Thursday, January 24: Day 1
Happy Birthday today to Jesse Fairfax! Jesse and his wife, Nancy, are the volunteer coordinators that we worked with when we went to Lady Lake, Florida, to help build a church. He is spending his 79th birthday working with a group of volunteers in Hollywood, Florida.
We were up at 5:00 a.m., ready to begin a new adventure. For the past three weeks, Barbara has been planning another trip for us, one that would take us on a couple of train rides and give us the opportunity to visit with friends along the way.
Even before our retirement in 2006, we had talked about taking an Amtrak ride somewhere. We mapped out routes along the Gulf Coast (out of the question now because of Katrina damage), to Chicago, or out west to California. None of those trips ever materialized, but now we have the time and opportunity.
Barbara, the ultimate trip researcher, found that Amtrak tickets for a westbound trip out of Albuquerque were only half-price this time of the year. Further research got us information about great rates on an excursion train from Williams, Arizona, to the Grand Canyon, including three nights lodging, several buffet meals, and a motorized coach tour of the South Rim.
In addition to these experiences, we could also take the opportunity to travel south to the Phoenix area to visit with Kelly’s parents (we had visited them at their home in December of 2006, and they came out to visit us in Richmond last summer when we were there to see Mike), and to travel out to Laughlin, Nevada, to see our former Liberal friends, Therese and Bill, who are teaching in Las Vegas.
Our plan was to drive the Vibe from Artesia to Albuquerque, leave it at a long-term parking facility, board the train, and take off on our new adventure. When we couldn’t get information from Amtrak about available parking (except that they had none), I decided to call my old college friends Bob and Teresa to see what they could tell me about parking in downtown Albuquerque. Bob immediately told me that any kind of long-term parking in that part of town was risky at best, and offered to let us leave the Vibe at their house and he and Teresa would drive us to the new Amtrak station and come pick us up at the end of the trip.
And so, it was finally time to put the plan into action. After getting ourselves ready, packing the car, and closing Big V up, we headed over to Mother’s house to say goodbye. We stopped at the mailbox when we got to the highway; the mail hadn’t come yet, but we could see the car stopped down the road, so we thought we’d come back after we visited with Mother and gone to Sonic to get some breakfast…only a couple minutes out of the way, and then we’d be on the road.
Mother was doing just fine this morning; she was up and around when we got there, so we visited for a few minutes and then left, hoping to get on the road before the weather got too bad (it was already beginning to spit some snow around town).
We went to Sonic and ordered a couple of breakfast burritos…something quick and easy, right? We have forgotten to mention something really unique about our Sonic in previous journal entries…their unspoken motto must be, “Our service may be slow, but the orders will always be wrong!”
After waiting far longer than we should have, we got the order and decided we’d wait until we got on the road to eat…first, we needed to go back out toward the place to check our mail, and then we could be on our way.
As we got to the mailbox, the phone started ringing. I got out to open the mailbox while Barbara answered…it was Ernie, wanting to know if we’d remembered to leave the extra garage door opener at Mother’s house (something I’d told him last night I’d do). Of course, I hadn’t done that, so I told him we’d run it by his house in a few minutes. First though, we thought we should go back to Big V and turn off the water at the main faucet, just in case it got too cold and the hose should burst while we were gone.
Having accomplished that little chore, we crossed the lot to Jean’s house, gave her some mail that had come for her, said goodbye, and got back into the Vibe to leave again. But wait…as we were getting ready to pull away, I noticed that the TV antenna was still raised on Big V…something that could be disastrous during high winds, so we once more went back so I could go inside and lower the antenna.
Finally, we were on the way (kind of), but first we had to go by Ernie and Billee’s house to drop off the garage door opener. As we got closer to their house, I looked in the back seat and saw two large bags of trash that we were supposed to have dropped in the dumpster at Mother’s house on the first trip to town this morning. Obviously, we didn’t have it all quite together!
We got to Ernie’s house, gave him the opener and I took the trash out to his dumpster, and then we said goodbye and were finally on our way out of town, ready to eat our breakfast, which was probably not too warm when we picked it up earlier, and now was certainly on the cool side.
Remember what I said earlier about our Sonic? Once again they fulfilled their motto…not only had the service been slow, but my Big Breakfast Burrito was quite unlike any I’d ever had…it consisted of a slab of egg, two sausage patties, and a slice of cheese, all rolled up in a flour tortilla…the only thing chopped or slice in the whole thing was the jalapenos, and that’s because they came out of a jar that way. Oh well, it was breakfast, and we were ready for it.
We were finally on our way at 9:35 a.m., only an hour or so after first leaving Big V. Luckily, the trip to Albuquerque was generally uneventful. We hit some snow around Roswell, but it cleared up and we even saw some patches of blue sky around Vaughn. We hit more snow as we got close to Clines Corner…enough that we started to get concerned about road conditions, but didn’t have any problems as we headed west on I-40.
As we got close to Albuquerque we called Bob and Teresa to get directions to their house. We’d been there in August, but from a different direction, so we weren’t too sure. Bob gave a great set of directions, and we were soon at their place out on the west central side of the city.
After visiting a few minutes, we transferred our luggage to their van, parked the Vibe, and left in
their van to go to the Amtrak station in downtown Albuquerque. Bob told us that they had just opened the new station last Thursday, so he wanted to see what they’d done with it.At the station, we unloaded everything, got checked in, and settled in to wait for the train’s arrival from Chicago. We’d heard all kinds of stories about how late the trains run, so we were prepared to be there for the long-haul, but ours got there right on time at 3:30. The departure was scheduled for 4:45, so we had more than enough time to get seat assignments, load our carry-on baggage, and explore our new transportation.
To backtrack a little (actually, a whole lot), the last time I rode an American train was in July, 1966, and that was between Portales and Artesia, back in the days when Santa Fe still had passenger service between Clovis and Carlsbad, New Mexico. Barbara and Leah had ridden from Washington, D.C., to Boston back in the early 90’s, so both of us could be considered novice train riders at this point.
