{Riding the Grand Canyon Railway}

We did ride the Grand Canyon Railway from Williams to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon where also the United States oldest log depot is still in use!

Pieter is inspecting the locomotive's engines...

Historic Wild West costumes...

Pieter took a 'WeFie' with the iPad, as we are now happily riding the train...

The Marshal from the Wild West Shootout, did also board the train since there will be a mock robbery on the way back at 5:00 PM...

Roaming Western Singers are also part of this fully narrated train ride.
This lady is playing a Hohner Tyrolean III 72 Accordion...

You can here her at 3:50 minute into this video: Welcome to the Grand Canyon Railway

This 2 hours and 15 minute ride brings you past prairies, wooded area and desert like landscapes, ever changing.
In the center, at the very top, you just can see the home of an Arizona rancher...

A water hole (top left, off center) for their cattle... just like in the Old West Cowboy movies.

 Here we are rolling into the State Park of the Grand Canyon with Grand Canyon Village and the United States oldest, still working log depot!

Disembarked at the Grand Canyon Depot...
Very convenient indeed, from the historic 1910 Grand Canyon Depot it is just climbing some steps up, towards the historic El Tovar Hotel and to the Grand Canyon's South Rim...
GRAND CANYON RAILWAY DEPOT ←click it to see the actual historic log depot!

We both will take a Motor Coach to tour the Grand Canyon's South Rim and next day we did drive back by car, for a 2-night stay at Maswik Lodge in Grand Canyon Village.

More about that in next post...

This is on the way back... the Southbound train. We had a stopover of about 3-½ hours.

Oh my!
At 5:00 PM the notorious Cataract Creek Gang did galop alongside the train, on their horses and had the train stop so they could come aboard to ROB us!

Cataract Creek Gang snippet from Arizona Art and Entertainment  ←click it.
So glad we rode the Pullman as I would not have wanted to miss those excited children!

 
Williams News: Gunfights and train robberies: all in a day's work for Williams' own Cataract Creek Gang performers

But we continue; all unharmed! It is just a great way for collecting some tip money and so much fun.

Lovely scenery...

For both of us, northern Arizona was above expectation!

Almost home! Williams, Exit 163, how we got here by rental car the previous day...

Rolling into the Depot at Williams...

After dinner, we could see the Grand Canyon train sitting on the track... waiting for tomorrows guests!
Hope you enjoyed it and next we will show you the South Rim Grand Canyon Motorcoach Tour...

The package from The Train, ←click it, was the best we could have done!

Related link:

{1881 Williams, Arizona - Gateway to Grand Canyon & Wild West} | previous post by me

{1881 Williams, Arizona - Gateway to Grand Canyon & Wild West}

Now come with us to the Wild West, to 1881, Williams, Arizona, which is the Gateway to the Grand Canyon!

With our rental car, we arrived in Williams, coming from Phoenix airport.

WILLIAMS 1881

GATEWAY TO THE GRAND CANYON

And YES, I too did drive the Historic and famous Mainstreet of America!

Route US 66...

Famous AND Infamous as it was established in 1926 and it served as a major thoroughfare for those who migrated west during the Dust Bowl; called The Great Okie Migration

Williams, Arizona is right on Route 66!

Williams Junction Amtrak, is where our Grand Canyon Railway Hotel was and you can see Route 66 on the map.

To the left is the Grand Canyon Railway Hotel  ←(click it) and here you also see some historic Lima Locomotive at the Arizona State Railroad Museum here in Williams, AZ.

The weather for our stay during Labor Day weekend was absolutely fabulous!

This is the layout.
A huge hotel and the green roof below is their huge restaurant.

To the left of the restaurant, you see the Railway Depot and also you can see the train...

photo is from the Grand Canyon Railway Hotel link above...

This is the view from the hotel, just across the road and here you enter the Railway Depot.

Here husband Pieter, standing behind the historic Railway Depot; ready to board the train!
Both of us did have breakfast early, when it still was quiet...

This is the Grand Canyon train! You also can now see to the right, the green roof from the huge restaurant.

The Railroad Museum in Williams, has lots for visitors to see!

