All Aboard! Summer 2019 Adventure Day 1

I like trains. 

I like their rhythm, 

and I like the freedom of being suspended between two places, 

all anxieties of purpose taken care of: 

for this moment I know where I am going.
  ~ Anna Funder, Stasiland: Stories from Behind the Berlin Wall

Tuesday -- The Best-laid Plans:

We three - MS, JS, and I - were to board the train in Temple, Texas at 11:25 a.m. for a short trip to Cleburne. Our trip was scheduled to take 1.5 hours. DH* would drive up the highway with most of the luggage and pick us up at the Cleburne train station. Then we would all go to lunch. Yeah, that was the plan.

We waited at the station, checked out the museum (it's cool - you should go!), parceled out notebooks, pens, and activity books from the dollar store. We talked to other folks in the waiting room. We watched as the ticket agent shook his head when we said the train was supposed to leave at 11:25. "It's running an hour and a half behind schedule."**

Heading back to the waiting room after we perused the museum.

Working the crossword.

Everyone got a shot at it. We did finally finish it!

I am not a Sudoku fan. They are.

We finally received the word that our train would be arriving so we headed outside.

FINALLY - the train!

At 1:30 p.m. DH sent a text from Cleburne. "I'm here," it said. [He had been so concerned that the train would arrive before he could get there. Instead he arrived well over an hour and a half before our train ever left Temple. Ha!]

"We just boarded the train," I replied. "Take a nap. You will have time."

It took some time to adjust the seats.

MS and JS discovered A PORTAL. They looked around and headed to the observation car for the last bit of the ride - to see the countryside better (and get a good look at one of the rivers we crossed). It turned out to be a bit of a magic portal. They loved the observation car.

So the riders ate snacks, worked sudoku puzzles, completed a crossword, explored the train, chatted, read our books, checked emails, took photos and laughed about our "short little" train ride.

At one point we were stopped cold (in the middle of nowhere). The conductor announced we were "stuck" (she said "stopped," but we were "STUCK") behind two freight trains. So we waited. And waited. And waited.

There was plenty of time to plan lunch while waiting. DH was concerned we find a good spot because we would be well past lunch time when we arrived (with two youngsters along we expected them to be ravenous). I checked restaurant ratings and chose one minutes from the station. (It would turn out to be the best dining of the trip, but more on that later).

Here are a few of the views out my window.

As we crossed the Brazos as a Great Egret crossed in the opposite direction.

Random country road.

Crossing at another random country road. A motorcycle was roaring up as we passed by. I love railroad crossings (perhaps from a childhood of watching the train pass the crossing near my grandmother's house.

Some ponds near a grazing area. I looked for Cattle Egrets and they were at the edge of the center pond.

What do you expect alongside the tracks?

I love the way the stacks of old ties echoed the lines of the tracks...my obsession with stacks and grids.

Proof we arrived. The Texas Eagle prepares to head toward Fort Worth without us aboard.

We finally got started again and made good time into Cleburne. Apparently Amtrack does not charge by time on the train (thank heavens!). The trip was a good one, if long, and gave us the quote of the entire adventure. [I had suggested we note the best and the worst of the trip - the best quote (people are always saying crazy things), the best food, the worst food, the best experience, the worst and so forth.] The conductor announced a reminder for travelers to "wear shoes." I got a look and a smirk from one of the boys. We knew we had the quote.***

But now it was 4:00 p.m and way past lunchtime! We navigated the one-way streets of Cleburne to find La Cima Mexican Restaurant**** was everything advertised and more. This may be the best Mexican food I've eaten. The salsa was different than any I've tasted (don't ask - I have no idea how it was made) with a perfect after-burn. Ah, it was the best food of the trip.

Beef burrito

Soft tacos

We drove on to Glen Rose for naps and then a swim at Big Rocks Park (sorry, no photos). There was no plan to swim in the Paluxy River,***** but the hotel pool had been silted in. That was not the only issue we had with the hotel. It's one we will skip on future trips. Still the guys enjoyed Big Rocks Park. It's worth another trip, I hear. They left me sleeping in the hotel and came back with slushes (and a chocolate shake for me). I forgave them for not leaving a note.

After that long and exhausting day we crashed early so that we could get an early start at Dinosaur Valley State Park - one object of our "advance party" investigation.

NOTES:

*He hates public transportation and is only too happy to drive the "train leg" of the adventure.
**NEVER ride the train anywhere if you have a tight schedule. One train we heard about in Canada when we were there last year was 18 hours late. 18 HOURS!
***"Shoes must be worn at all times, ladies and gentlemen. If you are entering the dining car, ladies and gentlemen, you must wear shoes. If you are in sleeping accommodations, you may not leave the cabin without shoes, ladies and gentlemen." A close second was not a spoken quote, but the name of a property outside of Hico, Texas. We drove past the "Last Dollar Ranch." It seemed an apt name indeed.
****Map to La Cima:

La Cima is close to the train station and right downtown. We will go back!

*****https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paluxy_River