It Doesn't Get Much Better Than This

A train ride and the Grand Canyon. Can you beat that? We are in Williams, Arizona, for four nights, specifically so we could ride the Grand Canyon Railroad to the Grand Canyon.





Our RV park, Railside RV Ranch, drove us to the depot. Before boarding, we were treated to a wild west shootout. These three western characters convinced a "wealthy" tourist to play poker so they could cheat him out of some money.



We boarded the dome car Coconio for the 2 1/4 hour ride north to the Grand Canyon. We had great views out of the dome car windows.



Clarence Clearwater, a Navajo, entertained us with songs in four languages--English, Navajo, Cajun French and German.



We pulled into the historic Grand Canyon Depot then walk upstairs (48 steps, we were warned) to the canyon rim.



We walked over for a quick view of the canyon,


then enjoyed a great lunch in the historic El Tovar Hotel dining room.



We will staying in Trailer Village at the Grand Canyon for three nights later this week. More great views of the canyon will be in future posts.

We walked the Rim Trail for a total of about four miles. Almost everyone there was taking pictures, whether with a regular digital camera, an iPad or iPhone.



At 3:15, we re-boarded the southbound Williams Flyer.



Our dome car seats included fruit, juice and pastries in the morning and snacks and a free sparkling wine serving in the afternoon. Here is our car attendant, Laura, pouring the wine.



Jesse Jacob Anderson picked a really mean banjo for the afternoon entertainment.



The morning card sharks tried to rob the train.



And we had a great view of snow-capped Mount Humphreys on the southbound trip.



We had a really fun and entertaining day. We recommend the train trip and look forward to spending more time at the Grand Canyon in a couple of days.