Awoke to rain and thunderstorms this morning - first we have seen for some time! Had some breakfast and then as we went back to our to get our things for the Grand Canyon Railway, the door to our room refused to open!! We only had half an hour to get to the station so it was a bit of a panic while the maintenance man was called but he couldn't budge the bloody thing! Another staff member had to get in the window and open it!!!! So much for security!!! So it was a mad dash to get our gear and lock valuables in the room safe before we jumped in the car - leaving our room door unlocked and seriously hoping that they fix the lock and no one pinches our gear!
Got to the railway station in plenty of time, and had to shelter from the rain, thunder and lightening! We boarded the old carriage and found our very comfy seats and settled back to enjoy the 2.5 hour ride to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon - there was a nice morning tea and a bar service - so Mumsie had a champagne and orange and I had a beaut Bloody Mary! It was 5pm back in OZ!!!! I think!!!!!!
The scenery was quite pleasant with lots of trees and such - I saw one jack rabbit and a few cows, but none of the bob cats, mountain lion etc advertised in the brochure!!! Never mind - I'm sure they were out there somewhere!
The train depot was right at the rim of the Canyon and it was a short walk to the trail and the amazing vista of the Grand Canyon! The cloud was low and heavy, but the rain had passed thankfully and we walked about 5kms along the rim to the east, marvelling at the views!
We couldn't believe how much different the views were here compared with the West Rim we saw in 2008. There the Canyon is narrower and the sides much steeper - just as beautiful and we are so glad we have seen them both.
The South Rim has an established town in the park and is very busy with some shops and hotels - it doesn't detract from the beauty of the Canyon though as the town is well back from the Rim. The whole place was absolutely clean and tidy and the $16 entry fee is very well spent with free shuttle buses taking various scenic routes! Most impressive!
At 3.30pm we departed for Williams and we snacked on a nice afternoon tea and had a couple of drinks on the way, arriving back at 5.45pm and on our return to the motel our gear was still safe and sound!
Later we drove down town and had a meal in the "old" town, amongst the many tourists and a few locals!
It has been a great day - one we won't forget in a hurry!