Simple Machines

Every adventure begins somewhere. Often times in a very boring moment. In fact, boredom often is what breeds creativity. Our moment was during COVID lockdowns. It was the fall of 2020 and Grandpa Bob was staying with us and helping our son with his 1st grade science lessons. They were learning about the six types of simple machines and how these six concepts enable so many facets of our everyday lives.

If you’re racking your brain trying to remember all six they are: lever, inclined plane, wheel and axle, wedge, pulley and screw. My dad has his PhD in industrial engineering so he’s kind of a professional on these concepts. The two of them had been sitting at the dining room table which had a view back to the railroad tracks and trestle bridge and Grandpa looked over at the tracks and started talking about building something to ride on the tracks as a way to learn hands-on the power of simple machines. We grew up building catapults and other contraptions that made learning fun so it wasn’t a surprise. However, when we saw the HGTV Dream Home special at New Year’s featuring a fun activity called railbiking, we knew this idea had legs beyond a learning activity.

The rest of the story is really an entrepreneurial version of Laura Numeroff’s “If You Give A Moose a Muffin” book. One thing led to the next and the next until the ideas became reality. Several years of research, real estate, engineering, building, welding and so much hard work led to the experiences that we share each day with our guests. We’re a family that loves stories and we hope that ours inspires you to adventure, innovate and connect.