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A ride on the Washington Wine Express

We had barely left Elbe on the nearly full Washington Wine Express, and already we were feeling wobbly.

Elbe, Wash. — We had barely left Elbe on the nearly full Washington Wine Express, and already we were feeling wobbly.

“It rocks back and forth a little bit,” says Josh McMillan, here with friends for a bit of scenery and a great deal of sipping.

“They come around with the wine. You have these beautiful glasses. They give you sips to try,” says McMillan.

It doesn't seem long before the train rolls into Mineral, the home of the Mount Rainier Scenic Railroad where more wine is waiting.

There's also a catered lunch and a lot of happy people.

Pairing steam train rides with wine and beer tastings is apparently a big hit.

“We did this once last year, and it was such a success we decided this year to try several weekends of it, scattered out through the Spring Summer and Fall.” says Mt. Rainier Scenic Railroad assistant general manager Steven Butler.

Mount St Helens Cellars is pouring a popular blend called Sasquatch In A Bottle. It’s burly, bearded McMillan’s favorite and not just because of its taste.

“They’ve got my senior picture on the bottle,” he jokes. “I've shaved a bit since then, but you can see the resemblance a little bit still.”

Mt Rainier Scenic Railroad was selected Best Train Ride by the voters of the Pacific Northwest in the 2017 Best Northwest Escapes viewers poll.

Mount Rainier Scenic Railroad

54124 Mountain Hwy E

Elbe, WA 98330

(360) 569-7959

Reservations: M-F 6AM-6PM, Sat 7AM-3PM, Sun 11AM-3PM

Gift Shop: 10am-5pm THURS-SUNDAY

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