Grand Canyon

Posted by Sparky on November 7, 2012

I have seen photos of the Grand Canyon. I have now taken a few (ok, more than a few) myself. But even photos can’t capture the awesomeness of this place; you simply have to experience it yourself. I’m sure it ranks high on every list of the Greatest Places on Earth and it deserves to be there. It is #1 on my list.

Bur first… getting there.

Our initial plan was to stay in the RV park at Grand Canyon Village, right in the Grand Canyon National Park, and the next time we go we will do that as it would allow us to explore in a more leisurely fashion. But this time we opted to take the Grand Canyon Railway from Williams to the rim and had just over 3 hours to explore. It wasn’t enough to fully satisfy, but it was probably for the best. Three hours of jaw-dropping wonder can leave the jaw sore.

The train ride was a nice break from driving. Two hours to the rim – 65 miles – and two hours back. We opted for first class which gave us roomier accommodations, free soft drinks and snacks and more attention from the PSA. It was pricey – the list is $140 for a round-trip ticket (vs $75 for coach) – but was worth it for a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

It began with a “Wild West Show” that consisted of 4 guys humiliating one of the passengers and some banter about cheating about poker. It ended with a gunfight in which one of the cowboys was killed. Twice. The redid the gunfight so that passengers could get good photos of the action. Lame, but entertaining.

Twice-dead gunfighter

Sparky with gunfighter and horse. Sparky on the right.

As it turned out, the gunfighters (even the dead one) reappeared on the return trip to rob the train. The sheriff eventually appeared, too, to arrest the gunfighters. Again, lame but entertaining.

The train robbery

The train itself was very comfortable. It was pulled by a single diesel/electric locomotive and had six passenger coaches and one cafe car. We had a nearly-empty first class coach – there were 10 people in a car that seats over 100. Our PSA was a wonderfully droll woman who was working on her Master’s degree in Chemistry, was dating the fireman and had a daughter who was the PSA in the next car.

Did I mention that Williams is a *very* small town?

The train

Our coach

The hospitality table

The Grand Canyon depot

Jett on the train

Both of us, boarding to return

We saw some wildlife along the way – a herd of mule deer and an elk at the rim. But no coyote, which is what Jett really wanted to see.

Elk at the depot, through a pane of glass (look closely)

Once at the canyon we mostly walked the rim, but took time to have lunch at El Tovar, the very fine hotel in Grand Canyon Village. I had yellow-fin tuna with a prickly pear cumberland sauce that was superb, if surprisingly spicy – like blackened tuna, but with a glaze instead of a rubbing. Jett had a taco that was equally superb. The service was first-rate (Jett said it was “classic 5-star service”) and so was the view.

The view from our El Tovar table

Next to the hotel was Hopi House, which was a replica of a Hopi house (duh). It is a souvenir shop now.

El Tovar

Hopi House

The Canyon. Words don’t suffice. I will just make a couple of observations:

It is amazing that there aren’t more deaths. While the pathway is pretty level and paved, there are many places where you can easily walk right to the edge of oblivion. One slip and you’re a goner. As our PSA said, “If you fall, be sure to keep your eyes open… it is beautiful all the way down. And it is the last thing you will ever see.” There is a book – Over the Edge: Death in the Grand Canyon that chronicles all of the known deaths. It is updated every January.
The Walk of Time is interesting. This is a section of the path to the east of the depot where some rocks recovered from the canyon walls are displayed in order of age. The oldest is about 2 billion years old. The walk is on a scale where 1 step equals 1 million years, so it goes on for quite a distance.
The bottom of the canyon – the Colorado River – cannot be seen from the south rim at Grand Canyon Village. I was told that if you walk far enough east you will get a glimpse, but I did not have enough time. I find it amazing that as deep as it appears from the rim, it is actually even deeper.

That is all I have to say about the Grand Canyon. Here are some photos, including a couple that prove that we were actually there.