I also need to point out that I had harbored considerable doubts about this trip. Even if the fare was only half-price, I didn’t see the point in going from one cold part of the country to another part that was even colder. Still, it sounded as if it might have its interesting moments, so I let her do the planning and agreed to go along with the idea.
So, we found ourselves ready for the next leg of the adventure, preparing to board the Amtrak Southwest Chief in Albuquerque for five and one half hour run to Flagstaff, Arizona, where we would settle in for a couple of nights, get a rental car, and continue the adventure.
The first thing we noticed was that all the Amtrak folks were very friendly and helpful, and willing to answer any questions we might have.
Next, we found that the atmosphere around the
station was very informal. There were security officers around, but they weren’t at all intrusive. People wandered in and out of the station, on and off of the train, and up and down the boarding platform, where there were several booths of Indian jewelry, weavings, and other curios. It was almost a carnival atmosphere!By 4:25 we had explored all of our new surroundings – the coach to which we had been assigned, the lounge car just ahead of us, and the dining car, and were settled in our seats, reading, and waiting for Train No. 3 to pull away from the station.
With a blast of the horn, the train pulled out on time at 4:45 p.m. As we rolled slowly down the tracks toward the west side of Albuquerque, we listened to the annou
ncements from the conductor, and then got up to go to the lounge car to see what we could see of the scenery before it got dark. Did I mention that we also had the camera along with us? Of course, you probably knew that already. That’s how we got this great shot of the sun setting over the western mountains.After we had been rolling for a while, the dining car steward came through the cars taking reservations for dinner. Always the skeptic, I had already decided that I’d just as soon go downstairs to the snack bar and grab a sandwich instead of spending good money on bad food, but, before we left Artesia, Jean told Barbara (and me) that we should go for the whole experience. So, I gave in and agreed to go to the 6:30 p.m. seating in the dining car and see what happened.
What we found, as the time rolled by and our seating time was called, was that there was a wonderful menu with acceptable prices, and an added bonus – we were seated with a couple of
delightful ladies who had boarded at Lamar. Tillie and Shirley, mother and daughter, live in Bristol, Colorado, and were very familiar with the southwest Kansas area, including Liberal. We spent well over an hour visiting with each other and enjoying a wonderful meal as we rolled westward. Our meal choice for the evening…salad, rolls, a plate of delicious tortellini, and apple crisp for desert…another of my assumptions shot to heck!We returned to our seats for the remainder of the ride and arrived at Flagstaff around 10:15. After a couple of phone calls and a 45-minute wait, the taxi sent by the hotel came to pick us up and take us to the Holiday Inn Express, our home away from home while in Flagstaff.
Still excited from the ride (and braced by the cold mountain air), we were up until past midnight, first talking through everything we had done during the day, and then reading until we finally fell asleep.
Friday, January 25: Day 2
I woke up at 7:30 this morning and started moving around. Although we had nothing on the agenda except to get our rental car, I wanted to go on downstairs and try the hotel’s complimentary breakfast. In the course of my getting ready, I woke Barbara up, only to find out that she had gotten up at 5:15 and had just gotten back to sleep around 7:00…oops!
I went on downstairs to eat (and see if I could get a good wireless connection down there…I was having trouble keeping an internet connection while in the room). After eating my meal, I grabbed a couple of cinnamon rolls and brought them back to the room so Barbara could have some breakfast.
I had looked out our window earlier and thought that the view was prett
y spectacular (as long as I was looking up at the mountains and not down at the highway traffic), but didn’t bother to get the camera out. What I found out when I got back was that Barbara had already taken a couple of shots of the morning sun hitting the snow-covered mountains just to the north of us…a really beautiful sight.We spent the rest of the morning doing not much of anything…just lazing around, working at the computers, and reading the newspaper…exciting stuff, huh.
By noon we were dressed and ready to go pick up the rental car. Luckily for us, the office for Alamo Rentals is in the hotel, so we didn’t have to go traipsing around town to find it. The folks down there were very helpful, and within a few minutes we were in the car and ready to go exploring.
We headed toward the historic district, but decided we weren’t in the mood to just walk around the town, so we drove up the mountainside to the Lowell Observatory. We knew that it was here from previous trips that we had made through Flagstaff, but had never stopped to see what it
was all about.What we found was a beautiful astrophysics research center staffed with friendly, helpful people who gave us a series of great science (and local history) lessons during the two hours that we were on the grounds.
The Lowell Observatory, located in Flagstaff, was founded in 1894 by Percival Lowell (of the Lowell, Massachusetts Lowells). He was an astronomer who popularized the idea that Mars might support intelligent life, and spent a great deal of time, effort, and money to study and map the Red Planet. His original telescope, built in the late eighteenth century, is still in operation.
Lowell was convinced that water from the melting polar icecaps on Mars was flowing down to the equatorial regions of the planet through a series of canals. He determined that intelligent life had all moved to the equatorial regions in order to be sustained by the water supply there. His science, although highly researched, proved to be faulty, but it did spawn a new literary genre’, science fiction. H.G. Wells’ War of the Worlds and Edgar Rice Burroughs’ Barsoom (his name for Mars) series were predicated on the work of Lowell.
It was also at the Lowell Observatory that a young Kansas farmer, Clyde Tombaugh, discovered the planet Pluto in 1930. Tombaugh was born Streator, Illinois. After his family moved to Burdett, Kansas (located on Kansas Highway 156 between Garden City and Larned), he built his first telescope and sent drawings of his observations of Jupiter and Mars to the observatory. His work resulted in a job offer at the observatory, where he was employed from 1929 until 1945.
After discovering Pluto, Tombaugh went back to school and earned astronomy degrees at the University of Kansas and Arizona State College, now Northern Arizona University. He taught astronomy at New Mexico State University from 1955 until he retired in 1973.Some of Tombaugh’s ashes are being carried on
the New Horizons spacecraft which is currently traveling toward Pluto.From Mars Hill (site of the observatory), we drove back down into Flagstaff to return to the hotel, where we spent the rest of the afternoon alternately napping and reading.
