Still Just Grand

 

After doing the walk in the sky, we still had time for more adventures, and rather than drive far,  we headed to Meadview and a delightful RV park Meadview RV Park & Cabins 

The price for a night was reasonable, the people friendly, the sites clean, with everything working, and the weather was nice enough to sit outside and plan the next days activities.

We decided that since this canyon is only “Grand” and long 277 miles long that we would go check out the other end of it specifically the south rim which should be called the east rim since it is east of the west rim, but what do I know. 

In the morning, we cruised into Meadview proper to see the sights as it was highly recommended  by the lady at the camper park.

There isn’t much to Meadview. Just a sleepy little town above the Colorado river, and maybe it’s a haven  for Snowbirds, but it wasn’t very interesting. However, it looked good in the rear-view mirror

So Long Meadview

 There is only one road so we backtracked down the road we rode in on and decided against the 32-mile gravel shortcut.

Back in Kingman we filled up our fuel tanks and phoned the Grand Canyon railroad to see about getting a seat on their train tomorrow. Getting a seat was no trouble and we opted for the high-class dome car the “Fred Harvey” The railroad also just happens to have a RV park and a hotel. We picked a two-night stay in the RV  park that was next to the mainline railroad tracks,

Just an Occasional Massive Train

And we were treated to the sounds of trains rolling by all during the night.

In the morning, after a proper breakfast and koffee it was a short walk to the train depot. Over in the bleachers there was even a wild west show staged by the local Cataract Gang.  We could here the gang shooting at one another, and the fans cheering as the bad guys bit the dust. Its no wonder we have a huge issue with guns.

Only In amerika

 Soon they were backing our coach onto the platform and we were ready to board

Our train was pulled by two EMD F40-PH locomotives that did a fine job. Our coach was named Fred Harvey but started life in 1955 as the “ Mountain View” on the Great Northern Railroad “Empire Builder Train” . The Grand Canyon Railroad purchased the car in 2009, refurbished it and had it up and running in 2012.

Our Caretaker For The Ride

We enjoyed the scenery, snacks and soft drinks both coming and going.

At the park we went to the edge of the canyon and looked over.

You cannot see the river from this lofty perch, but you can see the treacherous trail the donkeys take to the bottom of the thing.

We found a spot for lunch and watched the parade of people walk past our vantage point. This place is packed, and people were complaining of the wait to get into the park. All I can say is take the train next time.