Traveling with five kids can be fun. It can also be a colossal mess, like the time my husband and I loaded our two teenagers and three toddlers in our Suburban and headed to Disney World. Someone threw up, someone needed an emergency bathroom break on the side of the interstate, and someone shoplifted from Dunkin’ Donuts.
What does one shoplift from Dunkin’ Donuts, you ask? Well, that would be a Christmas ornament. It was a tiny, brown doughnut with white icing and multicolored sprinkles, and I look back on that trip fondly every time I unwrap that little doughnut from its tissue paper and hang it on my tree. No, I didn’t return the ornament—we were already two states away by the time I found it hidden under my 4-year-old’s seat.
While that drive home was the most hectic, chaotic, messy part of our trip to Disney World, it’s also the part I remember best.
So when I was asked to write about my family’s adventure last Christmas to the Big South Fork Scenic Railway in Stearns, it’s no surprise that the first—and most vivid—memory that came to mind was of Brooklynn, one of my now-6-year-old twins, laid out on her belly across an entire bench of the train car. She was not sleeping; she was sulking, and I found it—and still find it—adorable. So adorable that I took a photograph to cherish when my memory of the moment fades.
Making Memories
It’s a cliché, but nothing is more important than family. And this sense of love and unity swells during the holidays. My family tries to plan something special and unique every year, and my mom taking us to Stearns for a train ride with Santa Claus was no exception. Our trip on the Big South Fork Scenic Railway was scheduled for late afternoon, which gave us plenty of time to make the three-hour journey from our home in northern Kentucky the morning of our adventure.
This year, Big South Fork’s holiday-themed train rides will be based on the beloved Christmas book, The Polar Express, and will run only in the late afternoon and evenings. (See sidebar on page 28.)
My mom, step-dad, mother-in-law, sister, aunt and uncle joined our crew. My aunt and uncle brought my cousin’s daughter, which was special because my cousin passed away in December 2011. I love watching my daughters grow up with his.
All 14 of us loaded into three vehicles and made our way down Interstate 75. There are two ways to get to Stearns from northern Kentucky: Get off the interstate at Mt. Vernon or drive south to Williamsburg. On our way there, we took the route around Somerset. On the way home, we wised up and took the more direct route through Williamsburg. Stearns is in the heart of Daniel Boone National Forest, which is code for The Middle of Nowhere. I recently made this reference in front of my now-9-year-old, the one-time Dunkin’ Donuts shoplifter, who gave me a most profound response: “Mom, don’t say ‘middle of nowhere’ because there is no such place as nowhere. We are always somewhere.”
I agree. Surrounded by the stunning forest, Big South Fork Scenic Railway is in one of the most beautiful “somewheres” I have ever been. Stearns has a small, picturesque, historic downtown. Upon entering, you see the massive Stearns Coal and Lumber Company building that immediately gives an indication of how the town made its mark.
A Brief History Lesson
In the late 1800s, Justus Smith Stearns was busy building his lumber and salt empire in Michigan. With lumber operations spanning from the Pacific Northwest to Florida, Stearns was drawn to south-central Kentucky by the vast wilderness and the Kentucky & Tennessee Railroad. In 1902, he opened a company store in the newly founded town of Stearns, where he built his lumber and coal business. The Stearns Coal and Lumber Company was the oldest continuously mining operation in Kentucky when it sold out in 1975.
The former headquarters of the company, constructed in 1907, has housed the McCreary County Museum since its opening in 1988. Museum-goers can discover the history of the area, including its unique culture and heritage as a coal-mining and lumber center.
While industry no longer fuels Stearns, visitors are fortunate the federally protected Big South Fork National River & Recreation Area was established in 1974, thus ensuring that we—and hopefully future generations—will be able to wander and explore this ancient terrain.
The views of the Big South Fork of the Cumberland River are breathtaking from the train. “Stunning scenery,” is what my husband, Chuck, said he remembered most when I asked him about our trip. The river cuts through gorges that are millions of years old, and the train winds along their ridges and descends into the valleys. At times, you are perched high—eye level with sprawling treetops. Other times, you seem to be riding the rapids of the river as it dips and curves around massive boulders.
Again, please note that this year, The Polar Express will be a late afternoon/evening event, which means, unfortunately, you may not get to take in the views on that particular excursion. But mark your calendar for a return trip to the Big South Fork Scenic railway, as the train is in operation for day trips April through November.
All Aboard
The train departs from the Big South Fork Depot, a restored freight depot. Inside the depot, you’ll find the Whistle Stop Restaurant & Steakhouse, where we ate lunch before our train ride, and Sweet Creations, an adorable gift shop.
