I love historic steam train excursions and Kent is a great sport about joining in whenever I find them. Today our refurbished passenger car pulled by powerful 2-8-2, narrow gage, coal-fired, steam locomotive, engine 484. 
It was built around 1925 by Baldwin Locomotive.
Love those chug-chug and hiss sounds of it working. Love the whistle and the clang signaling to all what’s to happen next. We board in Chama, NM for a 64-mile ride to Antonito, CO along a rail line built in the late 1800s.
The route passes through steep-walled river-carved ravines and broad U-shaped valleys cut by glaciers, the rail bed sometimes carved into cliff faces or twisting past steep rocky cuts; most notable Toltec Gorge. We cross Cumbres Pass through the San Juan Mountains at 10,015ft elevation. From Chama to Osier (about half way) the route spends much of its mileage climbing, including plenty of 4% grade so we have lots of opportunity to hear and watch the engine really work. Best views come in the stacked tight curves laid out to make the climb without exceeding possible grade. There are tunnels and trestles of course. We spot wildlife too; elk, some a binocular distance and even a small band bedded down just 100 ft or so from the track. There are pronghorn, a mule deer, and prairie dog. An earlier trip saw black bear but not us. Scenery is spectacular nearly the whole ride leaving me to comment more than once,” I could live here”, as we roll past 1800 homesteads and modern cabins dotting the wide valleys. Sage brush plains near Antonito are not amazing to look at but they do provide opportunity for pronghorn sighting.
We stop for lunch at Osier, very well done “What the Truck” catering.
One more fun thing to watch (if you are a steam train enthusiast of course) here at Osier, an engine change. We meet the Chama bound train pulled by the older 463 engine along the siding and watch the choreographed exchange as 848 drops our cars then backs off the main rail.
463 drops her cars then backs onto our track. 848 maneuvers to lock onto the Chama bound cars and 463 backs in to lock onto our cars. Smooth as silk and now both trains are idling ready to go on our way. It seems the more powerful 848 is kept on the Chama side of the pass running that half of the route. 
The older locomotive, 463; owned by the city of Antonito, runs the less demanding Antonito side.
Don’t miss this ride. It is one of the greatest scenic railroad excursions we have gone on.
oldest town in Colorado. We check out a major attraction, The Shrine of the Stations of the Cross, built by/funded by the Sangre de Cristo Parish. The bronze statues are amazingly detailed. I can’t avoid a lapse into the technical, what a magnificent application of lost wax bronze casting.
bird and wildlife watching. Neary all of the foot trails are closed to protect the breeding grounds of the endangered Southwestern Willow Flycatcher but there are a couple drives to check out. Wetland habitat is home for mallards, blue winged teal, yellow headed and lots of red wing blackbirds. We spot a Virginia Rail as it crossed the road in front of us, one bird we rarely get such a good look at. Bluff Overlook drive runs along a ledge with a wide view of the San Luis Valley. There are elk and odd-looking rock ledges turn out to be large herds of sheep tightly clustered together moving like a single mass.
for the NY visit – Willa’s 5th birthday. Cake baking and decorating is the first order of business. It’s a rainbow this year. Three batches of cake and an unbelievable amount of brightly colored buttercream icing. Check it out.
for the pre-k class and we are all invited. What a fun program. We love it Willa. We sneak a few no grand-kids moments. I get an evening out with just “my” boys and Kent and I have breakfast out with our guys. All too rare and cherished get-togethers.
The trail crosses a number of bridges and there are great huge old trees so there are lots of troll and ogre encounters. Good time had by all.
Day 10 we head to Point Pleasant, WV for Kent’s 50th class reunion. Traffic is surprisingly light given it is Friday of Memorial Weekend but we’ll take it. It is a beautiful morning and the drive is uneventful – other than a stop at Hillbilly Hotdog. Who could bypass that? We are settled in over in Gallipolis and the first gathering of old school buddies happens this evening.
Swollen with snow-melt the water roars across the rock ledge and spray completely engulfs the upper observation deck. I get drenched. It is pretty cold up here!