A Scenic Train Ride on the Osceola Railway!

In last week's travel post, I wrote about how my daughter, son-in-law, and grandchildren and us went to Osceola Wisconsin for a fun time.  After enjoying a picnic lunch and swimming at Cascade Falls, it was time to do what we came to Osceola for:  go on a REAL TRAIN RIDE!

My grandsons are crazy about trains and have taken kiddie train rides, but they have never been on a real train before, so I knew they'd be pretty excited about this adventure!

The Osceola Railway has a historic train station.  Here is part of the group waiting for me as I stand in line to get our boarding passes.  Do they look excited or what?

There are several different train rides you can take:  a pizza train, a dessert ice cream train, a fall colors train, and even a beer and wine train!  We decided on the Marine Excursion because we just enjoyed a picnic lunch at the local park.

The kids were so excited to each get their own boarding pass!

You can sit in just about any car you want.  There are many different styles and time periods of the cars, as you will see later.  We chose an air-conditioned one, which was only air conditioned in the very beginning.  It got VERY HOT.  Thankfully, you are allowed to get up and walk around and even go outside and stand on the caboose so you can get some air.

There are all different styles of seats.  We picked seats that faced each other and that could recline.

Once everyone is seated, a knowledgeable host shares stories of the trains, the railroad, and its history.  He also lets you know all the rules of what you can and cannot do on the train. 

The train has many different cars from different time periods.  

It's fun to walk around the grounds either before or after your train ride to check out all the other old trains.  There is also a small museum inside the station, but unfortunately with four little kids we didn't have time to look at it. 

You can sit on either side of the train for both sides have great views of the St.Croix River, and one side gives you awesome views of the rock cliffs.

The baby seemed to handle the train ride very well.

The views of the St. Croix Valley were beautiful!

The view from the caboose.  It was so refreshing to stand in the back of train and feel the wind.

The train ride is 90 minutes long.  Halfway through they have to move the train engine to the other side to take you back.  During this time they serve delicious brownies!

Shortly after the train started, we decided to check out the other cars.  The kids had so much fun walking between the cars;  it was just like in the movies!  Even though I have ridden in modern trains, I never had to walk between cars where they joined together on the outside, so it was pretty exciting for me too.

The dining cars were all empty because we were on the Marine Excursion which didn't include dining.  They do have a snack stand car where you can purchase drinks and food.

This car is the pizza train.  The pizza actually looked pretty good too!

Look at these old train seats!  I think we chose the most comfy seats on the train.

Once you reach the engine, there is a host there who explains how the train was used to get and deliver the mail.  There are old photos, antiques, all showing how the mail was gathered and sorted. 

Here is the host, ready and waiting to answer any questions about the train.

It was fascinating hearing about how the mail clerks caught the pouches hanging along the track.  

Here's what they used to catch the mail pouch.  It seems like it would be such a hard thing to do;  I wonder if they ever missed?

While the train was still moving, the mail would be sorted and put in new pouches to be tossed out.  I can't even imagine sorting mail on a train, it was hard enough to just stand up!  But I suppose after a while one gets use to balancing on a moving train.

The kids really enjoyed being able to walk around and look out open cars.  

If you missed any gorgeous views on the outgoing trip, you have a second chance to see them on the way back to the station!

We really enjoyed the train ride.  I'd love to go in the fall sometime too, maybe the train wouldn't be so hot.

For more information on the train ride visit the Osceola and St. Croix Valley Website.

Have A Great Day!  Amy

Linking Up with these Fabulous Blogs HERE!

See These Posts for More Things To Do in the Osceola Area:

Fun in Osceola Wisconsin

A Candlelight Walk in Interstate Park & Other Valentine's Weekend Highlights 

Exploring the Forest, Gorge, and Glacial Potholes of Interstate Park

 

July Blooms In My Garden

Well, with the exception of a lot of weeds, this year was one of my best flower garden years ever.  We had a lot of heat and sun with plenty of rain, so the plants really thrived.  And for some reason, the deer have had mercy on me and didn't destroy my garden.  There has been a little deer damage here and there, but nothing like previous years.  I don't know what happened, if some hunters got the deer that plagued my garden or the deer just moved on to greener pastures.  I also noticed we didn't have any Japanese Beetles this year!  What happened?  That has been a blessing; in past years, I would spend a good part of my day picking them off and squishing them between my fingers.  