This evening: work on the journal, read, and watch TV.
Right Photo: View of Flagstaff from Mars Hill.
Barbara: I wanted to put this collage in as I liked these photos.
Top left: We both got to see the sun safely through a red filter on this telescope. Wow!Top right and middle left: Our train was a double-decker and Jim and I were assigned seats upstairs. Definitely handy, as the lounge car was one car ahead of us and 2 cars up was the dining room.
Middle: We took this at the Amtrak Station in Albuquerque before the train arrived.
Right middle: I’m standing in the lounge car…notice the windows above which give you a great view of the sky.
Bottom right: Jim and I in the dining car.
Saturday, January 26: Day 3
Birthday Greetings go out today to son-in-law Jim Farnham in Lenexa, Kansas!
It was a really lazy morning for us. We took our time getting around, eating breakfast, packing, etc. since we weren’t on any kind of schedule.
Around 10:00 a.m. we were finally packed and ready to pull away from our hotel and leave the
cold and snow of Flagstaff for Phoenix. We had snow alongside the road for about 35 miles on Interstate 17, but then the temperatures came up into the mid-40s and it got quite comfortable.At Exit 289 we pulled off to go to the Montezuma Castle National Monument. We had passed it on a previous trip and decided that it would make a nice break; but, it turned out to be much more than that.
Montezuma Castle is considered to be the best-preserved cliff dwelling in the United States. It was built by the Sinagua Indian culture over 600 years ago. Situated above the Verde River, this ancient dwelling is 5 stories tall and has 20 rooms.
The Sinaguas, a peaceful farming culture, lived in the area from the 12th century until the early 1400s. No one seems to know what caused them to leave or where they went, but there is some indication through Hopi story-telling that many of them might have been assimilated by that culture.
The area around the monument is very peaceful, with the Verde River meandering slowly along the base of the
cliffs, cutting through quiet meadows. There is a wide variety of native vegetation, with giant Arizona Sycamore trees being a dominant feature.Leaving the monument after a visit of an hour or so, we continued south on I-17 to the northern edge of Phoenix where we broke away on Loop 101 to make our way to David and Jan’s house to visit with them for the rest of the weekend.
David and Jan (Kelly’s parents) are wonderful hosts. We had stayed with them when we went to California in December of 2006, and they visited us when we were all in Richmond last summer to see Mike and Kelly.
One of the first things Jan showed us was her new motor scooter. She earned her motorcycle endorsement last year but decided to sta
rt small and work up to one of the larger bikes. We talked her into taking a short spin so we could take some pictures, and then she twisted my arm until I was “forced” into taking a short ride myself.After a couple hours of talking and getting caught up on all the latest news, David said that they were going to take us out to a local barbecue place, Joe’s Real B-B-Q. Joe’s features good family dining with a variety of pecan-smoked meats and all the trimmings.
We got there a little after 5:00 p.m. and the line was already out the door. Shortly after we finally got served and seated, we noticed that the line extended down the sidewalk and around the corner; it was still like that when we left! While the barbecue wasn’t quite as good as what David fixed for us on the last visit, it was certainly well above average; we’d recommend a visit to Joe’s to anyone who happens to find themselves in the Phoenix area.
Following our meal, David and Jan took us out east of Phoenix to meet and visit with their other daughter, Jennifer, and her family.
Following our meal, David and Jan took us out east of Phoenix to meet and visit with their other daughter, Jennifer, and her family.
Jennifer, Zach (her husband), and their daughter Rachel had moved to Phoenix in October of 2006, but we hadn’t had the chance to meet them yet. Now, they also have new-born Brooke as part of their family
Jennifer and Zach were a lot of fun to visit with, and we also had a good time playing with Rachel. As soon as she found out that we were related to Mike, the doors were wide open…it turns out that 2 year-old Rachel is crazy about Mike.
It was also very obvious that Rachel is crazy about her
grandparents, and it wasn’t long before she was giving David a real workout!
All good things must come to an end, and we left Zach and Jennifer’s house around 8:30 to head back to the house in Gilbert. With plans to be up early to attend church together, it didn’t take long after we got “home” for all of us to head to our rooms and get ready for bed.
Sunday, January 27: Day 4
What a wonderful morning! After a nice breakfast, we all headed over to Gateway Fellowship, SBC, David and Jan’s church. We attended the early church service and were completely drawn in by the friendliness of the people, an inspiring music service, and great preaching…a combination that we really needed.
After the church service, we all met for Sunday school with David and Jan’s class. David was teaching the lesson this morning, so that had extra meaning for us.
We went back to the house and had a nice lunch and more conversation until it was time for us to get back on the road toward Williams, Arizona, our destination for the night. It had been raining all day and the weather was predicted to deteriorate the farther north we drove, so we felt we needed to get on the way, so we said our goodbyes to wonderful friends and hit the road again.
All I can say about the ride from Phoenix to Williams is that it was one of the most nerve-wracking drives I’ve made in a long time. It rained constantly (and much of the time heavily) all the way. At the higher elevations, the clouds settled in on top of us and visibility was low. On top of that, we were worried about when we would run into the snow and ice that was bound to greet us as we got closer to Flagstaff.
Luckily for us, the snow and ice never materialized, but the wet highway took its toll on other drivers. We saw at least five accidents along the way…all of which appeared to be the result of excessive speed resulting in loss of control and spin-outs. We also saw several rockslides, but managed to avoid the large rocks that found their way out in the travel lanes.
Around 4:30 we stopped in Flagstaff so we could take a call from Mike, and then we headed west
on I-40 to Williams and our home for the night, the Grand Canyon Railway Hotel, where it finally began snowing just minutes after our arrival.
After checking in and finding our room, we went across the way to Max and Thelma’s Restaurant for a delicious buffet dinner and then returned to the hotel where we did some exploring before going to our room for the night.
Monday, January 28: Day 5
It’s adventure time! Today we got up early to begin a new round of adventures on the Grand Canyon Railway.
