Choo-choo Train!

There is a place so far North-West in Maryland that if you drive left or right to far you find yourself in Pennsylvania or West Virginia. It's called Cumberland...and we're going there for the weekend.

Woot.

I always find the fact that one can drive to another state novel. Growing up in Hawaii you could drive to another state...but you wouldn't make it. We did/do have an interstate...it's only on one island. And you can't drive very far on it anyway because it's always backed up.

Ah paradise.

I like Cumberland partly for the quaintness and quiet. Partly for the history. And mostly for the trains. Cumberland is right on the canal lines and the railroad lines. They have an old restored railway station and run old Diesel and Steam engines. I got to ride a Diesel once for a dinner show thing. I hated the show, the food was awful, but boy did I love being on that train.

I love trains. The steam trains come into the station in a great big whoosh. From the station you can see them coming from the valley and around the bend over the bridge. Once over the bridge they get louder and louder and start letting off amazing plumes of steam from the sides. A huge black engine forcing it's way through white clouds. The conductor usually blows his whistle in a song pattern. He's funny. He wears the real train conductor hat and leans out the window waving his hand up and down making the whistle go "toot-tootoot-toot" By the time the engine has pulled up to the platform I'm jumping up and down like I was five. It's spooky and scary and exciting and thrilling and amazing all at the same time. My heart is pounding right now just thinking about getting to see that again. And this time...we might even be able to take a trip on it for a sightseeing thing.

Woot! Wootwoot-woot!

Only three more hours of work, two hours of driving and we'll be in Cumberland. I can hardly wait.