To Northspur by Skunk Train, in the rain

WILLITS, CA., 2/22/2017 — You know how you never do the most obviously fun thing in the neighborhood where you live unless you’re entertaining guests from out of town? Well, I’ve been in Mendocino County for about ten years, and the only time I’d ridden the Skunk train from Willits to Northspur and back was about fifteen years ago. It was a long weekend, I came up from out of town, and a local decided to show me around.

So when my sister and my train-loving niece Annika came up for the three-day weekend, I splurged on two $84 adult tickets and one $42 child’s ticket to take the Northspur ride again. The forecast said there was a ten percent chance of rain on Saturday and a fifty percent chance of rain on Sunday. We chose Saturday, and it rained lightly about half the day.