We returned to Heber Valley a second time this summer for our annual family camp with Todd's side of the family. This time we stayed at the Logpole Campground near Strawberry Reservoir. On Tuesday we rode the historic Heber Valley Railroad for a round trip ride across the the shores of Deer Creek Reservoir and along the Provo River to Vivian Park.
Carson who absolutely loves trains has been waiting for a month, since our last visit to Heber, for this ride.
During the three hour train ride we were entertained by a talented lady who performed several Western and Blues songs on her guitar. At the beginning of the ride the train was robbed by Black Jack Raven and the Soldier Hollow Gang. They came into our train car, made us all raise our hands, cracked a few jokes about the passengers and left. We didn't get to see the entire act because our car was the last one on the train and we were too far away from the train platform where they were staging the robbery. I will know better if we decide to do it again.
The kids got a bit bored during the ride. The train travels at approximately 15-20 MPH. Not very fast at all. The interior of the train cars is very old and not well kept. There is no AC or heat, some of the windows don't open and parts of the train are held together with Duct Tape. To be honest I was expecting something a bit nicer for the price they charge for each ticket. I was randomly selected to fill out a customer survey. I shared with them my thoughts. I'm sure I'm not the only one who has mentioned it.
Our our way back we were the first car behind the engine. Every time the conductor blew the whistle when approaching a railroad crossing we had to cover our ears. It was so loud it startled some of the younger kids riding with us. A toddler boy traveling with his family started to cry each time it would go off.
In the end, what matter the most to me was Carson's experience. He enjoyed looking out the window from inside the train and sitting next to his cousin Graham.
