Pure, Unadulterated Joy

Railroad Park Resort - All aboard! Visit Siskiyou County and experience #train #travel like never done before.

By Joy A. Kennelly

My review of the Railroad Park Resort is biased because I've known the owners, Mark & Mary Lilley, for a very long time and know they ran a very successful campground elsewhere for about 30 years. They know what they're doing and it makes me happy to see them take on this very fun adventure here in Dunsmuir. For those who don’t know where Dunsmuir is, it’s just below the Oregon border, past Medford, on the northernmost part of California, above Shasta Lake in an area called Siskiyou (Siss Kew.)

According to the visitor site for Siskiyou: “Presiding over it all is Mount Shasta – the 14,179′ strato volcano that towers 10,000 over the surrounding area – and provides a ready playground for climbers, skiers, hikers and sightseers of all stripes.” 

Lezlie Sterling The Sacramento Bee photo credit

Learn more of the nearby fun activities here. 

To me, the Railroad Park Resortlooks like a perfect place for a HUGE children's party because kids LOVE trains. I wonder if any of the celebrities with children would consider renting out the entire place? LOL Sandra Bullock? Charlize Theron? Chris Pratt? He's a big kid himself! Can't you just see Angelina Jolie's brood enjoying this? How about it folks?

Family size caboose with a special climb-up Cupola

 

Or what about a press junket stop for Murder on the Orient Express?! Doesn't that film look fabulous? In theaters November 10th. 

It reminds me a little of The Grand Budapest Hotel film, although Grand Budapest is hilarious! If you haven't seen it yet, you simply must! The views of the countryside are sumptuous, the acting superb, the cinematography amazing and the plot-line hysterical. For mature audiences only. Helps if you're a fan of Wes Anderson's directing too.

I also thought the Railroad Park Resort would be a great place for a conference because each of the 23 cabooses are independent, there's also six large cabins, an RV Park attached, multiple attached fine dining cars, and a very cute gift shop. Many of the cabooses include double beds, queen and king if memory holds true. Check out the website for exact details though because all the real details are there: http://www.rrpark.com/  

Railroad Park Resort grounds

We enjoyed breakfast the next day and it was very hearty. Can you tell I like hearty?:) You don't have to stay here to dine either so if you're craving a unique night out with the Mrs., pop in.

Joy goofing around

Owners Mark & Mary Lilley enjoying breakfast here

Breakfast, dinner and a bar. What more could you want?

 

Each caboose is as it was originally, but with some enhancements to the restrooms because apparently when they were working cabooses your restroom would have been the size of a closet! LOL Now they're normal size and come with a shower or bathtub depending on your preference. Again, check the website because then you can choose which one suits you. 
Just know, it's a little hard to find when driving north because semi's often block the signs for the exit. I would mark it on your GPS to keep an eye out to make it simple. There's great signage heading south and it's very easy to find. Just look for Railroad Park Road exit. There's also a RV camp so pick your poison!:)

 

It's a fun, unique experience as you're driving between CA and the Pacific Northwest. It's reasonably priced, there's specials and I would encourage you to check it out! Mary and Mark are great and will take great care of you! 

 

And for a few unbiased reviews of the place, read Buzzfeed's article here! We Found The Quirkiest Vacation Spots In California And Actually Stayed There

Having each lived in New York City at one point, we've both definitely dozed off inside trains before.

But sleeping on the subway or on a commuter train definitely lacks the romance of yesteryear. So when we discovered Railroad Park Resort — a lodge made entirely of antique railroad cars — we signed up pretty much immediately.

We got there right before sunset and asked the friendly desk agent where the best place to get a view of nearby Mount Shasta would be, and she literally just pointed up the road. 

This place was pretty much a one-stop shop of gorgeous views. Continue reading here.

Here's another fun travel video produced by Go There Media which gives a nice overview of everything there is to see and do in and around the Railroad Park Resort, but please note, there are now 23 cabooses since this was filmed:

UNBRIDLED is one film you won't want to miss during AFM! #film #horse #humantrafficking

Sharing this because my very talented writer/director friend, John David Ware, has created a beautiful film entitled "Unbridled," (available in Nov., all rights intact) and will be participating at AFM. "Unbridled" has won festival awards in many categories including Acting, Best Film, Best Director and Best Score. 

UNBRIDLED is a girl-and-her-horse thriller that tackles the hot-button, global social issue of human trafficking. Sarah (Tea McKay) eludes her captors and temporarily hides and finds healing at an equine-assisted therapy ranch.

“A surprisingly sensitive film, stripped of the visual agony of what these girls have suffered. Ware is careful to keep 'Unbridled' low-key and straightforward, never dipping into contrivances the premise might encourage.” (ThatMomentIn.com)

Featuring such stars as T.C. Stallings (“War Room” $90M), Eric Roberts (Dark Knight $533M), Dey Young (Flicka, $21M Red Eye $57M, Pretty Woman $178M), Lindsley Register (The Walking Dead, House of Cards) Jenn Gotzon (God’s Not Dead 2, $21M), UNBRIDLED  introduces Tea McKay.

“McKay is very convincing, a natural, believable actress with good presence. She’s easily identifiable for teens and all (characters are) portrayed with great authenticity.” (ThatMomentIn.com) 

A PG-13 rating is expected. The film is not visually graphic and is suitable for families with tweens on up. 

SYNOPSIS:


Sarah (Tea McKay) is abused by a sex trafficker in her own home. She fights, but is overpowered by her mother’s new boyfriend, Roger, (Eric Roberts – The Dark Knight). Sarah’s mother, Karen (Dey Young – Pretty Woman) looks the other way. Roger toys with police Detective Sangrin (T.C. Stallings –War Room), who is desperate to find his own missing daughter.

Sarah escapes from Roger with help from some friends; including a boy she likes named Kenny (David Topp – Beverly Hills Canine Country Club).They guide her to The Academy, a safe place where she meets a mysterious horse, whose harrowing journey parallels her own. Sarah meets a closed group of young girls, who make her prove herself before being accepted. Her relationship with the horse promises healing until Roger is freed from jail. Sarah's life hangs in the balance as he hunts her down to re-join his dark empire. “UNBRIDLED” is inspired by a North Carolina Equine Assisted Psychotherapy program called Corral.

The teaser has 462,000 organic views on Facebook and YouTube and a rabid fan base. The team have identified at least three distinct audience segments: Horse Lovers, Anti-Human Traffic (Endorsements from The Salvation Army and Passage Out, etc.), and Faith-Based audiences.

The Director (Ware) can leverage a vast, worldwide network of filmmakers. He has built this network since 2003 through his amazing 168 Film Project which has launched 18,000 filmmakers. He has excellent ties to high level entertainment executives, faith-based organizations and churches, all who will get behind this film.

If this is of interest to you, John will have good availability starting the morning of Friday, Nov. 3 during AFM.