Page 101 - WINE DINE AND TRAVEL MAGAZINE SUMMER 2021 DISCOVERING MENDOCINO

tanced, leaving empty seat rows between groups.
Our leisurely ride felt like travel back in time as
the Skunk Train chugged out of town through
Pudding Creek Estuary to Glen Blair Junction and
back on this short and scenic one-hour, seven-
mile round-trip. It was amazing to think that we
journeyed over tracks laid down by California
Western Railroad in 1885. The pristine views of
the estuary and redwoods have been little
changed for over a century as well. The only his-
torical anomaly was colorful Halloween decora-
tions inside and outside the train. This was
October, and the Skunk Train had promoted a sea-
sonal Pumpkin Express that dropped passengers
at a pumpkin patch at the end of the line.
At Glen Blair Junction, we stretched our legs
for about a half-hour. Mary and I hiked into the
woods to a collapsed tunnel where the train once
continued its journey. Hearing the train whistle,
we took our seats for the short ride back to Fort
Bragg. The Skunk Train isn’t a thrill ride, but it’s a
lovely and relaxing way to experience history
amid Mendocino’s sylvan beauty.

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