Who Was That Masked Man?!

I think we all had a relatively restful night of sleep as the Zephyr pushed through Utah. I do not remember ever being in Utah before, so this morning's view out the window of Room #5 was my first exposure to the dramatic landscapes.









Kristen and I have known for some time that today's train ride through Colorado was going to be extra-fun for our family due to the presence of a special "mystery guest." And we worked hard to successfully keep this fact a secret from Miles and Emery.

Several months ago my father reached out to me to say that he was going to plan a trip out west this summer, and that if I thought it would be fun he could arrange things to allow him to hop on our train for several hours as we passes through Colorado. Given the fact that much of our inspiration for taking a train trip in the first place came from him, I was very excited about the idea.

So this morning, about 30 minutes before arriving in Grand Junction, we told the kids that at the next stop there was going to be a mystery guest waiting to say hello to them. We told them the train was going to stop at the station for about 15 minutes, and their job was to jump off and see if they could figure out who it was. We also offered that whoever found the mystery person first would win points for their team (we have been playing a 2-week long seek-n-find / scavenger hunt game ... boys vs. girls ... with all kinds of obscure/random things to look for). Miles and Emery were both very excited for the next 30 minutes in anticipation.

Playing perfectly into our "western train themed trip" - and with a nod to Addison's recent work on The Lone Ranger - dad had on a mask and cowboy hat. He was so well disguised, in fact, that both kids, and I, walked PAST him before turning around to find him.

This first picture was taken right as we were turning around, and Emery shouted "G.D.!" (short for Gran Dad).













We enjoyed catching up with dad as the train rolled through Glenwood Springs and traversed various canyons cut by the Colorado River.









After lunch we invited dad to ride with us in our cabins, and we continued to enjoy terrific scenery and wonderful conversation.










Shortly before Winter Park, where dad was to disembark, he presented us - fittingly - with our own Lone Ranger masks ...



Thanks so much dad, for joining us across Colorado today. You helped make the journey very special!