Summer Vacation 2013: Day 9 ~ Grand Canyon and Las Vegas

This morning we were up and out early take the Grand Canyon Railroad to the south rim of the Grand Canyon. The trip begins with a “shoot out” next to the depot. It was very cute, and the men who are involved with it, bantered back and forth with the audience before it began. It was fun. The train ride to the canyon was 64 miles, which went from desert up into the Ponderosa Pine Forest. We were able to see some wildlife along the route, including, prairie dogs, Mule Deer, Pronged Horn Antelope, a jackrabbit, the bones of a horse out in a field, and many cows, including small calves that were running and jumping in the fields. They were adorable! The person who was the “PSA” Passenger Service Attendant clearly loved her job and gave out all kinds of information about the area, the canyon, the wildlife in the area, and herself. She didn’t seem to want a quiet train ride. There was also entertainment by some teen boys who played guitar and sang a wide range of songs from classic cowboy songs like “Rawhide” to Jason Mraz.

Once at the Grand Canyon, we had to climb the 47 steps (it was made VERY clear on the train ride that there were 47 to climb up to get to the rim, and then Claire counted them!) and combined with the high altitude, left Peter gasping for breath. But he acclimated quickly, so we will keep him around for a little longer! When you walk up those stairs and step to the rim of the canyon, there are no words to express the magnitude and the majesty of the Grand Canyon. Pictures can never do it justice. It is just spectacular. We walked the rim from the depot to the Visitors’ Center, which is about 3.5 miles. Peter and Claire were much more adventurous about heading off the path to get a closer look than James and I were. Of course we also saw some people who truly appeared reckless near the edge, which made us all the more cautious. There was so much wildlife, although we never did see mountain lions or mountain goats like they said we might. However, we did see lizards, a small scorpion, a beautiful black and white woodpecker, a bluebird, many other birds, and one of the biggest squirrels (and not at all shy!) we have ever seen. We also were amazed at all of the languages that were being spoken around us. I think we heard 20 or more different languages, some we recognized, most, we did not. It was definitely international!

The train ride back was a blast…literally, as the train was robbed!! I must say though, I have never seen a train that stops so as to allow train robbers to board. The people in our car all got involved and handed over money. It was all a great show, and the family agreed that it was a wonderful treat to take the train.

I do have to share a funny story though which happened as we were getting off the train back in Williams. As we were all walking from the train to the depot, a young lady walked up to James and said, “I’m Cammi. What’s your name?” James told her his name and she and the friend she was with went running off. We, of course, immediately started teasing him and he was laughing. Then, while we were standing at the depot waiting for Peter, who had gone back to fill the water bottles, I saw the girls coming back. As they walked by, the young lady smiled brightly and said, “Hey, James!” as if they had been friends forever. More teasing ensued, especially when Peter came back and asked about it, because he saw them turn around to walk past James again. Ahh, young love!

From the train we left for Las Vegas, where we were spending the night. It wasn’t a bad drive, but we didn’t get to see a lot of the scenery, as it very dark, but we were treated to a spectacular sunset! When you come out of the hills and Las Vegas is in front of you, there is a vast sea of lights! Amazing! We drove down the strip to look at all of the hotels, and the place was packed! I guess because it is Friday night, everyone was out walking around, watching the street performers, and listening to the music. Police were everywhere; too. It was a sight to see. We took a lot of pictures. The sheer size of some of the hotels and casinos is just overwhelming. The kids were intrigued, and while I was glad they got to see it (and wasn’t too happy at other stuff they saw, too!). it is not a place I have any desire to go back to.