The Grand Canyon

Of all the National Parks we are visiting, the Grand Canyon is the superstar.  Prior to the trip, we booked seats on the Grand Canyon Railway.  (Not knowing what the weather would be by the time we got to the Canyon, we thought it would be better to let someone else drive.)  In addition, we signed up for a guided tour.  (Again, not knowing the weather and how busy the park would be, we thought it would be good to have things arranged in advance.)

The drive from Flagstaff to Williams was about 30 minutes and no traffic at all.

After getting our train tickets but before boarding, there was an old fashioned wild west shootout.  (A bit on the cheesy side, but it was included with the ticket.)

The Marshall (on the left) came in to save the day!

This was one of the RV parks that we would have stayed at if we brought the TeePee.

A few scenes from the 2.5 hour train trip to the Grand Canyon:

Lots of windmill farms

Once we reached the south rim of the Canyon, we hopped on the bus and drove through the village.

Donkeys you can hire to get down to the bottom of the Canyon.

All we can say is "WOW!"  Unbelievable, amazing, spectacular are also words used to describe the Grand Canyon.  We have been extremely fortunate with the weather and today was no exception.  Layers upon layers, billions of years old, ten miles wide, a mile deep, the Colorado River raging through the Canyon...it's kind of difficult to fathom it all!  But then to see the beautiful colors, all the levels and the untouched splendor.  (Be sure to click on the pictures to enlarge.)

Colorado River

We're getting pretty good at the self-portraits.

Can you find two rafts?

The first 'wild animal' we've seen.

The light colored squiggly lines in the lower half of the picture are hiking trails at the bottom of the Canyon.

The ziz-zag line on the right side of the picture is another hiking trail.

From a different point on the South Rim.

Hopi House

El Tovar hotel

It was really an incredible experience to spend some time at the Grand Canyon!

We hopped back on the train and proceeded to close our eyes for a few minutes, or so we thought.  All of a sudden, the train started to slow down and finally stop.  We couldn't believe we were already back in Williams!  Well, we weren't.  The train was stopped by three horsemen/train robbers!!

 They boarded the train and tried to collect from the passengers.

There were too many people who screamed like little girls that the robbers departed as quickly as they arrived.  (OK, another cheesy part of the train ride.)

If we had to do it again (at this same time of year), knowing what we know now, we would have driven to the Canyon from Williams and toured the Canyon on our own via the shuttle buses.  But it was a good experience and it all worked out well.

Tomorrow:  We head toward Las Vegas and hope to stop at the Hoover Dam.

Thanks to all of you who have followed along our crazy adventures.  :o)