Yesterday we took Noah to the Shady Dell Park east of Molalla. The 4-acre park is centered around a ~3/4 mile, 7-1/2 inch gauge railroad track with scale model trains. There is also a picnic area and a snack shack on the grounds. The park is part of the Pacific Northwest Live Steamers club.
Use of the grounds and rides on the trains are free, but donations are appreciated. The park is only open to the public on Sundays, but can be rented out for special occasions.
We headed for the park at about 2:00, not really knowing exactly where we were going. There are "Train Rides" signs along the way, but the final sign caught me by surprise and i missed the turn. Once we found our way back to Shady Dell Drive, we meandered for a little while until we came to a bunch of parked cars, so we knew we had to be close. Luckily, we found a good parking spot close to the entrance.
As we were getting Noah out of the car, one of the loaded trains passed by, right in front of us. Noah got all excited and started goimg, "choo-choo! choo-choo!". Then, as we walked into the park, we had to wait as a miniature steam engine rolled by with a load of smiling passengers. The locomotive let out an old fashioned wooo-hooooo as it went by.
It was a beautiful 80 degree (27 celcius) Sunday afternoon, and the whole park was bustling with people. There were several birthday parties going on in the picnic area, and there was a long line for the train rides. We took our spot in line and waited for our turn. Noah handled the 20 minute wait quite well, as it seemed like you could always see one of the trains steaming by either in front of you or off in the distance. There were also a few hobbyists working on their cars out in the train yard.
We ended up riding a train with a green locomotive. Steph sat in the front car, and Noey and I sat right behind her in a model grain car. I was able to slide my seat forward so I could hold on to the little guy (although he intuitively grabbed on to the sides and held on).
The train looped its way around the park, going over several scale model trestles. We received many waves and warm smiles as we passed friendly gatherings. Noah waved back a few times, but he was quick to get both hands back on the sides of the car, so he didn't put too much effort into it.
We had so much fun that I put $10 in the donation box on the way out (we had to buy a bag of M&M's so I had some change). Noah told us about his choo-choo ride as I put him in his car seat, but I think the excitement of it all wore him out. He was sound asleep by the time I made it back to the main road (and he continued to sleep for 3 more hours!).
I highly recommend a trip to this wonderful little park to anyone.
Posted by jethro at August 30, 2004 10:00 AM | TrackBack