Nauntie and Sunny Ride the “Polar Express”

Sunny received "The Polar Express" book from Nauntie for a sneak preview of their adventure!

Clapping with excitement, waiting to board the train!

"Pretty lights over there."

Special times with Nauntie!

She looked up at Santa with big eyes when he gave her a candy cane.

(By Nauntie:)

Late Saturday night, I heard about a holiday steam engine train ride right near our house, which sounded like a perfect alternative to driving to Hood River for the expensive “Polar Express” ride with funky reviews.

It was too late to buy tickets from Ticketswest, so Sunday morning (the last day the ride was running), I went to the train station to get a ticket. The girls at the counter told me they had been sold out for a while, and when I told them we needed one ticket for the four o’clock spot due to nap time (and ideal day/night time experience), they said that one was the first to sell out.

Not to be deterred from starting my first annual Christmas tradition with Sunny, who had just received her Polar Express book the day before, I waited for an hour and a half to talk to Al, the guy emceeing the whole thing. Al then told me I needed to talk to Ed, who came in from outside after another hour. I told him our “situation” and that we just needed one ticket, and I would donate the ticket price to their train heritage organization, and he said he would squeeze me in, wrote 4PM on a 12PM ticket, and said to come back and see him that afternoon.

Victory! Sunny and I were in! It was awesome. Santa Claus himself came to sit right next to us. He gave Sunny a candy cane while she silently stared up at his 6’5” frame. Our ride went from daylight to twilight, and Sunny pointed out the window, saying, “I see pretty lights! Bicycle!” when a bike passed the slow train, and, “Baby! I see a baby!” at the baby sitting across from us. Since our adventure, she’s been telling family and friends about her ride on the “choo-choo train.”