I've known hobos about whom you could
say, "You can smell 'em before you can see 'em," but this statement
refers not to railroad hobos, but rather to the 1920's passenger
motorcars that
ran between Fort Bragg and Willits, California. The first
motorcar, M-80,
had such smelly gas engines that folks in these parts nicknamed them
"skunks."
While the smelly engines were improved, the name stuck. Today you
can ride trains or motorcars along the "Redwood Route" from either end
of the railroad in Fort Bragg or Willits. There is even a new
Overnighter where you leave Fort Bragg or Willits and ride all the way
to the other town. After staying at a hotel for as many nights as
you like, take another Overnighter back to complete your
roundtrip. Overnight hotel packages include transportation
between the hotel and station.
The Skunk Train has run for years and I finally had a trip planned to
Northern California with time to ride nearly all of their
trains. We arrived late Thursday night, June 9, with the
distinct odor of skunk wafting through our car from roadkill just south
of town...what are the chances of that happening?! In this case,
we smelled 'em and never did see 'em!
We checked in at the
Seabird Lodge,
easily found on the right side of the road as you approach from the
south. We were given the keys to room 133 and found 2 queen
beds in an apartment-sized suite equipped with microwave oven,
refrigerator, table with 2 chairs, television, and coffee
maker. There is no Internet available, but 800 and local calls
are free if you have a dialup service. There is also an Internet
coffee shop in town if you have the need to wrap those keys long
distance. I
was content to edit digital photos and write this story knowing I had
access later in this journey to upload my report.
With the extensive schedule in the "California Train Rides" brochure
I'd requested from their website, I found up to five trains I could
ride in the two days and three nights we were planning to spend in Fort
Bragg and Willits. When you receive your brochure, you will be
delighted to see that there are actually four operations under the
ownership umbrella of Sierra Railroad: Skunk Train - Fort Bragg,
Skunk Train - Willits, Sacramento River Train, and Sierra Railroad
Dinner Train. After experiencing the Skunk Trains, I can't wait
to ride their other trains and I am especially looking forward to the
Dinner Train!
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