This morning we had breakfast in the same cafeteria as we had last night’s dinner. The buffet was much better this morning- or, perhaps, we had a better selection earlier in their hours. Ali forgot she doesn’t eat bacon and mistook the coffee pot for the tea pot and Matt forgot that grits aren’t the same as oatmeal. Other than that, the meal went off without a hitch. We were pleased to find that our $40 gift certificate to the gift shop (included in our Grand Canyon Railway package) could be used on anything, so we were able to buy a bottle of local wine, a souvenir bottle-opener, a deck of cards, and a postcard. The total was $40.17, so we did a pretty good job of getting the most out of the deal. The wine and cards would come in handy at our various stops in the middle of nowhere.
We didn’t eat until we were full because we knew we were going to have a selection of fruit and pastries in our parlor car on the train. Before boarding, we were subjected to a cowboy shoot-out skit on some bleachers in front of an old Western facade. The horses were nice. This part was clearly more for children, but we were comforted by another parlor-car perk that awaited us: a kid-free ride.
Indeed, once we boarded our car (called “Chief”), we found a spacious area with comfortable seating and peace and quiet. There were three other couples (one made up of an Australian woman and Californian man who met working in the American embassy in Paris, the other a retired couple from Mesa, AZ where Ali did her thesis research, and another from Scranton, PA), a mother and daughter (from Vegas), and an adult family of three (from Vermont- the daughter is a senior at WPI where Ali’s brother went to school). All of us had our own seating area and plenty of space. We enjoyed some mimosas and a little snack, then ventured out to the deck where the ride was a little scarier than inside. We had great weather, though, and it was nice to travel in a charming restored train.
Until the 1960s, the Grand Canyon Railroad out of Williams was the only way to get to the canyon. Once cars became more popular, the train line was taken out of commission until it was restored 20 years later by a family of benefactors. We appreciated the nostalgia, which was augmented by “train robbers”: and a “cowboy” who played accordion and harmonica and led us in a [mandatory] sing-a-long. We fit in a quick game of cards after the entertainment and were at Grand Canyon National Park in what seemed like no time at all.
We were surprised at how green the views were from the train and how cool it was outside. It wasn’t what we’d pictured but was still nice to see. When we arrived at the park, we boarded a tour bus that took us straight to the Maswik Lodge cafeteria for a buffet lunch. It was pretty mediocre- we both had some bland soup, mushy pasta, saucy meats, salad, and dry chocolate cake. It was included in the overall trip price, though, so it felt like a “free” lunch. We had a little more time to explore the lodge where we’d be staying the night before getting back on the bus to tour the canyon.
The bus took us all along the south rim and made three stops (the first two were 20 minutes and the last was 10 minutes). While the view was...grand...Ali was the first to get back on the bus after the first stop because we were swarmed with bugs that kept flying into her eye, nose, mouth, and shirt. We looked around and noticed everyone’s back and shoulders were covered. No amount of shooing did the trick, but at least they didn’t bite. Thankfully, they weren’t at the latter two stops or anywhere else we went.
Again, we were struck by the lack of protective barriers to prevent people from jumping and falling. We had our photo taken in one of the few railed areas. Of course, this practice makes for unobstructed viewing. However, we learned on the train that a three year old fell over the edge this week (and was somehow rescued conscious and unscathed) and a teenager perished last week. Everywhere we looked, people ventured as close to the edge as possible to try to get the perfect picture. Call us wimps, but we’ve had enough disaster for one summer.
Speaking of which, lightning is particularly common this time of year at the canyon, and we already saw some. We experienced a starless, moonless, and nearly street light-less walk in the wind and rain after dinner that was lit only by the occasional flash (which didn’t make us feel better). Oh well; it was an adventure.
After the bus trip, we did some more exploring and made dinner reservations. Since we were a little travel-weary and hungry already, we rested at the lodge’s pizza pub where we sampled local beer, shared a little pizza, and played cards. Apparently, the game Ali has always thought was “gin rummy” was an unidentified non-game. Matt set things straight and we played a couple hands before checking into our room. We liked the rustic feel right away with the cathedral ceilings and wood beams.
Dinner was at the oldest hotel and top-rated restaurant in the area- El Tovar. Continuously operating since 1905, this place gave us a chance to learn about the history of visiting the Grand Canyon. The building is right on the rim, so we had a lovely walk there around sunset. We played some more “real” rummy at the lounge until our reservations. The dining room was a high-ceilinged log structure complete with fireplaces and mounted animal heads. We thought that sharing a buffalo steak would be the most thematically appropriate choice. It was a good call, because we left full even though we split the meal between us. After dinner, we browsed the lodge’s gift shop and enjoyed some rocking chairs out on the wrap-around porch.
On our way home, we stopped at the Arizona Room bar for one more drink. This lounge was much more casual with more of a sports-bar feel and loud country rock. We were happy to return to our room (especially after wandering around the wet darkness) for a relaxing night in.
