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By Leia Johnson
Between the Turkey Trot and ModShop, I’m sure you have a grasp on how packed with events this month is going to be. Before your calendar is completely filled; plan for an outing using my favorite form of travel; the train. I am infatuated with the idea of transportation and the accessibility that it gives us to go to new places. On occasion, I ride the Amtrak train from Modesto to the Bay Area to visit friends and family. It’s an extremely unique experience and I think we as Modestans take the access to the city completely for granted. Riding from Modesto to Emeryville, I had the ability to completely immerse myself with how beautiful the central valley is. It was something out of a John Steinbeck Novel, watching the fishermen and the field workers whilst listening to the bumps of our carrier on the tracks.
I was completely in love! The Amtrak Train, The San Joaquin runs all day from Sacramento to Bakersfield and has connections to Lake Tahoe, Monterey, San Francisco, Oakland and a ton of great other cities. Amtrak also provides a sign-off at each end for minors traveling alone, which is handy for young adventurers. In my opinion, a train ride is much more appealing than a car ride and ultimately is faster transportation.
Though we all know that trains by nature and purpose, are used to get you from point A to point B, Oakdale’s Dinner Train has an innovative use. The Sierra Railroad, located in Oakdale, is the third oldest railroad in North America and has been used for dining and entertaining since 1999. By going onto their website www.sierradinnertrain.com, you have access to view all of their upcoming events! This includes sunset meals, murder mystery shows and beginning in late-November, the Christmas Train! These fairly priced tickets include dinner and a great view for the entire family. This is an awesome opportunity you can’t miss out on! Tickets are very popular right now, so be sure to buy yours as much in advance as possible.
My songs for November are “Over the Hills and Far Away”, by Led Zeppelin, “The Trapeze Swinger”, by Iron & Wine and “Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right”, by the Nobel Prize winning; Bob Dylan. The Fall is such a magnificent time to be in Modesto; make your month stellar, do something nice for someone today, and most importantly get involved in your community.
