Tilden Steam Trains

One of the coolest freakin things around is the Redwood Valley Railway at Tilden Regional Park, otherwise known as the "steam trains at Tilden." This is some serious old-school family fun: a scaled-down steamtrain that runs you through the park a ways, compete with a tunnel and engine whistles. What I really enjoyed was the whole "good old days" vibe of it: buying tickets wasn't some overpriced, bureaucratic exercise, there weren't any stupid seatbelts or other unnecessary "safety" devices everyone was required to wear, the crowds were just right, and they didn't even bat an eyelash when someone brought their dog on board.

Here, we have photos of Amy and Violet waiting for the train, and, in one of the best mother and daughter photos so far, the two of them on the train itself.