Month: September 2013

Red Caboose Motel

Venturing Out With Amish Chickens

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I am a devote Groupon customer. Groupon was the first crowd-purchasing site that I joined, I earn 10-15% cashback thanks to my Discover card (affiliate link), and when companies have gone out of business, Groupon has stepped up to the plate and refunded our money. Groupon is the type of company that values their customers, and for that I am thankful and give them my business.

However, Family Travels on a Budget alerted us on Facebook that a competing crowd-purchasing site, Deal Chicken, was offering a $99 a night stay at the Red Caboose Motel located in Amish country, Pennsylvania. After some quick discussion with my wife, it was an opportunity our family just could not pass up.

Red Caboose Motel

The Red Caboose Motel is located in a huge train themed area of the country, with the Pennsylvania Railroad Museum, historic Strasburg Railroad, and even the Choo-Choo Barn railroad layout that I remember my parents taking us to as kids. We also were in the process of trying to plan somewhere to visit over the long Thanksgiving holiday, so this was perfect timing.

Just out of curiosity, prior to making our purchase, I decided to run Deal Chicken by through the various shopping portals, as well as look for promotional codes offering a discount. We were able to find and successfully use promo code RMN15, which earned us $15 off a purchase of $75 or more. I was also able to break up our purchase into two separate transactions, bringing our total from $198 down to $168, which will be used for two nights accommodations in a caboose.

The Deal Chicken offer was a great deal when using the coupon code, and has our family very excited to review not only the motel, but also the surrounding train activities in the area.

Have you been to the Red Caboose Motel or any of the surrounding train related activities? Have any recommendations for other things to see or places to eat?

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Source: Family Travels on a Budget

The link for the Discover card is an affiliate link which we earn credit should you elect to use it to apply for a new card. Thank you!

Punalu'u Black Sand Beach Park

Punalu’u Black Sand Beach Park

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Located south of the Volcanoes National Park is Punalu’u Black Sand Beach Park. Anyone traveling to Hawaii inevitably asks if you were able to see black sand beaches. The sand, which gets its black color from the volcanic rock, is mysterious and is quite a contrast to the sharp and ragged rocks surrounding the beach.

120619 Punalu'u Black Sand Beach Park (1)

120619 Punalu'u Black Sand Beach Park (2)

Punalu'u Black Sand Beach Park

Punalu'u Black Sand Beach Park

Punalu'u Black Sand Beach Park

Punalu'u Black Sand Beach Park

Punalu'u Black Sand Beach Park

Punalu'u Black Sand Beach Park

Punalu'u Black Sand Beach Park

Punalu'u Black Sand Beach Park

Punalu'u Black Sand Beach Park

Can you see the turtle?

Punalu'u Black Sand Beach Park

Punalu'u Black Sand Beach Park

Punalu'u Black Sand Beach Park

Punalu'u Black Sand Beach Park

Punalu’u Black Sand Beach Park is known for the story of Kauila and the Sea Turtles of Punalu’u.

“The mystical turtle, Kauila, makes her home in the Ka’u district at Punalu’u Bay according to Hawaiian mythology. Kauila was empowered with the ability to turn herself from a turtle into human form and would play with the children along the shoreline and keep watch over them. The people of Ka’u loved Kauila as the guardian of their children and also for her spring that gave them pure drinking water.

The presence of Kauila can still be felt today by the sea turtles that inhabit this special place. The Hawaiian honu (green sea turtle) can be regularly seen in the bay feeding on the limu growing in the shallows. In addition the honu’ea (hawkbill turtle) sometimes enters the bay at night to crawl ashore and deposit eggs in the black sand. Both species of sea turtles are fully protected under U.S. Endangered Species Act and wild life laws of the State of Hawaii.”

Punalu'u Black Sand Beach Park

Punalu'u Black Sand Beach Park

Punalu'u Black Sand Beach Park

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Source: InACents

130825 Cedar Point Railroad Sign

Cedar Point & Lake Erie Railroad 50th Anniversary

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Everyone knows Cedar Point for being known as the Roller Coaster Capital of the World. No one can beat the number of world records that the Point holds. However, 2013 marks another milestone for the Sandusky, Ohio based amusement park.

The 50th anniversary of the Cedar Point & Lake Erie (C.P & L.E.) Railroad.

130802 Cedar Point & LE Railroad 50th Anniversary

Started in 1963, the C.P & L.E. railroad currently offers five (5) steam powered locomotives. The one remarkable things our family has discovered by visiting countless amusement park trains around the country, is that the C.P & L.E. railroad uses real working coal-fired steam engines. Lots of the cheaper versions at other amusement parks are propane or gasoline driven. There is nothing like the thrill of a real steam engine.

In 2012, 1,842,696 guests rode the C.P & L.E. railroad, which our family was proud to be included in that number, several times. The most recorded rides in a single season was in 1970, where 4.5 million people rode the train. Although, at the time there were only two means of getting back to the Frontiertown region of the park.

130825 Cedar Point Railroad Sign

The two-mile and approximately 15-minute ride is broken up into two sections, the first being from the Midway Station to the Frontier Station. The second half is from Frontier to Midway and includes some classic Boneville animatronics of various western style themes.

During our visit to Cedar Point a couple weeks ago, we had the pleasure of riding the Myron H. – No. 22 engine. Built in 1922 by the Vulcan Iron Works company out of Wilkes-Barre, PA, the train was originally owned and operated at a coal mine. Cedar Point acquired the Myron H. in 1963, where it had to be rebuilt.

Below are some videos taken while riding the Myron H.

Cedar Point & Lake Erie Railroad – Albert No. 3 Engine

Resting at the Cedar Junction at the entrance to the Frontier Trail is engine No. 3, Albert. Built in 1910 and originally used a sugarcane transport in Louisiana, Cedar Point acquired Albert in 1963.

Albert was taken out of service in 1991, and remains on display.

130825 CP & LE Albert Train (2)

130802 CP & LE Albert Train (1)

130802 CP & LE Albert Train (2)

130802 CP & LE Albert Train (3)

130825 CP & LE Albert Train (1)

Cedar Point & Lake Erie Railroad – Judy K. No. 44 Engine

We were also fortunate this summer to again get to ride in the Judy K. Built in 1923 by the Vulcan Iron Works company out of Pennsylvania, the original use of the engine is unknown. Cedar Point acquired the Judy K. in 1968 and in 1974, was named the Jack Foster after the first superintendent of the C.P. & L.E. Railroad. It was not until 1992 and a major rehaul of the engine that is was renamed the Judy K. after Cedar Fair Entertainment Company’s CEO Richard Kinzel’s wife.

To this day, we have yet to see Cedar Point’s other engines, the G.A. Boeckling No. 1 and the George R. No. 4 engines. The G.A. Boeckling No. 1 engine was originally owned by Disney and was known as the Ward Kimble.

In 2013, the Cedar Point trains were the second highest rode attraction in the park, behind the GateKeeper.

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Source: InACents