We left the ACOE campground early, so we could find
a parking spot in Blue Ridge for the train ride. We were expecting a bit of a walk to the
train station in order to find a decent spot for the motorhome. As it turned out, we found one pretty close
to the train. That meant we had some
time for coffee before the big event.
After meeting up with the rest of our group, we
boarded the train for the ride to McCaysville, TN. Our grandson Aleister wore a special tag
indicating that on the return trip he was going to be the junior engineer on
the return leg. This got him a lot of
attention for the train crew. They had
him stand in the aisle of the rail-car and everyone onboard sang happy birthday
to him.
It was a bit hard to tell if he actually enjoyed it.
The train traveled alongside the Toccoa River. While not the most scenic train ride we have
been on, it was a big hit with Aleister.
On arrival, we had two hours to spend walking around
McCaysville. I could not help but compare it to a cruise port. It seemed that the town was set up to
primarily serve the regular arrival of train tourists. Also like cruise ships
they made it very clear that you should not miss the return departure as there
was no public transportation from town. Like the cruise ports, this day there
was two trains in town at the same time.
Another one parked nose to nose with ours and must have come from north
TN.
Walking around town we found the spot where you
could stand in the middle of the bridge with one foot in TN and the other GA.
There was also a nearby plaque that was a stark
reminder of a time when the relationship
between TN and GA was not very good.
This was truly a border town between states, ideas and for several long
years, enemies. Maybe that is why the
drug store still sells guns.
10 comments:
Maybe not as scenic but a fantastic time with Aleister which is the best ever.
Kids are all supposed to like trains. However, it's not just the kids. I think just about all of us like taking rides on the trains.
a great day for your grandson and good one for the two of you too! nice to make memories with the little ones..they are only little for such a short time!
I'm betting that's a birthday he will recall in future years as one of the best ones ever! Grandparents are important to children. I know because I didn't have any.
What a fabulous experience for Aleister. This was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. I can just image all the excited he must have had. What a great gift!
That drug store would give Bloomberg high blood pressure if he saw it. But at least he'd be able to buy medicine there to lower it... :cD
A truly memorable trip for your little guy!
What a great day!
Nothing like a great train ride no matter how young or old you are.
Drug & Gun?? Only in America!!
My nephew was just a couple years old when we took him on a train ride. He always had a love of trains, and the ride clinched it for him. Like Aleister, he got a lot of attention from the crew, leaving the train with an engineer's cap that he still has.
What a fun trip! It's funny how boys - big and little - just love trains. I'm glad you got to experience with Aleister.
Candy
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