After lunch and several bathroom breaks, we made our way out to the platform to board the train. I must admit that I felt a little bit like Harry Potter waiting for the Hogwarts Express on platform 9¾.The train boards in a first-come-first-served fashion, so my mom made sure she was up in the front, while I was lagging behind after another last-minute trip to the restroom.
We made it on board and got settled into our seats, which is when my trip derailed a bit dealing with Brooklynn and her unattainable expectations. That said, the 14-mile trip, which dropped us 600 feet down into the gorge, where we turned around at the historic coal-mining town of Blue Heron, was quite enjoyable. I sat on the left side of the train car, which was best for views of the gorge and river.
All of the children received conductor hats, and I fondly remember the smile on my 80-year-old uncle’s face as he put his granddaughter’s blue-and-white striped hat upon his head. Christmas music played in the enclosed, heated car in which we were riding.
Passengers on the Big South Fork Scenic Railway holiday train rides do not disembark at Blue Heron, but the town can be accessed by car. There are also non-holiday train trips that include a stop in the town. But for us, the train simply stopped. Our tour guide then showed us how our seats flipped over to face the opposite direction, so we’d be facing forward on the return trip as the train backtracked along the railroad.
At that point, there appeared a new diversion, and he was wearing a red-and-white suit.
A Letter to Santa
The return ride covers the same ground as the descent into the gorge, so unless you want to move to the opposite side of the train, you will view a repeat of scenery, which can become somewhat monotonous for a youngster.
However, on the holiday train ride, the most beloved figure of childhood folklore appears. Santa Claus’ reindeer drop him off in Blue Heron, where he boards the train to greet all of the children, ask them what they want for Christmas, and take commemorative photographs.
My girls were so excited about the possibility of being on a train with Santa. This meant he’d have to hear their requests, because he’d be stuck in close quarters with them for an hour! They practiced what they would say. They looked through the Toys “R” Us catalog. They wrote and erased, and rewrote. They were finally ready.
Santa spoke with my oldest daughter and with my grown sons. He spoke to Brylee, Brooklynn’s twin, whom I had barely gotten to see on the train trip. And then he got to Brooklynn. At that point, she’d had a meltdown, rebounded, laughed and eaten Christmas cookies. Santa slowly made his way down the center aisle, and Brooklynn froze as soon as she saw his silhouette fall upon our seat. She buried her head in my lap and refused—even with my cajoling—to even look at the man. He hesitated at our row, despite the growing anticipation of the little boy in the seat in front of us, to no avail. Brooklynn would not budge.
I finally convinced her to surface for air after he had passed by. When she did raise her head, I could see complete defeat written on her tiny face. She clutched her half-crumpled letter to Santa in her small hand. We had to right this wrong. It took the better part of an hour, and the rest of the train ride, but I finally convinced Brooklynn to approach Santa at the front of the train as we were pulling into the station. “It’s now or never,” I said as I nudged her from behind, and she shuffled her feet down the aisle. “Just hand it to him; he’s not going to bite.”
She gingerly approached him, just close enough for her little outstretched arm to reach his back. She tapped him, and when he turned around, something softened in my little girl. She relaxed. We even got a picture with Santa—of course she had to sit on my lap, so it turned into a family portrait photobombed by Santa.
The Road Home
Most of our family adventures end memorably, and this trip was no exception. When we stopped for dinner in Richmond, we literally stumbled upon a live nativity taking place in the parking lot of a shopping plaza, complete with animals, a choir and hot chocolate. It was too interesting and unexpected not to participate, so we parked and walked into the past. It was another reminder that life is all about the journey, not the destination.
North Pole Bound
From Nov. 24-Dec. 23, the train at Big South Fork Railway will be transformed into The Polar Express. Before boarding the train, passengers view a short play in which the boy from The Polar Express book and movie comes out of his home to meet the train’s conductor. The conductor will then punch the tickets of the passengers as they board the train headed for the North Pole—Blue Heron—where they will welcome Santa, who boards the train for the ride back to the depot. Santa will present the children with their first gift of Christmas.
Passengers can enjoy hot chocolate and cookies while listening to music from the movie and the reading of the book. Everyone is encouraged to wear their pajamas for this 50- to 75-minute trip.
The Whistle Stop Restaurant & Steakhouse will serve a menu of “fast food” options such as hamburgers and hot dogs for passengers to enjoy before and after their trip.
For more information, and to reserve tickets, which include free admission to the McCreary County Museum, call (606) 657-9491 or visit stearnsthepolarexpressride.com.