First, we made our way through the blowing snow to Max and Thelma’s Restaurant for our buffet breakfast; and then returned to the room to do the final packing of everything we thought we needed for an overnight trip to Grand Canyon.
After taking our luggage to the lobby, where it would be picked up and transferred to the train, we did some exploring around the train station and the gift shops. We were supposed to have an “Old West Gunfight” before boarding the train, but the snow and high winds put a stop to that. It seems that nearly all the employees were busy helping to clear the platform so the passengers would be able to get safely aboard and depart on time at 10:15.
Jennifer and Zach were a lot of fun to visit with, and we also had a good time playing with Rachel. As soon as she found out that we were related to Mike, the doors were wide open…it turns out that 2 year-old Rachel is crazy about Mike.
It was also very obvious that Rachel is crazy about her
grandparents, and it wasn’t long before she was giving David a real workout!All good things must come to an end, and we left Zach and Jennifer’s house around 8:30 to head back to the house in Gilbert. With plans to be up early to attend church together, it didn’t take long after we got “home” for all of us to head to our rooms and get ready for bed.
Sunday, January 27: Day 4
What a wonderful morning! After a nice breakfast, we all headed over to Gateway Fellowship, SBC, David and Jan’s church. We attended the early church service and were completely drawn in by the friendliness of the people, an inspiring music service, and great preaching…a combination that we really needed.
After the church service, we all met for Sunday school with David and Jan’s class. David was teaching the lesson this morning, so that had extra meaning for us.
We went back to the house and had a nice lunch and more conversation until it was time for us to get back on the road toward Williams, Arizona, our destination for the night. It had been raining all day and the weather was predicted to deteriorate the farther north we drove, so we felt we needed to get on the way, so we said our goodbyes to wonderful friends and hit the road again.
All I can say about the ride from Phoenix to Williams is that it was one of the most nerve-wracking drives I’ve made in a long time. It rained constantly (and much of the time heavily) all the way. At the higher elevations, the clouds settled in on top of us and visibility was low. On top of that, we were worried about when we would run into the snow and ice that was bound to greet us as we got closer to Flagstaff.
Luckily for us, the snow and ice never materialized, but the wet highway took its toll on other drivers. We saw at least five accidents along the way…all of which appeared to be the result of excessive speed resulting in loss of control and spin-outs. We also saw several rockslides, but managed to avoid the large rocks that found their way out in the travel lanes.
Around 4:30 we stopped in Flagstaff so we could take a call from Mike, and then we headed west
on I-40 to Williams and our home for the night, the Grand Canyon Railway Hotel, where it finally began snowing just minutes after our arrival.After checking in and finding our room, we went across the way to Max and Thelma’s Restaurant for a delicious buffet dinner and then returned to the hotel where we did some exploring before going to our room for the night.
Monday, January 28: Day 5
It’s adventure time! Today we got up early to begin a new round of adventures on the Grand Canyon Railway.
First, we made our way through the blowing snow to Max and Thelma’s Restaurant for our buffet breakfast; and then returned to the room to do the final packing of everything we thought we needed for an overnight trip to Grand Canyon.
After taking our luggage to the lobby, where it would be picked up and transferred to the train, we did some exploring around the train station and the gift shops. We were supposed to have an “Old West Gunfight” before boarding the train, but the snow and high winds put a stop to that. It seems that nearly all the employees were busy helping to clear the platform so the passengers would be able to get safely aboard and depart on time at 10:15.
On September 17, 1901, rail service began between Williams, Arizona, and the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. Initially, two trains a day carried passengers and supplies to the canyon, but there were also as many as six special trains a day that might make the journey. Operating as a subsidiary of the Atchinson Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad Company, the Grand Canyon Railway was the preferred means of reaching the canyon until the early 1950s, when automobile travel soon surpassed the rails as a favorite way of travel.
On June 30, 1968, Train No. 14, with a diesel locomotive pulling just one baggage car and one coach car, left the Grand Canyon Station with only three passengers aboard, and began the final run down the 65 miles of track to Williams. The golden age of rail travel to the canyon was over.
The tracks lay dormant and deteriorating until the late 1980s, when Max and Thelma Biegert, realizing the need of train service and wanting to b
olster a sagging economy in Williams, pledged nearly all their assets toward bringing the railway back to life, and on September 17, 1989, 88 years to the day from the first train to run to the canyon, the new Grand Canyon Railway began operation. Now, nearly a quarter of a million passengers ride the line each year.Current service includes several classes of travel, from the basic coach service to the refurbished Luxury Parlor car. Passengers have a variety of snacks and drinks available, depending on the class they choose, and entertainers travel throughout the cars on each of the runs.
The ride today took us through the mountains surrounding Williams, across arid plateaus, and into great stands of Ponderosa Pines before rolling onto the South Rim. Our entertainment today
was provided by Jesse, an accomplished banjo picker and singer, as well as by Ernie, our car attendant. The songs, jokes, and visits with the passengers helped while away the two-hour ride. Upon arrival at the canyon, we immediately transferred to a bus for a one and a half hour tour of the rim. Our tour was hampered somewhat by the storm that was blowing in, so we didn’t get to make some of the usual stops. However, our driver did stop at some of the turnouts, and the hardiest (or most foolish) among us got out to take pictures.
Luckily, Barbara and I had dressed for the occasion, but even then it was bitterly cold. Along the tour route we experienced 30-40 miles per hour winds and horizontal snow, with wind chills in the single digits. I certainly enjoyed the use of my hat that Kelly brought me from Russia last year!
After traveling out to Hermits Rest on the western end of the rim, we returned to Grand Canyon Village and our home for the night, a room at Maswik Lodge. Our luggage had already been delivered to the room, so all we had to do was crank up the heater, unpack our things, and get ready to do some more exploring.
We caught one of the village buses and rode the full circuit to get our bearings for tomorrow’s adventure, but did stop and explore the area around the Yavapai Observation Station.
Unfortunately, we couldn’t observe much, as the clouds and snow obliterated any view of the canyon. (If you look carefully at the photo on the right, you can see the snow melting on the window.)
