Ok, let’s finish this steam train story.
The four of us enjoyed the train ride in our little coach room with a light breakfast served as the woods and river rolled by outside the large window.
(Apologies to Khadija for capturing her out of focus.)
And after about and hour and a half we arrived in Wakefield. We had another hour and a half to walk around town, the explained and told us that as the designated hour approached, the train would blow its whistle to warn us that is was about to leave and then blow again a while later and then again just before they left.
“It is very important that you be back on the train by then, because if you are not, then we hope that you have a nice overnight stay in Wakefield,” they said.
So with that caution in mind, we set out on foot. Dad and Khadija went to find the covered bridge. Trudy and I walked in the direction of town, which was a set of restaurants and shops and other buildings strung out along the road that ran parallel to the train track along the river.
When we reached was seemed like the far limits of town and a timely time to turn back, Trudy and I picked out a pre-made sandwich in a bakery in the back of one of the buildings.
The whistle of the train blew once. The couple in the line in front of us had a pile of things they were buying and were contemplating each item and whether or not they really wanted it. Trudy and I looked at each other and, well what could we do?
We waited. And we waited. We stood there in line as the woman ahead of us asked what the various things were that she had selected. I began to break out in a sweat and had a glistening face and arms. Trudy had a concerned look on her face. (We didn’t want to spend the night in Wakefield.)
Finally the couple ahead of us paid for their purchases and bagged them all up (very neatly with care while they stood at the cash register and the rest of us there, including the girl behind the counter, waited for them to leave). We paid quickly and promptly walked briskly back down the long street to where the train was blowing the second whistle.
Now, the train tickets came with a coupon for free fudge at the shop across the turning yard, but we were pretty focused on catching the train, so we walked past the candy store without climbing the stairs. And by the time we realized we actually had plenty of time, we no longer had plenty of time. So we lost out on free fudge that day. On the other had, we did make it back to the train on time!
As trips often go, the ride back seemed to go faster than the ride up to Wakefield. We had the same great views of woods and water out our window, but before we knew it, the train was passing homes and people waving and then streets with cars waiting for us to pass and then the fire station on the corner. And then we arrived back at the station.
It was a wonderful way to spend a day.