Tuesday, April 22, 2008

Grand Canyon Day 2, Part 7: Home Sweet Motel

9:00 p.m. Flagstaff, Arizona - so there is life in the desert! An electric garden of lights reminiscent of home, stretching out nearly as far as the eye can see. The stop lasts about ten minutes. If you wander too far from the train for a smoking break, you change from passenger to hitchhiker. I know this because Attendant says exactly that, one of the all-time customer service phrases.

9:45 Williams Junction, Arizona. The Amtrak employee described it perfectly: "A light pole, a parking lot, and a shuttle." Thank God for the latter, this place is a scene right out of a horror flick. The 7 mile trip to Williams starts out rough - unpaved dirt roads and rocks litter the unlit landscape.

But soon we pulled into the Grand Canyon Railway Motel, complete with ESPN and most importantly SHOWERS! I'm talking high pressure and plenty of hot water, an ideal combination for blasting a day's worth of grime and settling into a real bed for a comfy night's sleep.

The desk clerk tells us all we need to know, including tomorrow's train departure time, a map of the area including the retaurant, and instructions for tagging and dropping off our luggage tomorrow so that it gets transported to the Maswick Lodge tomorrow.

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