Choo- choo.....All Aboard!

A few weekends ago I took a train ride - it was a gorgeous day for it. The train left from Durand, which is just 40 minutes south of Eau Claire. The ride was sponsored by the Lower Chippewa River Alliance; they promote stewardship and conservation through education. The train is operated by the Chippewa Valley Motor Car Association - they've done a great job salvaging these old, electric trains. It took them 3 years to clear 8 miles of abandoned railroad tracks that had been overtaken by trees.

These are old trains, never seen these types before. Some were covered, some were side by side bench seating. We could only go about 5 miles on the tracks; no further because of a broken bridge going over some water.

My friend, Jodi, and I chose the side by side seating for unobstructed views. The people who sat behind us were kind enough to switch sides with us on the way back so we'd have a different view.

One of the tour guides was Doug Faulkner, the Chair of the UWEC Geography Dept. Here he is passing out maps of the area.