Well, let's begin the garden tour, shall we?  To keep this post well organized I divided all the pictures into groups.  I name all my gardens, although I don't think anyone knows the names but me.  I tell my husband the names all the time, but he has no idea what I'm talking about.  😀. Let's start in the Front Yard Garden.

The Front Yard

I don't have a lot of company over anymore, but the few people who have come over were really awestruck by all the color in my front yard.  The garden tour begins at the end of the driveway where we have a sign with our name and a flower bed.

As you continue down the driveway, on either side is a flower bed filled with bright yellow marigolds and perennials.

Stella D' Oro Daylilies cheerfully greet visitors.

On the other side of the driveway is my tiered pond garden.

The lilies were the stars of the garden in July.  None of them were eaten this year by deer, so my garden had an abundance of them.  Last year I think the deer ate half of them.  It was so sad.

I filled this part of the garden with zinnias of many different bright, hot colors and styles.

This is my favorite zinnia.  Isn't she a beauty?

There is also daylilies, echinacea, snapdragons, and phlox (not blooming) in this garden.

I just love this creamy yellow daylily that grows right next to the pond.

I filled in a new garden bed by my screen porch with begonias and petunias.

The Shed Garden

The Shed Garden is the first garden I ever created on the property.  I call it The Shed Garden because it's the lower part of the yard in front of the shed. 😁

I really enjoyed these bluebells this year.  I normally hate this plant, because it's a weed.  I never planted it and I'm constantly pulling it out.  But this year, I thought it looked pretty so I left it until it was done blooming and then I pulled it out.

The Endless Summer Hydrangea bush looked gorgeous as always until a summer storm came and knocked the flower heads to the ground.  It happens every single year. 😒

The Septic Mound Garden

The Septic Mound Garden is actually a septic mound, hence, the name.  It is even more stunning now than at the time these photos were taken, but you'll have to wait till August to see it!

The hot pink Spirea bush contrasted beautifully with the yellow sedum blooms.

This red day lily is my favorite.  I just love its bold, bright blooms and sturdy stems.

Yellow Day Lilies in front of tall orange Asiatic Lilies.

The Black Eyed Susans just started to bloom, along with the tall phlox in the background.

The Sunroom Garden

The Sunroom Garden is located right in front of our sunroom addition.  It is mostly shade with pockets of sunshine so it is filled with hydrangeas, astilbe, Hosta, black-eyed Susans, and anything that can handle less sun.

It really is amazing how much can grow in a shady garden if it gets dappled sunshine.

The Western Hill Garden

The Western Hill Garden is a very steep garden on the west side of the house.  This is where most of my daffodils are planted that I show you every spring.  In the summer it is a Hosta garden with some Day Lilies, Black Eyed Susans, and Astilbe sprinkled in.

Standing at the top of the West Hill Garden looking down into the yard at the Septic Mound Garden.

This was a heavily shaded garden but my husband had to cut some large branches off the tree so now it actually got a lot of sun.  I was really worried about the Hosta growing on this dry hillside now exposed to all the sun, but it actually did very well...probably due to a good rainfall this year.

                            Landscape Photos

The view of my yard if you were walking down the road and looked down in the yard.

A beautiful Hosta garden grows along the public road.

View from Hosta Garden looking down towards the Septic Mound Garden.

Standing at the top of the Western Hill Garden looking down at the Shed Garden.  The wood chips you see in between the two gardens is a new blueberry bush garden.  It still needs to be edged with rock, that's why you're seeing cardboard sticking up.  A garden is always a work in progress.

I hope you enjoyed my July garden tour!  See you in August!

Have A Great Day!  Amy

Linking Up with these Fabulous Blogs HERE!