Title : All Aboard
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All Aboard
I love train travel. Unfortunately, I live in a city without regular Amtrak service. Even when Phoenix had trains at the Union Station downtown, there was just one train each day, in each direction. Years ago, when Salt Lake City was my home, I was in train heaven: Chicago, Denver, Las Vegas, Portland and L.A. were served several times a day.With a little bit of effort, though, I can still get my train fix. About two hours away is the Verde Canyon Railroad. Originally built to transport copper ore in 1912, it now welcomes a million visitors a year on a four hour round trip through the rugged, spectacular Verde Canyon. There are stunning views, bald eagles, coyotes and occasional mountain lions. Though a daily freight train shares the same tracks, the tourist trade from this excursion has a major economic impact on the area.
My youngest daughter gave Betty and me a pair of tickets as an early birthday gift for my 70th. A few weeks ago we packed up and headed north for a short, but needed, two day break from routine and my train fix.
The trip leaves and returns to the small town of Clarkdale. Just a few miles west of Cottonwood, a 15 minute drive from the hillside wonders of Jerome, and about half an hour from the red rocks of Sedona, this is a rugged and dramatic part of my home state.
The birthday present placed us in the first class section, complete with champagne toast, a buffet of light lunch items, a cash bar, and bottled water (very important in the desert!). We had two easy chairs for seats as well as a private table between us for the food and drinks. Huge picture windows allowed for watching the deep canyons, bald eagles, and rapidly flowing Verde River.
Even better, just one train car behind us was an open air car, with benches, shade, or the chance to lean on the railings and watch nature in all its up close glory. With a length of a quarter mile, 18 cars and two engines, this is real railroading.
Betty took hundreds of pictures and several videos to help us remember this special trip for years to come. Here is a small sampling to allow you to armchair travel!
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| The Verde Canyon Railroad station in Clarkdale |
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| Toasting our adventure |
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| A long, long train |
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| 6" clearance entering a 600 foot long tunnel |
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| A pair of bald eagles high above the cliffs |
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| For the return trip, the engines moved to the back of the train to pull us home |
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| The end of a perfect day |
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