Grand Canyon By Rail

Taking the train from Williams to the Grand Canyon has been on our bucket list for awhile,

so when we decided to take Leanne on a short trip the top two contenders were Williams and Seattle. Guess which won??

We booked the dome car for the canyon-bound trip and it was spectacular, as promised.

Well worth every penny (and it was a lot of pennies).

Leanne was thrilled to be upstairs

and to have a window seat next to grandma.

I was afraid we'd get bored on the 2+ hour ride but between the scenery

and the entertainment, the time flew by.

(The lady accordion player was especially good; I think Leanne wants an accordion for her next birthday . . . Sorry, Marie!)

After lunch at the El Tovar Hotel,

we hit the South Rim for three hours of sightseeing

before our train headed back to Williams.

The views were spectacular and Leanne was a great travel companion.

She hiked, scoped things out with her new binoculars, worked on her Junior Ranger book, and generally had a good time.

I fully expected her to pass out the minute we boarded the train - in coach class this time -

but between the travelogue and games supplied by our PSA "Kathy with a K", and the musical interlude with guitar, harmonica, tambourine and vocals, Leanne was awake and participating the entire 2+ hours we were onboard.

She even took the mic and told her favorite knock-knock joke. What a star!

By the time we got back to the hotel at 7:30, Pop and I were beat but Leanne was still raring to go swimming. Good thing she's easy to bribe!