On
our way to find Maswik Lodge, we encountered the Williams
Flyer being
turned for their afternoon return to Williams. I love the Grand
Canyon Railway locomotive paint scheme. It looks great on the EMD
F-40. I don't think I've ever seen an F-40 with an intolerable
paint scheme.
We had to ask directions to get to
Maswik Cafeteria and arrived a few minutes later.
I've developed an
intense interest in Thai food over the last 10 years and this fire and
rice soup was excellent. Paried with a chili sixe was a
mistake. No more chili size even though it was good. This
cafeteria has a wide selection of food available.
At
lunch many 3751 crew members Amtrak personnel and a few car owners or
chapparones were present. I sat next to Don Chakerian, a UP
engineer and 3751 fireman. I had to ask how did the steam
engineers in two separate engines get the sounds the way they
did? His answer was simply that one engineer would whistle and
the other engineer would hear it echo around the forest and do his own
whistle.
With
lunch finished, some of us headed out to the Grand Canyon South Rim
with its amazing views. This being my second time in adult life
visiting the Grand Canyon, I can only say the view is spectacular
everywhere you gaze towards or into the canyon. Just like Alaska,
it is a primitive wild frontier place. I occasionally think about
John Wesley Powell, an intelligent 19th century Civil War soldier,
scholar and explorer of the west including the first known passage
through the Grand Canyon. With one arm he was still able to
accomplish important exploration of many places including one I view
here on this day. In Ken Burn's documentary of the National
Parks, I recall it took a lot of popular sentiment to make the Grand
Canyon into a National Park and that a certain Senator from Arizona had
"authority" over an important trail as a toll road. Thankfully,
his power over the trail was taken away and was voted out of the Senate.
On
a regular Grand Canyon Railway Williams Flyer train, visitors have
3-3/4 hours to explore the area. A great thing to do is take a
motorcoach rim tour and be taken to places automobiles cannot
go. It can also be set up with a buffet lunch at Maswik Cafeteria.
While walking around by myself, I
encountered one of the GCL passengers who had taken a several hour
hike. He suggested to descent this trail and check out the
pedestrian tunnel. There were several natural holes in the rock.
The same trail spoken about above ultimately leads down to the river
about a mile vertically below. There is a somewhat flat plateau
visible in the below left photo and the solar restrooms are barely
visible in the crevice above the shadow.
