Kids, Trains and Motorcycles

My friend Chessie has a great post on train clubs, trains and motorcycles; it reminds me of how much I love trains (and of course motorcycles) as well.
How many of you remember hearing the train whistle when the train came through town? We always wanted to be in a spot to see it when it came by. It was even better when it crossed the street to the school- you had an automatic excuse for being late!
My dad and brothers had a train set when we were young; as much as I enjoyed watching them play with it, I never got to run it as much as I'd like-after all, I was a girl!
One of my favorite places to visit is Chattanooga - besides Rock City and Ruby Falls, they've got a great train museum downtown, complete with a miniature version of Chattanooga and the trains that run through her. You can also have lunch in a train car, or buy gifts in the gift shop.
And that brings me back around to motorcycles- as much as I loved trains as a girl, I loved motorcycles more. My older cousins always had bikes, and if I begged my mom enough, I could ride behind them.
I love to see kids' faces when I'm riding my bike. They almost always want to wave and smile (unless they're afraid of the noise) and of course, I wave back. The parents aren't always so friendly, but the kids are! One little boy in a Wal-Mart parking lot just kept yelling "hey motorcycle!" as I rode past.
Last year, when several of us were on a ride together, we stopped at a small gas station for a break before heading home. There were about ten of us, all in one corner, standing by our bikes, drinking water. A very small boy, about 3 or so, and his Nana, came out of the store, and started walking across the parking lot towards their van. All the way across, he kept yelling "Wild Hogs, Nana, Wild Hogs!" I walked over to them and asked if he'd like to come see our bikes a little closer, and he did. He wouldn't get too close (guess there were too many of us) but he did seem to enjoy looking at them.
I wonder what it is about our chemical makeup that makes us so drawn to bikes and trains? Do you think that maybe, even at that young age, we recognize that those things are outside "normal" for most folks? Or is it the sense of wonder and adventure we all have as children - when we see things that are different, we're drawn to it.
As we become teenagers and adults, most of us fight to fit in- we want to be just like everyone else, so folks don't think we're weird.
But for those few of us who want to be different... ah, the freedom to be who we want to be, no matter what anyone else thinks. Ride on!