We returned to our room and spent the night watching TV, reading, working on the journal, and occasionally looking outside where the winds had increased to 40 – 60 miles per hour and the snow was coming down even harder. We even experienced a couple of power failures during the evening, but each time we got the power back in just a few minutes.
Millions of words have been written in an attempt to describe Grand Canyon, but nothing can take the place of standing on the rim and being in the middle of that vast panorama of magnificent beauty. The following collages show some of the scenery we experienced on today’s trip.
First are scenes from the depot in Williams and along the 65-miles of track to the canyon rim.
We returned to our room and spent the night watching TV, reading, working on the journal, and occasionally looking outside where the winds had increased to 40 – 60 miles per hour and the snow was coming down even harder. We even experienced a couple of power failures during the evening, but each time we got the power back in just a few minutes.
Millions of words have been written in an attempt to describe Grand Canyon, but nothing can take the place of standing on the rim and being in the middle of that vast panorama of magnificent beauty. The following collages show some of the scenery we experienced on today’s trip.
First are scenes from the depot in Williams and along the 65-miles of track to the canyon rim.
The next scenes are from our travels along the rim today, and show some of the beautiful rock and strata formations.
The Grand Canyon extends some 277 miles along the route of the Colorado River. While there are deeper canyons in the world (Grand Canyon is approximately one mile deep from the rim to the riverbed), none are longer. At its widest, the canyon stretches 17 miles from the south rim to the north rim.The canyon is a vast and important geological study. What is truly unique about the geological record at Grand Canyon is the variety of rocks present, the clarity with which they are exposed, and the complex geological story they reveal.
The crumbling remains of rocks along parts of the river bed date back two billion years. A geologic timeline up until the last 270 million years is exposed in the layers as they reach from the riverbed to the rim. It is still uncertain (at least among some factions of the geological community) whether the evidence relating to the past 270 million years has eroded away, or whether those rocks were never deposited. The canyon itself is some 5 – 6 million years old.
The final collage shows us enjoying the beauty of this great national park. (and the cold!)
Tuesday, January 29: Day 6Happy 1st Birthday to great grandson, Rhett, in Hobbs, NM.
We woke up to a beautiful winter wonderland this morning. The winds had stopped and the new snow covered the ground everywhere we looked…must have been about four inches of snow last night, but it was all horizontal, so we couldn’t tell what things would be like until we got up.
After getting everything packed, we walked over to the main lodge to check out and get some breakfast in the Maswik cafeteria.
Following breakfast, we decided to make the 5-minute walk down to the canyon rim to start our day’s explorations. We could have waited for the bus, but with clear blue skies and no wind, we thought a walk was in order.
The Rim Trail is a moderate hiking trail extending approximately 13 miles from Pipe Creek Vista in the east to Hermits Rest in the west. Since we had seen many of the views of the canyon along the Hermits Rest Trail when we took the bus ride yesterday, we thought we’d go to that trailhead and work our way back toward the east through the edge of Grand Canyon Village and on to Yavapai Observation Station. We had also been to Yavapai yesterday evening, but couldn’t see even the edge of the canyon because of the blowing snow.
Our hike today was about three miles, but most of the trail was covered with ice and snow, so we just took our time. With timeouts for pictures and taking a breath every now and then (the 7,000-foot altitude is rough on those who aren’t acclimated to it); we made the trip in about two and a half hours.
After getting everything packed, we walked over to the main lodge to check out and get some breakfast in the Maswik cafeteria.
Following breakfast, we decided to make the 5-minute walk down to the canyon rim to start our day’s explorations. We could have waited for the bus, but with clear blue skies and no wind, we thought a walk was in order.
The Rim Trail is a moderate hiking trail extending approximately 13 miles from Pipe Creek Vista in the east to Hermits Rest in the west. Since we had seen many of the views of the canyon along the Hermits Rest Trail when we took the bus ride yesterday, we thought we’d go to that trailhead and work our way back toward the east through the edge of Grand Canyon Village and on to Yavapai Observation Station. We had also been to Yavapai yesterday evening, but couldn’t see even the edge of the canyon because of the blowing snow.
Our hike today was about three miles, but most of the trail was covered with ice and snow, so we just took our time. With timeouts for pictures and taking a breath every now and then (the 7,000-foot altitude is rough on those who aren’t acclimated to it); we made the trip in about two and a half hours.
After we got to Yavapai Observation Station, we boarded the shuttle bus and headed back downtown to the train depot to rest and wait for our boarding call. Since we had quite a bit of time before the train was scheduled to leave, we walked up the hill to the El Tovar Hotel. We’d heard a lot about it and wanted to see what the fuss was all about. And, while the El Tovar, described by some as “the architectural jewel of the Grand Canyon, is a beautiful place, we felt that we had done quite well ourselves by staying at the Maswik Lodge.
Barbara decided she would go back down the hill and wait at the train station, but I was up for some more walking, so I hiked back over to the rim and backtracked to where we had started our morning hike at the Hermits Rest trailhead. I was fascinated by the number of hikers who were taking the Bright Angel Trail down to the canyon. The trail was still covered with ice and snow, and warnings were out for hikers to wear crampons to help manage their footing. I wandered a few yards down the trail just to see what it looked like from below the rim, but decided that discretion was very much the better part of valor today, and climbed back up to the main trail. I’d still like to hike to the bottom of the canyon someday, but it’s going to have to be at a time when the conditions are better.
By 3:00 p.m. most of the passengers on the afternoon train were back at the station, all of us wanting to get out of the cold and into a nice warm railway car. The station has a very small waiting room, so there were about 20 people inside and 400 standing around outside.
