Grand Canyon Train Ride (7/2)

In order to understand park and park partner operations, Jay, Laurel and are taking every opportunity we get to experience a part of Grand Canyon National Park.  On July 2, our Grand Canyon experience included a Wild West shoot out, bus tour of Hermit’s Rest Road along the South Rim and a train robbery.   That’s right, train robbery!

Old Sante Fe railroad car at the depot in Williams.

Cowboy musicians playing for the passengers before
we left the station.

Old West show stage.

We left Flagstaff early in the morning to drive to Williams, AZ, where we picked up our railroad tickets, watched a cowboy gunfight in a little outdoor theater and boarded the Grand Canyon Railroad.  Along the way we enjoyed snacks and were entertained by a singing cowboy.  I did not know most of the songs he played, but sure sang along when he strummed Rocky Top! 

We arrived at the South Rim of the park in time for lunch and then boarded a tour bus for stops along Hermit’s Rest Road.  We only made two stops along the road for about 20 minutes each, but it was nice to take the ride and especially to see new views of the canyon from west of Grand Canyon Village. 

The ride back to Williams was even more entertaining than the ride up, because it included a train robbery!  From inside the train we watched as the bad-dude cowboys from the morning gunfight rode their horses alongside of the train.  They boarded and strode through the train acting tough and entertaining the younger riders.  Overall, the train ride was a lot of fun and an interesting way to visit Grand Canyon National Park. 

By the time we arrived in Williams we were ready for dinner.  Despite spotty cell service, Jay was able to find a well-rated dinner option through Yelp – the Singing Pig barbeque joint.  It is a bit of a hole in the wall, but served some delicious pulled pork barbeque.  My sandwich included cheese and several kinds of sauces, which threw me at first, but turned out to be quite tasty.   We followed our meals up with a fried Twinkie and a fried Snickers bar, which were seriously intense…

In addition to eating a good meal, we were also entertained by the bar-top dancing taking place in the adjacent 100 year-old saloon.  This may not seem too crazy for a saloon, but it was only about 6 pm on a Monday.  I guess the party gets started early in Williams.  Last but not least, a visit to a tiny western town like Williams is not complete without taking your picture with something cheesy and hilarious.  Thank you to store with the Elvis statue for this opportunity!