ALL ABOARD!

11/1/09


Before I share our day at the Pumpkin Express with you, I first want to say that I know I'm going back in time a bit, but I really can't help but get caught up because we did so many fun things this past month. One of them being our visit to the Pumpkin Express. It's an annual event put on by the Heart of Dixie Railroad Museum in Calera, AL (www.hodrrm.org), and it's absolutely fantastic! This was the first year we had ever been, and we loved it! We got there almost an hour before our train was designated to leave the station to make it's way to the pumpkin patch which gave us plenty to time to look around and, of course, play on the trains. We even got to meet some of the amazing people who do what they do just because they love trains and love people.




After we spent some time on our adventures on the trains, it was time to board the train, and take a ride out to the pumpkin patch. We rode in the caboose, and it was so awesome. Jim and Jake got to stand in the back and watch as we went along the track. They had a blast!

When we arrived at the pumpkin patch, there was lots to do (including a hay ride and a blow up bouncer), and there were so many pumpkins to choose from. Jake was ecstatic when he saw them all lying there just waiting to be picked up and tossed as far as he could throw them (yikes!). No damage was done, though, so all's well that ends well. He also had a great time playing in the stalks of corn that were set up like tepees.








Jake was definitely beat from all the excitement and major amounts of activity of the day. Who wouldn't be after lifting, carrying, and tossing many, many pumpkins, right? As tired as we all where, though, we were definitely sad to leave such a fun place. The conductor made his final call... "ALL ABOARD!", and we loaded ourselves onto the caboose one last time. Jake was so tired, he even tried to fall asleep as he snuggled with Daddy on our way back. Once we made our way back to the station, we stopped by the gift shop for one (or two) souvenirs. Naturally, we brought home more trains to add to Jake's Thomas the Train Wooden Railway collection. He is now the proud owner of Percy and S. C. Ruffey. See?!


Our first visit to the Pumpkin Express was truly an incredibly fun experience! I'm sure we will make many more trips to the Heart of Dixie Railroad Museum in the years to come.

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