We were given the “all aboard” call at 3:15 and started making our way to our car. When Barbara made our reservations for this excursion, she booked us into the Luxury Parlor Car for our return trip. We entered the car from the open-air platform at the rear and found ourselves in an elegant setting with parlor seats and small tables, beautiful wood walls and luxurious carper. In our section we had a small table laden with fresh fruit and a selection of crackers, cheeses, vegetables, and dips. Carol, our friendly service attendant, also provided soft drinks and sparkling cider or champagne during the trip.About halfway back to Williams the train came to a stop. We had been told that sometimes the train makes unscheduled stops because of livestock along the route, which is all unfenced prairie and ranchland. If the train hits a cow, the Grand Canyon Railway is held responsible and must pay the owner the going rate for a cow of that age, size, and weight, with the price ranging from $700 to $1,800. I guess it wouldn’t take very many “cow collisions” to make a pretty deep cut in daily profits for the railway!
Once we got underway again, we were treated to an old-fashioned train hold-up. Luckily, the robbers were somewhat inept, and it didn’t take long for the sheriff to get things back under control. One of the robbers tried to pass himself off as Barbara’s traveling companion (see collage above...She is trying to bribe the robber with a Hawthorne Suites pen instead of cash).
Once the excitement of the “great train robbery” had subsided, we were treated to more
entertainment, this time by a country singer/guitarist who did pretty good imitations of Johnny Cash, Tennessee Ernie Ford, and Marty Robbins. He treated us to the Reader’s Digest version of El Paso – “Out in the West Texas town of El Paso, I fell in love, killed a man, and got shot.” Now, that just about says it all!We pulled into the Williams Depot right on schedule at 5:45 and headed back to our hotel room to await the arrival of our luggage. Once it arrived, we undertook the chore of repacking everything for the next leg of our trip. Then, it was back to Max and Thelma’s Restaurant for our evening buffet meal.
The rest of the evening was spent sitting in the great room of the hotel, enjoying a blazing fire in the fireplace and checking our email. While we were there we visited
some more with two new friends we had made on a shuttle trip in the Grand Canyon, a couple of Japanese boys who were crossing the United States on Amtrak. They had flown into New York a couple of weeks ago and were visiting cities and national parks along the Amtrak route to Los Angeles. Since they were leaving tonight to go back up to Flagstaff to catch the westbound train, we took time out to talk to them some more and get our pictures made with them.
What courage it must take for a couple of young kids to strike out like that to go travel through another country! I’m sure nothing like that ever crossed our minds when we were that age.
Finally for this day, we offer a collage of just a few of the pictures from our hike this morning. As we said before, millions of words have been written to try to describe something that is truly indescribable. These pictures are only a means to show some of the views of the ever-changing grandeur that is the Grand Canyon.
Wednesday, January 30: Day 7
We don’t know why, but we both woke up early this morning. Our plan was to sleep in, have a leisurely breakfast, pack the car, and then head west on I-40 toward Kingman, Arizona and then to Laughlin, Nevada.
With plenty of time on our hands, we decided we’d better do some laundry before we left, so Barbara loaded our largest suitcase with dirty clothes and took the shuttle over to the hotel’s RV park, where there was a very nice laundry room. While she was doing the laundry, I finished checking the room and packing everything else and then loaded the car.
Meanwhile, a new snow storm was blowing in and we were beginning to get a little nervous about whether we would be able to get out of town before the roads got treacherous.
While the last load of clothes was drying, we went over to the restaurant to have our buffet breakfast. Then, we went back to the laundry room, packed the last of the clothes in the car, and got out of town while the getting was good.
Once we got back up on I-40, we had a pretty clear road, even though the snow was still blowing for about 15 miles. After that, it was just cloudy and cold until we reached the Kingman area and turned off to go to Laughlin.
We had made arrangements to meet with our friends Bill and Therese tonight, but she called to say she was under the weather and they wouldn’t be able to come down from Las Vegas this evening, but maybe they would make it tomorrow after school.
Thursday, January 31: Day 8
Today was just for relaxing. While the temperatures in northwestern Arizona and the lower part of Nevada aren’t as balmy as in Southern Arizona, it was still nice enough to get out and walk around. Our legs are still hurting from all the hiking at Grand Canyon, so it was nice that we could get out and work out some of the soreness.
The picture on the left shows the Colorado River running between Laughlin, Nevada, and Bullhead City, Arizona. It’s very stark, but a really pretty setting.
Therese called to say that they just wouldn’t be able to make it down today either since the doctor had ordered her to stay off her feet for 3 days, so we just whiled away the afternoon and evening and enjoyed not having anything that had to be done.
Friday, February 1, 2008: Day 9
What a lazy morning! We just took our time getting up and around this morning…got everything packed up and carried out to the car and then got checked out of the hotel around 10:30.
We drove up the street to Harrah’s to see if any changes had been made since the last time we were here…found that a lot had changed, and not necessarily for the better. However, one thing that might have improved was the buffet, where we enjoyed a great brunch at a very reasonable price.
From Harrah’s, we headed on down the main street of Laughlin, crossed the Colorado River into Bullhead City, Arizona, and pointed the rental car toward Kingman, where we hooked up with I-40 and drove east through Seligman, Ash Fork, and Williams, until we reached Flagstaff around 5:30 and checked in at the Holiday Inn Express.
Tonight…order a pizza, sit around the room, watch some TV, and work on the journal.
Did you ever wonder how Flagstaff got its name? Well, whether you did or didn’t, you’re going to get a quick lesson here.
In 1876, when the United States was celebrating its centennial, a group of settlers passing through the area stopped and camped near a spring at the base of the San Francisco Peaks in the northern Arizona Territory.
To join in the centennial celebration, the settlers found a towering pine tree, stripped the branches off of it, and flew the US Stars and Stripes flag from it. After they left the area, the tree became a local landmark and when, in May, 1881, enough people resided in the area to justify a post office, the name “Flagstaff” was chosen.
And there you have it…your history lesson for the week. If this helps you win the big prize in some trivia show, just remember that you heard it from us.
Saturday, February 2: Day 10
With a scheduled 6:11 a.m. departure from the Flagstaff train depot, we left a wake-up call for 4:00 this morning, leaving us plenty of time to get cleaned up, finish packing, check out of the hotel, and get downstairs to meet out taxi at 5:15. They had told us to check in at the depot at least thirty minutes early, and we wanted to be sure we had plenty of time.
