At the Antonito Train Depot, we boarded Car 2 of the Cumbres-Toltec Rail Lines train at 9:30. It departed at 10:01, which one of the volunteers said was excellent! This historic steam engine passenger train was originally used to transport silver ore.
Our route was a round trip to Osier CO where we had a delicious all-you-can-eat lunch of roast turkey or meatloaf with all the trimmings, including beverage and dessert. Dining is cafeteria style—and even trays like we had in elementary school. We chatted with our table mates: the usual where are you from, where’s your next stop, etc. People are always fascinated by our full time RV lifestyle. A couple was from Ohio (born and raised) and two younger women were from Texas. Those two want to travel, and one’s looking forward to retiring in Costa Rica.
The sights were amazing! Tracks snaked around mountains and gorges. We saw the volcano cores, evidence of a slide that shut down the trains for a week a couple years ago, Father-Daughter Rock, a rushing river with cabins and fishing galore—all with the chug chug chug and whistles as we entered little settlements and Osier. Black smoked plumed from the engine. A small car (one called it a putt putt) followed with barrels of fire retardant to address any hot sparks.
Something was wrong with our engine, so the second half of our ride back was painfully slow. We arrived over an hour late, but it was enjoyable nonetheless.
Stopped at a nice grocery for fruit and vegetables, then back to mosquito land. All in all it was a great adventure.
