Ridin' The Huckleberry Railroad

We have a local historic village that we like to visit.  When the girls were younger we were season pass holders for awhile and we would go on Sundays, after church, and spend a few hours looking around.  Crossroads Village and Huckleberry Railroad is pretty small, but it makes for a relaxing day.  We all enjoy riding the train and the carousel.

 
The Huckleberry Railroad is a 40 minute train ride through woods and meadows around Mott Lake.  The railroad consists of 11 original and replica wooden coaches.  The train is run by a restored coal burning locomotive.

This weekend we visited Crossroads for the first time in a couple years.  We started with a train ride....we really should not have started with the train ride, I had forgotten how relaxed it makes me!  It was a time for reflection..... (pssstt...I LOVE this pic of Peanut)

It was also a time for snuggles....

After the ride, we strolled through the general store, barber shop and a couple other buildings.  We made our way to the toy barn, which the kids always enjoy.

This weekend was supposed to be Laura Ingalls Wilder Days.  Sadly we did not see any recreations about Laura or anything specific to her.  Sweet Baby donned her prairie bonnet all day though, does that count?

The girls did get to pump some water up from a well.  It never ceases to amaze me what things kids will find fun.  I'm quite sure that the children living at time that well pumps were necessary did not find drawing water fun.

In the schoolhouse we giggled as we discovered the dunce cap.  We giggled because when Sweet Baby was around 2 years old we had visited there and took her picture in the cap.  It has hung on our refrigerator ever since, so we needed to get another picture of her wearing it.

And Peanut wanted a turn....Don't you love this face!?!?!

Sissy as well, see that glaring look?  Her dad and I see that on rare occasions, her sisters see it a bit more often!

After visiting the school the kids wanted to ride the carousel.  The carousel is celebrating a birthday this year, it is 100 years old.  It was built in Kentucky in 1912 and was part of a traveling show that set up at fairs and carnivals throughout the US and Canada.  It settled in Riverside, California for more than 30 years and then was moved to Crossroads in 1983.  

The carousel has 36 different horses and is a fun treat.

The night before we went Sweet Baby randomly declared that someday she wanted to ride a ferris wheel.  Well, Crossroads has a ferris wheel, a ferris wheel built in 1910!  It takes you up just 45 feet, but for a girl who has a dream, it worked well.

Sweet Baby and daddy shared a cart.  It was funny to watch, each time they came around she was giggling from ear to ear, but at the same time, she was gripping his hand for dear life!

It was a beautiful day.  The weather was perfect and there were smiles all around.  It doesn't get much better than that.