This post has been a long time coming, but thats just because I got lots of pics from the trip.  Each year (well sometimes 2x year) I bring the wife & kid (soon to be 2) out to Utah to visit my parents, sisters, and some of my inlaws.  Long post, enjoy the pics & story that going along.

We started our journey catching Amtrak in Emeryville. Train leaves around 8:30 if memory serves me correct, and our original plan was to get off the train in Provo at 4:30am the next morning.  But in typical fashion, we ended up being stopping at about 2-2:30am due to the track breaking.  Yes, the track broke.  Luckily the engineer found out about it before we drove over it completely.   Adam decided that 2:30am was a good time to wake up, so we hung out while they fixed the rails.  We ended up exiting the train in Salt Lake City instead at 5:15ish am.

Since my son is obsessed with trucks, my parents got him a ride on backhoe for him to play with.  It was definitely the winning present this Christmas for him.  Later after dinner we had some fondue.

Photo courtesy of Shane, who tried to show I actually do work while on vacation.  Actually I was probably surfin the internet when he took the picture.

My Brother in Law & buddy Shane built this ice rink in the backyard.  Its big.  Like, we played 2v2 hockey on there.  It was a little crowded at that point, but it felt good ice skating outside at night in 10 degree weather.  NHL guys got nothing on us!

We included a mini photoshoot of Shane out on the rink.

In accordance with established family tradition, our trip involved trains.  In fact, trains seem to be a common theme in my family.  Ancestors worked on the railroad, rode the railroad, and loved the railroad.  We took a train ride up to Ogden, Utah on Frontrunner, to visit the train museum up there and enjoy the time together.

And dinner.  I apologize for those in the dinner picture.  I had a hard time picking the one where someone wasn’t making a weird expression, so I chose the one where almost everyone was making a weird expression.  And unlike the picture, we were all having a good time, dinner isn’t a somber time around my parents house.

Since we didn’t have much time to hang out at the train museum earlier, my parents & me/wife/kid drove up to Ogden & spent a fair amount of time out there.  Downside, was it was cold, very cold.  I made the mistake of climbing on the 833 engine from the cab to the front of the train and had a hard time moving my hands after.

Two images from my mom.  She’s getting good!

A couple more images from my mom.  For those who haven’t met me yet, I’m the guy wearing the hockey socks & black/teal long sleeve shirt.