On Sunny Lane: Take the Train

Our trip to Powhatan VA to my great niece’s wedding began the night before it began.

My Sweetheart wanted to save me some work by taking me out for supper and so we could be ready to leave bright and early the next morning. Now, Sweetheart and I usually share a meal when we eat out, because the restaurants give such large portions. And that is what we did.

Well, there was a lot of tender, delicious meat on those baby back ribs. That must have been a big baby! I couldn’t stop eating. By the time I was done, I was stuffed. As a result, I got indigestion and was awake much of the night.

We were awake and on our way by 5:30 the next morning. We had planned a little side trip in Elkins, WV. We had seen an ad in a tourism magazine about a steam locomotive ride through the mountains and forests to a waterfall that was only accessible by that train.

The train was scheduled to leave the station at noon and we arrived at 10:00—plenty of time for people with no reservations, we thought. However, the agent at the depot told us that the train ran from Thursday through Sunday. We were there on Wednesday. It appeared we were out of luck.

As we talked further, we discovered that was not the train we wanted at all. It was a diesel train and the steam locomotive we wanted was in Cass, a 1-1/2 hour trip to the south. If the West Virginia roads, notorious for being winding and mountainous, could be straightened out, it would have only taken half an hour. Although we were concerned about getting to the depot in time, now that the agent had sold us the tickets, we arrived with 20 minutes to spare.

There were lots of people milling around the tourist site and two excursion buses were there. We found seats alongside some other friendly tourists and began to eat the box lunches that were part of the trip’s package deal. We sat on bench seats that faced to the sides, so that we could see the mountains and valleys, the trees and the fall-colored leaves.

The leaves did not have the brilliance of other years, but that did not stop anyone from taking copious pictures. With a cell phone, it is just so easy to do.

The tracks had been laid in the early 20th century for a logging company. There was a camp at the top of the mountain where the men worked and lived.

I kept looking for the waterfall, but never saw one. No one seemed to know anything about a waterfall. Was I the only person who knew about it, or was I mistaken? No matter. It was a beautiful trip and an interesting way to spend the day before moving on to the next leg of our journey.

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Dorothy is the author of two books—“Miles and Miracles” and “Getting It All Together “. You can purchase a book or send a comment by emailing her at dorothybutzknight@gmail.com