Day 5 - Grand Canyon

Grand Old Time

Today is our first big adventure! And minimal driving in the RV we promise the boys. We booked some sweet first class tickets on the Grand Canyon Railway, which leaves from Williams, AZ in the morning, gets to the Grand Canyon around lunchtime and then departs for a return to Williams around 4. We were SO excited about this, and knew the boys would love a train ride.

Good morning Williams! Are we ready to share a wonderful day?  Answer: no, not really

The day starts out... wet. It's rainy and overcast, and we have some difficulty figuring out where the hell to park our monstrosity for a day trip. After stress and bickering (which was productive of course) we park and rush to get the boys to the "Wild West Show" before the train leaves. I leave them all set up at the stage with Mike and rush into the depot to get our tickets. I then get a stream of text messages saying "we're going back to the RV" "come here now" and "HELP!!!" I write back, "why?! the train leaves from the depot! the RV is in the opposite direction!" my love writes back "get here now. no questions." I contemplate going on the train solo for a lovely day of naps in the sun at the Grand Canyon. Instead I feel bad for the little fellas who are for some reason in the RV again after just being sprung. I get there and Mike needed to change his pants because a ginormous puddle of water got blow his way on the bleachers and "totally soaked my ass." I have no idea why he wouldn't just get on the damn train with a soaking wet ass, but I guess that he's not into that. Also, of course Arlo pooped AGAIN.

After more Amazing Race level fights and mess ups as parents, we board the train with me crying, ready to start our fantastic adventure on a positive note! Ah traveling with small children (and a husband!).  I can't believe RVing for 2 weeks with a toddler and a four year old would be stressful.

Graham and Arlo are so happy! Daddy looks so excited to be posing for a picture for Mommy! 

The day gets better, I promise (this is what I said in my head over and over again).

Fortunately the train ride was super comfy and VERY fun. The cushy first class section with our unlimited snacks, fruit and drinks was a great place to splurge. My boys love to open and eat one small part of things like oranges, bananas and apples. I call it the "fruit graveyard" at home when I save them in a bowl and try and use them for baking and smoothies- note "try." So it's nice to have an unlimited supply on someone else's dime. We won't talk about exactly how much first class costs, let me believe the apples are worth it.

We have a conductor on board named Abe. So, Abe is basically an Arizona Duggar. He's one of like 12 kids, was home schooled, and was super dorky (though VERY nice). We learn that one of his sisters and a brothers also are working on the train. Basically the Grand Canyon Railroad is what you start working on once you graduate from Duggar-Academy West. I am fascinated by these types of people so I am very excited to have him as our conductor/fruit servant for the ride. More on him later.

The many faces...

of Graham

SUCCESS!!

We finally make it to the Grand Canyon! This is mostly going to be a pictorial, but I will say that we had a good time despite Mike nearly passing out many times from altitude issues (he's still alive!) and our children attempting to veer off the path and off a mile high cliff every five seconds. I had Arlo on my back in the Ergo (and he slept for the first part thankfully) but G tried to just walk, and man, did I wish we had a leash for him. It's overall a bit of a stressful experience for parents of littles, especially when they really want to "hike" themselves. But check this off the bucket list- in your face Grand Canyon!

Sorry kid, you aren't leaving Mommy's arms or back this trip!

Leave it to G to find a tree to climb. So darn cute.

Kids don't cooperate for pictures.

Ever.

Arlo's back there. Sulking about being contained.

Our one and only successful family picture from this trip. We have over 600 photos, and we got exactly one.

Return Trip

By the time we get back to the train around 3:30 everyone is pretty exhausted. G falls asleep almost immediately on Daddy's lap. I decide now is my time to order myself a first class kind of drink and ask our man servant Abe to fetch me some champagne on the double.  Ok, I asked politely and said thank you, but I very rarely get to play Downton Abbey so I wish I said that. He brings me a pint of bad bubbly in- a solo cup. My first class dreams are shattered. This is however far more practical as who wants glass stemware on a train ride with squirmy toddlers? I settle in and start drinking, while saying, "there is no way I can finish this whole cup!"

Here I am without a care in the world, not thinking at all about the future headache this much bad "champagne" will cause.

Just documenting that our little guy has to hold his nipple 

while he has a bottle. Not weird at all.

Please note there is a rainbow in the middle of the field and I caught a picture of my husband looking out the window of the train with a rainbow and the sun shining. While drunk. Take that Leibovitz.

So 20 minutes later I have an empty cup. Around this time after talking with Abe I start to realize I'm pretty sure he would not exactly be into women, if his world allowed him to be. Sigh. Since I have been drinking though, I have to use all of my restraint to not ask him COMPLETELY inappropriate questions about his life. Instead I get giggly and exercise my filter. Suddenly, horsemen with guns ride up along the train and hold us up!!! It was super adorable and the Lo loved it (G was STILL sleeping!). We are told to plant money on anyone that wants to get "held up" so we give Arlo a dollar and teach him to say "Oh no!"  Abe comes into our car before the robbers and teaches us to swoon like old timey women. My filter is buckling from the pressure. I say, "wow Abe, you're a little too good at that!" He says, "well I have 6 sisters, who do you think taught them?" I need an award for keeping it together. Seriously. I had SO MUCH TO SAY!

When the robbers finally get to us, Lo hands over his dollar giggling. G eyes them with suspicion and goes back to sleep (smart kid- they are thieves. Everyone else is an idiot). Then the Sheriff comes through and asks people if they are a good guy or a bad guy. Arlo shouts "bad guy!" with pride. Yikes. And what do they do? They give him a cheese stick and beef jerky. WHAT?! I mean I know it was funny and pretend but talk about positive reinforcement. Later we ask Arlo why he wanted to be a bad guy and he says, "bad guys are fun!" Thanks Grand Canyon Railway for making our 2 year old into an aspiring criminal.

When we get into town, we decide to have dinner on Route 66 because now that Santa Fe is knocked out, we are leaving Route 66 after tonight. We go to the 100% tourist trap diner and tell G that this is what Radiator Springs is based on. He doesn't believe us. But now he wants to watch the movie Cars, which of course we don't have with us. Downtown Williams on the Route 66 strip is super cute though and we have a nice little dinner.

It is SO COLD when we get back and we thankfully have a furnace on board to keep us toasty. After we put the boys to bed we agree to also knock Moab off our our trip, meaning no Arches or Canyonlands. Totally sadz. But this gives us 2 travel days and 3 days in Bryce and Zion each. We know it's for the best to have a shorter loop and take more time in two places. We also had a pretty good day today and the boys were happy, mainly because we were hardly in the RV at all. Kids, cramping our style again. Good thing they are cute.