the face of the Earth who actually knows me and they can recite this list from memory. Also on this list is ride a passenger train in the Fall.
Well . . . Guess what?
Early, EARLY last Saturday morning Big Daddy and I loaded up his SUV with blankets, drove to pick up my Dad and Aunt Wanda and then drove about an hour away to Bryson City NC to climb aboard the Great Smoky Mountains Railway. I was so evicted I could barely hold still!
We took the 9am Nantahala Train , a 4 1/2 hour trip that travels across Lake Fontana then up the Nantahala River.
And it was glorious!
It was one of those wonderful October days when the sky is perfectly clear and so blue it almost hurts you eyes. In other words, a PERFECT day . . . for a train ride.
It was just under 40* when we pulled out of the Bryson City station. I chose an open air car (because it was the most reasonable ticket price) and when I saw the temperature I was almost about to panic. But we were all dressed for it and all those blankets made it quite comfortable and so cozy!
The quilt on my lap was my baby quilt. It was made for me when I was born by my Grandmother.
The leaves was just barely turning in spots but we were not at all disappointed.
Big Daddy is just too cool for words,
Ain’t he?
I love this picture.
My Dad still calls me ‘Little Girl’. He has my entire life.
Perfect day for this girl!
At this point I must tell y’all that about 20 minutes into our trip the last car of our train derailed. There was a malfunction in an area of track and the last car, another engine, came off the tracks and tipped over at about a 45* angle.
No one was hurt. The good people of GSMR handled the situation VERY well and kept us all calm and informed. They had to evacuate the last three cars and relocate the passengers. We were not able to complete the entire return trip due to the blocked track but the company made QUICK emergency arrangements and commandeered about seven buses to get all 750 of us back to Bryson City.
And we loved every second of our day!
Paige
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What a great day! Love the pics!
Hi Paige!
I have the same thing on my list! I almost had the chance to hold a monkey while I was traveling a few years back but we ran out of time to visit the zoo that has monkeys to hold. This looks like a fun trip! Thanks for linking up with us at Talented Tuesday.
Cheers,
AJ