I figured that there would be only a handful of passengers boarding on a Saturday morning, but when we walked into the depot, the seating was nearly all taken. But, we were early…boy, were we early! After making our way to the ticket counter, we saw a note informing us that Train No. 4 was behind schedule and wouldn’t arrive until 8:30 a.m.
Trust us, there were not many happy folks at the depot this morning; nearly everyone had basically the same story as ours…wake up early, check out of hotels, turn in rental cars, etc., so there was nothing for us to do but make the best of it. It was around 17 degrees outside so long walks were definitely out of the question. While most folks were trying to catch naps, we did some reading and took an occasional short walk around the outside.
Finally, right on schedule (if you count the new time), the train arrived and we all boarded and found our seats. As we pulled out of the station, the dining car steward announced that they would begin final seating for breakfast. Since we had missed breakfast at the hotel due to our early checkout, we decided we’d go to the dining car and see if breakfast was as good as the dinner we had on the way west.
Again, we were pleasantly surprised at the quality of the food and the reasonableness of the price. Our selection this morning was the French toast…very tasty. After eating our breakfast and visiting with our tablemates (a couple from Iowa – she is a middle school science teacher),
We made our way back to our assigned seats for the rest of the journey. We both did some more reading and took short naps.
The engineer did a good job of making up some time (we were traveling at 90 mph on the long flat stretches) and he managed to make up 30 minutes of time between Flagstaff and Albuquerque. We had hoped to get some photographs of the sun rising as we headed into it this morning, but that went by the wayside. Instead, we offer these photos of eastern Arizona and western New Mexico scenery.
Our friend Bob was waiting for us as we got off the train and walked down the platform. He got his pickup while we waited for our checked baggage to come off, and then he took us back to his house where we transferred everything to the Vibe.
After some time for relaxation and a little shopping, we headed east on I-40. We knew we wouldn’t make it to Artesia until well after dark, so we pulled in at Moriarty, New Mexico, to find something to eat and a place to stay for the night.
Tonight…kick back and relax after a l-o-n-g day.
Sunday, February 3: Day 11
The word for today is W-I-N-D!!! We woke up to a cold wind and 17-degree temperatures and a light covering of snow) in Moriarty and, while we fully expected the temperatures to come up as we headed south toward Artesia, we didn’t know that the winds were going to increase so much. (Bottom middle photo shows the dirt blowing across the fields.)
When we arrived in Artesia shortly after 1:00 p.m. the winds were howling from35 – 40 mph with gusts up to 60…certainly not good weather for unloading a car and moving everything into Big V.
First, though, we drove over to Mother’s house to let her know we were home. Ernie was there and asked if we wanted to order burgers for lunch. We said that would be great, so he called in to Ruth’s to order for everyone and then he and I went out to pick them up.
After visiting and eating, we headed on out to Big V to start the chore of moving everything from the Vibe into Big V, a daunting task, since the winds threatened to tear the door off its hinges every time we opened it; and, with several suitcases and other assorted stuff to carry in, I made several trips. Meanwhile, Barbara worked to put things away inside as I brought them in. Without the teamwork, it would have been nearly impossible.
After checking in with Jean to let her know we were back and to pick up our mail, we sat around Big V for a bit and then wandered over to Jerry and Nancy’s house to join in their traditional Super Bowl party. Quite a few of their friends were over there and everyone enjoyed great food and fellowship as they watched the game.
We watched through the first quarter and then said our goodbyes so we could go back to Big V for the rest of the game. It had already been a long day, what with the drive from Moriarty this morning, combined with the high winds that we experienced all day.
Tonight…watch the remainder of the Super Bowl…saw the last quarter over at Jean’s house…what a heck of a game!!!
We close out this journal of our Arizona Adventure with a picture of a plaque that is mounted on a column at Hermits Rest in Grand Canyon. We don’t know how this escaped the attention of the
PC (politically correct) police, but it is such an apt expression to the Creator of this magnificent place.
Back at home with family and friends,
Jim & Barbara
Finally for this day, we offer a collage of just a few of the pictures from our hike this morning. As we said before, millions of words have been written to try to describe something that is truly indescribable. These pictures are only a means to show some of the views of the ever-changing grandeur that is the Grand Canyon.
Wednesday, January 30: Day 7We don’t know why, but we both woke up early this morning. Our plan was to sleep in, have a leisurely breakfast, pack the car, and then head west on I-40 toward Kingman, Arizona and then to Laughlin, Nevada.
With plenty of time on our hands, we decided we’d better do some laundry before we left, so Barbara loaded our largest suitcase with dirty clothes and took the shuttle over to the hotel’s RV park, where there was a very nice laundry room. While she was doing the laundry, I finished checking the room and packing everything else and then loaded the car.
Meanwhile, a new snow storm was blowing in and we were beginning to get a little nervous about whether we would be able to get out of town before the roads got treacherous.
While the last load of clothes was drying, we went over to the restaurant to have our buffet breakfast. Then, we went back to the laundry room, packed the last of the clothes in the car, and got out of town while the getting was good.
Once we got back up on I-40, we had a pretty clear road, even though the snow was still blowing for about 15 miles. After that, it was just cloudy and cold until we reached the Kingman area and turned off to go to Laughlin.
We had made arrangements to meet with our friends Bill and Therese tonight, but she called to say she was under the weather and they wouldn’t be able to come down from Las Vegas this evening, but maybe they would make it tomorrow after school.
Thursday, January 31: Day 8
Today was just for relaxing. While the temperatures in northwestern Arizona and the lower part of Nevada aren’t as balmy as in Southern Arizona, it was still nice enough to get out and walk around. Our legs are still hurting from all the hiking at Grand Canyon, so it was nice that we could get out and work out some of the soreness.The picture on the left shows the Colorado River running between Laughlin, Nevada, and Bullhead City, Arizona. It’s very stark, but a really pretty setting.
