We were scheduled for ministry in Lancaster country yesterday morning so we made reservations for last night and today to do special Lancaster stuff! We were not disappointed!
Denny was born in a railroader's family. He is the youngest of nine. His mother didn't have daily support and help from her husband since he left to ride the Pennsylvania Railroad. He was a conductor and sometimes a brakeman. In my 35 years of marriage I saw Mom Seler drive only one time and that was simply because there was no other choice. So she truly was a stay at home mom. Dad would drive into Enola, PA to catch the train to Philadelphia. He was gone much of the time. Trains are a huge part of the Seler family. When the grandchildren were born each was given a train set for their own Christmas tree. Dad and Mom set up an entire village under the Christmas tree, complete with landscaping, houses, restaurants, skating ponds, sledders,etc.
One time I remarked to someone that I have never had a Christmas tree skirt. The train from Dad Seler goes there! Sometimes more than one train! What a fascination for Ryan and Renee. They love the tradition.
Dad Seler could hear the rumble of the train miles away. He was deeply fascinated by trains, play or real! I wish he had been with us this weekend. We came home saying, "Oh I wish we had taken Dad to the Red Caboose Motel and for the ride on the Strasburg Train." I hope he knows we were thinking of him the entire time!
The Red Caboose Motel has a really funny story attached to it. Don Denlinger placed a bid on 19 cabooses in 1969 as a joke! When he got a call and learned that he won the bid, he had to fork over $100! $100 for 19 cabooses! The Pennsylvania Railroad office called him and said "You need to get these cabooses out of the train yard!"
He had no idea how to or where to put the treasure he had just bought! He found a parcel of land in Ronks, PA and there they landed! Because of the weight of each they couldn't be brought in by truck but rather by freight to their new home. The Strasburg Railroad is across the road from the Motel so I guess that must have been the easy part.
The Red Caboose is right in the heart of Amish country and provided lodging and dining for weary travelors! When we checked in we were so excited that we actually got a red one!
The first thing that we did was meet Portia and Mary. Two horses that give tours through the Amish farmland.
Our sweet driver gave interesting trivia along the way. Things about the Amish houses, the farms, funny things about Portia and Mary. She was delightful.
When we returned to the Caboose, we visited the petting zoo, the view tower and the gift shop. The view tower has 60 steps up the silo to take in the panoramic view. Absolutely magnificent.
Something I really enjoyed was the clip clopping of the horse and buggies. I kept running outside to capture a picture. Funny how fast they go! At one point I just went outside and sat on the stoop of the caboose to be ready for the buggies to go by. I felt hesitant at first knowing that the Amish do not pose for pictures. I figured they were used to all the tourists so I could do it too! I heard buggies go by even in the middle of the night. That was something I was going to ask the motel employees first thing in the morning. Who was in those buggies and where were they going?
This picture is one of my favorites. There were two children in the front! They were adorable.
Interestingly since it was Sunday afternoon, the employees told us they were leaving from church. We saw families in the buggies. Mothers and daughters were in the same color church clothes.
This morning we had our breakfast in the dining car. Using hydrolics, the waitress flips the switch and the cars move as if they are actually going down the track. So cool!
Oh by the way, I asked the waitress about those middle of the night buggies. She said the teenagers have been in church all day and the afternoon meal that goes on for a long time. So when the family goes home, they take the buggies and run around all night. Interesting, huh?
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