Yesterday we went to the Smith Ranch & Julian Railroad tour in Old Julian, and boy was it fun! Scott's parents fully enjoyed it, and I myself haven't ever felt so connected to history (it was like I was right there in the 1800's!!!) nor have laughed as much in any tour before! You have to make reservations, but all it takes is a phone call and you're set to go! The 1 1/2 hr tour was perfect, but we could have stayed longer it was so fun!
Daddy and George also got the chance to ride right into the gold mine in the gold mine cart! George was really excited, but I think Scott was a bit more excited than our son! We're all kids inside, but having one gives us the opportunity to do the things we really want to do! All the other couples there didn't have children with them, so they didn't get such a cool opportunity ;) Inside the gold mine was beautiful and I've never experienced anything like it before! You could see the gold veins running along the walls, and we even got to see a silver vein too, but apparently they look more like copper or rust. Gold veins are what the Miner followed when they mined, because gold was always in a gold vein, which sort of looks like a yellow-gold path along the stone walls. It was amazing all the artifacts uncovered in the mine that we were able to see too.
George got to sit with Grandma and Grandpa too during the historic introduction, but quickly switched over to our little cart behind, not long before the actual ride. The train tracks took 13 years to make, and the train was made of actual carts that would go into the mine and each are able to carry 5 tons of weight, if I heard correctly! Gold is VERY heavy!!! Have you seen Pirates of the Caribbean with their gold pressure chest? Well, there is no way two men could have carried that chest, it would have weighed thousands and thousands of pounds!!! Amazing right? And did you know they had battery powered trains in the late 1800's? It's true!
George had SO much fun and by the time the tour was over, he really didn't want to go! He especially loved panning for gold, and going to the little mining store and trading it in for a stick of licorice. One wasn't enough for him, but I think one stick of sugar was enough! He did get half of mine too (since it really isn't my favorite candy, but it was still an awesome treat! Anything tastes good if you work for it gold panning!). Daddy helped George balance down the tight rope bridge too, to George's delight. Sadly I skipped. I totally think I could have handled it, but doctors don't even like pregnant women to ride bikes, let alone a tight rope bridge 5-8 ft off the ground, no matter if there are rope handle rails to grab onto or not!
After an awesome tour and our goodbyes to the Smith's, we headed for Old Town Julian and got ourselves some Apple Pie! The Julian Pie Co. makes amazing pies! We picked out a apple crumble top, and daddy got two Wonder Bars to spilt with the family. It was a really nice ride home, and for dinner (well, desert!) we got to have to apple pie!!! A splendid day I say!!!
Now, today, Grandma and Grandpa headed to the airport for their flight back to Chicago. George handled the goodbyes well, and it's nice to know George will see Grandma soon! Emilie isn't too far from being due, and I'm already 34 weeks along! She's dropped already, I've had plenty of practice contractions to the point of extreme discomfort, and I think she won't be too late past the due date, if not early! Excitement is starting to hit me, and I'm getting excited to see her!
George had SO much fun and by the time the tour was over, he really didn't want to go! He especially loved panning for gold, and going to the little mining store and trading it in for a stick of licorice. One wasn't enough for him, but I think one stick of sugar was enough! He did get half of mine too (since it really isn't my favorite candy, but it was still an awesome treat! Anything tastes good if you work for it gold panning!). Daddy helped George balance down the tight rope bridge too, to George's delight. Sadly I skipped. I totally think I could have handled it, but doctors don't even like pregnant women to ride bikes, let alone a tight rope bridge 5-8 ft off the ground, no matter if there are rope handle rails to grab onto or not!
After an awesome tour and our goodbyes to the Smith's, we headed for Old Town Julian and got ourselves some Apple Pie! The Julian Pie Co. makes amazing pies! We picked out a apple crumble top, and daddy got two Wonder Bars to spilt with the family. It was a really nice ride home, and for dinner (well, desert!) we got to have to apple pie!!! A splendid day I say!!!
Now, today, Grandma and Grandpa headed to the airport for their flight back to Chicago. George handled the goodbyes well, and it's nice to know George will see Grandma soon! Emilie isn't too far from being due, and I'm already 34 weeks along! She's dropped already, I've had plenty of practice contractions to the point of extreme discomfort, and I think she won't be too late past the due date, if not early! Excitement is starting to hit me, and I'm getting excited to see her!