Welcome to Part Two of Shuttletrains’s
Wanderings at the Grand Canyon via AMTRAK’s Southwest Chief and the Grand
Canyon Railway. AMTRAK’s Southwest Chief brought my newlywed wife, Mrs. Shuttletrain and I to Williams Junction, AZ which was jus a railroad yard that have a litte
platform and a light. Since we were staying at the Grand Canyon Railway Hotel,
the hotel’s van met the train and picked us and two other couples and headed
through some thick forest, on a gravel road. We arrived at the hotel about
10:30 that night and checked in. The hotel lobby was very nicely decorated for
Christmas. The hotel rooms were just ordinary rooms. We belong to AAA, so we
got the whole package deal. One night at the GCR hotel, train up to the canyon
in dome car, sightseeing tour, lunch buffet, night in a cabin(Thanksgiving
night), train trip back to Williams in Parlor car, another so called night at
the GCR hotel. More about that so called night later.
I will start off with some pictures of the GCR
hotel.
Thanksgiving morning, we went to the GCR dining
hall, which was across the courtyard from the hotel, and had breakfast. Since
you had to pay for the meal in the gift shop, a trick that the management
learned from amusement parks, we bought a jacket and tee-shirt and magnets. The
boarding station is the old Santa Fe station, but, before you enter, you had to
have one of those souvenirs photos taken.
The train was still 45 minutes from boarding, so we
went to the old west shoot-out that the railroad’s actors perform for the guest
prior to boarding. I was pretty funny, I must admit.
The sheriff (black trench coat) got involved when
one of the guests got roped into the act. Of course, you know someone got shot.
After the show ended headed back to
the station area and took some more pictures.
Since it was Thanksgiving, which is
the start of the holiday season, Mrs. Shuttletrain had to make sure that the
most important letter of the year was mailed before we head to the rim.
We boarded the dome car for the
trip north to the canyon, and here are some of sights.
We got to the South Rim and went
straight onto the tour buses for the South Rim tour.
The sunset was beautiful. A great
Thanksgiving dinner rounded off our first Thanksgiving together as husband and
wife at the resturant on the edge of the rim. Then back to the cabin.The next day,
enjoyed more beautiful scenery then hopped back on the GCR this time in the parlour
car and a quick night at the GCR hotel, only to awaken at two in the morning to
catch the shutlle back to the Southwest Chief and back to Washington, Missouri
and work. Thanks for wandering with us for this edition of Shuttletrain’s
Wanderings.
