This morning started out in Williams, where we knew we had an included breakfast before our train trip to the Grand Canyon. The breakfast was included because we prepaid. If you ever do this trip and you have a little bit of an adventurous spirit, skip the included breakfast and head to one of the places on Route 66. We had dinner at a place called Pine Country restaurant yesterday, and I would recommend that as a good alternative. We boarded the train’s Luxury Parlor Class car, the Max Biegert, which was apparently named after someone in the train company’s history. It was very cool. A woman with white gloves punched our tickets and directed us to our seats- or our little loveseat, more like, since we were seated on parlor furniture in the train car. We were regaled with her descriptions of the train company’s history, the significant things we were passing by and her stories. She was also a bit of a bartender, so Cas and I had mimosas to celebrate the journey. While on our train ride, there was a sheriff who walked by, spurs jingling, a singing cowboy named Tater who brought an acoustic guitar along and a conductor who looked like he had stepped off the set of a Disney movie.
The coolest thing about traveling Luxury Parlor Class on the Max Biegert car of the Grand Canyon Railroad is that you can hang off the back of the caboose like an old-timey politician campaigning for office. So we did. I even made campaign promises to the wind and the trees- Vote for me and I’ll set you free! (Pretty sure those were song lyrics, but I don’t think the wind or the trees will call me on it.)
Once we arrived at the Grand Canyon, we took our backpacks straight to the spot where the Arizona Steakhouse is located. Another thing we prepaid and pre-booked was a sunset tour this evening that included a lunch at that restaurant today. We had been advised to head straight to the restaurant so it wouldn’t fill up, so we did- but we had to walk over to the edge of the canyon first.
It has been 21 years for me and a lifetime for Cas, and it was absolutely breathtaking. You know intellectually before you see it that it is vast, glorious- a thing of natural splendor. But nothing on this earth can prepare you for how it is to stand there and take it all in. I have no comparisons in my mind that would help someone who hasn’t seen it wrap their heads around this size, the scale or the stunning beauty of it. It defies explanation. We stood there for a bit, took a few selfies, then headed into the Arizona Steakhouse for our pre-paid lunch.
The food was good, but the portions were far too large. I ate half of my sandwich and walked out wanting a nap more than anything. So that’s what we did. Cas and I checked in to our room at the Maswik Lodge and set a 30 minute timer. Naps are magic.
After that, we headed to meet our Sunset Tour bus driver. Aaron was a big, jovial fellow who was a font of information and corny jokes. We were to have four stops on the sunset tour, but he cut it to three because of the weather. The clouds had been threatening rain all day, in fact, and they followed through about halfway through our tour. Cas and I were the only ones in the group who brought umbrellas, affording us longer periods of time to linger and take in some amazing views without a lot of company. The trade-off, though, was the cold wind. There was one stop where Aaron was certain we could all head to a gift show and get a hot beverage. Of course, we arrived at the gift shop just as the cashier announced that they were out of hot beverages. Really batting a thousand. When we got back to the lodge, it was dark, wet and cold. Sounds to me like time to eat and pack it in until tomorrow. We had some hot tea here in the room, and I happen to have a few mini-bottles of wine we picked up in Williams, so we’re enjoying the warm room and the warming-us-up beverages. Tomorrow’s forecast isn’t looking too sunny, but we’ll cross that bridge when we get to it. If the weather stinks, there’s a museum we can check out. We have dinner reservations all set, and the shuttle buses look to be warm and dry. Either way it goes down, this canyon sure is grand, and I am happy to be here. Maybe we’ll sleep in, walk with our umbrellas to the edge of a big ol’ hole in the ground and stare down while drinking our morning coffee. Maybe we’ll just sleep late. Either way, it’s a beautiful place to be.
Check out our pictures: https://photos.app.goo.gl/4BZaPckogdVf4gtX7
No comments:
Post a Comment