It was a cold blustery morning as we walked over to watch
the gunfight performance...they put on this little show at 9:00 and then the
train boards at 9:15 for its departure at 9:30.
It was a very windy day but at least the sun was shining.Time to board the train...
Our car was the first one behind the locomotive so we had a ways to walk...
Everyone is getting settled...
This is Jeannie, our car hostess...
All the workers came outside to wave goodbye...
We had entertainment from a Navajo gentlemen...
We arrived at the Grand Canyon Village train depot at 11:45 where we immediately boarded the tour bus...we are on the "Freedom Tour" bus (the "Grand Tour" included lunch...we decided we would get lunch on our own later)...
The Grand Canyon is...well..."Grand"...just huge and very impressive...
Over the course of the next hour and a half, the bus driver took us to 3 viewpoints...Hopi Point, Mohave Point and Trailview Overlook...where we had plenty of time to admire the views and take plenty of pictures...
It was very windy!
After just over an hour and a half we were back in the
village area. The bus driver dropped us
off at Bright Angle Lodge where we had lunch....
After lunch, we walked along the rim...more pictures...
Time to head back to the train for the 3:30 departure (when we first arrived at the canyon, our hostess told us.."remember 65/140"...the train leaves promptly at 3:30; if you are not back in time, it is a 65 mile walk or a $140 cab ride back to Williams)...
Our afternoon entertainment...a self-proclaimed "western" singer; not "country" singer. He had a great deep voice...too bad he had a bit of a problem carrying a tune...
A very entertaining interlude in our afternoon train ride...
We're arriving back in Williams now...
We arrived back at the train station at about 6:00...what a great day! They already have the place decorated for Christmas. We decided to walk over to the hotel for a drink in Spenser's Pub.The bar in the pub has quite a history...
"The signature bar was handcrafted in England in 1887 by George O. Spenser. The "Lion’s Den" proprietor, Daniel Hollings, commissioned the noted cabinet maker to construct the “best bar in the Bush.” Given two hundred pounds for materials and the promise that he would never have to pay for another drink, Spenser worked day and night for four months to create this solid oak masterpiece. The deal proved to be a bargain for Spenser, who visited the Lion’s Den every day and lived to the ripe old age of 84. The headpiece (top, center of the bar) is carved from the likeness of Laura Nelson, Lord Nelson’s niece and Spenser’s mistress of 17 years. They shared eight children together. Laura and four of her children tragically died in 1888 of Bubonic Plague, a year after Spenser’s masterpiece was completed. The torches were added in memory of his children that were lost. It is said that there is a secret compartment in the bar itself, holding a treasure that was given to Laura Nelson by Spenser. While that has been quite a curiosity for many years, the keepers of the bar think it best not to disturb the spirit and integrity of this magnificent piece."
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