Sir, I Think You Have a Problem With Your Brain Being Missing

Twenty minutes down the highway is a park with an old locomotion train that rides around a railroad park on actual rails and stops at an old fashioned train station. Not knowing lots about trains I can't really give specifics, but it's one of those parks little boys go crazy about.

Saturday that park had a huge Rendezvous and set up teepees and saloons and homesteads and such. People dressed up in civil war uniforms and marched to fifes and drums or dressed up as mountain men and told stories, or dressed up as prospectors and taught people how to pan for gold.

It was great. There were lots of activities and lots to see. Drek turned out to be very successful at prospecting (both in using a pan in using that washboard-looking thing)and I turned out to be a very successful gambler (at a game called Faro played in a saloon). What an honest and hard working couple we would have been.

The very first thing we did was take a ride on the train. We were lucky enough to be on the ride that became a part of the entertainment for the rest of the park. That is to say, we were robbed; A train job.

As out train passed an open field a gang of outlaws stopped the train and demanded the sheriff hand over the army's pay-roll. From the train we watched as a the whole scene unfolded; the sheriff handed over the money, but the outlaws began fighting amongst themselves and ended up shooting each other. Only the leader and the sheriff were left alive and during the shootout the sheriff grabbed a gun and in the end the leader was left with no payroll and no gang. The people on the train cheered as the sheriff climbed back aboard the train with a line like "justice and truth always prevail!" and we continued on to the station.

Later in the day we saw several army men getting on the train so we went to the field where the drama was staged to see what would happen this time. Once again the outlaws (magically resurrected) held up the train and demanded the payroll, but this time they had the army to defend it. The shoot-out was between the army and the outlaws and, of course, all the outlaws were killed while the the army men emerged unscathed. A true miracle.

The best part was when I noticed there was a new edition to the outlaw gang. "Hey, Drek." I said pointing to the new guy. "Isn't that the sheriff?" Indeed it was. He had taken off his badge, but everything else was the same. I guess his speech about truth and justice wasn't enough to resist the lure of a life of crime.