Therese called to say that they just wouldn’t be able to make it down today either since the doctor had ordered her to stay off her feet for 3 days, so we just whiled away the afternoon and evening and enjoyed not having anything that had to be done.
Friday, February 1, 2008: Day 9
What a lazy morning! We just took our time getting up and around this morning…got everything packed up and carried out to the car and then got checked out of the hotel around 10:30.
We drove up the street to Harrah’s to see if any changes had been made since the last time we were here…found that a lot had changed, and not necessarily for the better. However, one thing that might have improved was the buffet, where we enjoyed a great brunch at a very reasonable price.
From Harrah’s, we headed on down the main street of Laughlin, crossed the Colorado River into Bullhead City, Arizona, and pointed the rental car toward Kingman, where we hooked up with I-40 and drove east through Seligman, Ash Fork, and Williams, until we reached Flagstaff around 5:30 and checked in at the Holiday Inn Express.
Tonight…order a pizza, sit around the room, watch some TV, and work on the journal.
Did you ever wonder how Flagstaff got its name? Well, whether you did or didn’t, you’re going to get a quick lesson here.
In 1876, when the United States was celebrating its centennial, a group of settlers passing through the area stopped and camped near a spring at the base of the San Francisco Peaks in the northern Arizona Territory.
To join in the centennial celebration, the settlers found a towering pine tree, stripped the branches off of it, and flew the US Stars and Stripes flag from it. After they left the area, the tree became a local landmark and when, in May, 1881, enough people resided in the area to justify a post office, the name “Flagstaff” was chosen.
And there you have it…your history lesson for the week. If this helps you win the big prize in some trivia show, just remember that you heard it from us.
Saturday, February 2: Day 10
With a scheduled 6:11 a.m. departure from the Flagstaff train depot, we left a wake-up call for 4:00 this morning, leaving us plenty of time to get cleaned up, finish packing, check out of the hotel, and get downstairs to meet out taxi at 5:15. They had told us to check in at the depot at least thirty minutes early, and we wanted to be sure we had plenty of time.
I figured that there would be only a handful of passengers boarding on a Saturday morning, but when we walked into the depot, the seating was nearly all taken. But, we were early…boy, were we early! After making our way to the ticket counter, we saw a note informing us that Train No. 4 was behind schedule and wouldn’t arrive until 8:30 a.m.
Trust us, there were not many happy folks at the depot this morning; nearly everyone had basically the same story as ours…wake up early, check out of hotels, turn in rental cars, etc., so there was nothing for us to do but make the best of it. It was around 17 degrees outside so long walks were definitely out of the question. While most folks were trying to catch naps, we did some reading and took an occasional short walk around the outside.
Finally, right on schedule (if you count the new time), the train arrived and we all boarded and found our seats. As we pulled out of the station, the dining car steward announced that they would begin final seating for breakfast. Since we had missed breakfast at the hotel due to our early checkout, we decided we’d go to the dining car and see if breakfast was as good as the dinner we had on the way west.
Again, we were pleasantly surprised at the quality of the food and the reasonableness of the price. Our selection this morning was the French toast…very tasty. After eating our breakfast and visiting with our tablemates (a couple from Iowa – she is a middle school science teacher),
We made our way back to our assigned seats for the rest of the journey. We both did some more reading and took short naps.
The engineer did a good job of making up some time (we were traveling at 90 mph on the long flat stretches) and he managed to make up 30 minutes of time between Flagstaff and Albuquerque. We had hoped to get some photographs of the sun rising as we headed into it this morning, but that went by the wayside. Instead, we offer these photos of eastern Arizona and western New Mexico scenery.
Our friend Bob was waiting for us as we got off the train and walked down the platform. He got his pickup while we waited for our checked baggage to come off, and then he took us back to his house where we transferred everything to the Vibe.
After some time for relaxation and a little shopping, we headed east on I-40. We knew we wouldn’t make it to Artesia until well after dark, so we pulled in at Moriarty, New Mexico, to find something to eat and a place to stay for the night.
Tonight…kick back and relax after a l-o-n-g day.
Sunday, February 3: Day 11
The word for today is W-I-N-D!!! We woke up to a cold wind and 17-degree temperatures and a light covering of snow) in Moriarty and, while we fully expected the temperatures to come up as we headed south toward Artesia, we didn’t know that the winds were going to increase so much. (Bottom middle photo shows the dirt blowing across the fields.)
When we arrived in Artesia shortly after 1:00 p.m. the winds were howling from35 – 40 mph with gusts up to 60…certainly not good weather for unloading a car and moving everything into Big V.
First, though, we drove over to Mother’s house to let her know we were home. Ernie was there and asked if we wanted to order burgers for lunch. We said that would be great, so he called in to Ruth’s to order for everyone and then he and I went out to pick them up.
After visiting and eating, we headed on out to Big V to start the chore of moving everything from the Vibe into Big V, a daunting task, since the winds threatened to tear the door off its hinges every time we opened it; and, with several suitcases and other assorted stuff to carry in, I made several trips. Meanwhile, Barbara worked to put things away inside as I brought them in. Without the teamwork, it would have been nearly impossible.
After checking in with Jean to let her know we were back and to pick up our mail, we sat around Big V for a bit and then wandered over to Jerry and Nancy’s house to join in their traditional Super Bowl party. Quite a few of their friends were over there and everyone enjoyed great food and fellowship as they watched the game.
We watched through the first quarter and then said our goodbyes so we could go back to Big V for the rest of the game. It had already been a long day, what with the drive from Moriarty this morning, combined with the high winds that we experienced all day.
Tonight…watch the remainder of the Super Bowl…saw the last quarter over at Jean’s house…what a heck of a game!!!
We close out this journal of our Arizona Adventure with a picture of a plaque that is mounted on a column at Hermits Rest in Grand Canyon. We don’t know how this escaped the attention of the
PC (politically correct) police, but it is such an apt expression to the Creator of this magnificent place.Back at home with family and friends,
Jim & Barbara
“We cannot discover new oceans unless we have the courage to lose sight of the shore.” Heartwarmers
