Grand Canyon, Arizona.

Toot! Toot! We booked into the Grand Canyon Railway RV Park in Williams, Arizona yesterday evening after driving all day through the mountain passes from Laughlin, Nevada. The climb hauling the RV really put the Dakota to the test but we were careful and took our time. An alert gas attendant, somewhere along the way, strongly advised we install new shocks on the rear of Dakota as the right side was blown so we had heavier shocks installed which caused a 3 hour delay.
This morning around 8:30 we picked up our tickets for the Grand Canyon Railway train. Prior to the train leaving at 10:00, we were treated to a cowboy show , including a shootout., with guys that looked like real cowboys. They perform every day except Christmas, weather permitting. No wonder they seemed authentic.
We boarded at the Williams Depot and two hours later arrived at the Grand Canyon Station at 12 noon. What a magnificent sight! We walked along the south rim trail about two miles, stopping to take many pictures, to an observation deck and spent time at the interpretive centre, gazing out on the canyon. A bus took us back to the El Tovar Hotel where we had drinks and window shopped. We also visited Hopi House which sold Native American products, but we had already spent our allowance for this stop. While we waited for the train, Paul enjoyed sitting in the lobby of the hotel near the huge stone fireplace which was aflame with real logs. He even nodded off for a bit.
On the way back to Williams, the same cowboys from the morning held up the train demanding cash, rings, etc. They were given token $1.00 US bills. One even had the gall to refuse a loonie being offered by a fellow Canadian traveler……but it was all in fun. Because we were so tired from the day, we ate dinner at the “world famous” Rod’s Steak House, “on Route 66 since 1946’ - as old as Faye. The steaks were delicious.

Later….