In the meantime here is to catching up - our "big" adventure on our vacation to Pagosa Springs was to drive to Chama, NM and take the boys on the Chama train. We opted for the "Cinder Bear Express" which had us getting off the train after two hours and riding a bus back to the Chama station for lunch. Cinder Bear meets you at the station when you first arrive - I can't say he was the biggest hit with Jack, we took a family photo with Cinder Bear but Jack hadn't gotten enough sleep and wasn't excited about a man sweating in a bear suit. However, after we got on the train Cinder Bear spent some time outside the window waving and giving Zane high-fives and Jack eventually warmed up.
Our seats were literally the very front seats in the very first car. I can't say that that made a huge difference to us one way or the other but did we get to see a lot of the smoke! I found it rather crazy that we saw at least 5 drones in the air during the trip taking photos and filming - one got swallowed by the smoke as we puffed by and I laughed.
There are many people who seem to follow the train and take pictures whenever there is a place to stop. Someone drives Cinder Bear ahead in a car and he is standing waving at the train at several crossings before he boards the train later on for more photo ops.
We sat in our seats for about 10 minutes before heading back to the observation car. I was surprised that it wasn't packed. There was a guide pointing out anything interesting - like where they filmed the scene in Indiana Jones when he is a young boy and swings aboard a passing train into a boxcar full of rattlesnakes.
Honestly, with little kids the Cinder Bear Express was the best package to go with. The boys were ready to get off the train when it stopped at 10,000 feet to get more water. However, the scenery is beautiful and it is definetly worth going. It was so lush and green and you pass the most adorable cabins and ranches. On the way back we saw a cowboy herding hundreds of sheep on a mountain top. I wish I'd gotten a picture but I was too busy keeping Jack from falling out of his seat - you have to have a carseat at all times unless you are in a vehicle made for 50 plus people these days!
I popped out and took a few photos from the ground before the train left
The view from our seats
Engine 489, and the scene that awaited us when we first pulled up
High-fiving Cinder Bear
On the observation car (and open boxcar)
There are many curves in the track, making for some great photos, but you will probably end up also getting a head, a phone or a camera in all of your shots since everyone has the same idea
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