1908 by the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad... by Old West Gunfights on Route 66: Williams, Arizona 

Behind the Williams Railway Depot is this original Santa Fe locomotive -
Below, you will see also The Wild West Photos...

It was in 1988 that the Santa Fe maintenance crews and the field engineer abandon the Williams train station facility for good...

History of the Train

Williams Depot Re-Opens in 1989 when Max and Thelma Biegert had purchased it!

STEAM IS BACK IN 1996! Every first Saturday of the month you can ride this historic steam locomotive No. 4960. It got restored for $ 1.5 million and took 80,000 man-hours!

1999 Grand Canyon Railway PLACED AS A HISTORIC PLACE

2007 XANTERRA TAKES OWNERSHIP

2009 STEAM REINSTATED and to run purely on waste vegetable oil (WVO)
dubbed the 'Cataract Creek Rambler.'

That brings us to the WORLD FAMOUS
CATARACT CREEK GANG
WILD WEST SHOW...

Before we will board the train at 9:30 AM, there will be a WILD WEST SHOW at 9:00 AM!

AND... This Gang also robs the train every day at 5:00 PM on its way back to Williams.
Stay tuned!

{1987 Scottsdale Arizona versus 2014}

Yep, we had been to Scottsdale Arizona twice before; long time ago! That was in January of 1986 and in February of 1987. Both times my husband Pieter got invited to present a paper for the SPAWN MATE SYMPOSIUM. Each time we got to stay at the luxurious Registry Resort and even if this meant work for my husband, we did enjoy it very much! 

With the famous Camelback Mountain in the back; to us this was like PARADISE!

The Post Card's front gives a bird's-eye view of The Registry Resort's court-yard pool area. This 76-acre estate in Scottsdale, Arizona has 323 guest rooms, villas and bi-level suite, 21-lighted tennis courts, Health Club, two 18-hole championship golf courses and four of the Southwest's finest restaurants and lounges.

That's the reason that we went here in both years during winter in January and in February!

That's me on January 24, 1986 enjoying some bright blue sky and Arizona sunshine!
There is some glare from the glass in this picture as Pieter took it from inside...

As the above postcard already revealed, The Registry had four of the Southwest's finest restaurants...
Mouthwatering good I can tell you!

Both of us are not playing golf... Maybe next life?
But look at this Paradise-like Golf Course!
Yeah, Pieter is actually pushing this leaning palm tree back up–right.
He used to be mighty strong in his young years!

BUT... Since our last time at the Scottsdale Registry Resort, things have changed!
They completely wiped it off the planet in order to build condominiums and shopping malls, which would render more money. UNREAL but yes, here Pieter is standing in the back of those condominiums and it is ALL GONE.
Pieter said, so is also his full head of dark, curly hair (as is mine!)

Good thing is that nobody dared to move that Camelback Mountain; it is still there!
The above 2 photos were taken on September 4, the day before we flew back from Phoenix, Arizona to Savannah, Georgia. We did stay one night at the Hyatt Place Scottsdale/Old Town which is excellent and very conveniently located.

We still need to go back to Scottsdale, so Pieter will have a chance to ride their unique FREE Molly the Trolley...

Which I did on January 24 of 1986 - it is a fun experience too. 

See link below post with more info.

When we were in Arizona, 27 years ago, we did not have the money, nor the time for doing some sight seeing.
But we came back this year to see at least part of what is on this 1986 post card...

• 1. Mission San Xavier Del Bac, Near Tucson
• 2. Tree-Like Cactus
• 3. Tucson
• 4. U.S. No. 80 at Telegraph Pass near Yuma
• 5. Hoover Dam
• 6. Oak Creek Canyon
• 7. Grand Canyon
• 8. Petrified Forest U.S. No. 66 - The Famous Main Street of America!
• 9. The Painted Desert
• 10. Downtown Phoenix

Stay tuned for next posting where I will take you to Williams, Arizona and the WILD WEST!

Related links:

The West's Most Western Town | In 1888, U.S. Army Chaplain Winfield Scott visited the Salt River Valley and he actually founded present day Scottsdale! - Interesting history information!