Day 13, Wed, Oct 9, Route 66, Grand Canyon

Wednesday, October 9th, was Grand Canyon day. We purchased a package deal. One night at the Grand Canyon Railway Hotel, tickets to ride the Grand Canyon Railway non-stop to and from the Grand Canyon, entry into the park, and a bus tour around the South Rim with lunch included. This was an excellent way for us with only one day to play in the canyon. 

Hiking is a very appropriate term for getting around this property. The lobby for the hotel is in the middle of the property. On either side of the lobby is a two-story set of hotel rooms in a diamond shape. Our diamond set of hotel rooms was large enough for a huge courtyard in the middle. Our room was on the second floor of the farthest side of the diamond from the lobby. Claude dropped me and the luggage at the front door to the lobby. I waited while he parked the car and came back so we could both get luggage up to the room. The only parking place he could find was in the parking lot opposite the far diamond and way out in that lot.

Given this explanation, to check out we walked the entire diamond shape of the 2nd floor of our building, went down the elevator to the lobby and checked out, walked from the back door of the lobby past the other diamond shaped building of guest rooms to the outer edges of the parking lot on that side of the building to put our luggage in our car.

Now we needed to be where the western show would start at 9am. Back across that parking lot, back across the diamond shaped building of guest rooms, back past the back entrance to the lobby, back past our diamond shaped guest room building, across the parking lot on this side of the building to the bleachers facing a town front for the western show. The western show was from 9am to 9:15am.

When it was over, everyone had to find their train. There are several classes of train, each with a different price tag. We chose the 1923 Pullman Car because it fit the time period in which we were traveling. It was also the least expensive. Can you guess how far we had to hike to get to our 1923 Pullman. Let's just say we could see our car in the parking lot!!

We enjoyed our Pullman train ride. No air-conditioning. Well, you could open and close your window and you could raise and lower the shade. 

Our Porter was full of information and stories. He even had objects to pass around like prong-horn deer antlers. The photographer came around. Guitarists played and sang. Coloring books were given to children. There was a steady stream of people headed to the cafe car.

We learned there are three levels of vegetation between Williams and the Grand Canyon. In Williams, you have Ponderosa pines. Tall and beautiful. If they have dark bark, they are younger. When they get older, 100 years, their bark turns an orange color. In these areas they were under-burning. This is important for the trees and potential for forest fires. 

As you get further away from Williams, you find juniper.

In the middle you have the high plains with minimal vegetation. 

As you get closer to the Grand Canyon, you pass through juniper again. Then Ponderosa pine at the Grand Canyon.  This change in vegetation has to do with altitude. I never really felt like we climbed higher or went down hill. The vegetation told a different story. 

When we got to the Grand Canyon South Rim Village, the train depot is right in the center. Our tour bus was waiting for us. We opted for the Grand Tour as it included lunch. 

Amanda was our driver and guide. She moved to the Grand Canyon a couple of years ago and lives there permanently. The Grand Canyon is the only National Park with its own railway and depot. It also has about 1000 employees that live there year round. More are there in the summer peak times. It has a school with 1st thru 12th grades. The kids only go to school Monday thru Thursday.  They do have a jail! The most troublesome of animals in the park is the squirrel. It seems they charm the visitors into holding out their hands to give them food. The problem is the squirrels don't know where the food ends and the fingers begin. They have 30 medical visits each day for squirrel bites, some requiring stitches. Mind you squirrels can carry rabies, fleas, etc. They are wildlife people. The residents don't carve pumpkins and set them out for Halloween. The critters take them. Christmas lights get tangled in antlers so you don't see a lot of them.

Our bus took us to two view points. The first was Yaki. What a treat. This was Claude's first visit to Grand Canyon. He was really enjoying the views. Each viewpoint had several places to walk out and view the canyon. 

Our second stop was Yavapai. This viewpoint had a small museum.

The Havasupai live full time at the bottom of the canyon. They carried all the material down into the canyon to build this footbridge to connect the campground to the Havasupai Falls. 

We were taken to Mezwek Lodge for a nice buffet lunch. I am here to tell you that was the best Mr. Pibb ever!

At 3pm, we found our 1923 Pullman car and had our ride back to Williams.

This is a telephone pole and the glass pieces on the wooden cross piece are insulators through which the wires go. Papa used to climb and work on telephone poles like this.

The cowboy show before our train ride features the Cataract Gang and the sheriff. While on the ride back, the cowboys rode up to the train and boarded it to rob the passengers. You were to hide money on your person for them to find. It really is a way for them to get tips for their work. If our car was any indication, they would be well paid that day. The kids loved this. Holding their hands in the air and then giving money to the gang. Claude even joined in the fun.

Our train pulling into Williams. 

I mentioned earlier that the photographer came through as we journeyed to the Grand Canyon. She took pictures of Claude and me. We often don't purchase these items. This time, we did. There are really two poses set into different backgrounds. My favorite is the last one.

Once back at the station, we found our car and left Williams for the drive to Seligman, Arizona where our motel room awaited us.

In Seligman, we would stay in the Historic Route 66 Motel. It is truly the old style motel that has been kept in excellent shape. Some of the rooms have plaques on the indicating a famous person who stayed in that room. Our room had no such plaque. We are sure that they will now make one that says Claude & Sandi Christensen stayed here!!

Our dinner that evening was right next door. We walked to The Roadkill Cafe. 

A Grand Day!