Another Mount Hermon tradition is to spend Wednesday's whole camp train ride down the mountain to the Santa Cruz Beach and Boardwalk with our good buddies Beth, Allie, Nathan and their parents Phil and Teri. It is when we get to spend longer stretches of time with these dear friends, seeing how much our kids have always clicked and loved each other, that we miss them the most!
The gentle rocking of the hour long train ride through the forest was as peaceful as ever. This is pretty much the view for most of it, until you get into the bright sun, sand and surf of our destination.
The train goes through a pretty long tunnel at one point. I don't know how long it is in terms of a mile, but we know it lasts about one whole song. We know because in the past the girls have been terrified to just sit in total darkness for several minutes, so I'd hug and play "I Saw the Light" on my phone for them. Being older and having some good friends and flashlights made the tunnel one of the most fun parts of the ride this time around, though!
Once at the Boardwalk, we've always opted for a shorter day and taken the early train back up to camp. This gives us just enough time to check out a few rides and spend our food vouchers on a treat.
For her two rides, Ella chose the helicopters and this more wild, spinny ride with Beth. Watching their screaming faces and unsuccessful attempts to keep their hands in the air was a highlight of the day!
Delia stuck to the kiddie rides, choosing the Shamu ride and the boats. There was some drama when Ella was quick to spend her ride tickets and felt sad that she couldn't do the rides Delia picked too. But, making thoughtful choices and being okay with your decisions is just part of this day, hard as that may be.
Can't leave the Boardwalk without enjoying a drippy ice cream cone! And these were on Mount Hermon, thanks to their new Boardwalk food voucher program. A quiet ride back up the mountain and some much-needed naps rounded out another great day at Family Camp!
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