May 08, 2011

Ryder has always admired trains from the distance — so shiny, so fast, their howl so much more piercing than her own. Yesterday she got to ride in the belly of the beast.

We got train tickets from Port Stanley to St. Thomas. Ryder got to ride for free. The train line is called L&PS. “It stands for Late and Poor Service,” joked the conductor. Except that it wasn’t a joke. He really didn’t like dogs; he only let them on the train grudgingly.

The train shook as it left the station. It whistled. Ryder had a brief moment of panic. “Whee for choo-choos,” I said, lifting her on the sit next to mine. She calmed down pretty soon after that and acted like a proper furry human the rest of the ride.

After the train ride, we went to howl at elephants (creatures who also have a complicated relationship with trains).